PRESIDENTS MESSAGE On behalf of the Baron Jay Foundation and its Board of Directors, I would like to thank and welcome you to the 4th Annual Trailblazer Awards Luncheon. This event recognizes the various national and community leaders as well as other game changers who have blazed a new trail in their respective fields. Our esteemed list of award recipients continuously shatter ceilings. Our honorees and their achievements span many industries which include running the largest independent Film/TV production company in Hollywood and financial advisement to Urban Markets to championing diversity and inclusion in Hollywood, as well as being the first African American woman ever to win an OSCAR in costume design. Our honorees are the very definition of the Luncheon’s theme of Each One, Reach One, Teach One. Each honoree uses their talent and influence to protect, provide and create opportunities for their communities. The Baron Jay Foundation (BJF) was founded in 2004 to give back to disadvantaged communities in ways that can truly make a difference. The organization uses its multiple resources as well as partnerships to uplift disadvantaged youth, especially in urban America. BJF, a 501(c) (3) federally tax exempt nonprofit organization, commits itself to promoting health awareness, relationship guidance, employment preparedness, immersive technology and financial literacy in economically distressed and underserved communities. Our workshops for underserved youth prepare them to become responsible, civic-minded, respectful, and productive citizens. Our organization’s workshops are designed to give our beneficiaries practical life-skills that promote self-esteem, empathy, stress reduction, anger management, academic improvement, and civic leadership. Baron Jay Foundation job training programs offer insight into unique employment opportunities in golf as well as the entertainment industry. Our flagship filmmaking program exposes participants to a multitude of career paths that provide the necessary tools for gainful employment in entertainment. This is especially critical because California’s reputation as being the entertainment capital of the world. Without our supporters and community partners the work we do would be limited. We want to thank our individual donors, corporate supporters such as One West Bank, Home Depot, Disney, Hidden Empire Film Group, Morgan Stanley, California Endowment, LA Care and Western Golf Association Evan Scholarship. On behalf of all of us at Baron Jay Foundation we want to say thank you! Today’s Trail Blazer Honorees include Roxanne Avent-Taylor, Marilyn F. Booker, Effie T. Brown and Ruth Carter. You can learn more about each of them by reading their individual pages, but I have to say, I am truly humbled that they are with us today. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my wonderful wife, Tamani Littleton for painting individual painting for the honorees and being the wind beneath my wings. This awards ceremony and luncheon will hopefully serve as a springboard for the future years. On behalf of the board of directors of the Baron Jay Foundation, we hope you enjoy the festivities and be as inspired as we are by the work of the award recipients. Most importantly, we hope that when you leave this event, it will be with a sense of resolve, purpose and urgency to help our disadvantaged youth to reach their full potential. Never Lose Faith, Baron Jay Littleton Jr Founder & President
-Never Lose Faith
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nicole Walker Environmental Health Specialist, LAUSD Dr. Frances Copeland School Teacher, LAUSD Darrien Anthony Ester Jr Law Student/Property Manager Terrance Bankole Independent Filmmaker Nia Pearson Real Estate Agent
Advisory Board Alton Glass CEO of GRX Immersive Labs Shannon Walters Independent Artist Ruby Osah Anesthesiologist John Kennedy Vice Mayor of Pasadena Lawrence Palmer CEO of Content on the GoGo
HEALTHY MAINTENANCE LIFESTYLE Providing health and wellness resources ( including on-site mobile health services), nutrition, exercise plans, group workouts, workshops, and symposiums, our Healthy Maintenace Lifestyle program encourages vulnerable populations to examine their mental, physical and spiritual health. (BJF) guiding hundreds through alternative health weight loss, body sculpting, and plant-based nutrition. Participants are also introduced to careers in the healthcare industry.
