Welcome to Black Men Taking Charge Blog, where we feature professional Black men from all over and from various backgrounds and discuss issues relating to Blacks in America.

These interviews will be conducted up to the release date of the book, Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself As A Black Woman by Tinisha Nicole Johnson. (January 2010) Learn more about this book and the author at her website: www.TinishaNicoleJohnson.com

I will be interviewing professional men and women from various backgrounds discussing who they are and the challenges they face, and any advice they have to offer.

Visit the Professional Women Making Moves Blog interviews by clicking here: http://blkprofessionalwomen.wordpress.com/

Today, I’m interviewing Charles A. Floyd, the CEO and President of FAPWINNER LLC. He runs and sustains a multi-million dollar international business organization involved in the FORFEX market.

TINISHA: I understand you are President and CEO of FAPWINNER LLC. Tell me about your company and briefly about your background.

CHARLES: I have been a student of the markets for over 26 years now. I have traded stocks, options, futures, commodities, currencies. I literally have done it all, so that gives me a larger and global perspective of the markets.Previously, I worked with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.

FAPWINNER is an international trading community. We offer all everything that a trader would want or need. We offer:
    *Expert advisors-each offering a different trading style.
    *Classes on how to trade.
    *Weekly market commentary
    *Specific settings for our EAs
    *Live trading of other EAs and trading systems, so people can see how it performs BEFORE they purchase.
    *Daily and Weekly trading signals.
    *Commentary by other Forex industry leaders such FAPTURBO Mike, Donna Forfex, and the legendary Jeff Wilde.
    *A live Trading room where other traders can trade with me, taking the trades I take.
    *Personal and group coaching.

Please visit the FAPWINNER site to learn more: www.fapwinner.com.

TINISHA: What tips or advice do you have for those who want to start trading?

CHARLES: Learn ONE system, trade ONE pair, and demo trade for a minimum of 3 months. If you can make money on demo. Also, don’t rush to trade with real money. The markets are not going anywhere. Take the time to get educated. Trading is a zero sum game- there is one winner and one loser. 95% of all new forex traders blow their accounts up within a few weeks because they have no idea what they are doing. Finally, don’t rely on so called EXPERT ADVISORS/ These are computer programs that buy and sell for you. It is mostly hype. It is almost impossible to turn $500.00 into millions in 30 days!

TINISHA: What type of trading are you referring to for those who know nothing about the industry or the basics?

CHARLES: There are many different types of trading styles. What most people hear about is scalping-that is where you open and close a trade within minutes hoping to get a profit. I teach you to be an all around trader-learning all the trading styles: Scalping, intra-day, position, and swing trading. Most people have day jobs, so they cannot sit in front of a computer. They must position trade. We have specific trading systems for people that have day jobs, where they can trade the markets after work.

TINISHA: Would you say the service and products you offer are for those who’d like to make some extra money on the side?

CHARLES: Well, I don’t like to use that terminology. Trading is not a sure thing, and should not be relied on as income unless you know what you are doing. It is quite possible to earn a second income, or even replace your current income, but it will not happen overnight. I guess the best way to put it, is to approach trading as a business. There are no assurances that your business will succeed. When I hear people talking about making a little extra money on the side, I want to tell them to go to Las Vegas. Would you open a new business just to make a little money on the side? Trading is serious, and must be approached seriously.

TINISHA: Where can people go to learn more about your services, membership, and getting started in trading?

CHARLES: The best place to go is to visit our website. www.fapwinner.com

TINISHA: I assume there are more men traders than women. Have you thought of ways to appeal your services to women?

CHARLES: More and more women are starting to catch on to trading, as more and more women are finding it hard to depend on a man. In the black community, women have always had to “fend” for themselves. This is a very exciting and virtually untapped demographic. I personally would be more than happy to personally mentor and train women to trade. Women are much more serious when it comes to men. Men can sometimes be a know it all, even if they know nothing, where a woman will grasp the concept and apply it-without the need for having their ego massaged. They are about the business-not who’s right or wrong.

