TAM June 2016 Issue 2

Legend (n): a famous or important person who is known for
doing something extremely well.
When most people think of legends, they immediately think of
legendary tales, professional athletes, historical activists, or
war heroes. Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t get a national
platform, but they are legends -- nonetheless -- within our
hearts and community.
The Artise Magazine pays homage to everyday legends,
whether it be in the form of an eight-year-old girl battling
brain cancer or an 86-year-old pioneering Montford Point
Marine that many call, “Dad.”
Here’s a peek into the unsung heroes that are changing the
way we experience everyday living. Legends who have and
are transforming our communities, one extraordinary act at a
time! We hope that you read, remember, reflect and reverence
those which we call Legends and Legacies who live in our own
backyard -- happy reading!
Arturo M. Cummings, M.S. AEd
Editor-in-Chief, The Artise Magazine
Elise K. Cummings, M.S. ICM
Creative Director, The Artise Magazine
The Artise Magazine (TAM) highlights vital topics that provoke critical thinking and forward movement
for everyone – from the small business owner and the working class to the single parent and the aspiring artist.
Our pages will spark conversation that involves YOU – the reader – while bringing to life the backbone of what
makes a community thrive. TAM connects audiences with stories of ordinary people building extraordinary
communities through the latest business tips, personal life-changing encounters, & unedited advice that
motivates everyday people to persevere and embrace the art of everyday living.

6-9
A REFRESHING SOUND WITHOUT
BOUNDARIES: THE POLK DUO
10; 23; 30
DADS & GRADS
11-13
BRAVE LOOKS GOOD ON YOU
14-17
DR. MAGGIE HEADEN:
A LIFELONG LEGACY OF LOVE
18-22
STRINGER STRONG:
A CHAMPION’S JOURNEY
24-25
STAFF HIGHLIGHT
26-29
FEARLESSLY FEMALE
31-33
VISIONS FROM HEAVEN
IN REAL LIFE
34-37
#THEWEAREMOVEMENT
38-39
PERSISTENCE & THE UNKNOWN
40-44
OUR LITTLE WARRIOR:
ONE IN ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND
45-51
THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF
ELLA NEWMILLER
52-56
THE LONG SHOT: ONE MAN,
THOUSANDS IMPACTED
57-60
THE FIGHT OF LIFE
61-64
BLOOMING LILLIES:
A DAUGHTERS MEMOIR
65-69
‘IT’S A REAL THING:’
A REAL LOOK AT MY JOURNEY

70-73
TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA: BETTER
KNOWN AS THE “SUICIDE DISEASE”
74-78
MARCELLO “CHURCH BOY” MCNEIL:
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD
79-83
MONTFORD POINT MARINE:
FIGHT TO THE FINISH LINE
84-87
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON: THE
MILITARY MOMENT OF TRUTH
88-90
S.U.R.E.’S UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT:
THE NEXT GENERATION
91-93
MINNIE GERTRUDE WASHINGTON: LIVING
WITH GRACE AND GRATITUDE
94-97
OUR LEGACY:
THE PRESERVATION PROJECT

Ella Newmiller was full of life, and loved others unconditionally.
She was the type of person who came alongside others and
encouraged them, becoming a source of inspiration, even in her
young age. In May of 2016, Ella would have turned 13.
On February 8, 2012, Ella defeated her diagnosis and gained her
healing in Heaven. We have been inspired and motivated by her
story and the kind, compassionate and courageous little girl she
was and will always be in our community.
We are dedicating this issue of The Artise Magazine to the little
girl who embodied and continues to demonstrate the spirit of
passion, boldness, and love. She is a legend in her own right, and
will continue to live on in our hearts as an amazing example of
living life to the fullest and reaching others in a meaningful way.
The Artise Magazine is committed to bringing awareness to
pediatric brain cancer and its impact on everyday people.
Read more about Ella’s story on pages 45-51.
ARTURO & ELISE CUMMINGS

INTERVIEW BY
ARTURO M. CUMMINGS
If you had to introduce The Polk Duo to
someone, how would your intro begin?
The Polk Duo is made up of married
guitar and vocalist, Kasey and Myranda
Polk. Their style pulls from different
genres of music to create their own
sound that many are describing as
“refreshing.”

Kasey, why music?
Because music is for EVERYONE. I
found out early on in my life that music
has no boundaries. I felt like -- growing
up -- everything had a prerequisite
to do it. Music didn’t. If I was
three or 100 years old, black or
white, disabled or [in] full health, I
could experience and enjoy music.
Still to this day, I haven’t found
anything to top that.
Myranda, why music?
I know it’s been said before, but I believe
music chose me. I ask myself the same
question when I look at others who
enjoy passions of a different kind. I
wonder if they love what they do the
way I love music. I think it’s amazing
the passion and desires God puts in
all of us. Ever since I knew what a
microphone was, I wanted to sing on
it, even when I didn’t think I sounded
that great; I knew it was destined.
How would you classify your musical career
(i.e. genre, audience, etc.)?
Honestly, we are still trying to figure that out. We
have an acoustic sound, but we are not afraid to
take a song that uses a full band and cover it with
only guitar and voice. We sing a lot of covers that
we’ve fallen in love with because of the melody or
the message. We like to sing different genres. We
don’t like to box ourselves into one style so we
tend to cater our performances slightly to our
audiences. However, the music we write tends to
lend itself to Neo-Soul and that’s what our audiences
tend to call it. We genuinely have a mixed
audience of races and ages of both men and
women.
Kasey, what has been your most challenging
moment in your musical career?
Besides graduating from North Carolina Agricultural
& Technical State University with two music
degrees, -- so far, it has been running my own
music composition and sound design business.
Basically, I have been going at it (music) for a little
over a year and it has definitely been a rollercoaster
ride emotionally, physically, spiritually and creatively.
But I will say that even though it has been a rollercoaster,
it’s also the most fulfilled I have felt doing
anything in my life. I absolutely love to write music for
folks and it has helped me grow tremendously as a
musician!
Myranda, what has been your most challenging
moment in your musical career?
My most challenging moment is still a challenge and
that’s learning to love my voice. Sometimes I’m afraid
to sing because I think people are going to critique me
harshly. I can feel pressure to sound like someone else
so that I can be popular with certain people instead of
accepting my own sound and those who like it exactly
the way it is.
What motivated you and your partner to establish The
Polk Duo?
Well, we always joke that it didn’t start out so pretty!
We originally had a tough time communicating with
each other about music, how to play together, and
what we even wanted to do. Even though we had a

ough start, we still felt that it was imperative to
start a group. One thing about us is that, where
Kasey is weak, Myranda is strong, and vice versa. So
for us, we both love to perform, we both love each
other -- so, why not combine the two?
Tell me how you go about receiving and booking
events.
We receive bookings through a variety of ways. We
spend quite a bit of time playing at open mics, bars
or where we can play for no charge. From there we
try our best to network with as many people as
possible and make sure they have our information.
You can find us on Band Camp, Sound Cloud,
Craigslist, Gig Salad, Wedding Wire, etc. We also get
quite a bit of traction from Craigslist and also by
word of mouth!
Who are some of your musical influences and why?
Kasey: For me, I have a pretty wide range of influences:
Wes Montgomery, Wolfgang Mozart, Woody
Herman, Tita Lima, Eddie Daniels, Koji Kondo,
Snarky Puppy -- to name a few. Each of these artists
have played some huge part of my musical journey.
Whether it was something that I listened to walking to
school everyday, challenging myself to learn a song of
theirs, or just teaching myself to become my own artist
and not worry about being like everyone else ... [these
are my influences].
Myranda: Firstly, my mom. I believe she is where I get
my vocal ability. I like listening to Ella Fitzgerald,
Sarah Vaughan, Stevie Wonder, The Winans plus Bebe
and CeCe, Lauryn Hill, Kirk Franklin and 90s R&B,
just to name a few. I’m drawn to melody and lyrics. I
will search the radio stations and stop on any station
that has caught my ear -- no matter what it is. I think
everything we listen to is like a fingerprint that somehow
influences my music. With that said, there are
plenty of other artists who have shaped me.
What motivates The Polk Duo from day to day?
The Lord and Savior of our lives, Jesus Christ. We
understand that this life is not ours and we have a
bigger purpose. Though we can get stuck in our
feelings about things, we remind ourselves that it isn’t
about us.

“ Well, we always
joke that it didn’t
start out so pretty!”
Do you have any projects that
have been released? If so, how
can we find them?
We currently have two self-produced albums and
one single (“The Polk Duo EP” and the other is
our children’s Bible album titled “The Music
Around Us: Bible Songs For Kids,” and the single
titled “Rainy Day Fund”). Each album can be
found at www.thepolkduo.bandcamp.com.
If you had to encourage someone who is an
aspiring music artist or someone who has a loved
one that is aspiring to move through the musical
ranks, what advice would you give them as they
face expected/unexpected challenges?
Not to sound cliché, but just DO it! What we have
learned and seen is that so many people talk
about what they’ve always wanted to do, but they
never do it. We learned that if you really want
something to happen, then you must make it
happen. It’s all about the growth. Not one musical
artist, painter, dancer, writer, etc. started off
perfect. They just started and kept at it. You
won’t have all the answers, but as you keep
growing, your experience will teach you more and
more.
So, what should we look forward to seeing from
The Polk Duo in the near future?
Our goal is write as much music as we can, travel
and play in as many places as we can, and continue
to love God and each other through the
process. We currently are working on another
full-production album, hoping to be released
within the next few months!
How can we connect with and follow The Polk
Duo?
We are available on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
and Sound Cloud under the name The Polk Duo.
We are always looking for new ways to connect
with people!

God took the strength of a mountain,
the majesty of a tree, the warmth of a
summer sun, the calm of a quet sea,
the generous soul of nature, the
comforting arm of night, the wisdom of
the ages, the power of the eagle’s
flight, the joy of a morning in spring,
the faith of a mustard seed, the
patience of eternity, the depth of a
family need, then God combined these
qualitites, when there was nothing
more to add, He knew His masterpiece
was complete, and so, He called it ...
Dad. (Unkown) ~Dr. Norman Collins
To a Dad that has always provided and continues to do so,
who shows love in ways that only a father can do! This is for
you, Daddy! Love you, Arthur Cummings! Yup, I'm the baby
boy and wouldn't trade my Daddy for the whole world!
I'm proud of you! ~From Your Sons
Our Dad is willing. A Father means so many
things ... An understanding heart, a source of
strength and support right from the very
start. A constant readiness to help in a kind
and thoughtful way. With encouragement and
forgiveness, no matter what comes your way.
A special generosity and always affection,
too. A father means so many things when
he's a man like you .... (Unknown)
~ Your Kids
To my precious daughter Dara: You came into this world a helpless and precious
little Pocahontas. You have become an independent and most beautiful young
woman. I’ve tried to show you how to be gentle and sensitive, yet strong at the
same time. I tried my very best to communicate to you important values. I’ve
tried to show you the satisfaction than can be felt when we hold fast to our
beliefs. I tried to show you how to appreciate the beautiful things in life. I tried to
establish the importance of family and friends. But most of all, I tried to be an
example that you could always look up to, although I did not always succeed at
this. There are some things that I have always done and will do forever… that is
always love you and support you in all you choose to do, to be proud of the
person that you are, and to be here for you whenever you need me. Graduation is
an exciting time. It’s both an ending and a beginning; it’s warm memories of the
past and big dreams for the future. May God’s graces be with you as you step
ahead towards your dreams! Keep the courage as you face new challenges in
life. Jeremiah 29:11 Love you forever and always, Your mommy, Demetrice
“The brave who focus on all things good and all
things beautiful and all things true, even in the small,
who give thanks for it and discover joy even in the
here and now, they are the change agents who bring
fullest Light to all the world.” ~ Ann Voskamp
We are so proud of you and love you
very much, Nyia! ~ Your Family