RICHES TO WEALTH The economic and social fallout from the global finacial crisis gurther disadvantaged vulnerable populations. FJF’s Riches to Wealth program recognizes the importance of providing today’s youth -- specifically those living in poverty - with early education about financial planning and management. Building on the philosophy that ‘knowing better gives one a chance to do better’, our Finacial Blueprint workshops targets middle and high school students and provides them with the knowledge for how to make financially sound decisions for long-term self sufficiency and wealth building during and beyond their careers.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Inspiring those we srve to always dream big and believe in themselves, the BJF prepares individuals to make a positive impact in the world through entrepreneurship and/or careers in an array of industries. To help establish a work-based foundation, program participants receive job training, internships and the opportunity to shadow and be mentored by working professionals. Individuals participate in our Filmmaker Art, Lunch & Learns, Listen & Learn, Gaddy Academy and Creating Book Dealers Not Drug Dealers Programs.
2019 TRAILBLAZER AWARDEE
EFFIE T. BROWN FILM/TELEVISION/DIGITAL PRODUCER
is an award winning film, television, and digital Producer, known for her highly acclaimed, multi-platform repertoire as well as championing inclusion and diversity in Hollywood, both behind and in front of the camera. Brown’s long and illustrious career began as a Film Independent fellow in the prestigious “Project Involve” program. During her fellowship, she gained invaluable insight into the film industry. Her incredible work ethic and creative freedom allowed her to advance quickly through ranks becoming Director of Development for Tim Burton Productions in 1995. Decades later, Brown now serves as a Film Independent Board member and mentors the new generation of fellows. Throughout her career, Brown has produced several critically acclaimed HBO Films and award-winning projects including, Stranger Inside (directed by Cheryl Dunne, 2001, World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival), Real Women Have Curves (directed by Patricia Cardosa, 2002, winner of Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award and Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Performance), Everyday People (2004, directed by Jim McKay), In The Cut (directed by Jane Campion, 2003) and Rocket Science (directed by Jeffrey Blitz, 2007, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Directing at Sundance and recipient of three Independent Spirit Awards nominations, including Best First Feature, Best Screenplay and Best Actress). In 2010, her film The Inheritance, starring Golden Brooks, won the Best Actress award at the American Black Film Festival. In 2011, Brown made a daring venture beyond television and film. With a love of multiple platforms, she re-teamed with the award winning producing/directing duo Jon Avnet and Rodrigo Garcia to focus on digital episodic content. Together they produced over 130 episodes of WIGS, an award winning, original content channel funded by Google/YouTube and FOX Broadcasting. The channel features multiple original series showcasing “A list” actors, writers, and filmmakers to present stories centered around the ever complex lives of women, and blazes the trail for scripted content released directly online. Currently, WIGS is the number on scripted channel for drama on YouTube and has recently been picked up for wider distribution via Hulu. Effie T. Brown then went on to produce the highly acclaimed independent feature, Dear White People. The film won multiple awards, including the Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Talent at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and Best First Screenplay at the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards. Given her longstanding relationship producing successful content with the network, HBO recognized Brown’s ability to mold a low budget film into a critically acclaimed success and invited her to join the controversial reboot of Project Greenlight (Executive Produced by Matt Damon & Ben Affleck). The show’s premise is to take an original screenplay and give a first time filmmaker the opportunity to work with industry professionals to create a feature film. In 2015, she served as producer and mentor to the show’s fresh new director. Brown joined Lee Daniels Entertainment in 2016 to Executive Produce Season 1 of the hit series Star on FOX. In keeping with her commitment to inclusive and diverse content Effie Executive Produced Disney Channel’s Zombies which premiered in 2018. The high school musical delivers an inspirational story about tolerance, inclusion, individuality and conviction…but with zombies. Currently, Brown returns to her love of inclusive genre film & television (Thriller, Action, Sci-fi, Horror) by securing several “big concept” IP told through an inclusive storytelling lens. Her company, Duly Noted Inc. continues to be dedicated to ground breaking narratives that use genre to challenge and advance our culture in adisruptive way. Her dream is to change the world through film and TV – celebrating our differences while bringing us all closer together.
