December 18, 1961 – March 1, 2025
What She Said...
J a c k i e H i l l P e r r y
"Christdidnotdietoredeemus inpart.NeitherdidHeriseso thatwemighthavelifein portions."
DR.PATRICIABATH DR.PATRICIABATH
FROM VISION FROM VISION TO REALITY TO REALITY
How Black Women of Faith Are Birthing Initiatives That Matter
For Black women of faith, vision isn’t just about seeing it’s about building. It’s about taking the God-given ideas that stir in our spirit and turning them into something real, something impactful, something that shifts atmospheres and changes lives.
Whether in business, media, ministry, or the arts, we are birthing initiatives that don’t just sit on paper they disrupt, heal, and create legacy.
But let’s be real bringing a vision to life isn’t easy. It requires faith, discipline, and a mindset that refuses to shrink under pressure. Yet, Black women of faith have always been pioneers in turning divine downloads into tangible movements. Everything starts with faith. That vision you keep seeing, the idea that won’t leave you alone it’s not random. God has entrusted you with something powerful, and faith is the first step in making it happen.
When we look at history, Black women have been at the forefront of change, from Sojourner Truth to Madam C.J. Walker to the modern-day women leading in media, entrepreneurship, and ministry. They didn’t just have good ideas they had faithfueled execution. They moved when others doubted. They built when resources were scarce. They trusted that the vision was bigger than them.
One of the biggest reasons visions never leave the "idea" stage is the fear of imperfection. We tell ourselves we need more time, more funding, more connections but what we really need is movement. Obedience to what God has placed in us is what brings the provision. Black women are launching businesses, nonprofits, and creative projects with purpose-driven strategies that don’t just make noise but make impact. Whether it’s starting a media company to amplify faith-based stories, launching a mental health initiative for Black women, or building platforms that teach financial literacy, we are showing up in spaces that were never designed for us and thriving.
There will be obstacles, setbacks, and moments where quitting feels easier than pressing forward. But this is where faith separates those who dream from those who do. The key? Move even when the path isn’t clear. Speak life over your vision when doubt creeps in. Surround yourself with other faith-driven women who are also building and birthing. Be intentional about aligning your work with your purpose, not just trends.
When Black women say yes to the call on their lives, we don’t just shift our own reality we open doors for others. The initiatives being birthed today will impact generations to come. Every book written, every business launched, every stage graced with purpose it all matters.Your vision is more than an idea. It’s a movement waiting to happen. The world is waiting on what God has placed inside of you. So start now. Build boldly. Disrupt intentionally. And most importantly let your faith lead every step.
RawconMagazine
~BESSIECOLEMAN ~BESSIECOLEMAN
Faith plays a major role in your vision
Faith plays a major role in your vision
Faith plays a major role in your vision for success and your ability to get there! for success and your ability to get there! for success and your ability to get there!
Written by Dr. Tranell Jones
THE NEW BLUEPRINT FOR BLACK WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Leadership is evolving, and Black women of faith are rewriting the script. No longer confined to traditional roles or outdated expectations, we are stepping into leadership with boldness, clarity, and a deep sense of purpose. But this isn’t just about climbing ladders it’s about breaking them, building new paths, and redefining what leadership looks like for the next generation
The old blueprint said to play it safe, blend in, and wait for permission. The new one? It’s faith-driven, purpose-led, and unapologetically disruptive
FAITH AS THE DRIVING FORCE
True leadership requires something deeper than ambition it requires faith. The kind of faith that allows you to move even when you can’t see the full picture The kind that keeps you anchored when the pressure to conform tries to shake you.
For Black women, leadership has never been just about position. It’s about stewardship over our voices, our influence, and the impact we leave behind Whether in corporate spaces, entrepreneurship, media, or ministry, we are shifting cultures and making sure that faith isn’t left out of the conversation
PURPOSE AS THE FOUNDATION
Leadership without purpose is just a title What separates real impact from empty success is knowing why you’ve been placed in a certain space. Purpose is what turns work into ministry, influence into legacy, and disruption into meaningful change
Black women are not just leading we’re leading with intentionality. We’re launching businesses that empower our communities, building platforms that tell our stories, and stepping into positions of power without compromising who we are. Purpose keeps us from leading for the sake of being seen; it ensures that our leadership has lasting significance
DISRUPTION AS THE STRATEGY
Disruption isn’t about chaos it’s about transformation. It’s about recognizing when systems no longer serve us and creating something better. For too long, leadership has been defined by structures that weren’t designed for us. So we’re designing our own.
