Link-Up 2 Lift-Up offers a route towards mental liberation and total independence for African citizen in the US while imparting personal experiences and observations. What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

Every idea or position that I expressed in my book was inspired by the zeitgeist of our time: To abolish institutional racism (AIR) so that all Americans can breathe. My postulations and assertions are based on my studies and/or life-experiences. As I embarked on a self-imposed writing challenge, it became clear that some of my ideas were evidence of my latent learning. These unveiled ideas were held within my heart and mind – and revealed when our nation and world were altogether shocked by the blatant disregard of a black man’s life: George Floyd. Therefore, I really cannot place a rating on the relevance (e.g., important or not-important) or a scale (e.g., greatest or least) on the idea(s) written in my “Culture Kingdom” wokebook. That said, I’d really like to know what some ideas that readers found important?

I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?

Because of my self-imposed 30-day writing challenge criteria, I had to refrain from elaborating or sharing too many actual details from both my academic insight and real-life experiences. Therefore, the hardest thing to overcome was writing a cohesive and comprehensive theme – as a co-worker in the kingdom of culture – in a concise way. After I developed my writing flow, I didn’t find my story hard to write about at all because I am brutally honest – all the time; which is sort of a blessing and a curse. However, I was surprised by the deep emotions that overtook me at times while writing about life-altering past experiences. One writing difficulty occurred when I recollected the memories of my thirteen-year-old daughter who was peer-pressured to attend a block party in our community; whereby, she was stabbed seventeen times from her head down her back – lacerating both lungs, one kidney, and undergoing a blood transfusion.

Another surprising, suppressed memory aroused my emotions when I recalled into my mental being my overt encounterment with institutional racism; wherein, a judge, with the stroke of his pen and the power of the Duval County court system, denied me of my rights – under both the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and State of Florida Family Laws. I felt like a slave woman (whose owner sold away her offspring) when that judge ordered the courts to unlawfully remove my four minor children from my parental custody during my diabolical divorce proceedings.

What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?

I hope readers understand and assert equal rights and justice for all Americans; regardless of the socially constructed race, gender, or class system that we have been assigned and subjected to live within – in the great American experiment. Historically, our environmental context has been to survive and thrive by complying to the societal norms set forth by our ancestors and predecessors who did not view diversity, human rights, and quality of life as we do today. Unfortunately, most people have learned to avoid speaking openly and candidly about variables, such as cultural privileges, cultural constraints, etc., so institutional racism continues to affect us as it lives on today– much like the Coronavirus – not seen but felt and experienced by us all subtly in some way or another. Furthermore, I hope readers take away from my story a boldness to be straightforward and confront our own biases, prejudices, discriminatory, and bigoted attitudes and behaviors, so that we can begin a pluralistic cultural reconciliation – as one nation for our future generations.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

My next book is on my former dissertation prospectus topic – Leadership. It is also a mix between memoir and reference book; as I share scholarship combined with my life-experiences from my days as a community activist in the south (October 2005 through October 2015) and from my short unsuccessful political run for mayor for the City of Jacksonville, Florida (November 2016 through August 2018). My next wokebook is expected to be available October 2022.

Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads