The Making of The B.A.E : What I learned about Making my Show

 

A snapshot taken while recording episode 2 of The Black Aphrodite Experience

          When I first started uploading videos on YouTube, I thought the process would be easy. On my first YouTube channel, I would place a recording of me reciting poetry that I performed on my college campus and at spoken word events then immediately would upload each video on my channel with zero editing. I was clueless about the whole process when I made my YouTube channel in 2016 so when I received a lot of encouragement to turn my blog topics into video form last year, I knew I wanted my videos to be better this time around. By watching successful YouTube channels, reading self-help books on online marketing, and gain inspiration from my favorite entertainment programs; I finally realize what I was doing wrong with my first channel. After gaining my new knowledge, it was time for me to physically use this  information to form my show, "The Black Aphrodite Experience" (The BAE). The whole production of the show took me two months to complete before the release of the first episode. In this article, I am going to list six things I learned through out the whole process to creating my YouTube show with two bonus tips I gained in hopes that you'll have a smoother process when creating your content on YouTube.

1. Find your niche/ the reason behind the making of your channel

Before you decide to make a YouTube channel, you need to sit down and write down the reasons why you want to put content on YouTube instead of another platform. Answer the questions: Are you creating material for your personal enjoyment? What do you hope your viewers gain by watching your videos? Will your videos teach or entertain an audience?

After you answer these questions, list five to ten possible topics you'll like to create videos on. You might find that a couple of the topics you write down might relate to one another and can possibly become the main theme for your channel. If you're still struggling on finding your niche for your channel, I suggest you  check out my show The Black Aphrodite Experience for guidance starting next Wednesday. 

One thing I've learned and noticed about successful YouTube channels is that they either teach some type of wisdom, entertain, or does both. If you want your channel to become successful than you need to make sure your channel fits these criterias. 

2. Do your research on successful YouTube creators that base their channels on the same interests as your future channel 

You must know who your competition is to learn how they are able to maintain and grow their audiences. You will also learn the type of videos that are already out on YouTube so you won't create unoriginal material. Lastly, your competition can one day become your future collaboration partners and possible friends/ mentors through networking.

3. Buy those essential items for your channel before you start recording; they are your most important investments

When I first started creating videos on YouTube, I didn't know anything about having lighting, a consistent background, and having great clear sound from a microphone. All I knew was using my tablet or a phone could get the job done. You can purchase all these items from Amazon and spend a total amount of money under $200. When you buy lighting, you can record any time of the day and your videos will have even lighting throughout the recording process. Having a microphone helps your voice and all the other voices to be heard clearly with less distraction from any unwanted background noise. If you're recording inside a small studio/ bedroom or any other place in the house, having a simple but unique background is needed to show your audience more about you without you having to say it all the time.

4. Have at least 10 video ideas written down before you push the record button

Before you start recording videos for your channel, come up with the first ten video ideas before you start uploading videos. There are a lot of new YouTube channel creators who have long time lapse between videos and it sends the message to your audience that you're not serious nor consistent with your page. At the end, it will cause you to become unnoticed by a lot of people who would have been interested in your page and the message you have to give. By using this method of coming up with at least ten video ideas before you uploaded the first video, you'll place less stress on yourself to create new content on a consistent basis.

5. Schedule when you plan to record the videos

By writing down the days you're going to record on a calendar or planner will help you create a constant recording schedule. Creating a constant recording schedule will help you plan and schedule the release dates for each video.

6. Edit that video!

Once you finish recording your first set of videos, it's time to edit them so they will be ready to be release on time. When it comes to editing, you have to find an editing program that works great with the device you used to record your videos. By choosing a program that's compatible for the device you're editing on and can handle the length of your videos, you'll experience less technical difficulties. Once you find the right video editing program for you, you can start the editing process. When you're editing your video, pay close attention to certain things. For example, parts where you are speaking unclearly; repeating the same information; and when unwanted/ distracting background noisy appear in the video. Those are the things that should be removed or fixed before you upload it onto your channel.

Two Bonus Tips

1. Add intros and outros to your videos

Many YouTube channels that become successful and end up becoming monetized on YouTube includes an intro and outro in all their videos they upload.

2. Know whether or not the music you want to use in your videos are copyrighted

For new YouTubers like myself, it has been advised to only use uncopyrighted or free to use music for your videos because if you don't respect the creators/ copyrighters wishes, you can get sued and have to pay up in cash or all the money you received from the video the music was featured in will all go to the musical copyrighter and not you. So be very careful when it comes to including music in your videos.

