Clarify Values

Getting in trouble in school as an adolescence engrained many of the values I live by today. By the age of five, I learned the importance of honesty, respect, and organization. I recall struggling with mathematics in the third grade. Staying up past nine o’clock (my outlandish bedtime) staring at the same fractions I learned six hours ago became exhausting. My father noticed my lack of enthusiasm, suggested I create a calendar to schedule events such as tutoring in order to save time at home. Life experiences like that molded my character into what it is currently…

Every leader should have a philosophy they live by; mine is ‘each one, teach one’. In laymen-terms, whatever cheat sheet I come across on the road of life, I shall pass on to whomever is curious. Values such as ‘each one, teach one’, punctuality, self-love, and determination drive my actions. Every morning I stick to the same schedule of waking up, eating breakfast, and studying before eight o’clock. When it’s time for work, I rely on an alarm set by myself to remind me not to be tardy. I’ll arrive at work timely with confidence fueled by self-love and the determination to succeed.

Trust, forms the foundation that allows me to attach myself to an organization. Acceptance from my peers and appreciation from leaders contributes to my commitment in any association. In order to gain my trust, one must articulate their values with me, so I can walk in his or her shoes.

After listening attentively, I wait to see if their actions coincide with their beliefs. In order to assist someone in voicing their principles, I search for common ground; similar hobbies, interests, and lifestyle trend a textbook example of this is asking their response to a situation, similar to job interviews. Employers love to set up paradigms for interviewee’s in the hiring process. For example, an employer may ask, “What would you do if you knew your boss was pilfering the company’s profits for his own interests?”

Most people would agree it is wrong to go silent on a serious offense. This belief affirms the shared value in honesty. My value in honesty will create conflict, if asked to lie in order to protect my boss. By affirming others beliefs along with your own, you establish standards to agree upon. When everyone has a sense of responsibility to a cause greater than himself or herself, the organization is fortified with trust and determination.

The path to a committed organization starts with the individual’s values. Once their values are known, they should align them with the organization. If the two match, encourage your constituents to voice their own opinions by involving group discussions. Clarifying shared personal values in an organization drives commitment and dedication.

So, what are your values and how do they relate to your lifestyle today?

Invest in Your Future

“When education leaves a community, that community begins to spiral because that’s the centerpiece,” said Rev. Reginald Lillie, NAACP’s president of Houston in response to the closing of Ryan Middle School. In every neighborhood there is a school somewhere near it; that school is the source of education for the children of that community. Hence, education is the foundation for today’s young dreamers of tomorrow.

There is three people who form your foundation: your guardian, your religious leader, and your teacher. We know this to be true because without them, we would not be who we are today. My parents instilled resilience in me as a child for they knew I would make mistakes, as most children do. The Shrine Christian Center of Houston taught me to be respectful to all walks of life and the strength of unity or umoja. Last, but not least, my teachers from Mrs. Franklin in kindergarten to professor Aswad Walker at U.H. cemented a solid foundation based on the statement, “never stop asking why”.

Why live life without purpose, without devotion, without trying to understand it? Knowledge propels creativity, knowledge inspires our youth, and most importantly; knowledge kills ignorance! Knowledge is simply a proven belief. A child who believes he / she can become a lawyer knows they can because of Thurgood Marshall. Thanks to Charles Drew, children can see themselves as future surgeons. The next time a valuable source of education is “misplaced” in your community, ask why, and then do something about it like organize a plan at the Shrine Dream Center to promote change!

Amir Strong is the co-founder of the Shrine Dream Center

Searching for Resilience

A couple of weeks ago, we met for another Dream Center meeting. As always, I was impressed and moved by the conversation. When people come together, there is often a bit of sizing up that goes on. People attempt to craftily hide their agendas. They are hesitant to say what’s on their mind, lest they offend somebody.

At the Dream Center, we are interested in your agenda. So, instead of hiding our agendas – or even checking them at the door – we encourage people to speak about their agendas boldly. Well, I guess we call them dreams instead.

In the midst of an agenda-filled conversation, we began to talk about what we thought of people in our community. Someone asked the question: In the midst of so much bad news, what positives do we see in our community?

“Resilience,” said one person.

We spent the next 25 minutes talking about resilience and examples we’d seen of it in our community, friends, role models, and families. We talked about a desire to do small acts of building resiliency in our brothers and sisters. It was an incredibly powerful conversation, and I came away ready to brainstorm and take action.

This week, we are going to pick up where we left off. If you weren’t there to join us last week, it’s okay! This is a conversation that we can all benefit from. I hope to see you there!