TINISHA: What challenges do you face as a Black man? How do you overcome or get through those challenges?

CHARLES: One word. Credibility. I am under no disillusion that I must work twice as hard to be considered just as good. Racism is alive and well. Before the marketing department placed my photo on the site, there was no problem. Prospective members were happy, impressed and ready to join. When they saw that a black man was the President & CEO, the same person earlier that was praising the “perceived” Charles Floyd, now questioned the actual Charles Floyd by asking me, do you really know what you are doing? In some circles, it is hard to believe that a black man can successfully envision, develop, run, sustain and expand a multi-million dollar international business organization that is involved in the FOREX market. The truth is that FAPWINER is the leading FOREX training and trading organization in the world. We have an International presence and membership body and have millionaires as well as every day people as well.

TINISHA: What is your vision for your business?

CHARLES: In one word: Domination. My vision for FAPWINNER is to become the single most influential organization for FOREX Market trading and training. This requires us to stay close to the markets so that we can stay abreast of what the markets are doing, and what people need. This involves learning better educational methods, having the ability to communicate complex issues in an easily understood manner, and teaching and offering concepts that are easy to understand and apply. Simply put, my vision is to be the best FOREX teaching and trading community, period.

TINISHA: What advice do you have for young black men in high school and college from a business perspective?

CHARLES: Put down the ball, and pick up the book. Take business classes, including math, marketing, psychology, sociology, communications and speech. Learn to use computers and various business related applications, such as desk top publishing, excel and other business related applications. The best way to get ahead is to have a solid education. Employers want to know that you finished something. That is the real reason for getting an education. They don’t hire you primarily for the education, but certainly will not hire you if you don’t have one. Learn to speak proper grammar, and dress for success. Looking fly for the ladies is one thing, looking employable is another. Go outside of your comfort zone.

MORE ABOUT CHARLES
Charles A. Floyd, II, is the creator and founder of FAPWinner.com. Formerly, he was a portfolio manager with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, where he traded stocks and commodities on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) . As a veteran trader with over 26 years of experience, Charles has also personally designed many expert advisors, including the famous hedging EA that serves as a trading companion to his own custom and optimized version of the Forex Autopilot EA. His objective upon entering this industry was to revolutionize the perception of the Forex market and to simplify it so that virtually anyone can begin trading. Known for his straightforward and relaxed approach towards learning how to trade Forex, he has successfully helped many traders worldwide increase their confidence, and expertise.

Welcome to Black Men Taking Charge Blog, where we feature professional Black men from all over and from various backgrounds and discuss issues relating to Blacks in America.

These interviews will be conducted up to the release date of the book, Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself As A Black Woman by Tinisha Nicole Johnson. (January 2010) Learn more about this book and the author at her website: www.TinishaNicoleJohnson.com

I will be interviewing professional men and women from various backgrounds discussing who they are and the challenges they face, and any advice they have to offer.

Visit the Professional Women Making Moves Blog interviews by clicking here: http://blkprofessionalwomen.wordpress.com/

 Today, I’m interviewing Gary A. Johnson, an Author, Speaker, Trainer and President of Gary A. Johnson Company & Associates, LLC.

TINISHA:   Please introduce yourself?

GARY:   My name is Gary Johnson.  I was born in Washington, DC and attended DC Public Schools.  I grew up in a two parent household.  My mother was a Police Officer and my father was a cab driver and a Building Maintenance Supervisor.  I grew up in a working class family and as a result I started working odd jobs from the time I was six years old collecting newspapers and scrap metal in my neighborhood.  I am the Founder and President of Gary A. Johnson Company & Associates, LLC, a management training and consulting firm.  I started the company after resigning from a large federal government agency where I served as an Intelligence Watch Analyst, Special Agent/Investigator, Program Manager and Training Professional.  I also worked for three Assistants to the President for National Security Affairs in the West Wing of the White House.