2019 TRAILBLAZER AWARDEE
MARILYN F. BOOKER MANAGING DIRECTOR
A Morgan Stanley veteran of 24+ years, Marilyn Booker serves as Head of Morgan Stanley’s Urban Markets Group. Prior to establishing The Urban Markets Group, Marilyn was the head of Diversity, Work-Life, EEO and Human Resources Policy for Morgan Stanley. Marilyn is an attorney by training, who has practiced in the areas of criminal defense litigation, municipal finance, corporate bankruptcies and corporate restructuring. A native of Chicago, Marilyn received her B.A. magna cum laude from Spelman College and her J.D. from the Illinois Institute of Technology-Chicago Kent College of Law. Marilyn is a former trustee of the Morgan Stanley Foundation, a member of The Morgan Stanley Benefit Plan Administrative Committee and a former member of the Morgan Stanley Residential Franchise Risk Committee. She is a former board member of the New York Urban League and a member of the Executive Leadership Council. She is also a former board member of the Arthur Ashe Institute of Health and the Michael J. Berkeley Foundation and served as Co-Chair of the legendary Apollo Theater’s Women’s Committee. Marilyn testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations at its hearing on “Diversity in the Financial Services Sector.” She also appeared on “ABC World News Tonight” in a segment on “Women and the Workforce” and was featured in a “CBS MarketWatch Weekend” segment highlighting Morgan Stanley’s Emergency Day Care Program. Marilyn was recognized by Savoy magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America,” was recognized by Uptown Professional as one of the “100 Top Executives in America” and was honored by the Mt. Sinai Hospital Center for Multi-Cultural Affairs as a Diversity Champion. Marilyn was also selected by the Network Journal as one of the “25 Influential Black Women in Business,” was selected by Harvard College Black Men’s Forum as its “Woman of the Year” and was recently honored by the United Way Pipeline Crisis, the Association for Black Women Attorneys and the Brooklyn, New York, Weeksville Heritage Center. Marilyn was recently honored by the LadyLike Foundation of Los Angeles as its “Woman of Excellence” and was also the keynote speaker for the Wharton Whitney M. Young Conference. She also has her Series 7, 9, 10, and 66 licenses. The proud parent of three lovely children, Marilyn’s interests are golf, tennis, playing the piano and making a difference in the lives of others.
2019 TRAILBLAZER AWARDEE
ROXANNE TAYLOR EXECUTIVE/PRODUCER
Through movies, music and television, Roxanne Taylor has establishedherself as a leading producer and executive, whose creative vision anddrive has contributed to the success of many feature films, comedy shows and television series. Alongside director Deon Taylor, Roxanne formed the film company, Hidden Empire Film Group (HEFG) to bring fresh content to different media platforms. As a producer and executive for the company, she is responsible for securing talent for film and television shows, overseeing the full production teams of multiple projects simultaneously, providing insight on scripts and concepts in development for HEFG, negotiating distribution deals with Hollywood studios for HEFG’s productions and securing funds from investors. She is also the lead marketing executive, holding responsibility for coordinating and executing promotional efforts for HEFG projects. Roxanne Taylor has developed, packaged and produced an impressive slate of films. One of the them, the thriller Traffik, starring Paula Patton, Missi Pyle, Omar Epps, William Fichtner and Roselyn Sanchez released in 2018 by Lionsgate’s CodeBlack Films. The film was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture. She also produced the upcoming psychological thriller The Intruder, starring Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy and Meagan Good. The film will be released on May 3, 2019 by Sony’s Screen Gems. Additionally, she produced the comedy feature All-Star Weekend, starring Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Gerard Butler, Eva Longoria, Jeremy Piven and Jessica Szohr and directedby Foxx. Taylor was a driving force behind Hidden Empire’s massive success in 2016 with the studio’s horror spoof Meet the Blacks, starring Mike Epps, George Lopez, Mike Tyson, Zulay Henao and King Bach. She recently finishedproducing a sequel to the film