“Depression, eating disorders and anxiety attacks were my normal. It.
Was. So. Frustrating. It’s like I was on one side of this ‘chasm’ — and
on the other side, existed a fearless, bold, hot version of myself. Who I
saw on the ‘inside’ was so far from what I was seeing on the ‘outside.” I
could see my potential, but was always out of reach.” This is an excerpt
from Eileen Wilder’s view of her new book, The Brave Body Method.
After 21 years of anxiety, depression and disordered eating, Eileen
began to learn some things that changed her life. Here’s a view
into her crazy, wonderful and busy world.
How would you describe yourself?
I would describe myself as an online motivator and teacher; I’ve been
in the process of helping hundreds of people rediscovering their
identity in Christ, and I’ve been teaching that through online videos,
and through my podcast, and through my book. I also am a mom and I
have three amazing kids. On top of that, my husband and I are the
campus pastors of Capital City Church in Washington, D.C. It’s all
about helping each person, one at a time. My goal is really to help
people establish themselves in who they are in Christ. I really believe
that will change your mind, and change your body.
How do you do it all — mom, author, business owner, pastor?
I wish there was an easy answer, it’s been very much of a journey for

me. I found I needed to really grow in some areas.
For instance, I had to take a class in time management
just to learn how to better budget [and] schedule my
time. I’ve been in a process of really trying to dig in
and do what I think I’m meant to do. Do what my
purpose is. I don’t want to get to the end and feel like I
wasted a lot of time or have a lot regrets. I’m just
doing those things that I really think are providing
value, not just to my readers, but really to my family
— that’s a huge key and component for me — that my
family life is thriving. I’ve had to learn some skills in
that area, that kind of stuff doesn’t come natural to me.
I’m more of a creative, more spontaneous, so I’ve had
to strengthen that area of my life.
What were you like growing up?
When I was little, I used to have this dream of
performing in front of the President, which sounds like
so hysterical. I used to have this dream of playing the
piano in front of the President. I’ve thought of that
dream so many times. I think I first had it when I was
six years old. It’s been a huge desire of mine to do
something impactful, something meaningful. I think a
lot of us have that inkling inside of us that we’re sort of
meant for something more. That we’re meant to
contribute something special, something unique. I
have had that desire, and I still have that. I want to
help other people to discover their passion, their
dreams, their goals, that level of passion that I think
God has for everyone.
What was the turning point for you that lead you
where you are now?
Two years ago, I was put on bedrest for my third pregnancy
with my son Oliver, and when I was put out of
commission and forced to stop doing what I was doing
everyday, I was caused to reflect on my life in a way
that I never had before. Just stopping what I did everyday
and thinking about my life and what I wanted to do
and what I wanted my legacy to be was life-altering for
me. And, I thought I was doing that, but I really wasn’t
until I legitimately couldn’t get off the bed. That was a
really big turning point for me. I still didn’t know what
to do or how to start doing what was in my heart, but at
least I started getting an awareness. Then, I basically
took an online class and it just changed everything for
me. I came out of that bedrest and had my son, and
suddenly I felt like everything was different.
What do you do now to help others discover their
passion?
I do a lot of one-on-one coaching. I will take that
journey with that person. I love getting to take people
by the hand really and encourage them and let them
know that anything is possible. I have an academy
called The Brave Body Academy that I just launched
this year and I basically want to take that to more and
more people and more and more groups. It really takes
you through the steps that are need to gain
the mindset you need to go after your
dreams. My goal is to serve more and
more people -- as many people that I
possibly can through this online vehicle.
[During this] season of motherhood, I
really love getting to serve people
from home right now. I really love
being able to make an impact right
from my living room.
Do you find that you reach a lot of
moms with your online motivational
pieces?
I have a self-care challenge that I
offer, and I have found a lot of
moms write in, because that area
is really an area that we struggle
in — professional women or as
moms — carving out time for
yourself. The people that experience
some of my teaching in that
regard I have found it really has
changed their lives, in just like
10 minutes a day. Just sharing
that message right from my living

oom is an easy thing to do, but people
need this information. They need to be
inspired. There’s a lot of people who are
experiencing overwhelming discouragement,
so I really want to add that message
of hope and of life and of encouragement.
What was your goal in writing The
Brave Body Method?
I wanted to share my story and let any girl
out there who has just felt so stuck with
her weight or maybe she experienced an
eating disorder like I did or like just
disordered eating, that there is real hope
and health. I want to open the closet of all
my scary and dirty stuff so people will
know that anything really is possible.
What didn’t you share in your book
that you would like others to know?
I didn’t share as much in the book about
my struggle with depression and anxiety
attacks. It’s difficult to describe when
you’ve been through that, really communicating
how bad it was, but I know other
people have experienced moments like
that as well. My biggest heart as a communicator,
is that I get it. I get tough stuff.
I get difficult stuff. I get mental disorders.
I get an overwhelming sense that something
is really wrong with me or wrong
with my mind. If I could add another
layer of what I want people to know is that no
matter what it is, or what you may be struggling
with, you’re not alone.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on my next book about emotional
exhaustion, kind of delving a little deeper into
my struggle with depression. It’s another
message of encouragement because I don’t
think people understand how easy it is to change
some of the feelings that seem so overwhelming
just by redirecting your thoughts. I don’t think
people are really equipped in a way that’s
practical, and my goal is to provide those really
easy steps to help people to feel great.
What do you see yourself doing in the
future?
I see myself doing what I’m doing, just on a
larger scale. I would love to be serving people
right out of my living room, and getting just to
enjoy every second I can with my kids [Eileen
has an 8, 7 and 2 year old]. We’re just starting
to see their personalities and talents and what
they’re into, so it’s really fun.
Where can people buy your books?
You can buy my books on Amazon or Barnes
and Noble, but the best way is to go to
www.eileenwilder.com, where you can download
free resources, watch my videos and
podcasts and more.

A
of
came the firstborn, me! My sister, Xi’ana, and my
brother Zack quickly followed.
BY TIARA STREET WHITE
She was a loving, caring, wonderful, and gracious
Grandmother. Sometimes I think about why we called her
“Grandmother” instead of “Grandma,” as some do. Calling
her Grandmother was something very special to me; I took
pride in it, and still do take pride in it when I think about
her. Grandmother left -- so graciously -- some very large
shoes to fill.
Dr. Maggie Ledbetter Headen was born July 30, 1938 and
passed away on Friday, December 18, 2015 at Central
Carolina Hospital in Sanford, North Carolina. She had six
siblings, and was one of three living siblings before she
passed away.
Grandmother married my Pawpaw, Mr. Zachary J. Headen,
on May 4, 1963. From that union, I was lucky to get my
mom, LaKimbrelle Frushea Headen-Street, who was an
only child. She married my Dad -- James, Jr. -- and then
Grandmother loved education; she genuinely loved
knowing how things worked and enjoyed asking
critical questions, even if that meant making us see
the practical side of things. There was hardly ever
a “no” that came out of her mouth, but there was
always a statement that made you think about what
you were actually asking for.
Grandmother graduated at the top of her class with
nursing credentials from New York University
(NYU) and then later ended up becoming the first
Black Head Charge Nurse at Womack Army
Hospital of Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
Although Grandmother loved medicine, medicine
was just a tool for her to express her love to care
for people. She cared for the whole person --
physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And she
did even more for her family. She was our rock.
With a fervent passion for educational excellence,
Grandmother graduated with honors from Highl

“...even if she didn’t have it
to give, she was going to
try her hardest to find it.”
land Senior High School in Gastonia, North Carolina
in 1956. She completed her undergraduate studies at
Lincoln School of Nursing and North Carolina
Central University in Durham, North Carolina.
Shortly after graduating, she joined her family in
New York and received nursing credentials from New
York University (NYU).
for more, my Grandmother went back to school to
deepen her knowledge of the Word of God. She
received her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral
Degrees from Amora Deliverance Theological Institute
and continued there to attain her Licensure as a Certified
Christian Counselor.
She was definitely my counselor. She was my listening
ear, and that did not mean that she always agreed with
everything that I had to say. She was my voice of
reason, and a peacemaker. Our relationship was a
Grandmother began her long-standing career
as an exemplary nursing professional at
Bellevue General Hospital in the premature
unit in New York, New York, and remained
there for nine months before relocating to
Washington, D.C. to Freedmen’s Hospital
(presently Howard University Medical
Center) in the capacity of both Staff Nurse
and Head Nurse for 17 years.
After relocating back to North Carolina, she joined
the staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill as an Emergency Room Nurse.
Striving upward and moving forward, Womack Army
Medical Center in Fort Bragg became her new
employer. She was initially assigned to the Post-Partum
Unit for six years as a Staff Nurse, and was
eventually elevated to the position of Head Nurse of
the Pediatric Unit for the next 15 years, remaining at
Womack until her retirement in 2002.
Understanding the need to always continue to aspire

nurturing, teaching relationship. She always had something
wise to share, even when it was unsolicited.
Grandmother loved God, and Grandmother loved her family --
and that included her church family, too. She was a member of
Scott Avenue Church of God of Prophecy (COGOP) in
Sanford, North Carolina where she faithfully served in multiple
areas of ministry, while also assisting in their daycare program,
caring for the children. She pressed her way to church, even if
she wasn’t feeling well.
That was just the type of person she was, who -- even if she
didn’t have it to give -- she was going to try her hardest to find
it.
Christmas was her favorite holiday and we had so many plans.
She was actually getting ready to go Christmas shopping the
morning she passed. I was heartbroken -- Grandmother was
my best friend. I didn’t understand why she had to leave
when she left.
I miss her like crazy. Some days it’s still real hard, like if I

“I am gracious.”
smell something that reminds me of
her, or when something happens
and my initial reaction is to call her
and get her feedback. Just that piece,
because we talked everyday for at least
an hour.
While I don’t understand everything, I
know that God knows best, and I do
know that my Grandmother is in a
better place, even though I miss her so
much. I still experience Grandmother’s
words, talks, and even
memories everyday through my
family, especially my husband Kentrelle
and my children -- Kennedy,
Sinara, Kenyon, Kentrelle, and
Kengston. To me, she was Grandmother;
to them, she was “Gigi.”
The lifelong legacy of love that Grandmother
left is being lived out through
them -- I see it more and more each
day. There were so many fond memories,
it would be hard to name just one.
Unfortunately, the loss of a
loved one is experienced by
everyone. It’s something we
all have to go through at
some point in our lives.
If anyone has made that
extremely real in my life, it
was losing Grandmother
unexpectedly during Christmas.
I would tell people to focus on the
good times, and if they had a
relationship with Christ, just to
know that where they are is where
they’re supposed to be. I have to
constantly tell myself that as much
as I did to try to make her comfortable
and take care of her, I still can’t
take care of her the way God does.
Until we meet again, I will continue
the lifelong legacy of love that
embodied my Grandmother, Dr.
Maggie L. Headen.

