Brittney Holman is led by her life’s purpose and teaches her mentees to do the same. Holman lives a life of intentional impact and doesn’t rest on the laurels of her entrepreneurial exploits. While her classmates were only daydreaming about their future, Holman opened owned and operated the first of her three braiding salons in her hometown of Orangeburg, South Carolina at the age of seventeen. Holman knows all too well how easy it is to slip through the cracks and succumb to the limited access to opportunities in urban communities and strives to bridge the gap for young people through the Brittney LaShe Youth Mentorship program.
Each summer, the Brittney LaShe Youth Mentorship equips and empowers youth seven and up to build generational wealth using biblical principles. The mentorship costs an average of $500 per child and year-long fundraising efforts help offset the cost for children who can’t afford it. The three-part curriculum tailored to the individual needs of the student is titled “READY” “SET” “GO.” Mentorship can be a difficult concept for young people, so Holman employs a patient process that affirms the message, “with a covering (like Holman’s mentorship program), they can do big things in Christ!” The Brittney LaShe Youth Mentorship is a conduit of community betterment through youth mentorship and empowerment, workshops, and its annual summer camp.
This is the perfect summation of who Brittney Holman is; a life coach and certified lifeguard, rescuing at risk youth from the deep waters despair and a lack of resources and opportunities. Additionally, Holman is a serial entrepreneur, graphic designer and self-published author or numerous books with many new exploits on the horizon. Her pursuit of greater opportunities for youth is relentless, however Holman paused long enough to be honored for her efforts by the Orangeburg Rotary Club.
“I was born to serve. I love the fact that God uses how I overcame my struggles to inspire the youth. Empowering them empowers me!” -Brittney LaShe Holman
Holman’s success story is no fantastical escape from the throes of poverty. Rather, a testament to the arduous work that lifted her from her young life’s early challenges. Holman has triumphed over a painful past that includes molestation by her grandfather and paternity discovery that threatened the identity she knew. Holman’s mentorship program endeavors to provide a much-needed aversion to the hardship she was forced to as a child and teen. “Teens shouldn’t have to worry about surviving but focus on living,” Holman says. After putting the financial literacy lessons and independence encouraged by her stepfather into practice, the Brittney LaShe Youth Mentorship began with faith-based empowerment, courage, and entrepreneurship as its hallmarks serving youth in South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky.
Great plans are in the works for Holman and her annual youth summit. This immense undertaking is quite cumbersome, but through donations and the use of her own money, she provides a life changing experience each year. If you would like to be part of this year’s sponsorship class, you can email Brittney at: brittneyholmon@gmail.com.
The African American Family Outreach Project is inviting you to its virtual workshop for caregivers of children and youth (up to 24 yrs of age) who are struggling with mental health issues. Featured speakers Karriem Salaam, MD, a child psychiatrist, present on “The State of Youth Mental Health in the Age of COVID,” along with Lisa Carlisle, M.ED., MA, Alameda County Director of Child and Young Adult Services to present on “Youth and Adolescent Mental Health and Wellness”.
This workshop date is Saturday, February 5, from 9:30am – 2:00pm. Register here. For those requesting to register by phone, call 510.697-8533.
Dr. Ebony Butler, the creator of My Therapy Cards, the first card deck and self-help tool for Black women, has done it again! Because she strongly feels that Black girls should not be left out of the conversation about mental health and self-care, she has also created My Therapy Cards – Teen Edition, the first card deck created specifically for Black girls!
Similar to the original edition, the Teen Edition helps Black girls and other girls of color work through those thoughts, habits, and behaviors that impact their growth and development. My Therapy Cards – Teen Edition does not only provide support for self-exploration and insight but intentionally provides language to teen girls so that they are better equipped to understand their emotional experiences and communicate what they want and need. The Teen Edition also provides an age-appropriate guide for self-care and various activities for emotional self-expression.
The mission is to make sure that Black girls have access to quality tools and resources to take care of themselves and their mental health. Not only does the Teen Edition help make the process of emotional, mental, and behavioral exploration more accessible for teens of color, the deck serves as a valuable resource to help parents, teachers, administrators, and therapists partner with teens in their growth process! Working through the deck is sure to make for great exploration, conversation, and dialogue no matter if the teen chooses to work through the deck alone, with friends, with a teacher, or with a counselor/therapist. The prompts and tasks have been carefully crafted and vetted to provide the type of experience that is sure to guide teens through a deeper level of understanding of themselves and the world around them.