for theatrical release in 2019 titled Meet the Blacks 2: The House Next Door, starring comedy icons Mike Epps and Katt Williams. Additional cast for The House Next Door includes Rick Ross, Danny Trejo, Bresha Webb, Zulay Henao, Andrew Bachelor (aka ‘King Bach’), and comedians Lil Duval, Michael Blackson and Tyrin Turner. Past films include Supremacy, starring Danny Glover, Derek Luke, Evan Ross and Lela Rochon and the 2015 horror/thriller film Nite Tales: The Movie. The film succeeded in providing a younger generation with their own version of Tales from the Crypt and from that created the successful franchise and TV series, Nite Tales the Series. Prior to her work at Hidden Empire Film Group, Taylor’s credits in television production include over two-dozen episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger. She also worked for the Directors Guild of America (DGA), where she oversaw all aspects of production for movie premieres, television award programs, supervising more than fifty employees. In addition, to Hidden Empire Film Group, Taylor is CEO of Avent Productions, a successful independent film production company that specializes in production of film, television, video, as well as staging and concert promotions. She also previously worked as a label manager for Taylor Made Muzik, the largest independent record label in Northern California. At Taylor Made, Roxanne combined her talent in movie production and music as she managed soundtrack development for independent movies. She was recently called by actor and rapper, who’s also known as the ‘King of the South’, T.I., to produce one of his music projects. In June 2018, Taylor received the WIN (Women in NAACP) Leadership Award from the NAACP. Additionally, she produced, with Robert F. Smith, the series Be Woke. Vote. The digital series, a social media philanthropic initiative to encourage nonvoters to vote and young people to discuss political issues affecting our communities, was hosted by CNN’s Van Jones as well as Roland Martin and Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris. They conducted interviews with major celebrities and newsmakers from entertainment to pop culture. The interviews included: Kim Kardashian-West, Jamie Foxx, Chelsea Handler, Will.i.am, Michael Ealy, Mike Colter, Sybrina Fulton (mother of Trayvon Martin), BJ the Chicago Kid, Bresha Webb, Maxine Waters, James Lawson, LisaRaye, Erica Ash, Chuck D, Zuly Henao and Erika Alexander. Philanthropic interests are important to Taylor, her non-profit organization CLIMB will be announced later in 2019. C.L.I.M.B. Network, is a charitable initiative to help today’s disadvantaged youth achieve success.Taylor and her family live in Sacramento. about her.
2019 TRAILBLAZER AWARDEE
RUTH E. CARTER COSTUME DESIGNER
Ruth E. Carter’s unparalleled ability to develop an authentic story through costume and character has made her one of the most sought after and renowned costume designers today. She is the 2019 Academy Award winner for “Best Costume Design” for her work on BLACK PANTHER, making history as the first African American to win in that category. She has also garnered two additional Academy Award nominations for Spike Lee’s MALCOM X (1993) and Steven Spielberg’s AMISTAD (1998) as well as an Emmy nomination in 2016 for the reboot of ROOTS. She has worked in the industry for over three decades and has been credited with over forty films and counting, collaborating with Spike Lee on over ten films beginning with SCHOOL DAZE and including DO THE RIGHT THING, MALCOLM X and OLD BOY. Carter is known for her research and diligence to the craft of costume design, specifically for her outstanding work for period ensemble films such as the highly praised Lee Daniels’ THE BUTLER, Ava Duvernay’s SELMA and MARSHALL, directed by Reginald Hudlin. Carter completed work on the first season of YELLOWSTONE, a television series starring Kevin Costner and directed by Taylor Sheridan. Additionally, she is the costume designer on the Netflix film, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Craig Brewer, and the FOX series COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS, premiering in Spring 2019. In 2019, Carter received the “Career Achievement Award” and “Excellence in Sci-fi/Fantasy Film” from the Costume Designers Guild and the Critics Choice Award for “Best Costume Design” for BLACK PANTHER, among numerous other honors.