It started like a cold/sinus infection.
He went to the nurse on campus at
his junior college; she said it was a
cold and gave him cold medicine.
Reece didn't get better. It started
with a runny nose and cough, and
then he lost his voice. He had trouble
breathing and bad night sweats
for about a month. He came home
from college and I took him to our
family doctor, [where] they did an
X-ray because I thought he might
have pneumonia.
When they took the X-ray, they saw
a lot of fluid on his left lung and a
mass in his chest. We went the next
day for a CAT scan and they sent us
immediately to a lung specialist.
Reece has just turned 18 in August
of 2015, and was in great shape and
never sick. He graduated with
honors from Stringer High School,
ranking among the top five students
in his class. He was on the superintendent’s
list and the honor roll for
four years, was the student class
president for three years, garnered
431 hours of volunteer service and
received the presidential service
award. He played football, ran
track and [played] baseball in high
school. He was voted most likely to
succeed and most intellectual his
senior year. So, what came next was
a total shock to all of us.
“ REECE ...
WAS IN
GREAT
SHAPE
AND
NEVER
SICK.”
BY CHANTAL &
REECE STRINGER

The lung specialist saw the CAT scan and
told us it was an inoperable cancer. The
mass was the size of an eggplant and was
pressing on his windpipe. We went straight
to the University of Mississippi Medical
Center in Jackson, Mississippi, where they
ran tons of tests and drained a liter and half
off Reece's lung. They also took a biopsy of
his bone marrow to see if the cancer was in
his bones. Luckily, it wasn't. Reece couldn't
be sedated because of the size of the mass
and location in his chest. So, he did all the
tests awake.The surgeon said it was not
operable due to size, location and because of
the proximity to his heart. He also had
lymph nodes in his throat and stomach that
had showed cancer.
On October 21, 2015, Reece was diagnosed
with T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, stage
3. He will receive chemotherapy for three
and a half years. My husband Robbie and I
were scared to death and in total shock.
Reece also felt scared and shocked when he
heard the diagnosis.
According to the Lymphoma
Research Foundation,
lymphoma is the most
common blood cancer. The
two main forms of lymphoma
are Hodgkin lymphoma
and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
(NHL). Lymphoma
occurs when cells of the
immune system called
lymphocytes, a type of
white blood cell, grow and
multiply uncontrollably.
Cancerous lymphocytes
can travel to many parts of
the body, including the
lymph nodes, spleen, bone
marrow, blood, or other
organs, and form a mass
called a tumor. The body
has two main types of
lymphocytes that can

develop into lymphomas: B-lymphocytes
(B-cells) and T-lymphocytes
(T-cells).
Reece stayed in the hospital for almost
four weeks to receive chemotherapy.
He started chemotherapy five days
after his diagnosis on October 26, 2015.
He has to be treated aggressively
because the cancer is very aggressive.
Reece lost 50 pounds from when he
started chemotherapy and all of his
muscle tone, but he is gradually gaining
it back. Since his diagnosis, Reece has
had some challenges, but he has been
so positive this whole time. He hasn't
stopped smiling -- that's just his personality.
His greatest challenge has
been keeping an everyday routine, and
he says that “this cancer is no fun.”
Reece has went through so much just to
try to live. He is a total inspiration to
us and his brothers (Reece is the second
out of four brothers). I admire him and
his determination to fight his cancer!
On a good day, Reece loves to fish. He
goes fishing with his brothers every
chance he gets. Some days Reece is too
sick and tired to do anything, but some
days are good. We have been traveling
three hours round-trip for four days a
week for the last five weeks [at the time
of this interview] for Reece to receive
treatment. Soon, Reece will be in a
maintenance phase and will not need so
much chemotherapy, but he still has a
long journey ahead of him.
“HE IS A TOTAL
INSPIRATION TO US
AND HIS BROTHERS.”
Thank God Reece was young enough to
be transferred to the children's cancer
side instead of the adult side of the
hospital to receive treatments. We love
Reece's doctor and all of his nurses.
Batson's Children’s Hospital in Jackson,
Mississippi has been wonderful to
Reece and our whole family.

Our community has also been
wonderful. They have gone over
and beyond to help Reece and
our family. They had lots of
fundraisers for us, selling
T-shirts and bracelets, among
other things.
Reece hopes to inspire people
with his positive attitude and
belief in God, and sees himself
“graduated college with a job,
house and family … living a
normal life” in the future.
“REECE
HAS WENT
THROUGH
SO MUCH
JUST TO
TRY TO
LIVE.”
To others going through a similar
situation, I would say stay positive
and pray a lot. Believe in
God and His will. It gets better.
A GoFundMe has been set up to
help the Stringer family during
this difficult time. To donate,
please visit this page: www.gofundme.com/rw6wp6e4.
Individuals
can also receive more information
about benefits for Reece
and his family on Facebook
under “Reece Stringer Benefit.”

Madison, we are so very proud of all the years
of hard work, diligence, and sacrifice you have put forth
to reach this day. Our hearts are filled with joy for all your
accomplishments, even as our eyes are filled with tears for
the closing of this chapter of your childhood. You are a
blessing, a leader and an inspiration. We are excited for the
amazing opportunities that lie ahead for you. Our love,
prayers and support go with you into your amazing future.
~ Your Parents
My father is a protector. Father means so many things. An
understanding heart, a source of strength and of support -- Right
from the very start. A constant readiness to help in a kind and
thoughtful way. With encouragement and forgiveness, no matter
what comes your way. A special generosity and always affection,
too. A Father means so many things when he's a man like
you. (Unknown) ~ Your Kids, Dara, Dajja & D.J.
Fatherhood gives me that determination factor to
be succesful in life. When it was just me, it was
OK to be content where I am and go along with
life as is. But after becoming a father I look at my
beautiful girls and I think to myself, I have no
choice but to create the best life possible for my
angels as their father. Therefore I'm determined,
more now than I've ever been, to be the best man
I can possibly be for them as well as myself. I
would have never thought that it would take
babies to push me to follow my dreams in
success. They deserve the world and no excuses
why I couldn't give it to them.
~ To Naudia & Cadance
“I learned that
courage was not the
absence of fear, but
the triumph over it.
The brave man is
not he who does not
feel afraid, but he
who conquers
that fear.”
~ Nelson Mandela
We’re so proud of
you and we love
you, Josh!
~Your Family
Dad, your committment to God and others has been
consistent and full of integrity for the whole of my life.
You have shown your character in your unending
commitment to the Church and to Jesus. Your love for
our family is undeniable and I am so grateful to have
grown up with you as my Dad. I honor you and
I love you so much! ~Your daughter, Elise

A North Carolina native, Justin Barrett
currently works as a freelance web designer
based out of Graham, North Carolina.
He has worked as a web designer since
2012, beginning with small work during
his degree program, and evolving into
client work. Since starting, Justin has
grown from using template-based services
to building custom, from-scratch websites,
writing his own code utilizing multiple
coding languages and libraries.
Justin received his Master’s of Instructional
Design and Technology degree from the
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
with a great deal of emphasis put on
designing instruction for Music Education
using a pedagogical approach to
technology.
He received his Bachelor’s of Music in
Music Education degree from the University
of North Carolina at Greensboro in
2011, where he first began formulating the
necessity of making the music classroom
more accessible to the 21st-century
student. During his time there, he also
studied percussion with Dr. Cort McClar-

en, Jon Metzger, John Beck and Dr. Kristopher
Keeton. He is a member of Phi Mu
Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc.,
the National Association for Music Education
and the North Carolina Music Educators
Association, with which he serves as the
organization's webmaster.
Justin has extensive work experience in
various fields -- including web design,
music and education, -- sometimes overlapping
these fields in each working
environment.
Justin has been gainfully employed as a
freelance web designer since 2013. This
began with work as part of graduate assistantships
during his Master's degree, and
expanded into taking on his own clients and
eventually partnering with a digital marketing
group as the primary web designer, still
maintaining his own clients.
Justin currently sits on the technology board
for the North Carolina Music Educators
Association and works as the organization's
webmaster, charged with maintaining information
for classroom teachers all around the
state of North Carolina. While working with
this organization, Justin has also been commissioned
to write for the groups semi-annual
journal. One of the articles written for the
organization was re-published in Nebraska,
Georgia, as well as a national publication --
the National Federation of State High
School Associations Music Association.
Through internship opportunties, Justin has
developed face-to-face presentations/lectures as
well as web-based training tools for classroom
teachers on subjects such as using websites as
course management systems, teaching math
through code and implementing technology into
the general classroom.
Beginning during his Bachelor's program in
2008, Justin has worked for 13 schools in six
different counties -- Guilford, Alamance, Brunswick,
Orange, and Rockingham in the state of
North Carolina -- serving as either a percussion
instructor, front-ensemble instructor, student
teacher or guest conductor. Justin continued
these positions until 2015 when he left his active
position where he had worked for many years to
focus on honing other skills in pursuit of his
long-term goals.
Justin’s latest venture is a web developer and
designer at Agape Love Outreach Ministries,
Inc., under The Artise Studios Project.
To view Justin’s portfolio and learn more, please
visit www.jbtheory.com.
Through coursework, internships and
employment opportunities while pursuing
his Master's degree, Justin developed and
implemented various types of training for
different fields of study. While his primary
focus was on Music Education, he also
participated in projects with large scopes,
such as organizational evaluation, project
management and large-scale technology
adoption.

BY SUMELLA RAMBERT
Now, this is going to sound strange -- but I said, if I live,
I’m a winner, [and] if I die, I’m a winner. Either way, I’m
a winner. And that devil said, “this ain’t working for
her.” That’s wasn’t working. I wasn’t afraid. I don’t say
that boastfully, but I wasn’t afraid, because I know to live
here, I’m going to be a witness for Christ. But if I leave
here, according to the word of God, I’m going to a better place.
It’s not because I was all that great, but because of the blood of Jesus
and because I am who He says I am, then that’s the way I’m going to
walk. That’s the way I’m going to live. You can call me holy this or
self-righteous that, but I’m a child of God. I’ve been adopted into a
family. I believe it, I receive it, and God don’t adopt trash.
Coming up as a child, I was a tomboy. I never wore shoes, until they
came out with a law that you couldn’t go in a store without shoes on.
I hated shoes. So, when I got married, my feet were like rocks on the
bottom. I rode horses, my grandparents bought me boxing gloves. I
boxed with boys and girls. I was a total tomboy. We just worked on
the farm, we did the cotton, we did the tobacco, we raised hogs and
turkeys, my grandfather had a frog pond. There was seven of us,
[and] I’m next to the oldest one. Back then, all three of us girls slept
in the same bed. I was just full tomboy. I don’t know what my
husband saw in me.
I’ve been married to Claude Rambert for 50 years. I was 17 when I
got married, [and] Claude was 19. I said, when I get married, I want
12 children. Then, the doctor told me that I could never have any.
So after five years of marriage, I was pregnant. I was going to the
doctor, but I was six months before they found out. I had my period
the whole nine months. When I had the baby, blood came out
instead. So, they told me to go home, put your legs up, don’t stop
and come to the hospital. I went on to the hospital -- my daughter

Jennifer, she is a miracle, because they said it’s a wonder
she didn’t drown. Then I had my son, Claude III. Then I
adopted two orphan babies -- brother and sister. Me and
Claude, we just hung in there, [but] that’s the way it got
started.
Now, I have 24 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
So, God gave me the grandchildren double what I
wanted for the children. I wanted 12 children. I’ve been
foster parents -- me and Claude -- for at least 14 years.
We’ve been through some things.
I went to Georgetown High School, but I didn’t graduate.
I went back to school and took the GED. The Lord sent us
to Connecticut for five years to work in a church there,
then we come back. Then He sent us to Ohio to work in a
church for five years there. I used to pastor, too. I didn’t
know how to do it then because they didn’t want women,
but we walked through the neighborhood and started up.
Claude was with me, and he played an instrument and my
daughter did the praise and worship.
While in Ohio, I noticed something wrong with me
physically. Now, I didn’t know what was wrong but I
knew something was wrong because from the time I got
saved at 25 -- God would speak to me. Some people say
no, but God began to speak to me because I aggravated
Him. God began to speak to me and tell me things to do.
I knew I could never go back once I accepted Jesus Christ
at that age. I knew because I began to hear him.
[Well], I wasn’t feeling well. So, I called the pastors. I
said, I’m not feeling well. First thing they said [was],
‘have you been to the emergency room?’ I told my
husband, we’re in trouble, because that’s not the first thing
pastors should say. I wasn’t expecting that. I knew that
their faith was not up where it should be. So, in 1999, the
doctor found out that I had breast cancer. He did the
surgery. I wasn’t afraid.
[My first thought when I was diagnosed with cancer was],
what is he -- the doctor -- going to do? I just asked the
question. I wasn’t afraid that I was going to die or
anything -- it was just like, well, what do we gotta do?
So, I asked him and then he told me what he was going to
do. When I had the surgery, he took meat and built it.
Then it rotted and he had to cut it off!
I had a mastectomy and reconstruction, but the reconstruction
didn’t take. It rotted. [Then], every time I would go
back, it was like they didn’t even know my name. I
wanted to make sure that what happened to me didn’t
happen to someone else. You don’t go to the doctor and