TINISHA:   Pick at least 1 black woman that has made a difference in your life at one point or another, and why?

GARY:   Wow.  That’s a great question.  There have been so many black women who have made a difference in my life.  If I can only select one woman I would select my mother.  My mother shaped me more than any person in my life.  My father worked two jobs.  As a result, when I was growing up my mother was the primary caretaker for me and my younger sister.  My mother managed our household, however, she also was a supportive partner and worked with my father to support the family.  My mother is a very resourceful and smart woman who built several businesses in hopes that they will be passed on to future generations.

TINISHA:   You must be very proud of your successes Gary.  What motivated you to start your management training and consulting company Gary A. Johnson Company & Associates, LLC.?

GARY:   Yes, I am proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish in business, however my proudest accomplishments are my two sons and the partnership that I have with my wife.  I’ve been married 24 years to the same woman and we have two wonderful young men to show for it. 

I was motivated to start my own business in part because I don’t like other people telling me what to do.  Being my own boss affords me the opportunity to take risks and help mentor and develop other people.  As a result, I have traveled around the world training managers in the government and Fortune 500 companies.

TINISHA:   What challenges do you face as a Black man? How do you overcome or get through those challenges? 

GARY:   The biggest challenges I face as a black man is fighting the negative stereotypes about black men.  I overcome that challenge by being positive and consistent in my behavior.  I was instrumental in helping the DC Public School System get a technology bus to teach kids about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  I also teach young people leadership and life skills.  In fact, my volunteer work is featured in a short video by the George Lucas Educational Foundation.  You can check it out at this link:  Check it out.  http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-game-design-video.  Other challenges involve that I face involve getting more men to commit time to mentoring and teaching our young men and women.  There is a tremendous need to teach our young folks to be responsible citizens. 

TINISHA:   Black Men in America.com is definitely a site people need to know about. It is very resourceful and has information for just about anyone.  Do you have visions of how you’d like to see this site expand? 

GARY:   Black Men In America.com (www.blackmeninamerica.com) is my proudest professional accomplishment.  I had a vision in 1995 about the site and I worked for seven years to make that vision into a reality.  About 45% of the site visitors are women, and they are very loyal.  We don’t have enough time for me to talk about the value of this site.  This site was designed to be a forum for people to share information about black men from a variety of perspectives in hopes of providing a better balance with regard to how we are portrayed in the media.  I also founded another site for parents and children called Homework Help Page.com (www.homeworkhelppage.com).  Shortly after launching the site in 2002, the site was recognized by USA Today Education as being one of the best homework help sites in the country.

TINISHA:   Your book 25 Things That Really Matter In Life is an interesting and inviting title. Tell me about that turning point in your life where you thought it was important to reflect on paper the list of 25 things that planted the seed for creating this book. 

GARY:   My book was an opportunity for me to share what has helped me be successful.  The turning point for writing the book was my effort at succeeding through very difficult times both in my personal life and business.  When things get difficult, you can’t quit.  I would allow myself a finite period of time to be down and out and then I would find a way to overcome the challenge.  I’ve always believed that part of being successful is defining what success means to you.  Over the years, my success has been based primarily on “25 things.”  I decided to share my “25 things” believing that my 25 would be in alignment with most people who buy the book.  The book is easy to read by design and has work book pages for the reader to list their “25 things” that really matter in life.  My book received an “Honorable Mention” as one of the best black books (non-fiction) in 2008.

TINISHA:   What advice do you have for today’s young Black men?

GARY:   Whew!  I will and keep this short.   Young black men need to discover and know who they are.  They need to allow themselves to be mentored and respect themselves, so other people can respect them as well.  Young black men need to look for the positive aspects in life.  They need to understand that we teach people how to treat us, therefore young men need to behave in a manner that sets a positive example for those folks who may be watching them.  And above all, believe in a higher power and never mistreat the women in their lives.  One last thought for the young brothers.  Be mindful of the company that you keep.  You are who you hang with.  If you hang out with a bad crowd you are or soon will be a bad person.

