Report Back on One Year Anniversary of "The Essential Women's Movement for African American Women" and "Cathy Harris School of Learning"

Report Back on One Year Anniversary of "The Essential Women's Movement for African American Women" and "Cathy Harris School of Learning" April 7, 2018 Cathy Harris, Syndicated Columnist    Before the curtains close down on my life, I will live my life MY WAY. At 61 -- I am in the 3rd actof my life and no one is going to rain on my parade. I am pretty sure I have at least  20 more productive years left ahead of me.  Most people's productive years are from ages 20 to 70 (in my case 80).  These are the years when you will do some of your best work in your business and whatever endeavors you are involved in.  Most of you know I never went to college. Being raised on a farm in rural Georgia with 8 siblings and being the family's black sheep, didn't afford me too many luxuries growing up -- including a chance to get a college degree.  When I make a reference to being a black sheep in my postings, I don't want you guys to think that I am having problems moving on.  When I left home after graduating high school at the age of 17 and eventually ended up in the military, I forgave my parents and their lack of support for me and moved on.  You got to forgive those who have wronged you in this life, whether you were a child or adult, in order to create a beautiful space for living a wonderful and prosperous life. That's the message I am trying to pass on. All that hate and bitterness will do nothing but eat away at your inner soul. Generation Zs and Millennials today are not buying into the old ways of learning, so there are many ways to learn outside of educational institutions. According to many educators today online education will be the wave of the future so this includes learning in MobileLearningClubs.com, where we can set up massive mentorship programs, homeschooling, learning through social media with presentations especially  webinars/teleseminars and especially on YouTube.com and more non-traditional methods of teaching and learning. Unlike in the past, you do not need to travel across the country for  Masterminds, Think Tanks, Classrooms, Brainstorming Sessions, Roundtables, Panel Discussions, Symposiums, Town Hall Meetings and other serious meetings and conferences. Today you can just watch and participate in these events from the comfort of your own homes - online or by phone. And this is how we can save ourselves, our families and our communities. We can bring some of the greatest minds together online and by phone -- and create a whole new paradigm and framework for teaching and learning. And because gentrification has totally separated black families from their support systems and because GMOs (aka Processed Foods) have turned off most people's brains today, we have to come up with new ways and ACTION PLANS for teaching and learning.  Facebook.com and Google.com is  "The New BIG BROTHER" and we need to make sure that social mediadon't get ADDICTIVE and overwhelming, especially for our children, so many of us need to TURN OFF social media. I know several individuals that refuse to be on facebook.com and other social media, including some of my familymembers, and they are veryproductive individualsbecause of this.  Some of these individuals are just on meetup.com , which is a great platform to build an business, especially an audience.  When many newspapers became obsolete Meetup.com took the place of print newspapers classified ads and events. Many people did not follow these newspapers online, especially seniors, so they use this social media platform to announce community events or build businesses. The cost is $19.99 a month for 1 or 3 meetup.com groups. I have 6 of these groups total where I announce all my events and post my e-newsletters. Today kids are killing themselves online because of abuse at home and online bullying. Online bullying, fake news and trolling is a big issue online.  A survey found that 70% of 18 to 24 year olds who use the internet had experienced harassment, and 26% of women that age said they'd been stalked online.  This is exactly what trolls want.  The online bullying war is real. Personally, for marketing purposes I am on all the social media websites and I have been cussed out online by young black women for no reasons whatsoever.  A digital marketing specialist told me as a business owner to choose ONLY TWO social media networks to work with so that you don't get overwhelmed. This was a great idea. So right now I am active on facebook.com and meetup.com. But would like to do more on Instagram, where all the Millennials are located. Melissa Harris-Perry, a former host at MSNBC and Leslie Jones from Saturday Night Live, two very strong and powerful black women, were bullied on twitter so social media might not be for everyone -- but there are plenty of ways to learn online, without being a part of social media.  And don't forget the tons of individuals, especially young folks, who post their home businesses online --- only to put themselves in danger when strangers show up at their doors with sinister mindsets -- so you need to be careful on social media.  