he doesn’t even know your name, and he’s done
surgery on you, you’ve been in the hospital. Even if
you can’t remember “Sumella,” you can’t
remember “Mrs. Rambert?”
Honestly, all I was thinking about
was getting it done, and getting
it out of there. My husband
stuck with me, he would
carry my pocket book while
I walked. He didn’t have to
do that, but he would carry
my pocket book and he
would walk straight with
me to the doctors office. I
wasn’t afraid, it was just
like, come on and do it.
So what they [the church] did
for me, they brought the praise
team, they brought the dancing team
-- in my house! They started leaving me
envelopes, and everyday I opened one, they
had more money [and] more money. Then they would
buy stuff and bring it to me. When I got up on my
feet, I told the pastor, I want to give a testimony, because
I was really blessed by the people. He said, “you can’t do
it.” He said [he had been at the church] for 15
years, and nobody was treated like I was.
He said, if I were to stand up and tell
what the people had done for me,
it would be like hurt[ing] the
other ones who had been there
all that time. It’s like, I just
found favor.
We came back here to
North Carolina in 2001
when my daughter graduated
from college and she
was going into the Navy. I
went to get my yearly exam
in 2001 or 2002, to get regular
tests. They gave me a cup and
said, swallow that. He didn’t see
something right when I swallowed,
so he sent me to [another doctor]. They
stuck a needle in my throat and sent it off and
said it was cancer. They sent me to Wilmington, [North
Carolina and] I had a surgery done, [where] they took out

though the breast came off and the thyroid came out,
God healed me.
I want the wives to be encouraged if they don’t have
but one breast, or don’t have any breasts, that doesn’t
mean the man doesn’t love them any more than they
did before. I just want to say that, because that’s a
lie. I’ve got a man. For me and Claude, the sex was
not out. A lot of women start crying because they
feel like their husband’s not going to want them
anymore, but they don’t care about the breast or not.
the thyroid. I never had to do any chemotherapy or
radiation or anything like that, but I still was not ever
afraid, never. I didn’t lose my hair or nothing.
I’ve been through stuff, but I’m not faking when I say
this, I never can remember a day of depression. Now, I
don’t say that boastfully -- I think God has made me that
way. I don’t think I really know how to really get tired.
I make myself rest, but I never feel tired. I never felt
like crying.
I just trust[ed] God. I said it then and I say it to this day,
you need certain people to hang around you, you need
praying people, believing people to hang with you.
Don’t try to handle everything by yourself. You need
people around you, to pray with you when you’re going
through these things.
If I had to summarize my life in one word, the word I
would use is faith. If you have faith, you trust in
God, you believe God, and no matter what comes,
you know you’re going to live. You know you can
still have joy. You don’t let that thing that the enemy
tried to bring against you bring you down, because
God doesn’t bring sickness on us. You have to have
that, to know that God is with you, Jesus is there, the
Holy Ghost is always present. You’ve got to have
that faith. If you don’t, it will take you down. Faith
is the key. Have it in God -- you can’t just have it in
man. That kept me, really it did.
Even though the devil thought he was going to kill
me, God has you in places where you can encourage
others. God uses whatever he puts in every one of
us. God has been good to me.
All God’s children are not the same, but we’re all
special. I always say that God has a bank account for
us, and whenever we need it -- really need it, not greedy,
and pay your tithes and offerings -- he gives it back to
you. God just keeps blessing us.
Now when I see someone that’s going through, I ask
them, do you have someone praying for you? God takes
what the devil meant for evil and uses it for good. Even

If I had to use one word to describe
my journey of fatherhood, it would
have to be EXCITING!!! The word
exciting would be the word of choice
because everyday is a new experience.
It’s just so amazing how his
mind develops so fast and he absorbs
everything like a sponge. It’s also
exciting because we share some of
the same interests, even as a child we
are so similar in so many ways. The
biggest love of our lives is his
beautiful mother and music. Neither
one of us would be anything without
these things in our lives. I’m grateful
for this blessing in my life, I’m
honored God chose him for my wife
and myself. It’s the greatest thing
that’s ever happened to me.
~ To Roderick Deron Keys
Life is choice driven. You live and
die by the choices you make. And
there itself in your response also lies
a choice. How will you respond? He
chose life and he is proud to be a
father. We are very proud of you!
~ Your Family
A Father means so many things ... An
understanding heart, a source of
strength and of support right from
the very start. A constant readiness to
help in a kind and thoughtful way.
With encouragement and forgiveness
no matter what comes your way. A
special generosity and always
affection too. A Father means so
many things when he's a man like
you ... ~ Anonymous
They really are are the joy of my
salvation.
~ To Cairo Jamison Locklear and
Steve Allen Lockear II
We are very proud of Serenity,
and her successful completion
of PreK. She has a
bright future ahead of her,
and a heart as big as the
world. She spreads the
love of Jesus wherever
she goes, and that by
far is the greatest
accomplishment a
parent could ever ask
for! We love you!
~ Your Parents
Put your
heart,
mind,
and
soul
into
even
your
smallest
acts. This is
the secret of
success. ~ Swami
Sivananda
Congratulations,
Megan! We are so very
proud of you!
~ Your Family
My Daddy is a
mountain. My Daddy
is a sea. My Daddy
smiles again and
again. I love my
Daddy and I know he
loves me, 'cause my
Daddy is a ray of light
that warms a winters'
eve. My Daddy is very
special to me. I could
not live without my
Daddy as he could not
live without me.
~ By Charleigh
Graham, From
Serenity to Daddy

IN
REAL LIFE
BY ARTURO M. CUMMINGS
Imagine having the opportunity of a lifetime --
being on the set in Atlanta, Georgia in November
2013 filming the Mockingjay movie -- a
movie that will be seen by millions of people,
modeling, singing, acting, education, house,
car, job … all in view. Who could ask for
more? Then. there’s that one moment where
everything goes black. Two days later, your
eyes open in a hospital that doesn’t look like
the same scene. Questions like, “where am I?”
what happened? how did I get here? and what’s
really going on?” flash through your mind. And
then the doctor walks in. And your life
changes forever.
“I experienced the first and probably worst
seizure. I was actually done filming the movie
at this time,” Roy Hawkins remembers. “I was
at a homeless shelter at the time when this
seizure occurred. During that time, I would
commute to Atlanta often for modeling/acting
gigs. Although these were paid jobs, the pay
was not that much and usually I could barely
afford hotel rentals for each day when I had
multiple day bookings. This film was a
three-day booking.”
“Often, I would either sleep in my truck, or
occasionally with someone I knew. This particular
time I had [gone] to a shelter to stay while
there. Money was scarce for me at the time and
I didn’t have enough gas money to make it back
to Tennessee. I did not know how the Lord was
going to work this situation out. I was literally
stranded in Atlanta. I do not remember much
about the minutes right before the seizure. It
was overnight, while I was asleep. I was on a
top bunk and apparently fell off onto a concrete
floor. I sort of remember having an ‘out of
body’ experience and hearing the other guys at
the shelter talking about whether I was dead or
not,” Roy says.
“After that, I just remember waking up in a
hospital bed with doctors all around; I had been
there for at least two days -- unconscious. At
the time, I did not have a very close relationship
with either of my parents and I had only mentioned
casually to my sisters that I was going to
Atlanta; therefore, no one really knew I was
there and the demise I had suffered. Eventually,
by God’s grace, they were able to contact a
family member (to this day I am still unsure

how this happened -- so I credit it to
God). From there, there were some
family that came to Atlanta to see me.
Eventually, I was released, but these
seizures would continue and worsen
over the next few months.”
Roy Hawkins, Jr. is from Brownsville,
Tennessee and the son of Roy Hawkins,
Sr. and Dorothy Hawkins. He is the
youngest of three siblings, Lisa and
Sylvia. He recently moved back to the
area because of his health.
“Me and my siblings have maintained a
close relationship since growing up, but
until recently I did not have a close
relationship with either of my parents
for various reasons,” Roy says. “I
thank God that me becoming ill and
having to move back home [because it]
did in fact help me to forge a stronger
relationship with both my mother and
father. It also helps me to appreciate
them more and that I am so blessed to
still have them here with me on earth.
Several miracles and blessings came
from the strife that I endured.”
“I’ve come to realize that God has a
way of sending just the right people
into our lives at just the right moment,”
Roy says as he recalls the challenges
he’s faced.
Mrs. Jerilyn Thornton came into his
life during a time when he says he
needed to see the love of God. She
took Roy back and forth to doctor’s
appointments, paying for his
medications and, most importantly,
giving encouragement and hope in a
time when he says he felt like it was
hopeless.

“Her efforts were instrumental in my
full recovery and restoration. If only
there could be more people like Mrs.
Jerilyn -- this world would be a
much better place,” Roy says.
Roy describes his life as a miracle.
“When I reflect upon my life -- from
childhood through adulthood -- it is
truly a miracle that I am still here.
The adversity and challenges that I
have had to face and overcome
within my 38 years on earth have
been enough to break the average
person,” Roy says as he recalls being
bullied and sexually abused at a
young age.
Roy also understands how advancing
in multiple industries can lead to the
wrong type of validation when
working through the healing process,
both mentally and emotionally. He
recalls a particular modeling shoot
where he was half-nude on top of
a car and stated that this is not the
plan God had specifically for his
life. “... I did not allow these
things to break me even though
there were several times that I
wanted to give up,” he says.
Roy is now an art teacher and
artist, and has just launched a
traveling art exhibition in Memphis,
titled, “Vision from Heaven:
Paintings from The Revelation of
Jesus Christ,” which gives visual
context to several scriptures from
the last book of the Bible.
“I created the series, which
currently consists of 11 paintings,
over several years,” Roy says. “I
plan to continue to add to it as
God leads me. In fact, I am
currently working on two additions
to the series.”
Each painting of Roy’s exhibition
was created using acrylic
paint or various other media
and has a 3-D component
which binds the series together.
“Vision from Heaven:
Paintings from The Revelation
of Jesus Christ” is now on tour
beginning at the Benjamin L.
Hooks Central Library in
Memphis, Tennessee.
Roy says: “I have stood
steadfast with God’s promises
and He has rewarded me
tremendously for my faithfulness!
Our God is an awesome
God!”
For information about Roy
and the exhibition, visit
facebook.com/visionfromheaven.

“I AM
LOVE.”
“I AM
DANIEL.”
“I AM
DETERMINED.”
“I AM
FEARLESS.”
“I AM
DEDICATED.”
“I AM
MIRACLE.”
“WE ARE
REFRESHING.”
“I AM
A WARRIOR.”
“I AM
RELENTLESS.”
“I AM
ADVENTUROUS.”
“I AM
INSPIRATION.”
“I AM
A COMMUNICATOR.”