Lumumba Seegars is the co-pastor of the Shrine Christian Center of Houston.

Road Blocks

I believe I’ve lived a fruitful life full of travels to distant lands and irreplaceable friends and family who provided my foundation. If GOD were to take me away tomorrow, I would leave this life without regrets. I’ve never been to Vegas, never driven a Corvette, or made a snowman; however, I am content with everything GOD has blessed me with. Contentment is seldom seen today. With a constant changing economy, many Americans are having trouble finding a comfortable niche to live in. If you are breathing, have someone who loves you, and a bed to sleep in at night; I suggest you reevaluate your life’s blessings.

Too often people are deterred from enjoying their life because they did not accomplish someone else’s bucket list. You know you searched Google for a “Things to do before you die” list. Cliff diving, gamble life savings, buy dream car, and visit Venice etc., it all sounds appealing but honestly, is this what YOU really want out of life? I know too many people who would trade lives with me in a heartbeat just to enjoy simple luxuries like a roof over their head. We (humans) take the gift of life for granted. For example, if an earthquake hit Houston you would no longer desire new Prada sunglasses. A bottle of water would be worth more than any designer product at that point. These material wants and needs cannot improve life, and what happiness they bring is shortly diminished after the new gen is released.

Ask yourself: “What am I doing now to live a purpose-driven life?” Is what your involved in today a positive investment in your future? There’s a difference between “doing work” and actually “working”. Most of the time, we are busy doing little things to past time a.k.a. busy work. If you traded in “busy work” time for time to work towards a dream or goal you desire, you would be that much closer to reaching it. No matter what your dream is, if you don’t set time to chase it, you’ll never cross the finish line! Now the next question is: “Am I pursuing my dream?” What is stopping you from creating a blueprint for that dream? Are you afraid you’ll fail? Of course you are, so was I until those fears became reality and I was stuck with two alternatives; try again or find a new hobby… First, how do you overcome your fears?

Recognize your fears; then, recognize the reward of reaching that dream. If the reward is greater than the risk, you already have all the motivation you’ll need to ignite change! Self-motivated people typically perform better than those who are dependent on orders. Today, I’m proud to say that I’m back on the road of success and I’m glad I kept the ball rolling. See, no fear is too great to stop any individual from following his/her dreams. You have to want it bad enough past the point of failing to achieve it.

“The road to success is paved by the driver” – Amir Strong

Amir Strong is the co-founder of the Shrine Dream Center

Small Dreams Matter

I’ve recently returned to the classroom as a long term substitute teacher for a 3^rd grade math class. It’s a little special because it’s the same district in which I was educated: Houston Independent School District (HISD). I see these students, and I see myself. Really. Anybody who has known me since I was a third-grader (or even now, for that matter), knows that I was pretty restless as an eight-year old. But these students remind me of something else about me: they love to dream.

I love hearing little kids dream (just make sure you don’t call them little kids to their faces!). It’s a mixture of the small and the big, the mundane and the extraordinary—the practical and improbable. Yet, both are powerful.

Kids have dreams like, “I hope we get extra time at recess today,” or “Maybe I’ll get to lead the line first!” Very small dreams that have an incredible impact on how they feel their day went. Simultaneously, you cannot tell them that they won’t be an astronaut, doctor, artist, athlete, or musician one day! They see something, and if it looks interesting, they want it. It’s that simple. The dreaming begins almost instantaneously.

This has the important effect of allowing them to be impacted by the small stuff. A smile, a high five, two minutes of class-wide stretching. They LOVE it. They get to live in the moment. They get to feel a sense of human warmth. Also, you’ll see even the most “off-task” kids still get caught up in the atmosphere of basic decency. I have a few students who need continuous redirection and often get tattled on by the other kids. It still warms my heart when, in the midst of all that, this student can still offer to go over division flashcards with another student. Of course that student still got tattled on half an hour later, but at least a good deed had been done!

My point is that, as adults, we often dream the “big” dreams. These are great. I can dream big with the best of them. But sometimes, like children, let’s focus on those small dreams. Maybe somebody will smile at me today. Maybe I’ll get a chance to have an interesting conversation over lunch. Maybe I can be a little more polite when somebody is trying to merge in front of me on the highway.

Just a thought. Maybe even a dream.

Lumumba Seegars is the co-pastor of the Shrine Christian Center of Houston.

