Impact Magazine, March 2011 issue with Crystal Aikin

Cover Story Sunday Best Winner Crystal Aikin Book of the Month Marcus Garvey Life & Lesson IMPACTful Culture “Cultural Norms” Djenaba Figueroa This month we speak to BET’s Sunday Best Winner Crystal Aikin! In this article, Crystal speaks of how a telephone call about something she had given up, changed the course of her life! This truly goes in line with IMPACT’s theme for this month’s issue....NOTHING JUST HAPPENS! Everything happens for a reason…they say! Sometimes we may not recognize the reason…but I am inclined to agree that nothing just happens. If our lives were up to chance…that would be a slap into GOD‟s face. There is a purpose and plan for everything. The seasons know when to change, the birds know when to head south and yet some people will believe in chance. Not me…I know that there is a time, place and purpose for my life. Even if at times, I do not see or feel the impact of it all…I know that there is a reason for it. No matter how big or small another person may view the contribution; I know that what is happening in my life is not by happenstance. It is all in a divine plan of order! If we at times would sit back to think on some instances that has happened in our lives, we can see how our steps had been ordered. I remember being at Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries, under the leadership of Bishop Johnnie Vaughan Jr. I remember the work that I contributed to the church. How the Bishop came to me to run the Public Relations & Marketing portion of the church. From that experience, I developed the confidence, skill and consistency to produce IMPACT Magazine to our readers on a monthly basis….No, you can‟t tell me that things just happens! In this issue of IMPACT, we speak to BET‟s Sunday Best Winner, Crystal Aikin! Crystal was through with competing in shows, when she received a call from a person she did not know. Crystal sang at an event the young lady attended. From that conversation, the woman convinced Crystal to compete in BET‟s Sunday Best competition...and the rest is history! We also highlight, An IMPACTful Culture with Djenaba Figueroa! In this article, DJ speaks about cultural norms and how we view them as a society! In our “Be Inspired” section, we highlight John Harmon, President of the African American Chamber of Commerce located in Trenton, NJ! Scripture says that our steps are ordered...it did not say that they were up for chance. Take a look at your life and know this...NOTHING JUST HAPPENS! When Crystal Aikin boarded a plane in her hometown Tacoma, Washington, bound for Los Angeles to participate in a singing competition, she had no idea that this would be the opportunity that would change her life forever. A registered nurse with an anointed singing voice, Aikin hadn‟t even heard about the show when a woman who didn‟t know Crystal personally but had heard her sing tracked her down and encouraged her to audition. The competition was Black Entertainment Television‟s first all gospel talent show Sunday Best and, several weeks later, the church girl from the Pacific Northwest beat out some of the country‟s best church singers to become the 2008 BET Sunday Best winner. As the winner, this single sister with the pretty smile and bubbly personality who just loves to sing gospel and inspire people to worship God, received a major recording contract with Zomba Gospel, the largest gospel label in the world, and a 2008 Toyota Camry. She was beyond ecstatic and brimming with gratitude for the opportunity to spread the “good news” through song world-wide. Now, with the release of her self-titled debut solo CD, she is poised to put her fresh, new sound on the gospel map. Crystal‟s gospel journey began as a child growing up in Tacoma. She remembers, “I grew up in Altheimer Memorial Church of God In Christ in Tacoma. I sang in the children‟s Sunshine Band. I honestly didn‟t think that I could sing. I just think they gave me the mic and I was like „Okay, now I‟ll start singing!‟ I really did like air directing. That‟s when the music is playing and you‟re directing the air which is your choir! I never thought that I‟d ever actually direct. But as I got older, young leaders in my church started going off to college, and I fell into the position of directing and more lead singing. And that developed my leadership skills for singing in groups in the church because neither of my parents were soloists.” Counting Gospel artists Yolanda Adams, Lisa Paige (of Witness), The Clark Sisters, The Winans and Bebe and CeCe Winans among her musical influences, by the time she reached her twenties, Crystal had become a seasoned church singer making a name for herself in the Tacoma-Seattle area while also obtaining a Bachelor‟s degree in Biology and Psychology. But it wasn‟t until the late 1990s when she joined a local singing group that Crystal‟s gospel journey would take her into the professional arena. “My first appearance at GMWA was with a group called Soul. We travelled and performed extensively in the 90s, and we received a lot of amazing visibility and opportunities. Before that, I was in a local group called Heaven Sent Us, and that is when I really developed as a vocalist and stage performer. But my time with Soul was when I first began getting singing exposure outside of Tacoma,” says Crystal. After leaving Soul, Crystal returned to singing in and around her hometown. It was also during this time that she lost her father. “His words were embedded in my spirit - to make sure I could take care of myself – and that‟s when I made the decision to go back