Dec 2019 / Jan 2020
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The Art of Growing Older Gratefully
BE Attitudes for Purposeful Living By Sherry D. Ransom
It is very clear when you get to a certain age you notice signs of aging. It is a lucky place to find oneself. When you look into the mirror every day, you see the slow progression of your face changes. You also start to feel physically different as well. One thing we all need to remember is growing old is beautiful. With getting older comes wisdom, insight into life choices and changes, which is a good thing and a positive attitude to embrace. situation, it was decided a book about joy in our old age, would be a much better idea.
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jima had the honor of interviewing a former Austinite, professional speaker, and author, Sherry D. Ransom who wrote the book The Art of Growing Older Gratefully-BE Attitudes for Purposeful Living. Many Baby Boomers are starting the aging progression and some time you see only the negative. But in Ransom's book, she talks about the attitude you can use to turn those thoughts into a graceful and grateful way of living in your aging journey. The idea of the book came from Ransom's group of friends. They were all retiree's and they met monthly to spend time together. These women were financially comfortable but one thing they spoke about was feeling lonely. The ladies had their health, money, and freedom to do whatever they choose to do. But after thinking about this
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Ransom talked about when you leave friendships you make at work (which is a big part of our daily life), there is a void there. That is the initial loneliness you may feel. But change is what you need to embrace. You should then remember “All things start with trust in God.” Change is not always bad. You pray for answers but they don't always come in the form we ask and we miss our opportunity. We have to stop saying no to change because, without it, we can't move forward. You have to be open to blessings that come your way. Ransom shares nine BE Attitudes in the book to help with living purposefully and to be grateful. They are the Art of: • Change • Forgiveness • Living and Gratitude • Trusting in a Bigger Plan
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• Self-Love • Connecting without Judgement • Wonder • Friendship • Being a Conscious Giver The point of living purposefully during this part of your life is making sure you are grateful for everything and thank God for it. Expect good things and embrace the change. If you like to journal, get a gratitude journal and write down what you are grateful for. Look for gratitude in everything. Turn a negative situation into a positive reaction. An example, if you care for someone who needs your help, don't say I have to do it, but I get to do it. It is a whole new way of thinking and being grateful for the opportunity to help someone in need. You can order the book at Amazon.com and join the FB page Gratefully Aging and be apart of the community of women. Ujima thanks Ransom for taking the time to talk with us and give us a new perspective on Aging Gratefully.
HE ALTH & WE LLNESS
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P U BL i ShE R ' S J o U R n A L With the New Year, new changes happen. I love changing things and growing. When you stay with things too long, they can become stale.
We hope you enjoy reading about things that can assist you with a new perspective on how you are doing things. It may be a small change or a big one. But whatever you do, make a tweak in your life that will propel you forward. Don't be stale, but forward-thinking and forward-moving. That is where growth lives and it may be just what you need.
As we have mentioned, Ujima is always tweaking and making our newsmagazine better for our readers. We want to provide information that is relevant, important and interesting about our community, our people and our lives.
Enjoy 2020 with a new attitude and make things happen!! Embrace Your Community
Damita Miller-Shanklin FoUnDER/PUBLiShER Damita@Ujimamagazine.com
Ujima Magazine is a free news publication. Visit online at UjimaMagazine.com. For Advertising Opportunities email us at UjimaMagazine@gmail.com
Celebrating Kwanzaa
The African Roots Project 2019
By Damita Miller-Shanklin
By Damita Miller-Shanklin
In Memory of Akwasi Evans, Nokoa, The Observer As we celebrate the holidays, we cannot forget to celebrate Kwanzaa. The holiday was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 to celebrate family, culture, and heritage, and is modeled after the first harvest celebrations in Africa. You can use the calendar to plan your celebration with family and friends. If you celebrate, please use the hashtag #ujimaatx to share your photos with us. Happy Kwanzaa Everyone
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Umoja
Kujichagulia
Ujima
Ujamaa
Nia
Kuumba
Imani
(Unity)
(Self-Determination)
(Collective Work & Responsibility)
(Cooperative Economics)
(Purpose)
(Creativity)
(Faith)
[Decide with your family how you will celebrate today and recognize the principle of Umoja.]
[Decide with your family how you will celebrate today and recognize the principle of Kujichagulia.]
[Decide with your family how you will celebrate today and recognize the principle of Ujima.]
[Decide with your family how you will celebrate today and recognize the principle of Ujamaa.]
[Decide with your family how you will celebrate today and recognize the principle of Nia.]
[Decide with your family how you will celebrate today and recognize the principle of Kuumba.]
[Decide with your family how you will celebrate today and recognize the principle of Imani.]