BY ROBERTA BYRD
Being homeless after losing my job and home
[allowed me] to learn the lesson that family
does not always mean blood, that walking away
from people who should love you may actually
save my life.
Our experience being homeless, as funny as it
sounds, gave us the opportunity to bless others.
We moved the person who housed us twice,
[and] took care of her apartment while she left
us in her home. We also assisted her with a
medical crisis, which maybe had we not been
there, some of the most critical things she
needed may not have been provided. My daughter
and I took groceries to a friend for her and
her children. My daughter and I learned that we
are not alone and while I spent a great part of
my life trying to get someone to love me
because of my successes, my ability to take care
of me and mine … even at the lowest point, they
would not give me the love nor relationship that
I thought I didn’t have. GOD showed me that I
have family in people who do not share my
blood, who cry for me and pray for me because
their lives without me would be a little dull. I
learned that some people will treat you bad …
when you are in a vulnerable place of brokenness
and GOD is the only one who can and will
make you whole again. And funny enough,
GOD will ask you to do some things for HIM
that you might not do under different circumstances.
Roberta Byrd is a daddy’s girl, Classie’s Mom, a
servant, a leader, an encourager and someone
seeking to be the best I can be, originally from a
small town outside of Pittsburgh, Clairton, Pennsylvania.
[I am] currently residing in Greensboro,
North Carolina.
My childhood was unstable, trying, but I knew
my father loved me and that made some of what I
went through bearable. My mother was not
always present, my father at one point was addicted
to alcohol and I was not raised with “family.”
We were related by blood, but you couldn’t really
tell it by the way we treated each other.
My fondest memories as a child were the holidays
before my parents divorced. Big meals, lots of
distant relatives and love and laughter. I focused
more on thatm then what may or may not happen
after. There was never a kids table. My father
wanted all his children at the table, eating from
the china and drinking from the good glasses.
[After becoming an adult and having a child], my
relationship with my daughter is one in which
most people could never understand. My daughter
had to grow up very fast, but that made her more
responsible and vocal. She is my daughter and
she will gladly tell you that, as I would say she is
my daughter. She has been with me at some of the
most vulnerable times in our lives and been
strong. At six years old, my daughter and I were
left to care for my father, who was transitioning.
When he died, she came to the hospital to view
his body before cremation, she sang at the funeral
and helped me bury his ashes on his mother’s

oom for anything. Before I left the hospital, I asked
for help, but no one cared to help me. When I finally
got a doctor to send me to therapy, the psychiatrist
said, “You seem stressed, I think you need a little
something.” I told her she was the crazy one! GOD
knew that one attempt to medicate an educated black
woman on public assistance was going to bring me out.
Please understand, I’m not saying it’s not good for
some, but I KNEW what was going on in regards to
what the medical system does to poor people of color.
Obstacles & Opportunities
My daughter finished her novel while we were in the
Intensive Care Unit. I had no idea of what she was
doing but the laptop never left her side and when she
told me what she did, I was hesitant to read it, but
when I did, I was amazed. We sometimes say young
people don’t know anything, but she took life experiences
and put together a real story of a teenage girl
growing up in the hood and all that can come with it.
grave; she was eight years old. She became
my strength. At 16, when I ended up in the
hospital with blood clots, she waited while
they operated on me. I had surgery once a
day for three days in a row and she was
there, waiting alone, staying with me in the
ICU, even when they wanted to put her out.
She was my protector. And when I got out
of the hospital and lost my mind and treated
her horribly, she still never left me. She is
my best friend, she is my confidante, she
keeps me standing.
Being in the hospital was strange. As a
sinner, I was crazy enough to believe that
no matter where I went or what I did, GOD
would not [do] anything to hurt me, so I
walked in boldness. I feared nothing
coming out of a club by myself at night or
whatever I was doing. When I had to face
that something I couldn’t see was gonna
take me out of here, I LOST MY MIND! I
was so deep in depression, I hated my child,
I stayed in a room alone, I did not leave the
From sitting on the front porch [to] singing gospel
songs, to our many road trips, to reading my daughter’s
first novel, to seeing her sing jazz on stage with
Sean Jones and Dwayne Dolphin, we have had the best
and some of the worst experiences.
My life’s journey is PERSISTENT because I am not
one to give up. I believe that there are still miracles for
me to be a part of, whether for me or someone else. I
am PERSISTENT because my spiritual gift is encouragement.
When you encourage, it’s not a “You got
this!” and walk away. It’s helping that person dig into
the gift that is who they are. I am still digging into the
GIFT that is Roberta.
What keeps me committed is understanding that my
ministry is service and encouragement and not always
in that order. What keeps me committed is that there
by the Grace of GOD go I, was I, and will be I again if
I am not aware.
The future holds for me manifestations of miracles --
not one -- [but] many! Know that Roberta Arleatha
Byrd is by no means perfect and that it took me a long
time to learn that I tied myself to people who GOD
removed me from and it was unholy and hurt me. It
hurts to let go, but GOD. [To encourage others, I
would say], GOD has not forgotten you and ask GOD
what HE wants you to learn from this experience.

BY ABBY MCKEE
ONE IN ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND
Somehow, our four-year-old little warrior had
found his way to being one in 100,000 children
who would fight this battle. We were told to go
home and pack a bag because they were getting us
a room in the pediatric hospital two hours away at
West Virginia University Hospital. Our son Imri
didn’t really know what was going on. We just kept
looking him in the eyes and telling him that we
loved him, we were there, and that all the needles
and medicine would be over soon. He was so
strong.
disease lottery. It could possibly come back a
few times and then he might seem to grow out
of it. Then there is also the possibility that he
would, one day, need a kidney transplant. This
is a disease that will cause us to be on our
spiritual toes and to always thank God for his
total healing and restoration. We will always
have to be faithful in every thought and action
pertaining to Imri’s health.
The doctor sat us down and talked us through what
he thought and what he had been doing during the
time he had been outside the room away from us.
He said that he had an assumption that Imri was a
very sick little boy. He believed that Imri had a
condition called nephrotic syndrome. This was the
first time I had ever heard of it. Nephrotic
syndrome is the number one most common form of
kidney disease in adults – it is, however, very rare
in children. We spent three days there in West
Virginia.
Nephrotic syndrome is a very unsure disease. The
way it was explained to us is that he is fine so long
as he continues to respond to the steroid treatments
when they are needed. According to his specialist, it
is possible that this could go away and never rear
its ugly head again – if we won the nephrotic

Looking back, the signs were there. In September
of 2015, Imri’s face began swelling through
the night, mostly in the area around his eyes.
But by the afternoon most of the swelling was
gone. Imri being one of four children, we did
not panic with this swelling. At first we
assumed it was probably just an allergic reaction
to something new that had been brought
into the house. Some days the swelling would
be in both eyes, some days it would be more to
one side than the other, and sometimes it was
barely noticeable at all. One evening Imri called
my husband, his dad, into the bathroom and told
him that his “pee-pee” hurt. James looked him
over and discovered that his scrotum was so
inflamed that his other male parts were barely
visible. We rushed him to the ER right then. The
ER doctor ran blood work and had an ultrasound
done of his genitalia. She told us that she
was concerned that Imri may have the mumps.
That didn’t sit right with us so I called his pediatrician
first thing in the morning.
Imri and his little brother Simon had gone in for a
WIC appointment and been weighed a week earlier.
For some reason, I remembered that Imri’s weight
had been 38.6 pounds at that appointment. When his
pediatrician weighed him, he weighed approximately
48 pounds. His pediatrician checked him over and
showed us that the swelling was all over his body.
His genitals had swollen because there was so much
fluid in his body that it had nowhere to go but down.
We later found out that this was due to a loss of
protein. With nephrotic syndrome, the body dumps
protein through an open valve in the kidney. This
tricks the body into thinking the person is dehydrated,
causing it to retain the water.
It was really tough to watch my baby go through
everything he went through. His hospital stays were
short but he had regular IV treatments that required
us to spend the day there. He is the toughest kid I

know. I have watched him take an IV without so
much as batting an eye. It hurt me more to watch, I
think! What hurt the most was looking at him and
seeing this moon-faced, little buff guy and knowing
that my string bean little boy was hiding in there
somewhere. The steroids were horrible on his little
body.
Imri’s biggest challenge during hospitalization was
taking the meds. He had to have an IV every time he
was in the hospital, but what he hated most was the
oral medication. At one point, he was taking seven
medications at least twice a day. Imri has never liked
taking medications, and these meds continued even
after he came home. For the first month of his daily
meds, we had to physically restrain him. It would
have been easier to baptize a cat then to give him
those meds. He was on steroids and blood pressure
medicine, among other things, for over four months.
have received bills for hundreds of dollars a piece
that, before insurance, would have been in the
thousands. It has been amazing to see God take
bills, totaling in the tens of thousands, and dropping
them down to just a few thousand.
Imri has gone through some tough physical,
emotional and mental trials with this diagnosis,
but I do not think he ever really lost his joy. My
joy was found in watching him grow, pray and
triumph while pressing into God during what
should have been a very dark time.
Imri is a man of few words but he is super smart,
strong, independent, and he is great at cuddling.
He loves to pray for people. He is the third of four
My husband had retired from the Marine Corps less
than a year before this happened. This hit just as I
went back to college and James was starting to get
into the swing of a new job. God sustained us
through the hardship of dealing with the transition
and the encounter with the illness. Even in this,
God’s timing was perfect. We have had some medical
bills but God has even largely handled that! We

kids, but he kind of rules the roost. When he was two and a
half years old, we were told that he had an auditory
processing disorder, which was limiting his verbal communication;
also, he has had some trouble with sensory
processing disorder, causing him to meltdown on occasion.
He can be very quiet at times, but he can be VERY loud as
well. He is our little roller coaster. Imri has fought uphill
for most of his young life, but he has put up a good fight!
Right now, he is perfectly fine and in remission. We are
believing he will stay that way indefinitely. The treatments
he received were infusions of a type of cancer treatment
drug called rituximab and, according to his doctors, it
should keep him in remission for a year and a half to two
years. Again, we are believing in total healing.
Imri tells me that he wants to be big like his Daddy. He is
an overcomer. He knows that God is real and that Jesus is
with him. This may be more real to him than half of the
adults I know.
I think we all (our family) admittedly treasure one another
a bit more. This has caused us to share more time, love and
grace with one another. God has huge plans for Imri, and
I will never set a limit to this kid and what God will do
through him.

BY ARTURO AND ELISE CUMMINGS
“When you’re put in that situation, it’s pure
panic mode. You’re Googling and you’re
sending scans to doctors all over the country
trying to get information … Diffuse Intrinsic
Pontine Glioma (DIPG)? In 2008, prior to
the end of April, it never would have been on
our radar.” That’s what was going through
Mark and Renae Newmillers’ minds when
their four-year-old daughter, Ella, was
diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, inoperable
tumor located in the pons area of the brainstem.
The prognosis for this type of tumor is
extremely grim. There is no cure, no known
effective treatment except for radiation --
which, for some, provides only temporary
relief of the symptoms. The elusive tumor
was now a reality for the Newmillers, and
their fight for their daughter had just begun.
The Newmillers moved to Raleigh, North
Carolina from Washington, D.C. in 2001
after having their first child, Jack. They
were looking for a city that had some
culture, but also a slower pace of life.
Raleigh was the ticket, and after living in the
city for about a year, their daughter Ella was
born.
The Newmillers describe Ella as full of life
and compassionate, a child who loved others
and wanted to help in any way she could.

outgoing, sassy girl,” Renae says.
sionate.”
the Newmillers received the news
they were devastated and it was a
for the family.
sand and putting it in the grass, it
like],” Mark says. “One side of it can
the other side of it can have characteris-
so it is sort of the lynchpin of some
makeup of the tumor is much of
of events lead the local
to the family to start what
“Ella-Bration,” a fun time of
community, which they
years during Ella’s battle
for different ways to be
community, and something
really touched their heart.
four of what Chick-fil-A
her,” Renae says.
first one -- the police
ers -- just a bunch of
and have some fun, so
was just a lot of fun for
was just something that
couple years. Every
forward to it. The
she actually got a
work behind the
“Ella was definitely quite the fun-loving,
“[She] is extremely kind and compas-
So, when days before her fifth birthday
that their daughter had a brain tumor,
time of heartbreak and great sadness
“If you can imagine having a handful of
weaves all over -- [that’s what DIPG is
have characteristics of pancreatic cancer,
tics of breast cancer, that type of thing,
doctors.”
The location and the
what makes it so elusive.
During this time, a series
Chick-fil-A to reach out
they were calling an
celebration for the
continued for four
with DIPG.
“They were looking
engaged in the
about Ella’s story
They ended up having
called ‘Ella-Bration’ for
According to Mark, “The
were there, the firefightthings
to just come in
people came in and it
the kids. After that, it
they continued for a
year, Ella looked
first or second year
nametag and got to
counter.”