THE NEW BLUEPRINT IS HERE
Black women of faith are not waiting to be invited into leadership we are stepping into it with authority. We are leading with conviction, driven by faith, and committed to making an impact that extends beyond ourselves.
The blueprint has changed. It’s not about fitting in it’s about standing firm. It’s about walking in purpose, using our voices unapologetically, and disrupting spaces with boldness. This is what leadership looks like now. And we’re just getting started.
Breaking Barriers was never meant to be easy, but I promise that it's worth it.
Dr. Tranell Jones
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
TheDemonization of MENTAL ILLNESS
MADAMCJWALKER MADAMCJWALKER
H E A L I N G
T H R O U G H
S T O R Y T E L L I N G
The Role of Faith in Media, Music, and the Arts
Storytelling has always been a powerful tool for healing. From the hymns that carried our ancestors through trials to the poetry that speaks to the soul, faith has always been woven into the fabric of Black creativity. Today, Black women of faith are using media, music, and the arts to disrupt industries, tell our truths, and bring restoration to communities in need of healing.
For generations, faith has been the foundation of Black artistry. Whether through gospel music, spoken word, or film, our stories have always carried messages of resilience, hope, and divine purpose.
CreativityisagiftfromGod,andwhenwetapintoitwith intention,itbecomesavesselfortransformation.
Dr.TranellJones
When a song reaches the depths of someone’s soul, or a film tells a story that mirrors someone’s pain, healing begins. It’s no coincidence that some of the most influential artists in history— Mahalia Jackson, Maya Angelou, and Aretha Franklin infused their work with faith. Their creativity wasn’t just about entertainment; it was about ministry.
The Power of Testimony in Media
Media has become one of the most influential spaces for storytelling. From podcasts to digital platforms, Black women are taking up space and using their voices to share testimonies of faith and triumph. In a world saturated with negativity, faithbased media is creating spaces where people can find hope, healing, and encouragement.
Take the rise of faith-driven podcasts, documentaries, and social media movements. Women of faith are reclaiming narratives that have long been overlooked, using their platforms to show the world that faith isn’t just for the pulpit it’s for the boardroom, the stage, and the screen.
Music has always been a healing force. Whether through gospel, inspirational hip-hop, or even R&B with a faith-based message. Black women are using their voices to heal and uplift. Artists like
"Myskinisrich/Igotthat milliondollarmelanin/ I'mtalkinaboutthat deepchocolate..."
Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Kierra Sheard, and independent faithbased musicians are breaking barriers, proving that faith and creativity are not limited to one genre. The right song at the right moment can shift atmospheres. It can turn sorrow into joy, doubt into confidence, and pain into praise. That’s the power of music when faith is at the center.
The Arts as a Ministry
Faith-driven storytelling isn’t just in words and melodies it’s in visual art, dance, and theater. From stage plays that depict reallife struggles to paintings that reflect divine inspiration, the arts have become a space where faith meets freedom. Black women in the arts are not just creating for the sake of creativity; they are ministering through their work.
Creating with Purpose
As Black women of faith, we have a responsibility to use our creative gifts to make an impact. The stories we tell, the songs we sing, and the platforms we build are not just for us they are for the people who need to see what’s possible when faith and purpose align.
If you’ve been sitting on a story, a song, or an idea, this is your sign to move forward. The world needs your voice. Your faithinfused creativity has the power to break chains, inspire healing, and provoke change. It’s time to disrupt, build, and transform through the art of storytelling.
SHAKIA N. HICKS
F–FREEINGYOURSELFFROMPAIN F–FREEINGYOURSELFFROMPAIN
O–OPENINGYOURHEARTTOHEALING O–OPENINGYOURHEARTTOHEALING
R–RELEASINGRESENTMENTANDBITTERNESS R–RELEASINGRESENTMENTANDBITTERNESS
G–GIVINGGRACETOYOURSELFANDOTHERS G–GIVINGGRACETOYOURSELFANDOTHERS
II–INVITINGPEACEINTOYOURSOUL –INVITINGPEACEINTOYOURSOUL
V–VALUINGGROWTHOVERGRUDGES V–VALUINGGROWTHOVERGRUDGES
E–EMBRACINGGOD’SLOVEANDMERCY E–EMBRACINGGOD’SLOVEANDMERCY
SEVE SEVE TIM TIM SEV SEV
The Freed IN FORG
God's love is the source of true forgiveness. Healing begins when we fully accept H it to work through us Forgiveness is not just an action it’s a powerful force that propels us forward, releasing us from the weight of past hurts. At first, when Jesus tells us to forgive seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22), it might seem like a random number But it’s not God isn’t asking us to track offenses or meet a quota. He wants us to forgive so deeply and consistently that we stop counting altogether. True forgiveness isn’t about keeping score it’s about a transformation within.