Many people are denied job and even business opportunities because today the first thing potential employers or business associates will do is look for you on social media. If you have put any half-nude or negative pictures or posts out there -- then you might have missed a great opportunity. So you need to be careful what you are putting out there online. Once it's out there it never goes away. It remains online forever. That include all pictures of your kids that you are posting online.  Ask yourself -- how will your kids deal with life when you have put their entire histories online. They will be growing up live on social media. Will this cause problems for them -- especially potential bullying down the line? Are you setting your kids up to have to live like hermits in the future? We need to stick to some of our old value systems. They have personal websites with user names and passwords for posting family histories and you can skype or use computers or phones to send pictures to family members -- instead of posting these on social media websites - just so you know. Because of school shootings and homeschooling children to avoid mandatory vaccination laws, which are sweeping across the country at this time, we need to look at the new wave for future teaching and learning.  Many politicians received the memo and they are running massive online campaigns and winning their seats.  We need to turn off the TV and totally convert over to receiving our news from independent media online such as - blacklistednews.com, truthout.org, commondreams.org, brasscheck.com, govexec.com -- just to name a few. Watching TV programs you and puts you in a trance (a half-conscious state) and takes away your productivity and the 8 minute commercials tells you to go into the kitchen and eat up everything in the house -- stay fat, stay ugly, stay unhealthy, stay broke, stay brainless, but have fun while you are doing it. And the next day -- do it all over again. And then 6  months to one year down the line, you wonder why you haven't gotten anything accomplished in your life.  Mainstream media (aka Fake News) is afraid to report the truth in this country and they all speak from the same script -- telling you the same thing over and over again - until it's programmed in your brain and until you are too lazy to go out and seek out the true facts.  Sex trafficking, especially involving children, and organ harvesting are two of the biggest issues today that you will never hear about on mainstream media, so it's imperative that we discuss these important issues more in our own networks.  Mainstream media trolls social media for breaking stories. But because WE ARE THE NEWS and have our OWN NETWORKS full of syndicated columnists, freelancers, bloggers, youtubers, internet radio hosts, business owners, organizations, etc. -- people speaking and living the truth and we are already online putting out our own stories and news -- why are you watching TV? And our news is uplifting and "life changing" -- not FAKE NEWS.  What you need to do is become a part of these conscious networks that are already doing the work - already building online and offline communities. What you also need to do is stop  being afraid or paranoid of BIG BROTHER or that the government can watch you online, or listen in by phone, or see you through your Smart TV or that your microwave is talking to you.  It is important to build a support network and system aroundyou, but I refuse to live my life in fear -- instead I choose JOY. Don't give these men in the government that much credit because at the end of the day, these men are really not that smart and many of them and their families have the same problems that you have. Many are also sick and dying of many preventable diseases -- just like you -- especially if you eat YheGMOs. So stay focused and don't allow worry to consume you. Stop worrying about things you don't have any control over and live your life.  All we need to do is come together and build and rebuild our communities again -- on and offline.  Think how powerful we would be if everyone with their own online networks come together - HINT - HINT. We would be a force to reckon with. The way forward is to build  business alliances and strategic partnerships with others. You certainly can't be successful as a solo business owner. The KKKops are not going to stop using black men (andwomen) as target practice, unless we come together to stop it.  Whatever we do we have to be strategic in how we are getting the information to those who really need it.  For many of you who have degrees, what you need to know and understand is that there is no shame in not having a degree and today many people -- with or without degrees -- are in the same boat. We need to come together and fight the establishment - online, by phone and in our communities. Never ever stop learning!!! I have had plenty of time since leaving home to get a degree, but I felt having a degree wasn't what I needed to propel my life forward. And I  never once regretted how my life has turned out.  Being a "Self-Educated" black female has allowed me all the luxuries that I really need in my life and I do have what they call a "Phd in Life."  Look at what's happening today with our children that decided to get a degree. Three out of 4 Millennials have ended up back at home unemployed.  