“Ella ... really just kind of embraced that [and]
loved being behind the counter serving her
friends, running the show. She definitely
loved running the show, and did a great
job,” Renae says.
The Newmillers were “humbled
and grateful” when they were
approached by Chick-fil-A about
the Ella-bration, and say that Ella
was “thrilled.” The Ella-Brations
turned into something bigger, that
continues to this day -- Ella’s Race
-- a community event in Raleigh that
raises awareness and financial
support for pediatric brain cancer
research. The idea of the race came
during a particularly difficult time for the
Newmillers.
“In 2011, Chick-fil-A contacted us about Ella’s
Race, [and we knew] at that point in time that Ella
was not doing well,” Renae says.
The first Ella’s Race was held in March of 2012;
Ella passed away on February 8, 2012 while at
home with her family.
“She didn’t get to participate or see the race. It
was very hard [and] definitely bittersweet. All of
her friends and their families, our church family --
just to have that kind of support is huge during
that [difficult] time in our lives,” Renae says.
“During any sort of crisis, to have friends and
family come alongside you is so important, yet so
hard to see her friends out running … and it was
rainy, and cold. The fact that people came out in
the rain and the cold, meant a lot.”
That first race saw 800 or 900 runners. Ella’s
Race has continued to grow each year -- each race
being “the biggest year ever.” This past year,
Ella’s Race was held on March 19, 2016 with over
1,500 runners, hundreds of supporters, many
vendors and more. The race has become a staple
in the community with a family atmosphere and
proceeds going toward benefitting the missions of
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and The
Cure Starts Now to help pediatric research, aid and
support efforts for children with brain cancer and
tumors.

“I am
fun-loving
and a champion.
I am Ella.”

other. He never acted out because he
wasn’t getting attention or anything like
that, but I’m sure it was hard. It wasn’t your
normal childhood, [and] he misses her,”
Renae says.
About Ella, the Newmillers welcome any
chance they get to talk about their “sweet
girl.”
“I don’t think you could really sum [Ella] up
in one word. She was just so compassionate,
and so loving, even when -- as brother
and sister -- the kids would fight. She
would push Jack’s buttons, and get him in
trouble. But then, she wouldn’t want to see
him get in trouble [and get punished]. She
just wanted him to get in trouble -- no
punishment” Mark remembers.
“ I think [Ella] would be just one of the biggest champions
of this race if she was still alive, wanting to do anything that
she could to prevent other children and families from going
through this … When I think of Ella, I just think of her
coming alongside the child who doesn’t have anyone to
play with or wanting to do a bake sale to help other people,”
Renae says. “I think that this race embodies her spirit, and
her passion and her desire to help others, especially to help
other children.”
“When Ella was first diagnosed, there hadn't been a change
to treatment in 50 [or] 60 years. Now, they’ve made so
much progress in just research and opportunities. We do it
[Ella’s Race] to honor Ella’s spirit, but also to find a homerun
cure for cancer,” Mark says.
“It’s bigger than just a specific type of tumor that only
affects 200 to 300 kids a year,” Renae says. “The hope is
the treatments that [will eventually] cure this type of cancer
can be used [to treat] so many other types of cancer [and]
that’s important! What Ella had is such a rare type of cancer
… Being able to have the technology to reach out to people
not only across the country -- but across the world -- who
may be able to offer some gleam of hope, was important.”
For the Newmillers’ son, Jack, “It was a big chunk of his
childhood that was centered around his sister having cancer.
He’s such a good boy, such a sweet boy and such a good big
“Any time there’s a chance to talk about her
-- even though it’s very hard -- we welcome
that, because we want more people to know
how wonderful she was and continues to be
for us,” Renae says. “On her tombstone, it
says ‘loved greatly.’ I think because she
loved so greatly, she herself was so greatly
loved.”
To the Newmillers, it’s important that people
understand that DIPG -- the rare, elusive
type of cancer that Ella had -- could be the
key to finding breakthroughs in other
cancers, so it’s important for others to get
involved in research opportunities, if possible.
Renae says, “Whether it’s Ella’s Race or
some other event that champions coming
alongside children with cancer, I would just
say go for it, because the impact can be
huge!”
The Cure Starts Now, The Pediatric Brain
Tumor Foundation and the DIPG Registry
are all resources for families going through
the same situation as the Newmillers. You
can find a full list of resources on our Web
site at www.artisestudios.com.

*STATISTICS FROM THE MICHAEL MOSIER FOUNDATION AND THE CURE STARTS NOW FOUNDATION - DEFEATDIPG.ORG AND THECURESTARTSNOW.ORG

BY ELISE CUMMINGS
“I’ll never be a missionary. I’m not interested in the mission field.” Then, in 1966, this all changed
for young Robert Wade Pope, when a prophetic word that he received about going to the country of
Brazil became a reality. He soon found himself on a plane with his young wife and three children.
“You talk about starting from scratch — [well] we did,” he said. A “trailblazer” and “legend” are
words that come to mind when you mention now Pastor Wade Pope -- a missionary and minister of
the Gospel for more than 56 years -- who has ministered in more than 20 countries and sparked
more than 100 churches worldwide.
Robert Wade Pope was born in North Carolina, but when he was young, he moved to Hamersville,
Ohio -- a small town in the southern part of the state -- where he became involved in sports, namely
basketball.
“I had a normal childhood, and good parents who loved me and parents that were deeply interested
in my future and what I was doing,” he says. “It was a great place to grow up -- free of all of the
things that we face today that are disruptive. Everybody played basketball. That was a major thing.
Every kid had a basketball hoop in his backyard.
Basketball became a major part of his life during this time, even though he almost didn’t get to play.
At 11-years-old, Wade lost his sight in his left eye and almost didn’t pass to play basketball. But, he
was put through, and as a junior, he started on his high school basketball team, winning the league
championship. By his senior year, he set a school record by scoring 50 points in one
game, which forever remains in the school Hall of Fame. Wade went on to average 31 points a
game in college, leading the team to a 500-win record within one year (the previous year, the team
had only won one game).

“I’LL NEVER BE A MISSIONARY. I’M NOT
INTERESTED IN THE MISSION FIELD.”
When he was 16 years old, Wade came to
know Jesus as his Savior. Around this
same time, he met his future wife, Carolyn,
and they were married in August of 1958.
While still attending a Christian college, he immediately
went into pastoral ministry, beginning to preach
at the age of 19 in Stanton, Kentucky, where he and
his wife, Carolyn, pastored Stanton Christian Church
during his senior year of college. He then went on to
pastor Allen Park Christian Church in Allen Park,
Michigan. While there, Pastor Wade says that God
called him to the mission field at a special meeting in
the area, laying the country of Brazil on his heart.
“In April of 1966 at a missions
conference in Detroit
-- of all things, I decided to go
to the mission field.
It was God’s commission and
his direct call! What [the
speaker] said that night, it was
like he and the Lord sat down together to write out some direction
for my life. Everything he said, it was like, wow, that’s what I want
to do, that’s what I want to be,” he says. “I basically just made the
decision there to go to the mission field in Brazil. I went home that
night to Carolyn, who had stayed home with our three children,
and I informed her that we were going to be missionaries in
Brazil. She seemed a little shocked, a little surprised, but
being the woman she was, she prayed, sought God, and
said ‘yes, this is right.’”
Right before this time, Wade says he
made “an unusual statement” about
not being interested in the mission
field. “You learn to say things that
you shouldn’t say, and that was one of
them,” he says.
He began to raise support for his
mission work, and in July of 1968, he,
Carolyn and their three children went to Brazil.“I knew nothing about the country, nothing
in Portuguese,” he says. “You talk about starting from scratch — [well,] we did.”
The Popes moved to Taguatinga, Brazil to begin learning Portuguese, and Wade was
preaching in the language within a year. Pastor Wade then moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
in 1969 to continue studying the language and began working in the suburbs of the city to
plant a church with a team of missionaries.

“YOU TALK ABOUT STARTING FROM
SCRATCH — [WELL,] WE DID.”
what God wanted me to do. [During prayer time with
Ruth and Wendell], Wendell, not knowing any Portuguese,
had spoken perfect Portuguese in a prayer. And within a
short period of time, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit,
[too],” he recalls.
During this time, something pivotal
happened for Pastor Wade, which changed
the way he did ministry forever.
“I need to say this, this is so important and so vital.
In April of 1970, my wife’s sister Ruth and her husband
Wendell came through on their way from Africa -- they
were missionaries in Africa -- and Wendell informed us
that he had received the Holy Spirit. I had been eagerly
desiring the Holy Spirit, reading books and talking to
people, but I still wasn’t willing to take that step and go
full into it. I knew that if I did [take that step], I would
lose all of my support and be forced to go into another
direction, but I got so hungry for God, I wanted to do
After an illness that affected Carolyn, Pastor Wade and his
family moved back to the States to raise support for their
ministry in Brazil. While in the U.S., Pastor Wade went
back to pastor Stanton Christian Church in Kentucky
before returning to Brazil.
“The doctors said she [Carolyn] would never be able to go
back to Brazil, she’ll never have a normal
diet, and so we just sought God, we
prayed,” he remembers. “My wife got
healed. We were able to go back to Brazil
and other countries to minister and have a
normal life. When she went to go to be
with the Lord 30-something years later, it
had nothing to do with [what she had
suffered during this time].”
Over the next two years, Wade pastored a
church in Piris do Rio, Brazil, before
returning to the United States again to

pastor Capital City Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a church
that grew extremely quickly.
“From day one, here again, God moved. The Lord did amazing
things. People were being converted out of witchcraft and
Satanism, but during that time, the Lord said -- Enjoy it now,
because I’m sending you back to Brazil,” Pastor Wade remembers.
The family then returned to Brazil in 1975, helping to found the
first Spirit-filled church Pope had ever pastored in Ipameri. The
Popes once again returned to the States and Pastor Wade held
revival meetings, conferences and special meetings in Warsaw,
North Carolina, in order to raise support for their work in South
America.
In 1979, Pastor Wade spent a year in Honduras and departed for
Brazil with a stronger financial base in 1982, founding churches
in Sao Miguel do Araguia, Campo Grande, Goias Velho, Niteroi
and Nilopolis, Brazil.
“It’s been true in my ministry over the years, I’ve gone to these
places with no churches or few churches and established a
congregation there,” he says.
In August of 1990, Wade and his wife moved to Portugal, where
they founded two churches before returning to the United States
and beginning Grace Covenant Church in Beulaville, North
Carolina in June of 1991, a church he pastored for 20 years.
“There was a group of people praying here for a new church,
and we just believed that God wanted us to identify with those
prayers,” Pastor Wade says. “Now today in 2016, we will
celebrate 25 years of church life in Beulaville, North Carolina.
It’s been an amazing thing, because it’s been a difficult project
in some ways and a very easy project in other ways. God has
blessed us with an amazing congregation that has influence and
outreach all over the world.”
In March of 2007, Pastor Wade lost his dear wife Carolyn to
pancreatic cancer.
“That was just a totally devastating time in my life because I tell
people -- there’s nothing like losing a spouse. Just a sadness, a
loneliness, it was just a terrible time. But in that period of time,
God began to speak to me and said, ‘You don’t have to be this
lonely and in this kind of condition for the rest of your life.’ I
had not thought I would ever [get married again].”
But in January of 2010, Pastor Wade remarried Marty Pope, “a
good friend and a close friend of Carolyn -- and I knew her
character and integrity. We talked and we prayed; conservative

ly speaking, we probably spent 200 hours on the phone
praying before we got married. We’ve been traveling the
world together,” he says.
During his time in ministry, Pastor Wade has seen tremendous
miracles in the many places he’s been, including a man being
raised from the dead, and eight-year-old little girl whose skull
was crushed by a garage door being completely healed. The
churches he began and helped to build have multiplied all
over the world, and are still in the business of changing lives.
“From Brazil -- where we taught in the Bible school and
helped to raise up leaders, they have started churches in Italy,
in Switzerland, in England and in Portugal, and I go to all
those places because I’m kind of the grandaddy
of some of those folks. Those early
churches have now become grandparents.
God has blessed us and been so faithful to
us,” Pastor Wade says. “I just give the glory
to God, he gets the credit for everything that
he’s done in my life. I’m happy, I’m
fulfilled, and just looking for the next challenge.
Hopefully it won’t involve moving
again, but who knows?”
Although vision problems challenge Pastor
Wade right now, he says that he has “a lot of
sanctified determination” and has been able
to “overcome it to some extent.” He sees
himself doing the same thing he’s doing now,
being involved in ministry and traveling to
spread the news of Jesus.
As his granddaughter writing this piece, I am
supremely proud to come from such a
lineage. My grandpa has always been such a
model to me growing up, watching his careful
reliance on God and his perpetual grateful
attitude! I don’t think he complains about
anything! I believe I got a lot of my work
ethic from my grandpa. He worked hard and
instilled those values into all of us. He passed
on a spiritual heritage that is undeniable, and
it’s amazing to see his legacy being fulfilled
all over the world. Today and everyday, I
honor him and his continued legendary status
in my life and the life of our wonderful
family! He doesn’t want to quit doing ministry,
and I don’t think he ever will. He has
already left a giant-sized footprint on this
earth, that I think will be really hard to fill.
Here’s to you, Grandpa!