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From Venice Beach to Venice, Italy… He is Hard to Ignore and Impossible to Forget! He is the multi-talented Michael Colyar, actor, comedian, and author. Michael is no stranger to work as he is still packing out shows in major cities night after night. His wit, charm and unique sense of style has been captivating audiences since the 80’s. Michael consistently performed every weekend, 5 shows a day on Venice Beach and was rightfully dubbed the “King of Venice Beach” while performing 9 years straight. His fans can’t get enough of him, “he’s real” “down to earth” “a giver”, they say. Michael’s philanthropic legacy extends beyond his $100K win from Star Search of which he gave 50% to the homeless. TodayMichael still finds the time to share laughter with those in need in shelters, rehabilitation centers, schools, and military bases. Michael Colyar is best known for his starring roles in Blackish, House Party III, Norbit, The Princess & The Frog, and his role as Mr. Whitaker on the hit television series “Martin”. He is currently performing his one man play called “Michael COLYAR’S Momma’s” and will be launching a 100 plus city tour that has caught the attention of major television, cable, and streaming networks.
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Promoting the growth and economic development of the African American business enterprise. GLAAACC is an African American Chamber of Commerce that focuses on 4 primary benefits for its members: Growing and developing business domestically and internationally Providing information on access to capital Creating networking environments Influencing public policies to make them more favorable to African American business
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BARON JAY LITTLETON JR PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
Baron Jay littleton Jr. is an independent filmmaker, social entrepreneur and author who began his career as a office production assistant for Jerry Bruckheimer Productions known for Pirates of the Caribbean and CSI franchises. Baron Jay Littleton Jr./Baron Jay Foundation,. was nominated and won the “Rising Entrepreneur Star” Award at The Inaugural Los Angeles Black Business Leaders Hall of Fame Event presented by Hart Leadership Center and City National Bank in July 2016 Littleton graduated form Michigan State University, having earned the Western Golf Association Caddy/Golf Scholarship, but moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of working in Hollywood. While at college, he was walk-on football player at Michigan State University and a bat boy for Major league Baseball, because he felt this would lead him into the entertainment industry. Littleton has worked with such visionary directors and producers as Ridley Scott (American Gangster), Branko Lustig (Black Hawk Down), Mike Tollin (Coach Carter), Dan Schneider (Hendry Danger), Bennett Miller (Capote), Clayton Townsend (Transformers 5) and Chuck Lorre (Young Sheldon) He went out on his own, however, to better use his creative entrepreneurial and production background, while developing projects with independent writers, directors and producers He is currently in providing another sitcom with Bentley Kyle Evans, owner of Harvest Studios/Executive producer on Martin, Jamie Foxx and Family Time TV shows. A finalisht in the Miller Entreprenuer Business Plan Competition in 2007, Littleton has made motivational speeches to Fortune 500 companies such as Toyota, as well as organizations in and around Los Angeles. But he also likes to give back: to that end he founded the Baron Jay Foundation, which gives high school students job shadowing opportunities, financial and arts education as well as caddy/golf employment scholarship opportunities. He serves and volunteers on several local non-profit advisory boards. He has collaborated with the Los Angeles and Chicago unified school districts to stage a motivational speaking tour, where he offers confidence-building role-playing workshops. Additionally, he has taken several thousand kids to L.A. Clipper games, in partnership with the Donald Sterling Charitable Foundation. In 2009, Littleton was awarded a certificate degree from the University of Southern California’s Passing the Mantle (PTM), and he graduated with his MBA from Keller Graduate School Management in 2014. He has worked alongside many actors such as Jamie Foxx, Blair Underwood, Don Cheadle, Diddy, Morris Chestnut, Courtney Vance and Harold Perrineau, accumulating credits with both daytime and prime time television roles. He is currently raising equity and debt financing to produce indepedent films for emerging and establish directors, writers, and talent behind the camera. He also has raised 2 million USD equity partnership to purchase and rehap properties under his Green Acres Land Group, LLC In his spare time, Littleton enjoys time with family, friends, judo, golf, art, nature, traveling and his goal is to learn 40 words in each language.
Congratulations to the Baron Jay Foundation and the 2019 Women of the Year Effie T. Brown Marilyn F. Booker Roxanne Taylor Ruth E. Carter www.harveyfoundation.com
Congratulations to the Baron Jay Foundation and the 2019 Women of the Years Trailblazers Effie T. Brown Marilyn F. Booker Roxanne Taylor Ruth E. Carter
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California State Senate
DISTRICT OFFICE Wallis Annenberg Building 700 STATE DR. SUITE 113 LOS ANGELES, CA 90037 (213) 745-6656 WEBSITE: http://sd30.senate.ca.gov/ EMAIL: SENATOR.MITCHELL@SENATE.CA.GOV
Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review (Chair) Committee on Public Safety Committee on Health Committee on Insurance Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations Joint Legislative Committee Rules Select Committee on Women and Inequality (Founder)
HOLLY J. MITCHELL SENATOR, THIRTIETH DISTRICT SENATOR, TWENTY-SIXTH DISTRICT
CONGRATULATIONS Dear Friends, It is both a privilege and a pleasure for me to extend greetings to all those attending the annual Trailblazer Award Luncheon on June 15, 2019. Since its foundation in 2004, the Baron Jay Foundation has dedicated itself to improving the lives of those in underserved communities worldwide. The Baron Jay Foundation has taken exemplary measures to motivate and empower individuals to become contributing members of their society. The organization’s collective efforts and commitment to positively influencing the lives of many through their innovative services and programs are deserving of praise. I join you in extending greetings to this year’s honorees. Congratulations to Roxanne Avent-Taylor, Marilyn F. Booker, Effie T. Brown, and Ruth E. Carter. Thank you for your outstanding leadership, hard work, and continued service to the community. I applaud the achievements of Baron Jay Foundation and look forward to our continued partnership on issues of mutual interest. Best wishes for continued success! Warmly,
Holly J. Mitchell Senator, District 30
BETTY T. YEE California State Controller June 15, 2019 Dear Friends: Welcome to the annual Baron Jay Foundation Trailblazer Award Luncheon. I applaud the Foundation for supporting financial literacy, career development, and civic engagement in diverse and underserved communities. Thank you for your commitment to contributing to the well-being of our Golden State. Congratulations as well to today’s honorees – Roxanne Avent-Taylor, Marilyn F. Booker, Effie T. Brown, and Ruth E. Carter – for their dedicated leadership and service. I extend very best wishes for a successful event and for continued success. Sincerely,
Betty T. Yee 300 Capitol Mall, Suite 1850, Sacramento, CA 95814 P.O. Box 942850, Sacramento, CA 94250 ( 916 )445-2636 Fax: (916) 322-4404 www.sco.ca.gov
June 15, 2019 Baron Jay Foundation Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 Dear Friends: It gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone to the 2019 Trailblazer Award Luncheon presented by the Baron Jay Foundation. You are to be commended for your mission to promoting health awareness, relationship guidance, employment preparedness, and financial literacy in economically distressed and underserved communities. I applaud your vision and dedication to uplift our community. I also extend my congratulations to your honorees. Their dedication and commitment to leadership is greatly appreciated. On behalf of the residents of the 62nd Assembly District, I applaud all of you for your exemplary accomplishments and offer my best wishes for continued success in the years ahead. With warmest personal regards,
AUTUMN R. BURKE
Assemblywoman, 62nd District
CONGRULATIONS
ROXANNE AVENT-TAYLOR MARILYN F. BOOKER EFFIE T. BROWN RUTH E. CARTER
AMAZING WOMEN ALL THE BEST, BENTLEY KYLE EVANS & HARVEST STUDIOS https://harveststudios.biz/
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MARILYN F. BOOKER ROXANNE AVENT – TAYLOR RUTH E. CARTER EFFIE T. BROWN For Your Excellence http://www.processintel.com
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4TH ANNUAL BARON JAY FOUNDATION TRAILBLAZER AWARDS LUNCHEON
WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2019
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Honorees “WOMAN OF THE YEAR” Marilyn F. Booker Roxanne Avent-Taylor Effie T. Brown Ruth E. Carter www.jujucollection.com Instagram/shop_jujucollection
Baron Jay Littleton Jr:
Q & A with Our 2019 WOMEN OF THE YEAR TRAILBLAZERS BARON: What advice will you give your 13 year young self? MARILYN: Enjoy the journey! Life is too short and it is NOT a dress rehearsal. You do not get to hit the do over button. Life is a spectacular ride – have fun!! Once you stop having fun and enjoying what you do, it’s truly time to move on. I don’t think I really understood this when I was much younger – I don’t think many young people really do. At that age, you just think you will live forever. As I get to the point where I have more years behind me than I have in front of me, I finally get it. I am much bolder, more confident and more willing to take risks than I was as a younger person. Much less fear! I would tell my younger self to step out there! Treasure and be thankful for each day! Take chances - don’t be afraid of anything, especially failure!! Don’t allow the fear of failure to paralyze you! Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. Or as Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work!” So just keep moving forward – you got this!!!!! BARON: Who is one of your favorite teachers or mentors and why? MARILYN: My best teacher ever was my father. He is/ was my secret sauce. And my mom agrees!! My dad grew up in a small town in Alabama – Uniontown. He and my mom were a part of that great migration from 1916 – 1970 where over 6 million people migrated from the rural south to other parts of the country looking for a better life. In the late 1950s, my parents, who were high school sweethearts, moved to Chicago with nothing more than a suitcase in the back of my father’s brother’s car. But they figured out how to make their own way and they did. My mom worked as a social worker and my dad, in addition to working a number of blue collar night jobs and babysitting me during the day before I started school while my mom was at work, decided that the way to get ahead and provide for his family was ownership – multiple properties and multiple businesses. He had that can do, will do spirit that he passed along to me. A can do, will do spirit that dates back to some of my first memories of riding in the front seat of a powder blue Chevy Van as we went from building to building, collecting the rent, vacuuming the stairs, fixing the toilets. There were very long days but we never tired and we never took our eyes off of the prize, off of the end game. You name it, we did it, you name it, I learned it. And to this day, every single day I can hear my dad, who passed away 3 years
ago, saying “stay focused” “keep your eyes on the prize” “what’s your end game” “what’s your strategy” “you can do anything you want to do, you can be anybody you want to be.” It is that “can do - will do” spirit that my dad gave me that keeps me from being deterred and gets me where I want to be. BARON: What would you tell your 13 year young self? ROXANNE: Learn how to trust even though you have been hurt by the people closest to you. Keep an open heart and let people in. Life is about making connections and learning. Keep the door open. Love yourself no matter what. Be confident with yourself. Don’t be so judge mental and pick everything apart. Reward your success. Live in the moment always. Don’t stress about what you are going to do. Believe in yourself always. Don’t let someone else’s judgement second guess your path. Always take care of your health. Exercise and eat right. Be happy!! Be kind always. Don’t let anyone still your joy. Spend time with family and friends as much as you can. God will always make sure you are on the right path even if you choose the wrong one. Have faith in him always. Trust the process. Save money for a rainy day. Never give up on your dreams. Always take one step closer to what you want. It will pay off. -Never expect to be rewarded for your time and hard work. No one cares what it took to get there. Never stop learning. Knowledge is power. Try new things be brave. You only live once. Give back and help others in need. BARON: Who is one of your favorite teachers or mentors and why? EFFIE: Advice I’d give to my younger self (13 or otherwise) – 1) this is the skinniest you will ever be so enjoy it!!!!! 2) No one is thinking about you or what you do as much as you are thinking about you. Everyone is thinking about themselves. So relax and be yourself. 3) It’s not about belonging…it’s about connection. BARON: Who is one of your favorite teachers or mentors and why? EFFIE: Laurie Parker. She taught me not to believe the great lie that there can only be “one of us who can make it” That, as she was helping me along in my career it is my duty to lean back and help another. That is how you make it…by “us all making it”.
2019 Baron Jay Foundation Trailblazers
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