Just as with the original version of My Therapy Cards, Dr. Ebony took extensive and intentional measures to ensure that My Therapy Cards – Teen Edition included language, prompts, and tasks that actually resonate with Black girls, other girls of color, and teens in general. No matter if the issue is self-esteem, social media, home life, emotional expression, or peer pressure, My Therapy Cards – Teen Edition makes the work more doable! This is the very first self-help card deck and therapy tool specifically for Black girls, and we are excited to center the mental health and well-being of Black girls in a way that gives them full permission to learn more about themselves right where they are! We care about representation, accessibility, and breaking stigmas associated with seeking help, especially for our Black girls. My Therapy Cards – Teen Edition directly addresses all of this!
The My Therapy Cards – Teen Edition deck includes:
* 15 prompts and tasks per category for a total of 45 cards designed to address mental blocks, habit blocks, and ineffective coping skills.
* Glossary card designed to define common terms and language.
* Emotional wheel to help guide language around emotional experiences and emotional intelligence.
* Self-Care menu card created to provide a variety of ways to practice self-care.
* Resource card for additional support and guidance, including how resources for locating local therapists for continued support outside of the card deck.
* Access to emails containing tips for best practices, additional prompts, follow-up questions, and support!
My Therapy Cards – Teen Edition centers the mental health and self-care needs of Black girls and increases the conversation around ways that we can continue to take care of our Black girls and other girls of color.
The introductory price for My Therapy Cards – Teen Edition is $49.97 per card deck. To purchase or learn more about My Therapy Cards, visit MyTherapyCards.com
BLACK FATHER FIGHTS FOR PATERNAL RIGHTS TO PREVENT THE INTERNATIONAL ABDUCTION OF HIS DAUGHTER
One of the most intriguing shows on television right now is “90 Day Fiance” on TLC. On this show, viewers have the unique experience of watching love fully unfurl for an American and their foreign love interest in search of a K-1 Visa. These lovebirds search for love eternal by way of marriage in the United States and though many falter after the vows, many never even make it.
As with every relationship, children are often welcomed additions. However, we want to share the harrowing nightmare, endured by Christopher Baylor. His wife seems to be using every loophole possible to eliminate him from their child’s life and he is bound and determined to fight with all his might for his baby girl he affectionately calls: “Bee”
Christopher Baylor is a family man. A black American male raised in a two-parent Christian home, he had every intention of continuing in this tradition with his own family and children. Like many, he was seeking a soulmate, looking to raise children and spend the rest of his life with his chosen life partner. Never did he expect his path to include marriage fraud, pleading for the annulment of his marriage, filing for divorce, a child custody battle, or the possibility of the international “legalized” abduction of his only beloved daughter Aaliyah, whom he affectionately calls ‘Bee.’
Roughly four years ago, Christopher met Ayano Eto in an online chatroom. The two connected right away. She described herself as a Christian woman, attracted to African American men. Though Ayano Eto lived in Japan, halfway around the world, she seemed to be everything in a person that Baylor was longing for. Coming from a family where marriage was a tradition passed down from generation to generation, Christopher decided his future would be with Ayano Eto, and the two made plans for her to join him in the United States.
Within 90 days of her arrival, the two were legally married, and Ayano Eto’s behavior changed drastically. She became aggressive, abusive, would break into violent outbursts, attack Christopher physically, and would threaten him with knives and blunt objects. Christopher Baylor could not understand the sudden, dramatic shift from the near perfect woman that had once seemed so pleasant or how this marriage had become a nightmare.
Fatherhood had been an event he’d anticipated for a good portion of his life. The birth of Aaliyah ‘Bee’ was monumental for Christopher. He took care of all Ayano Eto’s medical needs and expenses, looking forward to doing all he could to ensure their child had the best life possible. And when that meant taking on the added responsibility of becoming the primary caregiver, he happily obliged, handling Bee’s day-to-day care, meals, and the medical needs of their precious child up until the day Ayano Eto took his daughter from him. Christopher Baylor had become a ‘left behind parent.’
And while society may be jaded by tales of deadbeat absentees, who evade parental responsibility to avoid fiscally supporting their children, Christopher Baylor’s predicament is quite different. What Baylor had not realized was that he had unsuspectingly been lured into a new form of Marriage Fraud for the purpose of U.S. citizenship.