BY SANDRA CUMMINGS
He was a father. He was a soldier. He was a boxer.
He was a husband. He was a community pillar and
hard worker, a grandfather, and loving friend. The
essence and spirit of Joe Darden was a compassionate,
gentle and kind person who touched each person
he met.
“He was a wonderful soldier. He was a nice man, a
wonderful husband. The best that I have ever
known. He was a very gentle, quiet man, a peaceful
man, and a family man,” says Rosa Darden, his wife
of 42 years. “My husband Joe, I’ve learned most
everything I know now as an adult, because we
traveled everywhere, we just did everything
together. He taught me how to save money and
do different things. He said to himself, he would
never be broke again. That was his goal, and he
wasn’t broke. He kept money, he knew how to
save.”
Joe Louis Darden, Sr. was born December 13,
1935 to the late Mr. and Mrs. John L. and Rossie
Lee Darden of Jesup, Georgia. The second eldest
of 11 children, he graduated from Wayne County
High School in 1954. After graduation, he joined
the Army to escape the racism of the Jim Crow

South, a decision he never regretted. A good
and faithful soldier, Joe adapted well to
military life and soon found himself advancing
in rank. He willingly served two tours in
Vietnam, receiving the Bronze Star Medal
and Purple Heart for Military Heroism and
Wounds received in combat there.
While stationed in Texas, he met Ms. Rosa L.
Fleming and the two were married in 1974.
The happy couple and their young family
traveled around the world, as the Darden
family was stationed in locations from Fort
Bragg, North Carolina to Germany. Eventually,
they were relocated to Fort Jackson in
Columbia, South Carolina where they would
make their permanent home. Sgt. Darden
retired from the military in 1985, a decorated
war veteran with the rank of Sergeant Major
E9, the highest rank achievable as an enlisted
man.
“We met one night at the club, coming from
Fort Dix on his way to Vietnam, his first tour
to Vietnam. I was 19, he was 34. We were
married 42 years and together for eight years
before we got married,” Rosa says. “Every
minute of his life [was special]. I don’t have
one special moment because all of them were
special, because he was a special man, and he
treated me like a lady. I give honor where
honor is due. It’s the truth -- he took care of
my uncle for me who fought in World War II,
it’s nothing I wanted that he didn’t give to
me.”
Believing in the importance of education, he
used his GI benefits to obtain an Associate’s
Degree in Criminal Justice from Midlands
Technical College in conjunction with Fort
Jackson. He was on the boxing team at Fort
Jackson, he ran the gym out there at the 4th
Brigade. He loved boxing. He won the championship,
and they have his picture at Fort Stewart.
He then embarked upon a second career as an
officer for the South Carolina Department of
Corrections, stationed at Central Correctional
Institution (CCI) in Columbia, where he served
for 16 years before taking his second retirement.
Retirement afforded him the opportunity to
indulge in other pursuits that were close to his
heart. A founding member of Christian Faith
Fellowship, he served with the Men’s Ministry
and Usher Board.
“How Joe got saved, that’s a beautiful story,”
Rosa recounts. “I got saved first, one night I
was coming in, I used to like to go out and
party, wear the short skirts and everything. I
came in one night and I heard a voice, and the
voice spoke to me and I was a little tipsy -- but I
knew I was in the house by myself and I knew it
was the Lord telling me to get right. I was down
by the bed and I got saved. Then Joe came
home from Fort Bragg, and noticed there was a
difference about me.”
“So, one night, he was coming home commuting
from Fort Bragg to South Carolina, and he
wrecked the car and a man came up from church
and said, you know who was in that car with
you. He said, [I looked at your car] and said
whoever is in there is dead. But he went out in
the field and found a pen, and the pen said, “The
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” so
different things like that had happened.”
“One night, I was afraid that he didn’t want me
to pursue being saved or going to church, so I
left him home ... and he heard a voice -- John 3,
told him you’ve got to be born again, of the

“His spirit was real good, he believed and he was
saying like -- we’re in recovery, we’re getting
well, God is going to heal us,” Rosa says. “He
wouldn’t say we were sick. That’s what kind of
spirit he had. He would love to go to church,
Bible study, because that’s what we did. He was
just meek and humble before he died.”
Shortly before his 80th birthday, Joe Darden
passed away.
“We had a nice day. That morning -- because I’m
a kidney transplant [recipient] --I had to go see
about me, and when I got back, I just looked at
him and I said, ‘no.’ I don’t talk about it much,”
Rosa says. “[After Joe died], my life has been
wonderful, I’ve learned the spirit of the Lord, the
true spirit, and I’ve learned the agape love that
Jesus has for each one of us, and he’s real in life --
he’s a person. He’s your friend, he’s your all in
all, and he’s in charge of everything. He’s got it
all and that’s who I depend on, because he has
really worked in my life and showed me some
things different than what I was doing. God is all,
he’s it.”
spirit. He was a good man, and that’s where he went to the
chapel and read and then we went to a convention in
Augusta, Georgia. Joe loved the sermon, and from there,
that’s how he got saved,” she says.
While Joe was proud of his professional accomplishments,
he was even prouder of his lovely family. A dedicated
husband and father, no sacrifice was too great to ensure that
his children and grandchildren were well cared for and had
every opportunity in life. His family and friends knew him
as a gentle, soft-spoken, peace-loving man, but one who
knew how to get things done.
“As a father, he was great. He loved all of his children --
he had four. We had one son together, but he loved them all
equal, all the same. I used to think he loved them too
much, but he did. He loved family and he loved his
children a great deal,” Rosa says. “Every two years, we
would go to Germany to see the German girls.”
Sixteen years ago, Joe was diagnosed with COPD, which
was a challenge for the family.
“I would encourage [people going through the
same thing] to lean on Jesus Christ with all their
understanding, because He says He’ll never leave
you nor forsake you,” she says. “You may not
feel him, but he’s there, and he’s there working
things out before we even ask because he knows
already. He wants you to be and know that he’s
there for you for anything and he will lead you
and guide you and keep you and he’s already
worked it out. Lean on him.”
“He’s just a nice, honest, courageous, beautiful
person. That’s what the Lord has shown me,”
Rosa says.
Mr. Darden passed from this life on November 12,
2015. Predeceased by his parents and five sisters,
he leaves a host of family and friends to cherish
his memory, including his wife of 42 years; three
loving daughters, Verna Darden Ryals of Georgia,
and Marianne and Gabi Müller of Germany; a
devoted son, Joe L. Darden, Jr. (Tyra) of Columbia,
five brothers and numerous grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.

*STATISTICS FROM THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION AND THE COPD FOUNDATION - LUNG.ORG AND COPDFOUNDATION.ORG

BY DR. A. GISELLE JONES-JONES
Watching my mother go from severe
swelling and low mobility to
become thinner (to the point of
sagging skin and muscles on her
frame) the last four months or so of
her life as a result of the surgeries
and dialysis was difficult for me.
The thing is, the week leading up to the 50th wedding anniversary,
she was starting to look and act stronger. She had
gained a little weight and looked wonderful. I had taken her
to get her hair done at our beauty shop in preparation for the
celebration, and she was radiant. As strong as my mother is, I
personally thought she was going to make it through the trials
of this illness to live much longer.
As far as her kidney problems, I
remember fussing at her about a
year and a half ago when she first
experienced kidney failure. When
the subject of having a kidney
transplant came up, I offered my
kidney, but she refused and was
quite adamant about that. But since
beginning dialysis treatments three
times a week around late
August/early September, she had
begun to treat dialysis like it was a
job; it was what she needed to do to
sustain her life. Because she was a
researcher, she made sure that we all
had literature and documents to read

about what she was going through. And she always
sought a second opinion about everything: one doctor’s
diagnosis wasn’t good enough. She and Daddy had to
cancel their cruise back near the beginning of 2014
when she first got sick, so Mom had even researched
and found a cruise line that made provision for passengers
needing dialysis. She was going to live to the
fullest in her last days.
Being in the hospital with her, bathing her . . . she was
proud of me for that. There was the time in the hospital
also (and both of us chuckled about this later) when she
wanted me to check her behind, near her anus, for a
bump or callous that was causing her great discomfort
while sitting. I said to her, “Momma, ugh.” She
replied, “Girl, come on here. You can wash your hands
later!” Mom was hilarious like that, but the funny thing
is that she didn’t think she was funny.
I chauffeured her to a program at church at the beginning
of October, and she said of that experience that I
was “her babysitter,” but it was my privilege to be with
her. And then, planning her and Daddy’s 50th wedding
anniversary celebration and seeing her as happy as she
was on that night. Of course, less than 48 hours later,
she would go on to glory.
The Reverend Dr. Lillie Madison Jones was born in the
prodigious Blue Ridge Mountains of Brevard, North
Carolina, one brisk December morning. The way Lillie
grew up wasn’t unique; she was poor, and as some had
even said, she was “dirt poor.” But the Madisons didn’t
know it because they rarely went without.
A Bennett Belle – class of ’65 – Lillie earned her B.A.
in English and French, the M.S., Ed. Administration
degree from North Carolina A&T State University in
1977, the Ed.D. from Virginia Polytechnic State University
in 1986, and the Masters of Divinity degree from
Hood Theological Seminary in 2003. Additionally, she
was trained as a life coach and in “covenant” coaching.
Her passion was leadership development, and she
matriculated in a series of leadership programs including
“Leadership at the Peak” in Colorado Springs.
Always an advocate of lifelong learning, she too was a
graduate of the Shalem Institute of Spiritual Formation
with a certificate in Leading Contemplative Prayer
Groups and Retreats. She was also one of the first
groups of women inducted into the Society of Our Wise

I have also begun to do my passion with
intentionality and purpose: writing. My
mother told me that one day I would end up
making my living doing my passion. Don’t
get me wrong: I love to teach, but I don’t
believe that I will spend too many more
days in the traditional classroom. My
greatest joy comes from facilitating workshops
and training on topics of leadership
and empowerment. So in a sense, I will
continue to focus my attention on teaching
those many concepts wherein I have been
trained.
“I had t cme frm behind the
shadow of my mother in order t
live out my purpoe.”
Women at Bennett College. Beyond her first career,
Lillie answered the heavenly call into ministry and
began her divinity studies at Hood Theological
Seminary in 2000; she was licensed in 2001 and
commissioned in 2003. Similarly, her mission as a
pastor was that “all persons, saved or unsaved, are
God’s creation and worthy of love and respect.”
My mother told me while we were in the
hospital the second time last summer to
“take care of your daddy.” It wasn’t said in
the context that she knew she would be
gone soon, but it was more matter of fact,
that I was to assure her that he would be my
priority in the event something did happen
to her. She said that Daddy always listened
to me as his firstborn and only daughter.
She also said he had a great deal of respect
for me and that if anyone could get through
to him about anything, it would be me.
After Mom passed, I’ll have to also admit
that, other than taking time to intentionally
write a weekly blog devoted to my mother, I
really didn’t take time to grieve, or I
should say that I didn’t have time to
grieve. Leading up to her death, in
I didn’t realize how much I depended on my mother
being there for every significant moment of my life
until she was gone. She was always there for me;
upon her death and even now, I have to get used to a
new normal (if that’s even possible). What I’m
learning though, in her absence, is how important
our presence is in the lives of our loved ones.
Every moment is precious. In my own life, I’m
purposely slowing down to make sure I don’t miss
anything.