Many have been left with MONTHLY financial aid payments as high as house notes ($800-$1,000). They have been left paying these college loans back for the next 20 to 30 years of their lives and many no longer work in these careers that they majored in.  Because they start applying for colleges and universities and before they even step on campuses, their names are placed on MAILING LISTS, where they are bombarded with credit card offers, which puts them in the "cycle of debt" -- even before they leave the comfort of their own homes. And this is how the 'cycle of poverty' makes it way into many familiestoday. Because we are on information overload, especially from social media and since our brains are turned off from eating GMOs, these unethical practices are able to slip by us. Schools and other learning institutions are not teaching our children what to watch out for.  Today because of BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE --everywhere, schools and other learning institutions and their employees are offering the BARE MINIMUM to our children, which means you, your family and your community need to step up to educate and teach families. Most people are only in these educational jobs today - because of their paycheck or just to get paid. So you can'texpect for anyone to do a good job today.  They are especially not teaching our children about finances. Many students are 20 years old before they even know how to write a check. Today y ou need to do more than teach your kids how to read and write because learning is a 'lifetime' process. So for future references if our children decides to get degrees, we need to make sure they have all the facts upfront. Both my daughters received Master's degrees in fields (occupational therapist and educator) that they are still working in today because I laid out the foundation for them growing up.  Since my oldest daughter never made below a 95 in science, I knew she would end up in the healthcare field. So I push her that way. She initially thought about being a anesthesiologist, but found out you have to take out too much insurance because when they put people to sleep before operations, many don't wake up.  She also thought about being a surgeon but realized they had to stand on their feet for hours to do surgeries so she did not want that for her body or health. She also thought about being a nurse practitioner, which is just like a doctor, but I was also glad she did not go that route.  Because she had been a cheerleader for 10 years and sometimes had issues with her ankles, she decided to go into occupational therapy, so that she could work on her ownself. It was a great choice. She is very mobile in that position and very happy with her choice. My youngest was forever winning writing contests in school. She wrote poems and short stories so she majored in English and Creative Writing. She is a College English Professor and also tutors students on the side and is very happy. Both my daughters chose fields where they were in their zones. Fields that they had enjoyed studying and learning more about since the ages of 10 years old. I showed them how to conduct their own research and figure out things on their own and I taught this to them at an early age. If you have not taught your kids what they need to know by age 18, when they prepare to leave home, it's already too late.  Neither one of my daughters decided to attend a HBCU because they watched their friends, who were grades ahead of them, drop out of school at the very beginning or after a year because these financial institutions at HBCUs, refused to help them find the finances they needed to proceed with their education. Customer service at the schools were horrible like most places today. So by the time my daughters made it to their schools, once they applied for financial aid and other avenues for funding, these funds were offered up the very first week so they were able to pay for housing, food, books and the other essentials they needed for their education.  This choice not to attend a HBCU was left strictly up to them, however, we looked at at least 17 schools for my first daughter and a year later -- at least 10 for my second daughter. So we put in the work and figured out what they needed.  I know my two daughters would have received more positive mentoring had they attended HBCUs, but after hearing stories from their friends about financial nightmares at several HBCUs, they wanted no part of HBCUs. And they received all the mentoring they needed from me as a  "hands-on" mother. The future is quickly changing so help your children select fields that will be around in the future and fields they can be happy in. The problem is most students, even as freshmen, in college don't have any idea what to major in. This is because they did not conduct enough research growing up, especially as teenagers.  Maybe their parents were not "hands-on." It's vital that these students have someone in their families or communities working with them at a very early age. This is why mentoring programs are extremely important. This is the type of information that's not hid under a rock -- that we are offering to our network participants -- everyday -- 'self-sufficiency' survival guides for the entire family. We don't just want to see you survive or exist -- we want you to THRIVE in our network. At 61 -- I am trying my best to PASS THE TORCH to othersbehind me because I can only write so many articles and  'easy-to-read' books.  