          I hope you gained new knowledge on the world of YouTube and you find the information useful as you work on your own content. During the release of this article, I will be preparing for the release of my show, "The Black Aphrodite Experience." The first official episode will be releasing on October 7th while the first introduction of the show will be release next Wednesday. I make this statement to say that this will be my last article until the second week of  December . In place of articles, I will be releasing episodes of the show. I hope you all tune in to the first season. This season is about, "Finding Your Passion," and I will have my little sister Khiya co-hosting with me through out the show. In each episode, we will explore the many ways to learn how one can find their passions in life and how they can be turned into something you can one day create income from those passions. Khiya is in her second year of high school and by the last episode of the season, you'll learn whether or not she gained a clearer conscious about her future regarding her school and career interests. To be the first to know when the episodes upload, click the link and subscribe to the channel: Chyna Mone't 

I  hope to see you all there!😄

To stay connected with the Dear Ms. Aphrodite Organization:

Follow the Instagram Page: GuidedByAphrodite

Like and Follow the Facebook Page: Ms. Aphrodite

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel: Chyna Mone't (The place you can watch episodes of the show The Black Aphrodite Experience)

 Until we meet again Aphro Kingdom 👋

Knowing the Signs that You and Your Partner will make it to the next stage

 

A Sunny Day in Tennessee Before the Rain

          When people ask long term couples the question, "When did you know your partner was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?," they usually respond by saying, "I just knew..." This is a very common saying among healthy long lasting relationships for the simple fact that they were able to be in tune with their feelings while recognizing the signs that made it very clear to them that their partner was the perfect match for them. In this article, I will list seven actions to pay attention to in order to know whether or not you and your romantic partner will make it to the next stage in the relationship.

1. Whenever you're sharing the same space as your partner, you both feel comfortable and at peace

Every time I'm in the same room or a place in general with Logan, I instantly feel safe and can relax.

2. Completing simple tasks such as errands become enjoyable when you're with each other

Whenever Logan and I go grocery shopping and helping each other wash dishes; it feels less than a chore but just an additional part of our date.

3. You and your partner talk about future life plans that includes each other

After a year of dating, Logan and I just naturally brought up future plans with one another and as time has progressed, we have started talking more about living together and starting a family. This year alone, the mentioning of marriage has been brought up more than it has in the past.

4. You and your partner naturally help each other with things with little to no question about it nor any real complaints about having to help each other out either

While in college there were two or three classes that I needed help with and I passed and received a higher grade in the course with help in those courses from Logan. Without his help in statistics, I wouldn't have been able to graduate on time. I have helped him with other things as well.

5. You are invited to learn more about your partner through attending events that includes close family members and majority of the family members take well of your presence

Every time Logan comes over to visit me; my mom, grandmother, and my little sister are happy to see him. My mom even gave him a nickname.

6. You and your partner are able to open up about sensitive details about each other and no one feels judged or unsafe with sharing the new information with them

When Logan and I went on our first official hang out, I told him that I was raped by someone I thought was a friend and that the experience caused me to build a wall around my feelings towards males that were not part of my family. I felt it was an important detail to mention to him in order to see how he would react to learning this information about me. I believed that if he was able to handle that information then we'll be able to share other sensitive information about ourselves as our connection progressed to an actual relationship.

7. You and your partner encourages each other to try new things

Since the very beginning of our relationship, me and Logan has experienced a lot of "firsts" together. I believe that by trying new things with your partner, it can help keep the relationship interesting and you'll learn more about each others interests. Those activities or interests just might become your new hobbies and interests.

  

Have you notice any of these signs when it comes to your partner? 

Covid-19's Impact on Careers

Another Day of Teleworking

           Ever since the spreading of Covid-19, we've been making adjustments to our daily lives ever since. We had to change the way we interact with one another in public, how we celebrate milestones, how we participate at events, how to attend classes, and most definitely how we conduct tasks at work. In this article, I will discuss how the pandemic has affected the way we work and how I found ways to adjust.

          When the lockdown in the United States was taking place, I was still working in Spain as an English assistant. Schools and other businesses were still open in Spain during that time. It would be March 14th when Spain's President, Pedro Sanchez, would shutdown the country because of Covid was spreading in Madrid then Barcelona. I decided to stay in Spain for a little over two weeks hoping that Spain would get the spreading of the virus under control but they never did. I eventually left the country to return back to the United States on a Friday morning and arrived in U.S land that evening in New York. When I arrived back on American land, I hoped that businesses would open back up by the summer time and I could work as a camp counselor for the community center near my home. Becoming a Summer camp counselor for the community center I was working at before I lived in Spain were already my original plan before the spread of Covid-19 hit the west part of the world. As time went on and the date for the program to start working kept getting closer, I started losing hope. As of August 19th, I am still waiting to hear back from the boss to find out when the community center will open back up. They are hoping to open around the month of September.

          After being in the house for a month, I considered to start my online teaching career earlier than I planned. I've been teaching in person for years so I thought it would be an easy transition. I was completely wrong. After attending an online version of the TEFL course I was suppose to take in China this month; I realized that I only enjoy teaching subjects in person. I wouldn't have learned this about myself if our current pandemic didn't take place. I'll say there are some blessings by being in our current pandemic. 

         At the beginning of lockdowns in the U.S. the only jobs that were allowed to remain open were the ones that were considered essential. The jobs that were considered essential were health care workers, places where you could buy food items, and places where food was being processed. The other jobs had to either shutdown completely or find a way to complete tasks online from home. After seeing that all jobs wasn't going to open as soon as I hoped and realizing that online teaching wasn't for me; I decided to look for another line of work I could do at home while waiting for the community center to open back up. I searched for remote work for writers and online marketers.