TINISHA:   Any last thoughts Gary?

GARY:   I challenge every person reading this interview to ask themselves the following question at the end of each day:  “What have you done to make yourself proud?”  If you do this consistently and work at being a better person, you will have less stress and live a happy and productive life.  I guarantee it.  Thank you for the opportunity to discuss aspects of my life.

MORE ABOUT GARY:
You can contact Gary A. Johnson at his websites and email:
http://www.garyjohnsoncompany.com
http://www.blackmeninamerica.com/
E-mail:  garyj@garyjohnsoncompany.com

These interviews will be conducted up to the release date of the book, Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself As A Black Woman by Tinisha Nicole Johnson. (January 2010) Learn more about this book and the author at her website: www.TinishaNicoleJohnson.com

I will be interviewing professional men and women from various backgrounds discussing who they are and the challenges they face, and any advice they have to offer.

Visit the Professional Women Making Moves Blog interviews by clicking here: http://blkprofessionalwomen.wordpress.com/

 Today, I’m interviewing JoeyPinkney, an Author and Book Reviewer. I’m really convinced you all will love this interview. I know I did.

TINISHA:   Tell me about yourself?

JOEY:   I was born and raised in Memphis, TN. I currently live in Garner, NC,which is on the southern edge of Raleigh, NC. I run two websites. Mymain website, http://joeypinkney.com, is where I house my author interviews and book reviews. My “5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…”author interview series is my pride and joy. I really enjoy the amount of great information I get from different authors of various genres. If you are an aspiring writer, I advise checking it out.

My other website, http://joeyisinit.com, is a work in progress which features the booksmy stories are featured in. I’ve recently had the pleasure of having my work published by Elissa Gabrielle’s Peace in the Storm Publishing. My short story “Like Father, Like Son” was featured in The Soul of a Man Anthology. I am enthralled by the experience of being surrounded by so many great brothers. I hope to find a home for the continuation of “Like Father,Like Son” in another anthology. Make sure you purchase an autographed copy of  The Soul of a Man Anthology from http://joeyisinit.com.

TINISHA:   Pick at least 1 black woman that has made a difference in your life at one point or another, and why? 

JOEY:   The obvious answer would be my mother. Giving me birth, showing unconditional love and making sure I survived mychildhood…immeasurable. To answer this question, I’m going to speak on my wife. Whereas my mother had a biological and emotional connection with me, my wife Latausha Renee Pinkney has a love for me that is without obligation. Renee showed confidence in me when everything in my perspective fought against me. Even to this day, she encourages me as I play around with the idea of turning dreams into reality. She had patience with me as I dealt with the dichotomy between being a loner for almost 30 years and being a father and a husband for over five years as of the writing of this interview. I had an epiphany one day while we were in the bathroom with each other. She was washing her face while talking to me. Renee was telling me that I had to make something major happen with my life. I had to be successful.

As she was talking and washing and spreading water everywhere, she placed my success in tandem with the success of the young children that were in our family. She started naming mydaughters, nephews and nieces and cousins. I had not thought about some of these children in months. The sincerity of her wanting me to be an example to a group of people who are really the future of our families (and subsequently their families) made me feel nauseous with power. There are many reasons why that was profound to me. I married her because I felt that she would take care of her kids, not just have them. Their future has been the focus of her life as long as I’ve know her, and her family has verified that she been like this from the beginning. The situation in the bathroom reiterated the unselfishness in her core spirit. I felt guilty when she told me that, because I tend to look at my world in terms of me and what I can get for my family instead of what I can provide to the future of many families. Renee says that I’m intelligent, but her wisdom blows me away. The difference she had been made would make for another short story.

TINISHA:   What do you love about Black women?