Families today need help! The goal is to create businesses that will solve some of the problems in communities.  Many families are barely surviving -- and most are just existing. We need to form networks, and/or merge online networks (HINT-HINT), form businesses or other channels to help disseminate vital information to those that really need it -- to improves their lives. In the Jewish community, whether they like the next family or not, if they find out about financial aid and other opportunities for other families in their communities -- they will share this info. So we need to get back to sharing information. We did share information and look out for each other at one time and we can start doing it again. We invite all of you to be a part of our network and you will have a voice in our network.  We told you when we created our women's movement for African American women (and men),  "The Essential Women's Movement for African American Women" , (www.OneMillionClassrooms, www.EssentialMentors.com, and TeamEssentialWomen.com) on Jan. 29, 2017, with our motto"Motivating Women to Greatness," that we would be cheerleaders for other women (and men) coming into the network and we have kept our promise.   Cheering other women on is not nothing new, but many women today still have issues with being a part of a "Sistahood of Sistars," and taking care of those that matters most - ourselves, our families and our communities. We could not have carried out this type of successful camaraderie with other women (and men) without our monthly Masterminds, Think Tanks andClassrooms.  A Mastermind is the coming together of a collective group of individuals to discuss ideas and strategies and come up with relevant and timely solutions to move yourself, your family and your entire community forward.   Being a part of a Mastermind group will accelerate your success. I know that for a fact! For the past year we have held our Masterminds, Think Tanks and Classroomswith some of the most dynamic black individuals in this atmosphere.   Some of my most dynamic 'life-changing ideas'(movements, summits, think tanks, panel discussions, seminars, teleseminars, webinars, workshops, and classrooms) that I have since implemented into my business, AngelsPress.com, came directly from the discussions in our Masterminds, Think Tanks and Classrooms.   The other day I was conducting a follow-up call with one of my male participants from our Masterminds, that called me a "Brainy Female." He said you are definitely one of those brainy women that most people will probably have a hard time keeping up with. Even though I enjoyed the compliment and agreed totally with what he said, I did not hesitate to reiterate to him that the women and men that participates in our monthly Masterminds, Think Tanks and Classrooms -- are just as brainy as I am. And as brainy women, we bounce ideas off each other. We are in each other's corners no matter what.   You know how the old saying goes "If you are the smartest person in your group, then you need to get another group." Well that is certainly not my dilemma. Our Masterminds, Think Tanks and Classrooms have taken women (and men) who were victims to women that are now excelling in every area of their lives.   They have come up with action plans by creating their own networks that have not only complimented their own lifestyles, but also their families and communities. Many now have their own Masterminds, Think Tanks and Classrooms. Congrats ladies for passing the "Cathy Harris School of Learning." You see like our ancestors would say, "There is more than one way to skin a cat" -- and there are more than one way to educate our people.  If you are still seating back "straddling the fence"wondering if you should join our MONTHLY Masterminds, Think Tanks and Classroomson the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 7:00-8:00 p.m. (CST) -- don't -- instead TAKE ACTION and get around a group of positive individuals that is not only laying out the facts, but also providing strategies and solutions for you, your family andyour entire community.  As you join our "Sistahood of Sistars" -- for both black men and women -- never forget that  there is a 99.9% chance that it's going to take women -- who are the CEOs of their familiesand in many cases today - breadwinners - to turn not just their family around, but this entire country around also -- so Sistars keep your eyes on the prize and join us in our monthly Masterminds, Think Tanks and Classrooms on the 2nd Tuesdays of each month, 5:00-6:00 p.m. (PST), 7:00-8:00 p.m. (CST) and 8:00-9:00 p.m. (EST) at www.BlackWomenMastermind.com. Call (712) 770-4715, Pin Code #243460. If the conversations or classrooms are really intriguing, and they usually are, sometimes we will run longer so reach out and see if we are still on the call. Also don't forget to set up FREE "Breakout Sessions" or "What's Next Video Clarity Calls," which we can schedule anytime, especially if you MISSED the Masterminds, Think Tanks and Classrooms.The recordings, however, will be posted on the page and onYouTube.com.  Reach out to me anytime...    Cathy Harris, Speaker, Author, Coach P.O. Box 19282 Austin, TX (512) 909-7365 www.CathyHarrisInternational.com Cathy@cathyharrisinternational.com