Ayano Eto relocated to St. Paul, MN. It was there that she engineered allegations of domestic abuse and criminal battery, against Christopher Baylor. Through court and local law enforcement, she filed a false complaint and a false police report. Ayano Eto was ultimately seeking a Domestic Abuse No Contact Order (DANCO) with criminal sanctions to have him incarcerated and rendered powerless to litigate for child custody. Ayano Eto needed no proof, despite Christopher having evidence proving he was thousands of miles away at the time of the alleged incident. Ayano Eto had purposely relocated to file in Hennepin County, MN, for the sole purpose of ‘forum shopping.’ Having no violent history, no prior arrests, and not so much as a parking ticket, Christopher Baylor’s life, career, and future were in jeopardy.
A New Form of Immigration Marriage Fraud There are cases on record, dating back to 1998, where Americans have been duped into a sham marriage for a minimum of 2 years for the sole purpose of defrauding immigration officials. By posing as ‘happily married,’ they overcome the USCIS interview for foreign nationals. The time frame can be lengthened if an “anchor baby” is conceived.
A new type of Immigration Marriage Fraud is on the rise, known as D2 (for Deception). This newer Green Card scam, commonly used by non-citizens, has become a growing trend in Immigration Fraud. It involves preying on the affections of U.S. residents, scamming these unsuspecting victims, mostly Americans, who are genuinely looking for courtship, love, and lifelong commitment and then, exploiting the Violence Against Women Act [VAWA].
By pretending to be their ideal soul mate/marriage partner, non-citizens lure unsuspecting victims (usually men). While convincing their future spouse that they intend to commit to this purported relationship, many are migrating to the U.S. under this guise in an attempt to marry within 90 days of entry into the country. This is done under false pretenses, as they have no real intent to remain married. Once they are legally married, they are able to get Green Cards through the use of fraudulent Domestic Abuse claims. This ruse has been commonly used to Fast Track the Immigration process.
Some, like Ayano Eto, in desperation, will use criminal coercion, infliction of false imprisonment or provoke violence through reckless intimidation, violent outbursts, and other vindictive acts – this is typical in cases like this.When fraudulent Domestic Abuse claims fail because of unsubstantiated allegations, ‘anchor babies’ are an alternative resort to circumvent the USCIS Interview Process. When children are involved, this would also circumvent child custody proceedings. The non-citizen spouse can initiate a claim without the U.S. spouse ever being notified of any immigration proceedings held against them.
The desire is to obtain a Domestic Abuse Green Card by any means, as this would greatly reduce the chances the non-citizen would incur the 3-year or 10-year entry bar from the United States under the IIRAIRA of 1996. In the process, they will have defamed, exploited and victimized their American spouse, causing irrevocable damage to their lives, subjecting them to financial warfare, loss of job/career, reputation, criminal charges, incarceration, loss of residence, real estate, property, credit card fraud, and possibly, identity theft.
What’s more, as of late, because it is worldwide knowledge that African American males are unlikely to receive fair treatment by law enforcement and the U.S. Judicial system, black men are specifically being targeted, as in the case of Mr. Christopher Baylor. Ayano Eto misrepresented herself as a Christian woman attracted to African American men. Now, after having been subjected to racial and religious persecution and threatened with the possibility of losing his beloved child, this father is fighting multiple court battles, including the custody battle for his biracial daughter.
How he chose to resolve these matters is evidence of the depth of this father’s love for his daughter and also reveals so much about his character. For more than a year, Baylor has been defending himself, simultaneously studying the laws of multiple states, and also, maintaining his career. Through all of this, Christopher Baylor has continued to meet child support payments while unable overcome the challenge of securing parental visitation rights. Yet, he still remains undeterred, fighting multiple legal battles, even though that means having to serve as his own attorney. Having been subjected to all kinds of injustices, such as the violations of his constitutional, civil, parental, and human rights, his greatest fear is that innocent three-year-old Bee, will be abducted out of the country under the Hague Convention. This would terminate all of this father’s parental rights and he could lose his daughter forever. This had been the result with two other American fathers, Dan Larson and James Cook, both victims of the Hague Convention and UCCJEA. Challenging their cases in Hennepin County courts, they both ultimately lost their children through legalized abduction.
Mr. Baylor is sharing his story in hopes to garner support and protect his daughter from International Child Abduction. For more details or to show your support, please reach out to Mr. Christopher Baylor by phone to (409) 279-8805 or email to BeesLifeMatters@Outlook.com. Like and share this article via your preferred social media platforms and follow the hashtags: #BeesLifeMatters #USCIS #VAWA #VAWAImmigrationFraud #InternationalChildAbduction #LegalizedAbduction #VictimsOfImmigrationFraud #ImmigrationMarriageFraud #USImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcement #CenterForImmigrationStudies #HagueConvention #DomesticAbuseGreenCard #DepartmentOfHomelandSecurity #DHS #FianceVisa #K1FianceVisa #ImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement #ICE #UCCJEA #ElenaMariaLopez.
