When God Gives You A Vision...Nadia Lopez

"When God gives you a vision: pray, prepare, and put all your fears aside. Your light was never intended to be dimmed; there will always be distractions, haters, and all type of doubt, but your assignment is to step out on faith and walk in your purpose." 💜

--Nadia Lopez, Educator, Principal, Author, & Speaker

Nadia Lopez
The Lopez Effect

Ms. Lopez is the founder and principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brooklyn, New York. Her commitment to educating and changing the course of the lives of her scholars, the term she calls them instead of students, has been recognized with numerous awards and commendations at the highest levels of government. She is the author of "The Bridge to Brilliance: How One Woman and One Community Are Inspiring the World". 

Follow Nadia Lopez on Instagram at: @thelopezeffect. You may also view her TED Talk here: Why Open A School? To Close A Prison.

No. Thank You...Yara Shahidi

"What modeling taught me at a young age was how to say 'no,' which is something girls - we're not always good at saying 'no.' We want to be nice, and then we forget to look out for ourselves."

--Yara Shahidi, Actress and Model

Image credit: http://instagram.com/yarashahidi
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjYlUHanKGS

#LeadershipTuesdays: A Formula For Success...Arnold Donald

"Diversity is a business imperative. The key to innovation is diversity of thinking. Having people from different backgrounds and different cultural experiences who are organized around a common objective is far more likely to create breakthrough innovation than a homogenous group.

A diverse group aligned on a common goal with a work process that fosters true inclusion, equal respect, equal voice and an equal opportunity for each team member will outperform a homogeneous group every time." 

--Arnold Donald, CEO, Carnival Corporation 

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. February is one of the most wonderful times of the year because it is the month that the United States has set aside to honor the history and contributions of African Americans. And we have Carter G. Woodson to thank for creating this sacred practice. We are forever indebted to him and the countless number of ancestors who came before us and never stop fighting for progress and a better life for those who would come behind them.

To day we recognize Arnold Donald who is the CEO of Carnival Corporation, a company most known for its Carnival Cruises and large luxury ships. However, the company has rebranded themselves in recent years as a travel and leisure company. Donald is one of only three African American CEO's in the Fortune 500. His quote emphasizes that diversity and inclusion is not charity, but it makes good business sense. 

A 2015 McKinsey study stated that companies in the top 25th percentile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 15% more likely to experience above-average profits.  A later January 2018 report released by McKinsey presented data showing the likelihood had grown to 21%. (1) So, for businesses and leaders who want a competitive edge and want to outperform their competition, as Mr. Donald says, diversity is a business imperative. Diversity must not only be present in the top leaders, but it also must be visible throughout the company to be highly effective. When diversity wins, the business is more likely to be an innovator and winner, too.

Follow #LeadershipTuesdays on Twitter @LeadershipTues to see daily posts with resources that help you develop and strengthen your leadership skills. We look for and examine leadership everywhere, in politics, business, communities and entertainment. For more on #LeadershipTuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com.

Reference:
(1) Strauss, Karsten, "
More Evidence That Company Diversity Leads To Better Profits", Forbes.com, January 25, 2018
https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2018/01/25/more-evidence-that-company-diversity-leads-to-better-profits/

Of The People...Ta-nehisi Coates

"The question is not whether Lincoln truly meant “government of the people” but what our country has, throughout its history, taken the political term “people” to actually mean."

--Ta-Nehisi Coates, Writer, Journalist and Author of Between the World and Me

Be The Queens That You Are...Suzan Johnson Cook

We come from a great people. Start thinking big, off the chain thoughts. Don't think about boxes, don't think about ceilings. Crush them, break them. We're crushing this thing, baby. Don't think about a box. Who says there has to be a box, anyhow? Start thinking big, huge thoughts.

I am a queen.

You don't know like I know, what [God's] done for me.

I'm fierce.

I'm fabulous.

I'm phenomenal.

I'm faith-filled.

I'm fun-filled.

I'm action-oriented.

And I've got a made up mind.

I'm a queen!

Oh yes I am!

--Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, Author, Charisma Speakers CEO & 3rd U.S. Ambassador at large International Religious Freedom 

*Excerpt from "Be The Queens That You Are" sermon, January 26, 2019 (slightly edited for clarity) 

As A Black Woman...Tamron Hall

"I remember reading the cruelest, most awful thing about my hair online. A person speculated about who I was as a person and even read into my personal life based solely off my hairstyle. He or she said I must be lazy because I have short hair. It was just devastating.

We all have these challenges and stereotypes that exist, but you can't let that hold you down... If that's the first thing you think about as a black woman - the challenge that lies ahead - you are thinking in the wrong direction, in my opinion.

...I cannot - we cannot look at the roadblocks and see the road at the same time."

--Tamron Hall, Journalist, Philanthropist, & Talk Show Host

Tamron Hall is wearing a purple turban made by @thehatshopnyc to honor her late sister, Renate. It is available from thehatshopnyc.com and proceeds benefit SafeHorizon.org.

This Fall in September 2019, Tamron Hall will debut as the host of her own self-titled talk show and we're super excited! Tamron made history as the first black woman to co-anchor NBC News' Today Show in February 2014. Now this veteran journalist gets to bring her vision to life in a Disney/ABC syndicated talk show.

Stellar journalism skills, she's got that. Upbeat and engaging personality, she's got that. Award-winning Executive Producer, oh that would be former "The View" and Barbara Walters' Executive Producer Bill Geddie. So, she got that, too. 

Tamron, we can't wait to see the show and watch you shine. We're rooting for you!

For a sneak peak at the new show, "Tamron Hall", click here.

📷: http://instagram/tamronhall
https://www.instagram.com/p/BojVmPzFPHa/

Why We Must Protest...Mary McLeod Bethune

"If we accept and acquiesce in the face of discrimination, we accept the responsibility ourselves and allow those responsible to salve their conscience by believing that they have our acceptance and concurrence. We should, therefore, protest openly everything... that smacks of discrimination or slander."

--Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)
"Certain Unalienable Rights," What the Negro Wants, edited by Rayford W. Logan (1944)

The Statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune
stands on the campus of
Bethune-Cookman University
in Daytona Beach, Florida.