One Love

Many people have come and gone, some important, others just an acquaintance. What each of them has in common is in some way or another they altered our lives. Majority of people call them friends, family, or spouse. Then, there is that one individual who inspired a lifestyle change to make who you are today. Now that influential soul is what I call an icon…

My icon is Bob Marley, the way he persuaded the masses with creative music and conscious lyrics had me hooked on the rhythm. As a child, I remember listening to No Woman No Cry, Buffalo Solider, and my favorite, Waiting In Vain in the car on my way to school. I greatly appreciate my mother and father for introducing ‘rebel music’ into my life. This way of life that encompasses standing up for your rights, knowing thyself, and one love helped mold me into the artist I am today. This thus spawned the truth-seeking, psychedelic hip-hop group, Abstract Deviance.

I coined the term myself one day after art history class. We had discussed artists during the French revolution such as Jacques Louis David known for The Death of Marat. Marat, like Bob Marley, was against oppression to say the least. They recognized humankind must support itself in order to survive. My favorite form of art is abstract and by standing up against oppression I am deviant to that system.

I respect Bob Marley for incorporating Rastafarian beliefs into songs such as No Woman No Cry. Unfortunately, too often woman are exploited for sensual desires. Bob reminds us that God crafted women from the rib of man. Not from his feet to be walked on. Not from his head to be superior to, but from his side to be his equal. Placed under his arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved. The exploitation of women in mainstream  hip-hop (Kanye West, Jay Z, and Kendrick Lamar for example) has become the norm to where upcoming generations are numb to the disrespect. I love my mother and all women in my life, I would never step on their toes. Abstract Deviance seeks to direct the youth with a positive message that simply says, “Know who you are, love who are, and love others”.

Amir Strong is the co-founder of the Shrine Dream Center

Independence

Growing up in a single-child household with both parents to most people sounds like a spoiled brat. Instead it was similar to the solitude experienced by inmates in a federal prison. Every day after I came home from school I was greeted by whichever parent reached the house first. We would talk about my busy school week filled with overbearing homework, mean teachers and friends whom rarely made an appearance after the semester was over. Being a Libra, I’m generally surrounded by friends and gaining new acquaintances daily due to my personality traits. These wonderful people have blessed me by providing the siblings I never knew (because they were never born). Out of the handful of close friends, one is very special to me by the name of Malek Brown.

Malek and I are god-brothers through our church where we were respectfully raised. The Shrine of the Black Madonna gave us both the foundation to strive for self-improvement, meaning of umoja (unity), and each one teach one. Throughout the years however, our presence within the church declined with school, work, and other side-jobs that became top-priority to us. Eventually, we had forgotten the building blocks that made us into the men we are; even my relationship with Malek became more fictional as well. After long days of studying I came back to our dorm room to find two empty beds, no one to question me about my day or simply human interaction, just me, myself and I. What was once unusual became a routine practice and once again I was alone.

Then on a frigid February afternoon walking back to the dorm room I called Malek for a ride to the store to pick up groceries; the conversation was anything but normal. Malek wasn’t himself, giving a standoffish vibe that only brought me closer to him out of care. In a monotone voice he informed me that his father kicked him out of the house, he has been sleeping in his truck for two days at McGregor Park. I was furious, knowing the man who brought my god-brother into this world threw him out onto the streets like they were roommates! Then it hit me, I wasn’t too different from Malek’s father in a sense that I left Malek out in the cold as well. Becoming used to our distant interaction I stopped checking up on Malek like I did in the past. I arrived at the park to find Malek’s truck in the abandoned parking lot with his clothes and supplies piled high in the bed. Offering understanding and brotherly-love through our inspirational conversation I was able to reconnect with my lost sibling. That day changed his life forever and that week made it better because Malek had found his lost brother as well. By the end of that week we worked together to find Malek a job and close friends who welcomed him into their homes until he bounced back on his feet.

Today, Malek is living on his own supporting himself working at Discount Tire while attending Houston Community College. In the end it was our solid foundation formed within our church that brought us together and made us stronger. In some societies it is a trait of valor to be independent or strong willed. However, we know this does not represent a nation for each of us is different but that’s what makes us the same. A nation does not become strong over night nor does one robust leader make that nation powerful; it’s the diligent people that prove its greatness. People like Malek inspire me to be self-sufficient as well as help those who cannot carry the world on their shoulders alone.

Amir Strong is the co-founder of the Shrine Dream Center

Lest We Forget

My earliest memories of my mother are of her reenacting a slave being beaten for eating a biscuit off of the floor. I watched with horror as she illustrated the story as both master and slave, screaming, “He beat me! And beat me! And beat me!” while banging a broom against the floor with enough fervor to consistently break the broom.