        Since graduating from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, I have always pictured myself traveling overseas while teaching until I was ready to settle down and start a family, but this virus had other plans. I didn't think I would be considering teleworking until close to five years from now. As I was applying to jobs on Indeed.com, I came to the conclusion that I needed to revamp my resume. I say this because the resume I had saved on my account only reflected how I would make the perfect teacher but not a great writer who could create content through marketing. After eliminating all the jobs that mainly focused on teaching from my resume, I was able to highlight content and marketing experiences from the remaining jobs listed. I also added my website www.dearmsaphrodite.com and my Instagram page onto my resume as well. After applying to jobs for a few weeks, I finally got invited to an interview to become a marketing assistant intern. After completing the interview I was hired two days later. I personally believe my cover letter helped me get a shot for an interview.

         On the following Monday after signing my contract over that weekend, I became an official employee for the company. The company was a small business starting up that was Black owned and located in Washington, D.C. I was assigned to interview a local restaurant and write an article on them the same week. The next couple of weeks I was assigned to gather information about a list of local restaurants and to send invitation emails to them for a possible collaboration. By the end of that week, I got a phone call from the boss letting me know that their funds were running low and that they would have to put the internship on hold because they wouldn't be able to pay me after that day. The owner paid for my time I worked for them the very next day.

         Of course I was upset when I received the phone call, but I could understand where they were coming from. I really enjoyed my time working for the company. I was able to share my creativity while getting paid for it and this experience showed me that I could enter another career field that doesn't require me to teach in a classroom. While I'm not currently working for a paycheck at the moment; I can see myself teleworking in this field while I continue to work on the Dear Ms. Aphrodite Organization. I plan to apply to more job applications looking for a creative writer or a social media marketer in the near future.

       Just by reading my experience of transitioning from one career to another in the midst of a pandemic can give you an idea on what a lot of people have been doing to make some form of income. Since lockdowns took place, people had to either transition to teleworking or had to find another career path all together. As I mentioned in my article, "Is the College Degree Losing Value?",  I feel as though traditional higher education is way behind trade school education because of the fact that a lot of students are not able to practice what they learned in the real world in real time. As we see taking place with this pandemic, a lot of people are struggling to see how their degree of choice will work for them if they didn't choose a job that was considered essential. Even though a lot of job positions will soon return back into the office, some positions will continue to remain as a teleworking position and I feel as though colleges should start preparing students for both possibilities. By preparing students for both possibilities, they can make the transition from college to their career life smoother.

         From this article, I hope you gained a clearer picture on what the world is currently looking like in the U.S when it comes to careers and I hope it makes you think how you can adjust our new normal. From my own personal experience, I've gotten to fully understand the importance in becoming flexible when it comes to creating opportunities in all circumstance. 

Is the College Degree Losing Value?

My new writing space

          If you grew up in a household like mine, you were probably told by the adults in your life that getting a college education is the only way to get a well-paying job. Many of these adults were probably your parents, grandparents, aunts/ uncles, and probably a lot of your teachers throughout your whole educational career. When these individuals were growing up, they were given the same speech from their parents and the other adults that were in their lives growing up. At one point in time, going to college did guarantee of a better life; but that might not be the case anymore. In this article, I discuss my reasons why it may no longer be beneficial to attend a traditional college or university.

1. Once you get the degree, most of all you learn will be out-of-date 

We live in a fast-pace digital world and when it comes to the latest technology, they are always changing constantly. By attending traditional schools, you're only learning about the latest technology and methods of that time you took the class. By the time you're expected to use these tools in the real world, the technology and the methods are either considered old practice and has been updated or the methods have completely been extinct from the work industry. With the world changing constantly, we need to be ready to jump into action right after learning these skills and unfortunately, traditional college does not always push this practice.

2. Most times, the pay never equals out to the amount of money you put in to getting the degree(s)

When people consider enrolling into a college degree program, it has always been expected for them to get hired in their field of knowledge and gain a salary that pays them a good annual salary that would give them a lot more money than if they hadn't graduated with a higher educational diploma. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. There are a lot of jobs where you can get paid more hourly and annually without a four- year degree. For example, a teacher can get paid a little more than the minimum wage just starting out as a teacher, but a mail delivery driver and a trash pick-up person can make the same amount if not more than the teacher without even attending a college and getting a degree on the first day on the job.

3. Trade schools can become very expensive

Trade school has always been known to quickly get students trained in a work field position in order for them to enter the work force as soon as possible. Taking this route can be very beneficial to anyone's career when you know for sure the skills can be used throughout your life; whereas traditional schools tries to train you into becoming a well-rounded person while also training you for your dream career. These days, traditional schools are very behind trade schools because not all the attendees are able to practice what they learned in the classroom into the real world in real time. These trade training structured schools has been paying attention to the importance of these style programs and are now trying to profit from the increase demand. Trade schools used to cost similarly to community colleges, but now you can find some of these schools' tuition prices raise greatly to similar prices as an elite university regardless if you're considered an in-state or an out-of-state student. Now these type of schools are no longer called trade school but instead they are known as private universities and colleges. For example, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Full Sail University.

4. Loan donors pray on unaware college students and families

Many people don't really pay attention to the cost of college tuitions until they are accepted into their dream school. This is when reality kicks in and are now scrambling to find ways to pay for college right before classes start. Around this time, a lot of loan companies are sending out information about their loan programs. Nobody really wants to pull out a loan, but when time is ticking and the first day of the semester is quickly approaching, what other choice do you have when you can't find enough grants or earn enough money before the school demands for their money?

Many students and their families usually sign these loans blindly and don't realize how or when the interest rates kicks in. Some loaners don't realize that some loans don't allow you to add grants to cover other portions of the tuition once you sign the contract. When you learn everything about these loans, you're stuck with debt that can take several years after graduating with a degree. You might also be stuck working at a job that might not help you pay for both for your loans and other responsibilities.

5. Our current pandemic is showing us how much our current higher educational system is out-of-date and needs to adjust with the times

Since the month of March, it was very questionable on whether or not students would be able to return back to the classroom before the school year ended. Well we know what happen since then; schools remained closed, virtual learning took place, and all the states had different plans when it came to lockdowns. Now here we are in August and schools have decided to continue with virtual learning. While students who are in pre-school through the twelve grade are able to still gain the possibility to experience a proper freshmen experience in college, the current college freshmen will not. Many are probably wondering whether or not it's worth spending thousands of dollars to attend college without being able to access everything on campus that is getting paid for through their tuition. Others are trying to get a discount on their tuition and their room and board until they are able to access those resources. While the upcoming freshmen aren't going to gain a proper college experience in the beginning of their college years, I wonder about the graduating class of 2020 and possibly the class of 2021? It's normal to graduate and feel unsure if one is completely ready for the real world, but I can imagine adding a global pandemic to the mix makes things more nerve-racking. For the graduating classes who are planning to enter the work force pertaining to their degree(s), I can imagine it being very stressful. Just imagining me being in that situation makes my skin shiver.

         After reading my five reasons why I believe college degrees are losing its value, I hope it made you think and put it into consideration when deciding whether or not college is for you and the decisions you should make when it comes to finding ways to afford your time there. As a college graduate myself, I gained a lot of positive experiences and opportunities by attending my community college and University, but I always knew that no degree I was planning to get would be worth the debt. Out of all the careers, I only find getting degrees to become someone in the medical field, law enforcement, and any other field that deals with the health and care of living beings are worth the debt from college degrees as long as you are passionate in becoming a part of that work field. 

Adding new activities onto my schedule

July's Book List: Entertainment Books

           If you're currently reading this article, I want to congratulate you for surviving another month in 2020. We have two more day of July left before we enter August. This year has not been easy for a lot of us and if you're like me then we constantly have to escape from our current reality from time to time. One of the ways I like to escape is through reading books for entertainment. In this article, I will be showcasing a list of books you should include into your summer reading list for entertainment.

1. Love Him or Leave Him But Don't Get Struck with the Tab by Loni Love

Loni Love is an American comedian who is also one of the hosts for the talk show, The Real. Since the first year she starred on the talk show, fans of the show swarm to her as the go-to relationship expert and would ask Love questions about their romantic relationships. Love answers a lot of those questions in this book. In this book, you'll find a lot of relatable and comical questions while gaining a good laugh at Loni Love's responses. If you're looking for a good laugh then this is the perfect book for you.

2.  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

This book is about a Chinese couple who learns how to understand that their love is unbreakable when Nick's mother disapproves of his middle class Chinese American girlfriend named Rachel. His mother wants the couple to separate  in order for him to take over the family business. The story is very heart felt and distracts you from all the worries that's been taking place in 2020. If you enjoy this book then you should check out Kevin Kwan's two other novels.

3. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

If you're looking for a romantic story to read then this book should be on top of your reading list. This story is about a guy whose name is Logan and he's looking to find his next purpose in life after he completed his last tour in the military. While Logan is looking for his new purpose in life, He is on the mission to find the woman who is in the picture he found after a battle attack. He believes that the woman in the picture is the main reason why he made it out the military alive.

4. Fifty Shades of Gray by E. L. James

The book is for mature readers who don't mind getting hot and bothered as they enter the world of Christian Grey. Mr. Grey is a very wealthy man who lives a double life who suddenly gains a soft spot for Anastasia Steele, an average young woman and recent college undergraduate grad from Washington State University during their first meeting on campus. In the text, Ms. Steele experiences a lot of first experiences with Mr. Grey and she becomes addicted. Once you finish this novel, you're going to want to read the rest of the series.

5. Addicted by Zane

If you love exotic books then here is another "must add" book to place on your reading list this Summer. This novel is about a successful business woman whose name is Zoe and dreams of gaining new sexual pleasures from her pure husband. While at work, she meets the man of her dreams and everything was going great. Zoe soon feels as though the guy was too perfect. It doesn't take Zoe too long before she learns about his secret and everything goes down hill. You should check out this book to find out what this so called perfect man's secret is.

I hope I made you interested in checking out one of these books from the list if not all. I promise you, you shouldn't be disappointed. Let me know which book you've choose to read first? If you've read one of these books already, let me know your thoughts.

          

July's Book List: Self- Help Books

          Since the midst of our current pandemic, a lot of people has been displaying their businesses all over social media platforms. It is wonderful to see people I know show different talents that I wasn't aware of and I can now support them in their entrepreneur adventures as many of them has been doing with mine. As an entrepreneur myself, I know how nerve-racking it is to showcase your talent or product for the very first time to the public. It can be scary not knowing how people are going to respond or knowing whether you'll gain support, but eventually it all becomes worth it.

        When I first created the Dear Ms. Aphrodite organization, I had the same worries as the people coming up with their businesses now. I believe the only thing that helped me push through to grow my vision for the organization is when I signed up for a typical triangle scam. As I was attending weekly meetings during the year 2013, the mentor had us download over twenty books that were business and entrepreneur related books. He wanted us to read all the books so we could learn how to run a business. Well eventually I ended up leaving the triangle scam and continued to focus on my educational career. 

          One day in 2016, my boyfriend at the time was telling me how he's been learning a lot from the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and wanted me to read the book. The title sounded so familiar that I ended up looking on my iPad and realized that the book was one of the books my mentor for the scam downloaded for me. After reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, I started reading more of the downloaded books to eventually finding business related self-help books on my own at my local libraries. I know how beneficial self-help books are to the lives of entrepreneurs just by looking at my own experience so I know they will benefit others especially for those who are starting a new business. In this article, I will be showcasing a list of books you should include into your summer reading list when it comes to business and entrepreneur related self-help books.

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

This book will make you realize that our current educational system is training you to become a great employee, but tricks you into believing that you're getting trained to one day run a company. By reading this book, you will learn the different ways the rich make their money besides through income; how the rich are able to start their new business with a small amount of money; and the personality and skills you need to have in order to create a successful business and brand. If you like this book, you're going to like his other books and he even has board games where you can intimate the lessons you learned from his books.

2. When The Miracle Drops by Jesseca Dupart

Jesseca Dupart is the creator of Kaleidoscope Hair products. She is from New Orleans, Louisiana and created her brand from the bottom up. She is the prime example that with a dream, being compassionate about turning that dream into a reality, and being consistent in completing the steps toward that dream, you get to see all your hard work pay off and you start earning rewards. In her book, you learn the necessary steps needed in order for your small business to become well known as hers. One thing you will really take away from her book is how you should be presenting yourself on all your social media accounts. In today's marketing, social media plays a huge role into whether or not you remain a small business owner or the next big brand everyone is talking about.

3. The Art of Selling Yourself by Adam Riccoboni and Daniel Callaghan

In this text, the authors gives advice to small business owners on how they should present themselves when it comes to advertising and representing for your brand. This book also helps with people who are at the very first steps of starting their businesses and are still trying to find their audience/ customers and what their brand stands for. If you're still trying to figure out what your brand stands for, who you're main audience is, and how to successfully present yourself and your business then this book is a perfect read for you.

4. The Insider's Guide to book Publishing Success by Eric Kampmann and Margot Atwell

This book is perfect for anybody who wants to publish a book in the future. These authors give future authors the legal steps that are needed when you are working on a book that will soon become published to the public for compensation. Not only do you learn about the copyright side of publishing, you learn about the things you need to consider when deciding whether you want to self-publish or get published through a publisher. 

I hope I made you interested in checking out at least one of these books from the list if not all of them. I promise you, you shouldn't be disappointed. Let me know which book you've choose to read first? If you've read one of these books already, let me know your thoughts on them. Also suggest to me the books you're currently reading.

July's Book List: The Black Community

The face you make when you have 

something serious on your mind

          As we enter another month in the year 2020, every month so far has been surprising and unexpected. I figure that July will come with more surprises as well. With that being said, June has been the most eye opening. While riots and protests has been taking place since May, a lot of us (Americans) are realizing that we haven't learned the complete history on African Americans through the United States educational system. We are noticing a lot of gaps and missing links to the history we did learn. For example, a lot of Americans may have learned about Deborah Sampson Gannett and other white women who disguised themselves as men to fight at American wars, but how many of you heard about Cathay Williams? I know I sure didn't until last week. I always believed that the American educational system needed to be fix, but now I see more problems with the educational system to add to my already long list. This is why in this article, I will be showcasing a list of books you should include into your summer reading list when it comes to the history of the Black community in America.

1.  African American Women's Rhetoric: The Search for Dignity, Personhood, and Honor by Deborah F. Atwater

I recommend reading this book to gain a complete understanding on the connection of slavery and the damage it has caused on Black women and girls' self-esteem. This book can also give people insight on why a lot of Black girls feel as though they have to represent themselves a certain type of way until they see other representations of Black women and girls that act, think, and look like themselves. If you like this text, you're going to enjoy Atwater's other book, "The Rhetoric of Black Mayors." The second book just might give us insight on why our non-white mayors are having a hard-time standing up for what is right when it comes to Trump and the Republican party's negative views on the treatment of Colored/ Black people.

2. Shadow Bodies: Black women, Ideology, Representation, and Politics by Julia Sheron and Jordan- Zachery

This book has the same goals as Deborah F. Atwater but these authors goes in depth by providing  deep history on the beauty standards placed on Black women and girls from the very moment they became slaves to Europeans. The authors then extends their awareness to the current failed system we see with women of color in the medical field as patients and when they get selected for roles in politics. 

3.  Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King

You may have read and followed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s work and probably memorized lines from his speeches, but have you thought about learning the steps it took in order for us (Black/ African Americans) to gain the amount of freedom we are able to experience today that Dr. King himself and our ancestors wasn't able to experience. After reading this book, I encourage you to find more books discussing the Segregation, Slavery, and Civil War experiences by authors representing as a Black (Negro) American, slave, free person, a mixed race, a first generation American, an immigrant, white people on both the Confederate and Union sides, and maybe other races to gain a full picture on what it must have been like to live during those time periods. I feel as though, you can't really learn the whole story until you learn about it from all sides.

4. "A Friend to All Mankind" : Mrs.  Annie Turnbo Malone and Poro College by. John H. Whitfield

I have mentioned Annie Malone's name before in one of my February articles this year, but many people still believes that Madam C. J. Walker was the first female to become a Millionaire in the United States. If you think this is true then you are wrong and it shows another example on the missing history we didn't receive while in school. In fact, it was Annie Turnbo Malone who was the first female Millionaire; who changed the Black hair industry in the United States, and trained other beauticians at her hair school. The only fact that has remained correct is that Madam C. J. Walker  was the first female to be documented as a Millionaire in the United States. I don't want to ruin the story for you before you learn the story yourself so I will stop here.

After learning the whole story of Mrs. Malone and the relationship of Madam C. J, Walker and Annie Turnbo Malone, you may want to question other inventors stories your teachers told you about in history classes and during every Black History Month presentation because there is a lot of pieces of history we need to learn in order to know the whole story. 

5. How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People by D. L. Hughley and Doug Moe

For my last recommendation, I recommend this book for my non-Black counterparts who believes there are ways around for Blacks to not get harm by police officers, while at the same time tries to understand the lives of people in the Black community. I'm going to let them find out for themselves if their advice is any good or helpful. I'll just say that I recently recommended this book to a white female counterpart on Facebook under a comment on the Fox 5 news channel after she tagged me in a comment about this very topic first.

I hope I made you interested in checking out at least one of these books from the list if not all of them. I promise you, you shouldn't be disappointed. Let me know which book you've choose to read first? If you've read one of these books already, let me know your thoughts on them. Also suggest to me the books you're currently reading.

 

Networking through Collaborations

          When it comes to growing a new business that is not yet well known, networking can be your best friend. There are many ways one can network with other businesses and entrepreneurs. One of the best ways to network is by collaborating with people who are in the same business field(s) as you and share similar goals you have. Recently, I have started to network more than usual and as a result, my fan base is growing on my social media pages. through networking I have also gained some meaningful friendships and I just so happen to collaborate with one of them on their recently released podcast episodes. In this article, I will discuss how my first collaboration experience went and how you too can grow your fanbase through networking.

         It was in the winter of 2018 when I shared my article from my current blog for the month in a writing group on Facebook. The group is called, "Writer's Group," which you can still network on today. When I first shared the article, my only goal was to gain more viewers. Little did I know now, I would meet a guy whose name is Nate from the group and we would later become friends. After checking out my article, he sent me a message on messenger. We soon learned that we had more things in common besides being apart of the writer's group. Me and Nate have goals to become public speakers, has participated in public speaking, and has connections with Prince George's Community College. We met in person a couple months later when he came out to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus to support me at an event I was hosting. From that point to now, our friendship has grown and we have been in the frontlines to seeing our personal challenges and wins as we navigate the entrepreneurial world. Last year in November, he would ask me if I would be interested in appearing on his podcast when I returned back from Spain. I of course said yes.

         Nate's podcast is called Life Tips. On his podcast, he talks about his experiences with how he broke into his career and how his immediate circle and life changed just by finding his calling for public speaking. These days, he collaborates with other podcasters and entrepreneurs who shares similar experiences as him and discuss their take on life. Just by reading the summary I gave Nate about his podcast, you can already tell that he has a lot of interesting people featured on his show so it was a huge honor for him to ask me if I would like to be apart of his movement as a featured guest speaker. We recorded the episode on Sunday, May 24th, and would air publicly on the 8th of June.

         During the recording, Nate and I used a couple of video chat apps since we had to social distance ourselves because of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. The topic discussion for the episode was on my life as an entrepreneur, writer, and teacher. We even talked about how we've been while remaining on Maryland, U.S.A's  lockdown; both sides of the story on how we met and became friends; and a sneak peek on what's happening in my romantic life. It felt like we were just having one of our regular conversations over the phone. I had a very good time and I am very grateful to have Nate as my first collaboration when it comes to the Dear Ms. Aphrodite organization. Before the episode ended, I shared my advice to future writers and people actively dating during the pandemic. You can check out the episode by clicking on this link:

 https://anchor.fm/lifetips/episodes/Lifetips-3--E-10-Commitment-to-your-Calling-ft--Miss-Aphrodite-eebaig

          Now that I have shared my experience on my first collaboration and how it went, I'm now going to share you ways you to can network with like minded people in order to create future collaborations.