God calls us to forgive not out of obligation, but out of love. When we let go of pain and resentment, we don’t do it for the benefit of those who hurt us we do it for ourselves. Holding onto bitterness only keeps us bound, but forgiveness sets us free. In a world where grudges are easy to hold onto, God calls us to break the cycle Every time we choose forgiveness, even when it’s difficult, we align our hearts with His. We strip away the anger, the bitterness, and the heaviness that hold us back. And in doing so, we reflect His incredible grace So when God tells us to forgive seventy times seven, He’s not limiting us to 490 chances. He’s teaching us that forgiveness should be so abundant, so ingrained in our hearts, that numbers don’t even matter. When we forgive unconditionally without bondage, without hesitation we step fully into the spirit of God’s love and grace. And in that space, true healing begins.
Writtten by Shakia N. Hicks
~OPRAHWINFREY
~OPRAHWINFREY
Eartha Kitt
EARTHA KITT WAS AN AMERICAN SINGER, ACTOR, DANCER, COMEDIAN, ACTIVIST, AND AUTHOR SHE WAS A MULTIFACETED INDIVIDUAL WHO LEFT A MARK IN EVERY SPHERE SHE TOUCHED BORN TO AN UNWED MOTHER, KITT FACED SEVERE HARDSHIPS IN HER EARLY DAYS WHEN KITT’S MOTHER ABANDONED HER, SHE WAS FORCED TO LIVE WITH A DISTANT RELATIVE HER LOVE FOR MUSIC BROUGHT HER TO THE ‘THE HIGH SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS ’ THE SCHOOL WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS THE ‘METROPOLITAN VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ’ KITT STARTED HER CAREER AS A SINGER WITH THE ‘KATHERINE DUNHAM COMPANY.’ SHE SANG SEVERAL HIT SONGS FOR THE COMPANY. HER UNIQUE VOICE WAS NOTICED BY MANY KITT RECEIVED HER FIRST ACTING OFFER WHEN SHE WAS CAST IN THE PLAY ‘DR FAUSTUS ’ SHE WAS ALSO CAST IN THE MUSICAL REVUE ‘NEW FACES OF 1952,’ IN WHICH SHE SANG THE POPULAR SONG ‘MONOTONOUS ’ THE CHRISTMAS SONG ‘SANTA BABY,’ SUNG BY KITT, IS POPULAR TO THIS DAY KITT WAS CAST AS ‘CATWOMAN’ IN THE POPULAR SERIES ‘BATMAN ’ SHE CREATED QUITE A SENSATION WITH HER TRADEMARK GROWL WHILE PLAYING THE PART KITT SUFFERED A SERIOUS SETBACK IN HER CAREER WHEN SHE MADE AN ANTI-WAR STATEMENT AT A LUNCHEON IN THE ‘WHITE HOUSE.’ FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT, SHE WAS DEFAMED BY THE ‘CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY’ (CIA) A FEW YEARS LATER, SHE MADE A SUCCESSFUL COMEBACK ON ‘BROADWAY,’ WITH THE MUSICAL ‘TIMBUKTU ’ HER PERFORMANCE EARNED HER A ‘TONY AWARD’ NOMINATION SHE PERFORMED AS A VOICE ACTOR IN SEVERAL ‘DISNEY’ MOVIES KITT WAS ACTIVE IN HER PROFESSION TILL A FEW MONTHS BEFORE HER DEATH SHE WAS AN ACTIVIST, TOO, AND SUPPORTED ISSUES SUCH AS WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE KITT BREATHED HER LAST AT THE AGE OF 81, AFTER BATTLING COLON CANCER. SHE WAS HONORED WITH A “STAR” ON THE ‘HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME.’
Eartha Kitt