Friends, my heart is heavy today. On last night, I couldn’t seem to avoid a story trending on Facebook. The story caught my attention and I initially saw it during choir rehearsal, so I didn’t read the story until I got home. Once I finally read the letter from the Crowley ISD Superintendent, I immediately recognized the name.
He was the son of one of my greatest friends in media, Monica Debbs of Big Mouth Radio. Over the last few years, SMG and Big Mouth Radio have worked several events and shared monumental experiences in the field together. It breaks my heart to see her deal with this tragic loss.
“The entire Crowley ISD community is incredibly saddened by this tragedy and the loss of this young life. We do not yet know what caused Kyrell’s passing, but our priority right now is to provide support and care to the family, friends and educators who knew and loved him.”
Michael McFarland, Crowley ISD Superintendent
Last year at the Dove Awards, I had the opportunity to see Monica as not only a colleague, but a fellow parent. Following a day full of events leading up to the award ceremony, we found ourselves in a conversation about our children. She talked about Kyrell and I told her about Jailen. We had a few laughs about the plight of parenting in the 21st Century, it’s joys, challenges and our hopes for our children’s future.
Standing there in Lipscomb Arena, I can say that I made a true friend. Working on this side of the velvet rope, friendships are fleeting and are sometimes mere products and casualties of personal success. I worked alongside Monica and Big Mouth Radio a few times since and have enjoyed the friendship and corporate support of all her family and staff.
Last November, I was able to meet her entire family at a food Thanksgiving basket giveaway. It wasn’t long before I met Kyrell…he was flying around the parking lot gathering baskets and returning them to the corral. There he was, infectious, precocious and vivacious…Kyrell.
I spent that afternoon with Monica, her family and the Big Mouth Radio team helping out on the board (mixer) and got to know everyone while I was there. We worked together again at the Stellar Awards and regularly checked up on each other to help each other when we could, sometimes just making sure our team’s credentials requests were submitted in time. A few weeks ago, I dropped by a school supply drive where Big Mouth Radio was broadcasting remotely to catch the fun before it ended. “Uncle Trillion” was there and so was Kyrell. Myself and my children got there as the event ended but we hung around, catching up again. I saw another friend there (Ernest) and the three of us stood at the door catching up on old times and looked forward to what was to come. It was a rainy day and Kyrell and Jailen made the most of it, soaking up the rain like only boys can.
As I write this, I am perplexed- juxtaposed by my sadness for my friend, her husband and their family. Kyrell is no longer here, but my children are. Yesterday, I specifically prayed for my children and their school as if gun violence was the only threat. I didn’t even think to pray for surrounding schools, school districts and children.
Today was different. While I can’t change yesterday’s tragedy, I resolve to be more sensitive in my prayers for children, everywhere. There are already reports of violence against schools this school year and I’m careful enough to pray for safety, but never thought a child would lose their life on the football field as the school year began.
No parent ever wants to have to confront the tragedy of losing a child but for my friend and her family, this is their reality. I ask that you would join me in prayer for Monica and Robert Debbs, the Johnson family and all our friends at Big Mouth Radio.
The Couples In Business(TM) Webinar, created by business and finance coaches Randy & Renee Hughes, is a game changer for couples who are entrepreneurs. Even if only one spouse in the home is an entrepreneur, both should attend this webinar. And best of all for a very limited time, its free!
“My husband and I paid off $50,000 in debt and are now living our dream. It’s one of my passions to teach creative entrepreneurs how to create income part-time,” comments Renee Hughes, who is co-founder of the program and a Personal Development Business Coach.
Attendees to the webinar will learn:
* How to make your spouse your business partner without driving each other nuts… even if you aren’t in the same business!
* How to engage your business audience effectively without going broke on Copy & Digital Media Support
* How to get out of overwhelm with customized workflow options
* How to use social media to grow your business without spending money on ads
* How to attract clients who will be willing to pay for your product or service and seek you out
* How to manage expenses to increase profit and ROI
Renee comments, “You need The Couples In Business(TM) Webinar if you are a married entrepreneur, your spouse is an entrepreneur, you are wondering when your business will finally take off, you question if you are offering the right product or service in your business, and/or if you are spending too much money on marketing, media, ads and digital support.”
The webinar is great for people:
* Who are tired all of the time
* Want a home cooked meal on more than just the weekends
* Whose health is starting to suffer from working your 9-5 and trying to grow your business
* Whose business isn’t profitable
* Who are in debt