JOEY:   Dark skin is absolutely beautiful to me. To be more specific, there is a cultural quality to “black love” in America that gets fewer head nods than it takes words to express it. Historically, the average Black person vaguely knows about their history here in America. That treacherous time period did a lot to split us up, but it showed the strength and courage of Black women to continue to give birth to generations that holds its true mothers in high regard. I love that. There hasn’t been a time in Black American history where you could say something about someone’s mother without either clearing it up or getting cleared out. Even looking back to African history, there are plenty of examples of Black women that had power and respect. The one person that comes to mind readily is N’Zingha. I can’t wait to read her story to my youngest daughter. There are plenty of N’Zinghas here with us today. They get power and respect without demanding it. The ability to have that undeniable spirit and attitude, which is often mocked, is attractive and endearing. An intelligent black woman’s attitude is more attractive to me than the same presumable intelligence with another woman. That’s an intangible quality that’s indescribable.

TINISHA:   What does success mean to you, and what challenges do you face as a Black man? How do you overcome or get through those challenges?

JOEY:   Success is the ability to do what you love, love what you do and pay the bills from what you love. As an extension of that success, I could focus on becoming financially independent. My only problem is waking up one day and having nothing to show for it besides the time I put into someone else’s dream. I’m slowly waking up from that state of mind, and I’m constantly looking to see what I can do to remedy thatsituation. I would love to get paid to read and write. At least, I think I would like that. I’m becoming more determined to figure out how to have asuccessful career as a writer, particularly a novelist. It’s aprocess. In terms of being a writer, I would love to follow in thefoot steps of the many writers around the world who are able to eat from their hard work. I think that greatest challenge I face as a Black man is my mentality. I am constantly struggling with the way I perceive my world and my place in it. I believe that once you truly master your perception and place in the world, you can take better advantage of the things that you can directly and indirectly control. A perfect example is the number of books and author interview I have that I haven’t had the chance to process. Even though there is no monetary compensation for posting author interview or reading and writing reviews of the books, I get frustrated with how slow that I’m able to get these done.

Having a family, a job and a personal life does not allow me to knock them out at the speed I want. I overcome my challenges by trying to recognize them for what they are. Once I put them in their right place, I am better able to determine if there is a fix to the problem before going down the longpath of running in circles. I talk to myself a lot to sort out ideas and to coach myself along. I do this when I am alone. If you happen to see me driving and talking with no one else in the car with me, I’m talking on the phone on my bluetooth headset. If you don’t see a bluetooth headset, I’m talking on the speaker phone… Just kidding.

TINISHA:   What impact do you want to make on the world?

JOEY:  I want to be able to give the world the rich stories that are bottled up inside of me. I want the readers to be able to connect with my characters in a way that allows for further introspection. I want to be remembered for the quality of not only my writings but my other projects. I want the world to remember the love and desire and the hours I spent promoting other authors and their works. I get emails all of the time from people who happened upon my website and are overwhelmed by the numberof authors interviews I have posted. I think that I’ve posted over 100 interviews. Although I have people who have advertised with me, I post my author interviews without compensation from anyone. I love reading the interviews as much as the people who stop by my site.

TINISHA:  What advice do you have for today’s young Black men?

JOEY:   Don’t get caught up in the media hype. There are plenty of ways to get paid besides drugs, sports or entertainment. No matter how much your friends ridicule you, being smart is not dumb. Being dumb is dumb. Plain and simple. Take getting your education seriously. A lot of people hound you about it, but the way you look is important. Let me restate this: Don’t be surprised if you get looks or get a certain response from people based on how you are dressed. The rumors are out there: sagging pants, ear rings and braids are a part of prison culture. Do the research. Yes, that means take a little effort in trying to see if the way you are dressed is based on a homosexual sub-culture in prison. If that fits you, by all means continue. If it’s not what you represent, make the necessary changes. If you don’t have any positive influences, be your own. If you aregoing to “do you”, figure out whether or not you are actuallyfollowing others.

TINISHA:   What advice do you have for today’s young Black women?