1. Share you talent (ex. article blogs and YouTube videos) on all your social media accounts

2. Join Facebook or any other type of online groups that relates to the field of your business and business goals relate too

3.  Add relatable hashtags to your posts then like, comment, and follow on posts that share the same hashtags as yours

4.  Look for local events to attend that focus relates to your business and entrepreneur goals 

5.  Looking within your circle of friends who has a starter businesses or just businesses in general and see if there are ways you two can collaborate with one another (This might be the best choice for your first collaborations before you start getting noticed by others)

 

The very first day me and Nate and I met in person

Bringing Out the Caution Tape

In Front of the Trump Hotel after the Clean Up in 2016

          It has been three weeks since the death of George Floyd took place. If you don't know who he is, he was the guy who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. This death was one of the reasons for the uproar amongst a lot of citizens in America for the demand of fair treatment and respect among people of color and the awareness of police brutality. Two days after Floyd's death, protesting grew all over the United States demanding changes to the current police style of policing. Many of the protests were peaceful and still are today, but rioting over cities in different states started to take place around the same time usually during late hours of the night and caused mayors to create curfews and added police forces to block streets. Within the week, protests about police brutality took place overseas in several countries. Those countries also have current problems with police brutality amongst their colored citizens and those citizens were inspired by the United States to have their voices heard as well.

         These protests are similar to the protests that took place during the Civil War movement and others that took place in the 1960s, but looks very different at the same time. People of all races and backgrounds are showing up to shout out #BlackLivesMatter standing beside people of color as support. During the first two weeks of protesting: official state leaders started to recognize the citizens shout for change; old cases reopened relating to deaths caused by police brutality; new charges has been made against the four police officers involved with the death of George Floyd; Confederate related statues has either been destroyed by protesters or removed through vote; some of the members of the police union has protested along with the protesters while others in the union has been fighting back as though they are the victims; laws has been made in some states to ban polices to include the choke hold method when policing; police departments has view their style of policing to make changes for the better; Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members and racist people has been exposed and receiving a lot of negative consequences and backlash; and the current President Trump has been adding oil to an already fired situation while trying to campaign for a second term.

Mayor of D.C got "Black Lives Matter" paint on the streets 

          Whoever says protesting and rioting has never solved problems lied. As what we saw during the 1960s and what's taking place now has shown that protesting and making your voice heard creates an impact and get things done. But what happens when all the protesting stop completely? Will state representatives stop creating changes on how police departments in their states police? Will old cases relating to police brutality remain unsolved? Will people stop caring about Black lives and the equal rights for all citizens regardless of their backgrounds? Will people forget that they have important decisions to make this coming November for election day? My guess is that a lot of people will stop the uproar for change and focus on the next big topic. My fear is that a lot of people will not show up to the polls to vote in November. I believe that we need to continue the fight when protesting completely ends.

          It is important that when the protesting stops, we don't stop demanding for the end of police brutality amongst all, especially people of color. There are a few ways that we can accomplish this goal. One way is to keep your local police departments accountable for the way they choose their police officers, the training that is being provided, taking away policing techniques that harms citizens to the point of death, and charging police officers for wrong doing while on duty and when off. You can get in contact with the officers in the departments by going to the police department offices in person and or writing emails and letters to them to let them know your concerns on the state the police officers do their jobs.  The second way is by emailing your state representatives your concerns and what you would like to take place in your state to create a safer and fair environment for all. I mean that is the reason why you voted for them right? And lastly, make sure you make your voice heard by placing your votes during every election with some consideration on why you are voting for them. It's good to go to the polls to vote, but you don't want to just put anybody in charge because at the end of the day, these individuals are going to be your representatives until the next election for their positions.   

          If you've witnessed some of my posts on my social media pages, you'll know my hatred for Trump is real. I've been against him running for presidency since 2016. I don't understand how people can vote for someone who has shown multiple times that they have no care for anyone who don't fit the descriptions of being rich, white, male, and heterosexual. Not only has Donald Trump showed that he has little care for majority of citizens in the United States, he has zero experience working in law or with government in a representative stands. This man just don't care unless it personally effects him.

          During Trump's whole presidency, his actions has proven to me that all my concerns about having him as a president were legit. For four years, it has felt like I didn't have a president. None of his actions has benefitted me what so ever. I know there is no such thing as a "prefect president", but being a decent human being who cares about humanity should be top on the list and someone who knows some knowledge about law or willing to learn while on the job should be second on the list when it comes to qualifying as a possible presidential candidate. This year alone has shown how unquantifiable he is as president. In the beginning of the year, he had a problem with North Korea and almost caused a war. In late February, he didn't realize how serious the spread of Covid-19 was and didn't listen to the experts until he was forced too. Trump gave unauthorized advise to the public on how to survive from the Coronavirus and it caused a lot of people to become sick. Now he's being ruthless during the witnessing of protests taking place all over the country by threating mayors to control protesters and add more police officers to block the street or else he would personally fix the problem while he hides into a secret location making clashing statements on his Twitter account. With all these actions taking place in six months, do Donald Trump seem like the best fit to run a country? My answer is no. You would think majority of people would agree, but unfornately that's not the case and they will be voting for Trump once again in November. I will not be and I feel the same way as  I felt in 2016 when I wrote my poem on the situation. You can check out the video clip of me performing my poem, " In Government We Trust," by clicking the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDadoO3ouDk  

The President had police throw smoke gas so he could walk to 

the church

Protesters trying to move back in place

once the president walked back to the White House

          Right before I was getting ready to release this article, President Trump came on live national news to give a speech on the executive order on police reform and signing the document for everyone present and watching could see. A lot of things Trumped mentioned in his speech was very contradicting to one another. In just about all the speeches Trump has done this year was him always mentioning China's involvement in spreading Covid-19 and how the economy is doing "so well". Below, you can see the images from the event and just by reading the captions, you can get an idea of how the speech went. The only thing you will not be able to read is his statements on China and about the economy.