to school. In 2005 she returned to college and obtained a nursing degree, following in the footsteps of her mother - a Registered Nurse and a Professor of Nursing at Crystal‟s alma mater, Pacific University. Crystal‟s kind hearted nature and love for helping people is what drew her into nursing. Her desire to lead people to Christ through her music ministry is what keeps her singing gospel music. “I am a worship conductor and singing for me has so much purpose; I don‟t play around with it. We all have gifts and talents. Sometimes we take them places we shouldn‟t. But for me, it is so important to covet my gift and to use it wisely. I believe that God has put a spiritual anointing on my voice to awaken the spiritually asleep and for deliverance and healing.” John Harmon has lived his entire life as a proud Trentonian. The first of his family to attend college, John was groomed to be uniquely sensitive to the plight of the neighborhoods of his youth and learned firsthand, what it‟s like to struggle through adversity and prevail over misfortune. John excelled as a student of the Trenton Public School System and after graduating from Trenton Central High School went on to earn an Associate‟s Degree in Business Administration from Mercer County Community College. After later receiving a Bachelor‟s Degree in Business Management from Farleigh Dickinson University in Rutherford, New Jersey, he was recruited by the Bowery Savings Bank in New York City. There, young John Harmon was assigned to the real estate division managing residential mortgage originations and the acquisition of loans valued as high as $50 million. John continued to shine as a trailblazer, later establishing Chemical Bank‟s first ever Affordable Housing Loan Program. Throughout his years in banking, including a more recent role as Vice President and Director of Business Development for United Bank of Philadelphia, John has worked tirelessly, pushing for initiatives to promote equal opportunity, small business and community development. In 1997, John undertook the ambitious endeavor of partnering with an association of minority and womenowned businesses and began advocating for unconditional opportunities for disenfranchised workers, families and communities. For 10 years he served as CEO of this organization which formally became The Metropolitan Trenton African American Chamber of Commerce, until establishing and becoming Chairman of The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, Inc., and the first statewide African American business organization of its kind. Fittingly, John recently completed a Ford Foundation Fellowship on Regionalism and Sustainability examining case studies of other major American cities. Harmon is the former president and CEO of the Metropolitan Trenton African American Chamber of Commerce and a founder of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, which began in 2003, and assumed the reins as president and CEO of the group in 2009. John‟s life of committed service to community has been fueled by his vision of a vibrant and marketable Trenton sustained by the systematic investment in its people. Such an aim he feels should be driven not by the usual political insider gamesmanship that favors a few, but by basic rules of fairness and inclusion, sound aggressive business decisions and urgency. Greenwala News “Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” ~Albert Einstein As people strive to improve their health and evolve their food choices to a more plant-based diet, it is easy to get lost along the way. You can happily end up living on chocolate whole-wheat croissants for breakfast, cheese pizza for lunch, and a large bowl of fettuccine alfredo for dinner; but the pounds will eventually stack up as your energy declines. When you transition to a more vegetarian way of eating, it is important to educate yourself about the nutrients your body will need on a daily basis. Learn how to create a balance of vegetable protein, carbohydrates and quality fats with each meal. You must also replace the six essential nutrients provided by animal proteins with plant-based foods containing the protein, iron, zinc, calcium, B12, and Essential Fatty Acids that are reduced with the elimination of meat, poultry, pork and fish. The fun part is putting them together into delicious recipes and then chewing slowly for the full satisfying experience. 1. PROTEIN A crucial part of any diet, the average RDA for women is 45 grams and for men 55 grams, which you can easily consume in the form of:  Beans, legumes, lentils and peas Fermented soy products in the form of tempeh, miso, and natto  Free range eggs  Raw milk, cheese and yogurt.  Nuts and seeds, which benefit from soaking in water or sprouting first Non-dairy nut and seed milks Note: Pseudo-meats and other pretend protein foods should be avoided if possible, as they are highly processed foods with a list of ingredients as long as my arm. In an article by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. they write that, “Phytic acid remaining in these soy products greatly inhibits zinc and iron absorption; test animals fed soy protein isolate develop enlarged organs, particularly the pancreas and thyroid gland, and increased deposition of fatty acids in the liver.” 2, 3. IRON AND ZINC Strong, healthy blood requires proper amounts of Iron and a vegetarian diet can provide plenty. Average RDA for woman 19-50 years is 18mg, women 51+ years is 8mg and adult male is 8mg. Because the human body does not store Zinc, it is essential to obtain it from the food you eat. Zinc is responsible for cellular metabolism, immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis and cell division. The RDA for adult women is 8mg and for men is 11mg.  