The African Roots Project is preparing for a return to Ghana trip on December 1 through December 12, 2019. Dr. Karen Maxfield- Lunkin is coordinating this trip with authors who will have the opportunity to participate in the return to Ghana and write about their experience that will culminate into a book entitled "Write 2 Heal The African Roots Project taught by Dr. Maxfield-Lunkin. This is such a great opportunity and experience of our heritage. Dr. Maxfield Lunkin has also collaborated with ministers and other community leaders in Ghana to host a Business Education Entrepreneurial Exchange Summit in Accra, Ghana on December 4th.
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
To build and maintain our community together DQG PDNH RXU EURWKHUV¡ DQG VLVWHUV¡ SUREOHPV our problems and to solve them together.
To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
If you are interested in assisting with this trip you can reach out to Dr. Maxfield-Lunkin through Facebook and the African Roots Project FB page. Ujima wishes Dr. Maxfield-Lunkin and The African Roots Project a safe and blessed trip.
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Women Empowerment Moving Ahead
Black Girl hair Woes By Ana Garza I must admit I’m a hair product hoarder. All brands, all types. Custards, gels, leave-in. If I read about it and it sounds like a miracle cure for my tresses, I’m buying it. In my quest for perfect hair, I’ve been around the block a few times, all with mixed results. I’ve had perms, curls (yes, it was the 80’s), texturizers and even tried a few cuts that well….just because it looked good on a picture it was not a good look on me. For the past few years, I’ve let my hair return to a Natural state. What kind of Natural am I? I have no idea. I don’t understand, low porosity vs high, curl type, use proteins, no sulfate, and what is a paraben? I love watching hair videos and the range is unlimited. Try falling down that rabbit hole. To
By Damita Miller-Shanklin
be fair, I don’t have much patience and there are certain things I’m not going to do. Soaking wet hair is not something I’m prepared to try and curling strand by strand would drive me over the edge. So I take the good with the bad and keep trying. I’m not sure what I’m looking for but I’ll know when I find it. Now, I’m off to the store. I hear there is a new product to buy. #naturalhair
Self-Discovery By Damita Miller-Shanklin Excerpts from Aidan McCrea/Jobcast.net The definition of self-discovery is the process of acquiring insight into one's character. Self-Discovery is a journey that happens over time. It doesn't happen overnight. So what are some ways you can learn about yourself through the self-discovery process? To begin you will need to be yourself but knowing who you are is more important. You have to take time, sit and evaluate yourself and be honest about who you are. Don't run from it but accept the good and the bad of your discovery. Use this knowledge to make any needed changes as you see fit. In realizing yourself, you will need to evaluate your goals at least quarterly to make sure they are in line with where you are at the time. Remember that your goals will change as you grow and want different things. But
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when you decide on your important goals, you can work towards those in confidence. Lastly, pursue your passions. You will learn a lot about yourself when you go after what makes you happy and not give up. Your passion can lead to other exciting things about yourself. Work your passion into your everyday life and you will see the difference it will make in your happiness. "Passion produces effort, and continuous effort produces results." Starting the new year is a great time to start your path to self-discovery.
The power of women has always been a moving force in our country. From Women's Suffrage to the recent #MeToo movement a new surge of "girl power" has emerged. Women's rights and the power of women have grown over the years because as time moves forward there are issues about equal pay for women to fight for maternity leave. We all know there are many more reasons women continue to stand up for equality and we have to continue the fight. Attending the Texas Conference for Women in October, the feeling of standing up and being heard as well as be yourself, don't dim your light so someone else can feel better. The common theme throughout the speakers was we have to work together, stand together and fight together. We live in a time where we have to help each other as women fight back where we find injustice that affects us all in some way. Soccer superstar, Megan Rapinoe, was quoted as saying "Just because you don't experience something personally doesn't mean that it's not happening. It's everybody's to do everything we can to make it better because we all live in this world. We all live in this community together." My sentiments exactly. p3
What Will Be Your Mantra For The New Year? By Damita Miller-Shanklin
Excerpts from Megy Kardes with Inc.com
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ave you heard about people taking time at the end of the year deciding what their phrase or word will be to help guide their new year? If you haven't that's okay. You will now. Two years ago, I decided to adopt this new wave of thinking. The phrase chosen for 2019 is Creative. With the new year happening soon, a new word or phrase will need to be decided. Megy Kardes, with Inc.com, wrote a story about 5 tips for choosing your work of the year. Here are her tips. 1 - Take moment to reflect and be self-aware. Choose a word to remind you of what's most important in the new year and stick with it. 2 -Visualize your word. A vision board is good to bring your word to life. More often than not a pattern emerges and your word of the year becomes more obvious. 3 - Brainstorm. Sometimes our word is harder to come by or isn't as obvious. In this case, brainstorm words that mean something to you or help get you to a place where your mind is less cluttered. Thinking through times and places that matter to you can help you discover your word of the year.