While it's great that President Trump finally signed a law to help solve police brutality in America, I feel as though people in his corner only told him that by signing the law, people will vote for him in November. I say this because during the start of the protesting and weeks in, he would call participants "thugs" and gave empty threats to bring out more policemen and the military if the mayors were not able to stop protesters from protesting and rioting in cities. 

How to Build Your Resume while in Quarantine

          As a teacher and mentor, I believe it's important to stay relevant in the areas you are teaching others about and in most cases that means you have to continuously return back to the student position. If you've been keeping up with my articles and read, " Seven Straight Years of College: What's the Move Now!, " I mentioned my long higher educational journey before receiving my bachelor degrees in English and Psychology with a concentration in Developmental Psychology. When I applied myself to complete these degrees and many certificates; my overall goal was too get enough certifications and three degrees under my name so I can stop having to stay up long hours of the night studying and completing assignments for school. By the time I entered my final year of college my views started to change especially when my life calling and career choice started to become stable. In this article, I will discuss how my experience of wearing the student hat once again is going so far and ways you can continue to grow mentally without having to enroll in a class per say that requires you to complete assignments for grades.

          On May 23rd this year, it had become a year since I graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and I've been in the student seat a couple of times since the time I walked across the stage. Currently as you read this article, I am enrolled in a course to become an English teacher to speakers of other languages while traveling and living overseas. The course was apart of a program I signed up months ago around the Fall season. Originally, I was suppose to attend the class in China during the month of August this year, but then the Coronavirus pandemic took place. I wondered if I could get the money back that I paid for in order to be apart of the program or if it was possible to choose a different month to take the class. When I emailed the American representative for the company to learn what my options were, the representative told me that the schools in China were going to open up soon and the only way I could get my money back was if the pandemic worsen. It would be April when the company would tell me about the option to participate in a virtual course that would be available in the middle of month and in May, but there was a catch. Only the classroom sessions would take place online, but would still have to spend two weeks in China to complete the in-person teaching practices portion of the program . I signed up for the May session. I would figure out which month I would complete my in-person teaching sessions later in the coming months.

         The first day of class was on Sunday, May 17th, at 8pm Eastern time U.S.A; whereas it was Monday, May 18th, at 8am for the teachers who are currently living in China. During the first session, me and the other students learned that it would no longer be a requirement for us to do the in-person teaching practices in China because of the lack of ability to enter certain borders at the moment while we are currently in a pandemic. The teachers made it possible for us to complete our three teaching practices online along with the other requirements. So far we are currently we have done our second round of teaching practices. 

Poster and Game created for 2nd teaching practice

Images I drew to teach the new vocabulary words

          The requirements me and the other students need to complete in order for us to pass the course and receive our TEFL certificates were to read seven chapters and complete the quizzes that goes along with those chapters; watching expert teacher teaching videos and completing observation videos about those teachers; two projects; complete three teaching practice sessions and a self-evaluation for each one; a mid-term; and a final exam. All of these assignments have to be completed by June 11th, U.S. date. 

By being apart of this class, I am reminded why I couldn't wait to graduate from University last year for the simple fact that I'm up late to attend class and staying up to complete homework assignments. At the same time, I'm learning a lot on how to become a more effective teacher. I now know activities I can use to teach grammar that are both effective and fun. I'm improving how I create my lesson plans by making them more detailed thanks to all the feedback I receive from both my teachers and the other students. Lastly, I'm learning the common mistakes students usually make when they are learning English for the first time. With each teaching practice I have done, I have improved my teaching techniques greatly. My last teaching practice will take place this coming Sunday. I'm hoping for a greater performance than my last.

        While I know I can do a lot of things with the degrees and the concentration certificate I have; I know I wouldn't have been aware of the many challenges learners have when it comes to learning the English language nor how I could teach the language to them effectively. My teaching experience in Spain and this virtual class has taught me how I can accomplish these goal. These experiences, has shown me that there are so many things I need to be aware of when it comes to teaching the English language and just teaching in general. I didn't learn or understand these concepts while I was in working on my degrees. With that being said, I want to let others know how important learning new skills are to their personal callings as well.

         Learning new skills don't always have to involve enrolling into a course where you have to complete homework assignments daily. You can gain knowledge from reading self-help books; working and living in a different country as I mentioned about my experience working in Spain; participating in an organization; and entering a skill building program which you can gain access too by going on your local library's website and using your library card to sign in. By learning new skills, you simply become someone with many talents and are able to use those skills within your career life. These new talents may also cause you to see the world differently than you once saw life as. 

         I hope this article encouraged you to further your knowledge on things in your career field or personal callings in life. Let me know what you been during to build new skills while in quarantine.