When 6th-grade teacher Dee Holt told his class that he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, they joked that he was a member of "Apple Fried Apple." Dee decided to do what just about any Divine Nine member may be tempted to do. He turned seven of his students into a "line" of "Seeds." Apple Fried Apple captured the hearts of many Divine Nine members and even the nation. 

My fellow Alpha brother did me the honor of joining me on For Our Edification to talk about how Apple Fried Apple. Most importantly, we chatted about how D9 members in education leverage their memberships to expose their students to higher education, especially HBCUs.

The views expressed on "For Our Edification" do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

Does motivational speaking get you...motivated? With so many motivational speakers out there, some question whether or not they hold real value. At the same time, maybe there isn't enough motivation out there. 

To talk this out, I turned to an old speaking colleague of mine, Mark Wiggins. Mark is a speaker, author, trainer, and host of the "Off the Bench" podcast. We talk about how he got into the business, when he realized that his words were reaching people, and what motivational speaking does for folks' identity and value. Mark also talks about why the word "until" is special.

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

If you followed me on social media, you may have noticed that, at times, I reference narcissistic leadership. You may even believe that I have somewhat of an obsession with narcissism. The reason narcissism tends to be such a big deal to me is 1) my professional experiences, and 2) I researched narcissism in leadership for my master's degree. What a revelation! In this episode, I break down what narcissism does to followers' identity and value, and I also explain why narcissism is an actual epidemic.

RESOURCES

The Narcissism Spectrum Model

"Why Is Narcissism Increasing Among Young Americans?"

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

During her vice presidential nomination speech, Kamala Harris gave a shout-out to the Divine Nine after mentioning her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. Many of us were pretty excited that she took the time to do so. But why, on the biggest stage of her career and in such a critical moment, would she do such a thing?

I know exactly why--identity and value. Alpha Kappa Alpha, like so many of our sororities and fraternities, probably helped her figure out who she is and how she influences those around her. Not only that, but Divine Nine organizations are built on causes. Listen to me break it down on this episode.

Some Divine Resources:

A Deeper Look at the Divine Nine's Impact | The Huffington Post

Black Greek Success Blog | BlackGreekSuccess.org

Sister Soldiers: A Look at Black Sororities in the Black Lives Matter Movement | Essence

Loretta Lynch hearing: Why all those red suits in the crowd? | Christian Science Monitor

Watch the Yard

Grown and Greek TV

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

In 2018, on the old Eddie Francis Podcast Show, Halima and I thought it would be great to interview Eric and Maleka Beal, a husband and wife team that lost nearly 300 lbs., combined. Their feat was so impressive that the couple had been featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Dr. Oz," in Essence, and People. Their success also led them to start the health and wellness company Better Choices.

In this great interview, Eric and Maleka talk about how their relationship blossomed and served as a foundation for their health and wellness success with Better Choices.

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

Every September, HazingPrevention.org holds National Hazing Prevention Week to create and share awareness about the dangers of hazing. An instrumental figure in tracking hazing deaths is Hank Nuwer. On the old Eddie Francis Podcast Show, we talked to professional mental health counselors Leslie Brown and Dr. Von Eaglin about the psychology of hazing, particularly in the Divine Nine. As a member of a Divine Nine fraternity, I thought it important to talk to a couple of counselors who speak our language, and both came through with great insight about what goes through the mind of potential hazers.

Leslie is no stranger to For Our Edification. A member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., she appeared on episode 4, "The Mental Health Benefits of Giving". Leslie is a relational counselor with extensive experience working with military veterans, veterans' families, and women/families in substance abuse recovery. She is a doctoral candidate at Barry University, where her research interests include the evolution of families, polyamory families, race/class/gender, and cultural competency, as well as indigenous and traditional mental health healing modalities. Leslie earned her bachelor's degree from Hampton University in mass media arts and her Master of Science in marriage and family therapy from St. Thomas University (Fla).

Von is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He talks about positive psychology on One Life Radio. Von earned his bachelor's degree in business administration, his master's degree in education, and his Ph.D. (earned after this interview was recorded) from the University of North Texas. He has experience working with physically and sexually abused youth, couples, men’s issues, anger management, adolescents, depression, anxiety, and addictions.

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

August is Black Philanthropy Month, so that means it's Halima and Write to Bear Alms time! With such a great celebration, there are many who get into the spirit of giving. One's giving should have purpose, however. For this edition of the Write to Bear Alms segment, Halima breaks down how having a philanthropic identity can lead to more meaningful giving.

Halima breaks down the philanthropic identity. She defines it, how it feeds into one's reputation, what it means to protect a philanthropic identity, the difference between influence and power in philanthropy, and how to establish a philanthropic identity.

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

In so many conversations about college, someone inevitably offers up that "college isn't for everybody." There's no disputing that, but we decided to challenge that statement. On this episode of For Our Edification, we don't challenge its truth so much as we challenge the frequency with which it is said. Specifically, we discuss why that statement does more harm to Black America than any other sector of society.

For this discussion, we lean on Halima's knowledge of education. Having earned her master's degree in Educational Sociology, Halima touches on the history of higher education, which includes the complex history of HBCUs. From there, we do a deep dive discussion about what is left on the table by people quickly dismissing college as a viable option for success. Unapologetically, we tie higher education into a critical part of Black America's identity and value.

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

Here is a pair of throwback interviews to my radio days when I was a co-producer and contributor to the award-winning show "Sunday Journal with Hal Clark". In 2010, I was introduced to hip hop artist and educator Voice Monet, whose discography includes "Black Maria" and "Voice Presents Cutz". Voice's single "Black Maria" features her mother Zardis.  

Before that, however, I had the pleasure of interviewing her dad, actor and acting instructor, Lance E. Nichols. By far, this is one of the most entertaining interviews I have ever done, thanks to Lance's energy and charm. Lance has appeared as Dr. Larry Williams in "Tremé", as Gene Clancy in "House of Cards", and as the Preacher in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons". Enjoy!

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

It's a throwback on For Our Edification for the Write to Bear Alms segment! On this episode, we're going back to the old "Eddie Francis Podcast Show" when Halima had a conversation about Black philanthropy. Her guests were Darryl Lester and Vince Bayyan. The conversation defined Black philanthropy, discussed trends, and the importance of empowering everyday people to be strategic in their giving.

About Darryl Lester

A leading voice in philanthropy, Darryl is the director of Service Year at North Carolina State University's Institute for Emerging Issues. He is also the founder of HindSight Consulting and the Community Investment Network. Darryl had also served as the director of Community Leadership and Programs at the Triangle Community Foundation (NC) and as a trustee of the Warner Foundation. An alumnus of Wofford College(B.A., economics) and North Carolina State University (M.Ed. in counselor education and minor in psychology), Darryl is a brother of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

About Vince Bayyan

Vince is a former development leader at Claflin University and St. Augustine's University. He also has non-profit experience as a former executive director of the YMCA Clarence E. Lightner Youth Leadership Academy in North Carolina. Also a dedicated artist, Vince is the principal partner of Bayyan Ventures and the Arts Conference Event Center. Vince holds a B.A. in mass communications from Hampton University.

The views expressed on “For Our Edification” do not reflect the views of any entity with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.