Mary Linnen | EDiToR
Exercise is not a Bad Word Another part of aging is making sure you get enough exercise. Did you know you can do a wall push up? The benefits of exercising covers a wide range, it can help you with endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Your health determines what you can do and how often you can exercise. A lot of seniors exercise daily. There are so many choices of exercise that can be fun as well as good for you. Dancing is exercise such as a step dance class or ballroom dancing. You can find these classes at most neighborhood recreation centers. If going outside the home is not an option there are chair exercises or you can walk around in your home daily. My take on exercise and aging is” just move”. Moving 30 minutes a day is enough to help improve your health. I attend a Tuesday exercise class it does make a difference. Just Keep Moving!
4 - Narrow your options. Once you've come up with a few words you really love and feel like they can carry you through the year, narrow them down to just five or three words and let them sit with you for a day or week. You should be in no hurry to come up with your word but it's important to be mindful of the process because the word is meant to help you. 5 - Tell others and test your word. For some, simply announcing the word to others helps them own it themselves. Sharing your word of the year with friends and family lets them know what matters most to you in the new year and they might even help you achieve it. What will be your word or phrase mantra for next year? #megykardes p4
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It Makes You Feel Good!
Because of Them We Can 21st october 2019 by BoTWC Staff
Meet Celeste Beatty, The First Black Woman To Own A Brewery In The U.S.
DiY Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub By Chiquitta harris
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eleste Beatty, owner of the Harlem Brewing Company, is the first Black female brewery owner in the United States, Insider reports. Beatty founded Harlem Brewing in 2000, making her first batch of beer in her apartment using a home brew kit she received as a gift. She worked hard perfecting her recipes and grew the business into the specialty craft brew that it is today. Beatty creates beers inspired by Harlem and ancient African traditions, using loads of flavors with the aim of celebrating Black culture and heritage. The craft beer industry has been mostly made up of rich white men for the last 40 years. Beatty’s presence alone is a disrupter. Beatty suggests that less than 1% of US craft breweries are owned by African Americans and studies show that Black people only make up 10% of weekly beer drinkers. But Beatty hopes to change
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that through her company while also educating people. “Even though we brought our traditions from Africa, and we brewed beer for Thomas Jefferson and various people that enslaved us, we were never able to actually open the brewery, we were never able to actually be the entrepreneurs early on. So, there is no tradition of owning breweries, of owning bars, because of that discrimination,” Beatty said. You can find stores that carry Harlem Brewing Company craft beers via the website at harlembrewing.com. Celeste Beatty
This is an easy recipe for beginners. Sugar scrubs take under ten minutes to make and you can have fun customizing them. This will leave your skin feeling like silk. Goodbye dry skin! ingredients • 1 cup granulated sugar, either white or brown, preferably organic • ½ cup almond oil • ½ tsp vitamin E oil • 1 tsp vanilla extract how to Make it Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, for up to two months. how to Use it Use 1 tablespoon as needed. Scrub skin with the mixture and rinse well.
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Why You Should Consider A Podcast For Your Business By Damita Miller-Shanklin Excerpts from Forbes.com You can listen to a podcast on many topics ranging from business, technology, health and many more. Whatever you want to learn or understand better, you can find a podcast that relates to your specific topic. Many business owners are adding a podcast to their marketing strategy. It has many benefits in selling your product or business. There are several important reasons to consider doing a podcast in the coming year for your business. 1-Potential prospects are listening 2-You can reach more qualified prospects
3-You can attract more customers and clients 4-It fits into a busy schedule The podcast is the new wave in reaching people. It way be just what your business needs. Podcast for Business
how To Get Your Business organized Posted by Lisa Davis collegeplannerpro.com Getting your business organized and keeping it organized can be a job within itself. However, it is something we have to do if we want to keep things in order.
Learn how to get an
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877-297-5515 Limited time offer. © 2018 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo, DIRECTV and all other DIRECTV marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. IV Technologies Inc. NRO PD T 0118 5323 E
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Lisa Davis with College Planner Pro provides ways to keep yourself organized and clutter-free. She suggests setting aside time to get organized. This is easier said than done. Take one step at a time. Any project is easier to digest when broken into segments. Avoid getting overwhelmed by compiling an organization task list of specific goals with realistic deadlines. Create a process for staying organized day by day. Implement daily and monthly
schedules and task lists to keep you on track throughout the entire year. Keep yourself accountable and stick to your daily systems as much as possible. And find the right system to help you get organized. Creating systems, or better yet, finding and implementing popular tools (including apps, software, etc.) is a great way to help keep you organized. These systems can have a major impact on streamlining your work and simplifying your processes. So start now organizing yourself and then use your tools to keep you organized. For more detail information, go to College Planner Pro UjimaMagazine.com
Central Texas African American Family Support Conference Celebrating 20 Years By Damita Miller-Shanklin Excerpts from CTAAFSC website The Central Texas African American Family Support Conference will celebrate 20 years. The conference will be held on February 11-12, 2020. To celebrate the 20th year, there will be a Pre-Conference Reception on Friday, January 17, 2020, at 6:00 pm. It will be held at the George Washington Carver Museum. The tickets are $35.00. The inaugural conference, held in November 2000, was the first conference in Texas and only the third in the United States to focus on the healthcare needs of African Americans. The conference was born from a desire to confront the systems and cultural bias that has resulted in Africa Americans facing barriers to health care access. Integral Care brought together a Conference Planning Committee that included some of the brightest thinkers, community leaders and healthcare professionals in the Austin area. The goal was and continues to be to produce a culturally relevant conference that dispels myths about mental illness and brings an end to health disparities. We explore how race, social conditions, and economic status affects what diseases and conditions we struggle with. This conference is an opportunity for us to reduce stigma and confront bias while increasing access to care. As the conference draws near, there will be more information about the guest speakers and other important information. Make sure you register to attend and visit the website at https://ctaafsc.com/.
Join faith leaders, health professionals, advocates, people living with mental health issues, substance use disorder, intellectual and developmental disabilities, friends, and families to learn, connect and grow healthier and stronger. - Interactive Workshops
- Community Exhibitors
- Inspirational Keynote Speakers
- Continuing Education
REGISTRATION FEES Individuals with Lived Experience/Family Member - $15 Community Member - $50 Professionals Seeking CEUs - $150
February 11-12, 2020 Palmer Events Center - Austin, Texas
SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TODAY Workshop & Poster Presentations Exhibitors | Scholarships | Awards
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UniFoRM oF JUSTiCE (BLACK LiVES Don’T MATTER) Your rights of living have no quality of life as we drive these streets that we are not to protect. Nowhere to run from us as we give you directions with our fingers on the trigger to subdue you. Holding forth the time of pretense, we gather together to take your life with our innocent laws. The uniform of your justice has created for us a death sentence that we mistook for life. Your eyes look upon me and I become an endangered species looking for survival from your hunt. I am a creation of the image that created you, yet I have to assume the position for your justice. Today my future is your pain of suffering, to behold me with your motivation of skills that desire me. Running from yourself I hear the uniform of justice crying for vengeance as you took the law of oath. The concrete jungle is now safe for us as you patrol with your choke hold that leaves us breathless. A mother's cry and a father's seed has dispensed forever with your brave acts of kindness towards us. Searching for reasons that cannot be explain within your character, we unite for graves of silence. Your love of our people and the uniform of your justice have us confounded with caskets of tears. Our days have us daydreaming of the hanging the nights dethroned us with as we slept with love. Whips of correction infiltrated our skin for your pleasures that caught us in the realm of your night. Instead of the night callings that presented it-self with no faces, we are faced with faces seen. Now our days and nights are corrupted with the uniform of justice from Black Wall Street Massacre. Hanging ourselves within the tombstone of their minds we escape with wounds of moral victories. I pay for my self-respect and dignity with your cold steel and the wind of your explosive connections. The mean streets of our lives have a secret society of death plans for our lives filled with stray moments. The uniform of justice has hallowed our spirits for their superior demeaning of our mind to shape us. We are sifted with your brass connections of political entries that you entrap us with in your chambers. Seeking asylum with words of proclamation, your defense nullified our words with encrypted fallacies. Conditioned to run from the red white and blue, we succumb to torments of drive byes that soil us. With hope suffocating in the dreams of our stories, we endure the uprising with canopies of songs. Calling for truth and justice our answers are filled with your corrections of unseated lies with your system. Where do we go from here as the uniform of justice has us swimming the waters of lifeless lives? Written by Theodore Mosley | May 26, 2015
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HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE This recipe is made with a combination of cocoa powder and chocolate chips. The cocoa powder adds the distinct “hot cocoa” flavor, and the chocolate chips melt into the mixture making this drink extra creamy, rich and luxurious. Add a splash of vanilla extract. ● Place the milk of your choice in a saucepan over medium-low heat. ● Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar, and heat until warm. ● Once the milk is warm, add chocolate chips, whisking until they melt into the milk. ● Add a splash of vanilla extract. ● Serve immediately, topped with your favorite garnishes: marshmallows, whipped cream, chopped chocolate, crushed candy canes or more.