Green leafy vegetables: kale, collards, cabbage, spinach, and broccoli  Nuts, seeds: almonds and cashews  Beans, lentils, legumes, peas, in cooked and sprouted form  Fruits and dried fruits: apricots, dates, and raisins  Date syrup and molasses  Whole grains and whole grain flours 4. CALCIUM In a nutshell, your body needs calcium to maintain strong bones and teeth, and for your nervous system to function properly. The RDA for adults is 1000-1200mg and can be found in a variety of foods, such as:  Dark greens: broccoli, kale and Chinese cabbage  Sea Vegetables: wakame, arame, dulse, hijiki, and kelp  Dairy products: milk, yogurt and cheese 5. VITAMIN B12 Vegans and vegetarians who do not eat eggs or dairy will need to take this essential nutrient in the form of a B complex supplement that includes the RDA for B12 of 1.5 microgram for adults. Fermented soy, shitake mushrooms, sea vegetables and algae contain something similar to B12, but it does not work in the body in the same way as B12 from animal sources. Some nutritional yeast food products contain some Vitamin B12. 6. ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS The body needs quality fats to help absorb the „fat soluble‟ vitamins A, D, E and K, to regulate cholesterol, provide energy, maintain heart health and a number of other important functions. Saturated fats from animal sources are limited in a vegetarian diet, but hydrogenated and trans fats in baked goods and chips should be avoided for their harmful health effects. Recommended RDA for Omega Fatty Acids is 1-2 tablespoons.  Extra Virgin Olive oil  Sesame oil  Raw butter and clarified butter  Coconut oil: a saturated vegetable oil that has proven beneficial in the diet  Omega-3 oils: Flax, hemp, and walnut oils By definition a cultural norm, is a pattern of practiced behaviors in specific types of groups. These behaviors are mostly learned by interacting with parents, teachers, and peers. By asking simple questions we can learn basic information about our behaviors and notice our inherent differences. Do we use our hands when we eat or do we use utensils? Do we kneel and pray to ask God for forgiveness or is confession more appropriate? Do we see the importance in taking off our shoes when entering another person‟s home? I am always surprised by people who see shoes lined up at my door and yet continue to walk in without taking off their own. By making informed decisions as we interact, we foster healthy relationships and strengthen our understanding of other people. Shaking hands with someone you are meeting for the first time is a cultural norm in the United States. Though, in some countries it is the “norm” and shows a great sign of respect, to greet any person with a kiss on the cheek. Even in Christianity, a holy kiss or “kiss of peace” is mentioned in the bible as an appropriate greeting, especially as a sign for peace, or the bringing of it. Also customary in Christianity, is the importance for women to dress in modest apparel. However, comparatively in Islam, women must be fully covered, and only reveal their faces, and hands. In Islam, it is considered lawful, for women not to embrace or touch another man, unless he is a relative. I recall over-hearing someone who wondered why his Muslim friend of many years, did not greet him when she saw him. He talked about his frustration and even mentioned his unwillingness to continue their friendship because of that particular interaction. I wonder how often our ignorance has ended friendships, or contributed to the delay of forming new partnerships or initiatives. Often, we neglect to understand the diversities of culture because we lack the resources needed for discovery. This lack of information unconsciously creates an internal conflict of prejudice or segregation towards others whose behaviors do not reflect our own. If we continue to only embrace that which we have learned from our negative experiences, we will only form negative conclusions. A friend mentioned that a fellow co-worker always seemed uncomfortable talking with her. She assumed their interactions were brief because this woman had no interest in her friendship. I had an opportunity to meet this woman during lunch and quickly discovered the problem. The woman was not uncomfortable with talking to my friend at all. Displeased with her own speaking ability, she offered an apology for her “improper English”, well before we started eating. After our interaction, I also learned that women in her country spoke infrequently and in most cases, only when replying to a question. Surprisingly, my friend had never considered that their infrequent exchange was related to a difference in culture. Within the United States we encompass a wide range of identities and differing social norms. Therefore, we should seek new and inventive ways to increase our opportunities for learning about other people. Try making a new friend outside of your race or nationality. Read a book on the lifestyle habits of a friend who is originally from another country. Ask questions when you are unsure of a groups customs or beliefs. Learning about the cultural norms of other groups shapes our worldview and can create peaceful environments for co-habitation. A peaceful environment is a liberating place where all people can interact without judgment. What a wonderful world it could be. Let‟s make a change! Prepared by MagCloud for IMPACT Magazine. Get more at impact-magazine.magcloud.com.