JOEY:   You have too many examples of right and wrong, good and bad, to be getting caught up in the same traps that have been around for ages. Stop trusting your body to a boy (regardless of age) that says heloves you. Live and enjoy your childhood. Make it through yourchildhood before you bring another child into this world. Stop calling yourself a diva. When you exhibit extraordinary talent, others will give you that title. Have some class and some mystery about yourself. If you don’t want to be treated like a “person of ill repute”, stop dressing and acting like one.

MORE ABOUT JOEY
Learn all you’d like to know about Joey Pinkney at his sites:
http://joeypinkney.com (Author Interviews and Book Reviews)
http://joeyisinit.com (website for Joey Pinkney, the author)
http://joeypinkney.com/joey-reviews-newsletter.html (Join mynewsletter. It’s free.)
http://facebook.com/joeypinkney
http://myspace.com/joeyreviews
http://twitter.com/joeypinkney

These interviews will be conducted up to the release date of the book, Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself As A Black Woman by Tinisha Nicole Johnson. (January 2010) Learn more about this book and the author at her website: www.TinishaNicoleJohnson.com

I will be interviewing professional men and women from various backgrounds discussing who they are and the challenges they face, and any advice they have to offer.

Visit the Professional Women Making Moves Blog interviews by clicking here: http://blkprofessionalwomen.wordpress.com/

Today, I’m interviewing Marc Livingston, a poet. 

TINISHA:   Tell me about yourself? 

MARC:   My name is Marc Livingston, and I hail from the southside of Chicago, IL. I am self employed in the tax preparation business, as well as an employee of Rite Group Investments.

TINISHA:   Pick at least one black woman that has made a difference in your life at one point or another, and why?

MARC:   Shirley Livingston has made a HUGE impact on my life. No matter what I have done or what station in life I have occupied, my mother has always believed in me and supported me.

TINISHA:   What do you love about Black women?

MARC:   Besides the obvious,I love the fact that despite negativity that comes from both without and within our culture, black women are resillient. They also are the queens of the earth and have given birth to kings like myself.

TINISHA:   What does success mean to you, and what challenges do you face as a Black man? How do you overcome or get through those challenges?

MARC:   Success means, to me, that my family looks at me and my accomplishments with pride, respect, and a knowledge that I did my best. They are important to me above anyone else. If I can succeed financially, that is a bonus! As a black man and a black that is ambitious, I face resentment, condescension, and stereotypes from both blacks and non blacks, but mostly non blacks. See, I believe I am the best poet alive, maybe even ever, so I encounter constant naysayers that tell me that I’m not, my book will never sell, or that I should be more humble and not so staunch in my belief of myself and my gift. God, myself, and my family help me deal with the above. I believe that my poetic ability is a God given gift that I don’t take lightly and will never believe it is to be subdued. Most importantly, I am the best and strive to be the best ever!

TINISHA:   I have to ask. You are a pretty big guy and it’s obvious you take care of your body. What do people say when you tell them you write poetry, and that you have a book of poetry published – well written poetry at that, I might add?

MARC:   (Laughs out loud) It is hilarious how my philosophy on staying in shape is an inhibitor to the perception of my intellect. I told my Ma,”I was smart long before I had any muscles.” When THE CONFESSIONAL HEART OF A MAN first came out and I told people, women especially, that I wrote a book, a book of poetry at that, they responded with,”You wrote a book?” “A book of poetry?” “You write poetry?” “You don’t look like you write poetry.” Thank you for the compliment, but Tinisha, I believe in the concept of mind, body, and spirit. I wake up and thank God, then I work out, and then I work on my craft. Sometimes the latter two are in reverse order, but they are done in synergy with the first!

TINISHA:   What advice do you have for today’s young Black men?

MARC:   Young black men should do whatever they desire to do that is positive. No matter what anyone says or does, young black men and women should let nothing or no one get in the way of what they want to do! If they are scholastically gifted, write, play a sport, have a craft, or anything that they believe in, do it!!!