The play, Lest We Forget, was put on a few times a year at our church’s bookstore and cultural center, and it consisted of a series of monologues and scenes chronicling different aspects of life as a slave. The frustration, confusion, fear, love, deceit, heartbreak, curiosity, brutality, hope, faith, and struggle that encompassed the lives of my ancestors proved unbearable to watch at times. As the years went on, however, I began to appreciate the annual production more and more. Eventually, as an actor in the play, I began to dive even more deeply into the texts as well as the feelings and lives in these stories of my people’s history.

Slavery was but one part of Black History, but it was an important part. That’s quite the understatement, I know; however, it’s critical for me to remember in the midst of many of the conversations around immigration, culture, and identity that my ancestors did not really choose to be here. There was no struggling to leave an old life for a new life. There was no hope in achieving a new beginning in a new land. There was no American Dream that inspired my ancestors to risk it all and come to this place. There was brutality. There were chains. There was an economic system that favored few and displaced many.

But out of this oppressive system, out of the brutality of slavery, out of the unthinkably inhumane practice of transporting humans involuntarily as packages—out of all this came a people with a sense of purpose. This purpose was instilled in me as I watched my mom tell the story of a woman being beaten for eating something off the floor that I usually pour syrup on each Sunday morning while sitting at a table. This purpose was conveyed to me as I played a character who was beaten for holding and attempting to read a book.

This purpose is justice. We strive for a society that we pray will trend toward justice. The unique place for those African Americans who are descendants of slaves here in the United States is that we have both a bitter and fond relationship to the most American of ideals. The bitter taste comes from its roots. That this marriage of the African and the American was not one decided upon; rather it was designated by forces with no regard for our humanity. It is bitter because our mere presence on this soil is an embodiment of the hypocrisy of America.

Yet, there is fondness. To me, this fondness is wrapped completely in the pursuit of justice, for we are also the embodiment of change in America. We are a testimony that even slaves can cling to ideals. Even slaves can have faith. Even slaves can persevere. And their children? Yes, their children can be just as beautiful, talented, bold, and as human as everybody else!

So, what about our purpose and justice? Well, it seems to me that our history – Black History – is a story of a people who have collectively sought nothing less than justice. Our journey from cargo to citizens has, in a sense, made us that city upon a hill. We have become that shining example that the fight for justice is a worthy purpose for a people. Our history and our present are both rife with purpose, not inherently, but because people chose to make it so.

In this month and throughout the year, I urge us all to continue to make the choice to fight for justice, for the struggle for justice is just as real as our history. The pursuit of justice, which, after all, is applicable to all of humanity, has the power to bend us more toward fondness and the capacity to grow, dream, and love, both ourselves and others. And our history will only be as relevant as the pursuit of our purpose.

Lumumba Seegars is the co-pastor of the Shrine Christian Center of Houston.

Much Ado About a Thug

I was rooting for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game; however, my disappointment was suspended as I watched Richard Sherman’s interview. I’ll be honest: I loved it! I loved the raw emotion he displayed; however, when I went to Twitter, I saw a few different reactions. As I watched the story unfold over a few days, I became increasingly disappointed with the level of discourse. As somebody who has felt uneasy about the conclusions people draw about who I am as a person just because I went to Harvard, I felt let down by the conversation surrounding Richard Sherman being labeled as either a thug or as a Stanford graduate—as if the two are completely, mutually exclusive.

As Sherman noted, I agree that “thug” is sometimes used as code for the n-word. I make this connection when people randomly throw the word at people for acting in ways that have nothing to do with being a thug, like showing passion after a football game—especially when that word is disproportionately thrown at black men. It seems that our default state is thuggery, and we have to prove otherwise that we’re not. Thugs are criminals. Thugs are people who take the law and take the rules of life into their own hands while disregarding others.

People keep saying, “he’s not a thug—he went to Stanford!” First, it’s disappointing that people are so surprised that he can be educated, but I’ll move beyond that for the time being. Every time somebody brings up that he went to Stanford in defense of him, I think, “So what if he had gone to Texas Southern University, instead?” Would it be okay then to consider him a thug? What if he had gone to the University of Houston? Or to Prairie View A&M? It’s as if people are constantly saying, “Oh, he went to this particular school, so it seems like he’ll be okay.” It’s a horribly inaccurate stereotype. His level of education has nothing to do with the fact that people rushed to call him a thug when he was doing nothing that constituted thuggery. Had he gone to a junior college and made the same statements, his words still did not bring him anywhere close to being a thug.