TINISHA:   Please provide a sample of your writing, so everyone can get a taste of “The Greatest Poet Alive?” Fragile

MARC:
Like a fall leaf left too long upon the ground,
as an eardrum bombarded by an overwhelming sound,
a newborn baby in his mother’s arms,
her nipples moments after breastfeeding,
skin uncovered during frigid weather,
a feather caught on the midst of a strong wind,
the mindset of a person on his deathbed,
food finding its way on the plate of a famished person,
children’s psyche after hearing their parents fighting,
hollering, and cursing
like a cake freshly baked, right out of the oven.

A young girl’s vulnerability after she has told a man she loves him,
And at this moment, she has told me such.
Anxious to see if the similes and metaphors are true;
Is also her virginity
fragile?.

TINISHA:  Any last thoughts Marc?

MARC:   Because of the combination of my vast positive and negative experiences, my ability to convey poetry fluently on paper and off the top of my head, I am GPA, THE GREATEST POET ALIVE! Thank you Tinisha for the opportunity! AND EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED MARC LIVINGSTON AND GPA!! THANK YOU!

 
MORE ABOUT MARC
Marc Livingston/GPA  can be reached by email at superpoet@iblowyourmind.com or gpaloep@yahoo.com.
Visit Marc at his website is www.iblowyourmind.com 

These interviews will be conducted up to the release date of the book, Lessons Learned: Loving Yourself As A Black Woman by Tinisha Nicole Johnson. (January 2010) Learn more about this book and the author at her website: www.TinishaNicoleJohnson.com

I will be interviewing professional men and women from various backgrounds discussing who they are and the challenges they face, and any advice they have to offer.

Visit the Professional Women Making Moves Blog by clicking here: http://blkprofessionalwomen.wordpress.com/

Today, I’m interviewing Jimmy McClain, a Ministering Evangelist. 

TINISHA:   Tell me about yourself? 

JIMMY:   Jimmy McClain, Cordova, TN (suburb of Memphis), Pastor and high school business teacher/coach.

TINISHA:   Pick at least 1 black woman that has made a difference in your life at one point or another, and why?

JIMMY:   My grandmother who, at age 94, is still a strong prayer warrior and believes in God’s presence in the midst of all things good or bad.

TINISHA:   As a Pastor what main message do you try to advocate in your church and to others in general?

JIMMY:   Humility and Christlike character.  Humility is far above self-esteem; it is a more balanced view of life.  It says,”I’m not above anyone nor am I below.”

TINISHA:   What does success mean to you, and what challenges do you face as a Black man? How do you overcome or get through those challenges?

JIMMY:   Success is lining up with the will of God and then reflecting a life that allows others to follow Christ’s example through me.  This leads to favorable circumstances socially, morally, emotionally, and spiritually as well as economically. 

TINISHA:   What advice do you have for today’s young Black men?

JIMMY:   Before you can take on the responsibility of providing and protecting others you must learn to master self.  Learn to love self before you love others.  Learn to love God before you love self.  In this, you will be able to fight the greater battles of life from without if you can conquer the greater battles from within. 

MORE ABOUT JIMMY MCCLAIN
My burning desire is to bring great people together from all parts of this nation to accomplish the goal of lifting up the lot of those who are less fortunate and do not have resources to enjoy the ultimate American Dream-life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As a youth I excelled in public speaking, spelling bee finals (three-time winner), acting and debate, and athletics.

Jimmy McClain
Ministering Evangelist
Thyatira Church of Christ
173 Thyatira-Tyro Road
Senatobia, MS 38668 Phone: 662-562-6469
http://www.ourchurch.com/t/member/thyatirachurch1
f_mcclain@hotmail.com
 
Background Info:

MBA-Management
BBA-Marketing
Sales, 10+ years
Teaching, 3 years
College Admissions, 4 years
Coaching, 3 years
Professional Basketball, 7 1/2 years