As Jason Whitlock noted on Pardon the Interruption (one of my favorite shows), it was a group of thugs on Wall Street who had degrees from places like Stanford and Harvard that brought our country on the brink of economic collapse and ruined many households—the effects of which many people I know personally continue to feel. Selling subprime mortgages and trading people’s lives away with no ounce of empathy at all—that is thuggery. Showing passion after a football game does not make the cut for me.

This stereotyping of schools is something that I struggle with constantly. On the one hand, people often assume I’m smarter than I am because I went to Harvard. On the other hand, I always remind people that I was able to attend Harvard because of its extremely generous financial aid packages to individuals from low-income households. Harvard changed my life and opened me up to an entirely different world. I met my best friends there, and I learned more about myself and others that I thought I would. However, I was still molded in those previous 18 years by a loving family, a loving church, and loving teachers. Harvard left an indelible impression on me, but it didn’t make me. God did that. My parents did that. My teachers at Thompson Elementary School, River Oaks Elementary School, Clifton Middle School, and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts all had a hand in that. My church, for sure, was instrumental to that process.

Stanford is just one part of Richard Sherman. Being a cornerback is just one part of him as well. Yes, I went to Harvard, but I also took piano lessons at “All About Music” on Griggs Road in the South Park neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Yes, I graduated with honors, but I also really struggled in Biology and Physics when I was in high school. Yes, I’m a preacher’s kid and currently co-pastor my church, but I have a lot of eye witnesses who can tell you that I was involved in some tomfoolery in undergrad and beyond (especially during senior spring). My actions, however, should be taken for what they are – good or bad – and not clouded by where I went to school, my race, or my gender.

Let’s think about defining people by more than their past or the letters behind their names. What if we defined people by their dreams? What if we concerned ourselves with who people planned to be and the legacy that they wanted to leave? Instead of taking the easy way out, I urge us to move beyond basic assumptions and snapshot moments in order to expand how we approach other people, especially regarding what we call them. I hope that expansion will affect how we treat them.

Lumumba Seegars is the co-pastor of the Shrine Christian Center of Houston.

Friendship: A Bond of Love

Now, I’m not saying that all of my friends are boy scouts. Some of my friends are better in certain circumstances than others. I have friends who humble me with their honesty; yet, I know some situations are not quite “ready” for their method of honesty. I love them all the same. The same goes for me. I have a problem. I like planning people’s futures, and that can be really annoying sometimes. On the whole, however, I try to surround myself with individuals who, in some shape or form, make me better—people that I wouldn’t mind recommending to others when I’m conspiring to make a dream come true.

I am blessed to have found a group of five other guys who have constantly pushed me to be a better human being. My “blocking group” from college – the names signifies that we chose to be assigned to upper-class housing as a group – consists of six guys who motivate the best out of each other. They are my role models. We sat down as freshmen and talked about what it meant to be in our blocking group. We said that we would all be active in the campus community as leaders. We said that we would support each other. We said that we would be honest with each other and not perpetuate any messy gossip.

Now, does this mean that we frolicked in endless happiness and never tried to verbally strangle each other? Of course not. One of our most difficult times as a unit came at the end of our sophomore year when I arrived late at the housing lottery (a fact I still somewhat dispute). Needless to say, we ended up at the bottom of the lottery. Once we got our three rooms, there was clearly one room that was worse than the rest, and we did not all agree on how that room would be assigned. This conversation was not held behind closed doors or passive aggressively. We argued over meals, over games of spades, and in aggressively loud whispers in the library. When my roommate and I ended up in that tiny cell of a room the following year, the rest of the group stopped by to laugh at and grieve with us. What better friends could I ask for?

I love these guys because our relationship is a constant journey of improvement. In the almost five years since we left Cambridge, we have gone in our different directions around the country; however, we keep in contact and even debate over email at times. When we talk, we still push each other to get better. Workout regimens are sent out (which I do not follow). Book lists are sent out. Snarky replies (and memes) are more present than ever. But more importantly, a brotherly love exists that cannot be broken because it is built on respect and growth.

Last fall, we got together as a group for our first wedding. I looked at us sitting there in our tuxedos, and I could not have been happier. It was a turning point in our journey from being carefree, semi-serious 18 year olds to being grown men with real responsibilities. We are growing up. I am growing up. And I could not do it any better without these five role models.

How do your friends inspire you? How have you grown through your closest relationships?

Lumumba Seegars is the co-pastor of the Shrine Christian Center of Houston.