2015, I had planned and implemented
many celebrations. My family and I
have also had to endure many “firsts”
without her: celebrating her birthday
on December 8, our first Thanksgiving,
Christmas and New Year’s
holidays without her, my Dad’s first
Valentine’s Day without her, our first
Mother’s Day without her, which was
really tough. Every 27th of each
month, the three of us – my Dad,
brother and I – try to connect and
share how we’re feeling. At the
six-month mark, April 27, I finally
visited her grave.
In the case for me, I had to come from behind the shadow of
my mother in order to live out my purpose. I feel that in
many ways I was doing good things, but I relied on my
mother’s encouragement and running front line for me on
those things that have been important for my growth and
development; without her doing those things for me now, I
must do them for myself, realizing that it is the fruit I must
bear for the upbuilding of God’s kingdom. My mother’s life
purpose has been fulfilled and I believe that the Lord said to
her, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” It’s my turn
now. And the same is with you: it’s your turn. Don’t rely on
your own strength to do what God has called you to do; trust
God to imbue you with His strength so that whatever He has
equipped you to do, He will see you through.

*STATISTICS FROM PTSD UNITED - PTSDUNITED.ORG

BY MELISSA LAVADOUR
I honestly don’t know how it all went down, …but my
Gunny Sergeant found me in the photo studio in a
corner just zoned out and took me down to medical. I
was still thinking that everyone else was crazy because
I felt I was alright despite immense anger and depression.
All I remember from that day was that I had to
watch a video — by myself — on how Mike Wallace
of 60 Minutes had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD).
I can’t pinpoint when the struggle started, but I know it
was during my Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment.
My officer left me in charge of all of IMEF Combat
Camera and there was a huge learning curve; I had to
keep tabs on six or seven Combat Camera teams scattered
throughout Iraq as they were embedded with
different units. Our ‘base’ was just a few buildings
without a real clear fence, but I remember we set up
our tents on top of a roof by one of Saddam Hussein's
palaces and within arms distance, we had machine
gunners. That was kind of reassuring, but when teams
would come back or would be waiting for a flight to
the next unit, there would be some pushback and it was
hard for me to deal with the kind of emotions that were
coming from the Marines as well as the suffering I saw
on a daily basis. My mom once asked me what it was
like and the best description I could come up with is
that it was like Looney Toons in real life.
Looking back — when I went to sign up for the Marine
Corps — I didn’t really know that there were jobs. I
began reading up on it because I wanted to
see what all the hype was about, and honestly,
from all the books I read, it seemed like a
good time — teamwork, camaraderie, see the
world, do some cool stuff, etc. Apparently
my research wasn’t thorough enough or it’s
possible I was just reading the war stories
about the Marines. Thankfully, my recruiter
asked what my interests were and saw that I
was going to an art school. Because I had
college, they wanted me to go into the Officer
program, but what I read about officers
wasn’t as cool as what I read about the
enlisted. This was before anyone really
knew what PTSD was or how to deal with
PTSD. So, I enlisted. Twice.
I was active duty for eight years — from
1999 to 2007 — and deployed once for

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and once for
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). I was in the initial
part of OIF, so things weren’t as structured over there
as they were later on.
I was diagnosed with PTSD in 2003 and didn’t get
out of the Marine Corps until 2007. Those next few
years, I had many appointments with therapists [who
said], “well, let’s try this drug to see if this does
anything.” I will never forget the appointment I had
with some new age lady who wanted me to meditate
for 30 minutes; that was the worst appointment
and I remember leaving there worse off than ever.
October 1, 2007 was my last day in the Marine
Corps.
When I got out of the Corps, the transition was
very, very, very hard at first. I went from being a
Staff Sergeant — of an entire shop of Marines —

to a stay-at-home mom. I’m not saying
that being a mom is all unicorns and
rainbows, but it was such a drastic
change and it was a very dark time in
my life. I felt worthless and that I had no
purpose. I don’t think I coped very well
at all.
I had years of therapy and numerous
medications, yet I kept falling through
the rabbit hole. Nothing helped and
therapy made it worse. When I got out,
Veteran’s Affairs got ahold of me and
made it worse. Since I’ve been out, I’ve
seen people kill themselves over this.
I don't really know how I came to the point
where I wanted to just end it all [too], [but] I
think I thought my family would be better off
without me. I was at the lowest point I've ever
been and felt like a burden. I felt like I was
broken and there was no hope for me.
I joke about how I accidentally went to church,
but I know it was all part of The Plan. I found a
flyer for an Easter Egg hunt for kids. The town
we live in is very small so anything that involves
kids, I jump on it. But when we showed up, it
was at a church. I also remember being pretty
upset that we had to go inside the church
before the Easter Egg hunt kicked off. It
wasn't for preaching, they were just
going over the rules and it was just easier
if someone was using a microphone. But
as soon as I walked in the doors, I just
felt this overwhelming peace. I knew that
this was it. What I was missing and that I
desperately needed in order to “fix the
broken pieces” was God. Plain and
simple. Super simple, but I was against
all of it until I accidentally showed up for
it.
My greatest challenge right now is
raising our kids to be productive citizens.

“When things look
bleak, lean on those
that will lift you up ...
instead of those that
are handing you
shovels.”
I haven’t been on PTSD meds for several years
and I’ve stopped going to my therapist appointments.
Not that I don’t have moments, because
it’s a daily battle, but knowing who I am in
Christ has completely changed my life and my
outlook on things. I want my kids to figure this
all out early on in their lives so they don’t
wallow around in depression and anxiety
because those are real things and it can have a
vice grip on people. It’s hard to shake that off if
you don’t have the right tools. Had I not found
God, I would not be on this earth typing these
responses.
Amazingly, now I’m able to use my video and
photo skills that I developed in the Marine
Corps. I started my own company in 2011 and
it’s grown; it’s given me the flexibility to get my
hands in a ton of different types of projects. I’ve
been able to help the Women’s Center here in
Jacksonville, North Carolina, as well as the
Onslow Pregnancy Resource Center, and then
on the other side of things, I’ve done numerous
full-length productions as well as military
ceremonies, military homecomings (which are
my favorite) and commercials for local and
international companies. And just recently, the
church that literally saved my life hired me to
create videos for their events which has been a
completely awesome experience, a very humbling
experience when I look back to see where
I came from and where God has used me, it’s
very awesome. I have a real heart
for the mentally and physically
wounded because I have been there
and I know where they are and I
want them to know that there is
hope.
PTSD is a real thing. But, if
people keep wallowing in how
they’re broken, they’ll never get
fixed. The government (and society
in general) expects veterans to be
jacked up — which kind of gives
us a permission slip to be jacked up
— but it’s a scam. Use those jacked
up situations and wounds as a tool,
not a crutch.
Reach out to others and help them
and stop going to pity parties. Pity
parties are the biggest shovel of
them all. We are all here for a
purpose, we’ve been created for a
specific purpose that only we can
provide. When things look bleak,
lean on those that will lift you up
… instead of those that are handing
you shovels.

SUICIDE
BY YOLANDA HENDERSON
The thought of not singing broke my heart and I really didn’t
know what to do with myself. I was a chorus teacher and a
worship leader that couldn’t sing … what was I to do with
that? I had my worst pain attack yet, and I was on the couch
crying and I was in so much pain that it scared me. I called
my mom and she stayed on the phone until I was OK. That's
when I learned that pain can make you think some crazy
things because ultimately you just want the pain to stop.
At the age of 30, I had to apply for disability because working
full-time was becoming very difficult. My fear was that the
reality of this disease is the fact that it’s debilitating and that it
gets worse with time. That thought put fear in my heart, but
that particular day, I printed out healing scriptures and decided
to looks at things differently. I had to find the positive in a
negative situation.
Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a chronic pain condition that is
rare and even though you’ve probably never heard of it --
because I hadn’t -- it’s very real and it’s painful. TN is only
one among many chronic pain diseases, but they are all
difficult to live with even though they are not fatal. TN
changes your life, but it doesn’t have to take your life. The
pain comes in pain attacks that could last seconds or minutes
and they can continue to hit for days, which we call “flare
ups.” It occurs for unknown reasons and it’s caused by a
blood vessel or an artery that presses on the trigeminal nerve,
the nerve that carries sensation from the face to the brain.
Pain can come as a result of touch, wind, brushing your teeth,
and other things, or it can start for no reason.

[Leading up to my diagnosis], I remember being in
pain that continued to increase which included the
right side of my face swelling and drooping. My
significant other strongly suggested that I go to the
Emergency Room, which I did. I was immediately
diagnosed with TN and given a prescription of 900
mgs of Neurotin (a nerve pain medication). I thought
that TN was something that would go away after you
take the medicine because there was no explanation
with the diagnosis, just the prescription and discharge
papers. After doing research, I found that it was a
chronic and rare disease that currently has no cure.
This not only scared me, but it confused me, and I
didn’t know what to do with the information that I
had been given.
"I am
Yolanda
Henderson."
"Trigeminal Neuralgia can
suck your happiness out of
you, but you are in charge
and when you can do
everything that gives you
life -- focus on that."

“I have the same dreams,
and though it may take
longer or more effort,
I still press forward
and will achieve it all!”
I continued to sing for a while -- after the diagnosis --
until I physically couldn’t bare the pain of singing.
Not only was this difficult, but not too long after the
TN diagnosis, I was diagnosed with another disorder,
too, which is also very painful. I was told that if I
continued to sing through the pain, my jaw would
lock because of the TN. The hardest thing about TN
is that it’s unpredictable. One day you can be totally
fine and the next day you’ll be in bed because the
pain is too bad to do anything else. It took my
support system saying to me, “you have to do what
you have to to get better.” Then I slowly started to
accept my current state. I say “current” because I still
believe that God will heal me and that this will not be
my fate.
[Since being diagnosed with TN], my energy level
has definitely changed and how I plan my days has
changed as well. I’ve had to embrace that everyone
won’t understand my journey or my pain and if they
don’t, it’s OK. I’ve had to find myself again so that I
wouldn’t get lost in my diagnosis. I look at life
differently and that future-oriented little girl [that I
once was] now has to live in the moment at times
because only God knows what the future holds.
Other than that, I do the same things, I have the same
dreams, and though it may take longer or more effort,
I still press forward and will achieve it all.
[To others facing a similar diagnosis, I would say], I
know that this is devastating and that it seems to be a
monster, but you can overcome this. You are not your
disease and the best way to overcome something is to
help others. You need to spend your time focusing on
what you love and what makes you happy in life.
TN can suck your happiness out of you, but you
are in charge and when you can do everything that
gives you life -- focus on that.
[For me], the future holds so much happiness in
the form of success in my businesses, ministry,
family and in life overall. I will continue to push
myself and others to reach their dreams. I love
helping others in any way and turning my down[s]
into opportunities to reach other[s]. Though I am
not able to sing right now, I have other opportunities
of ministry. Be on the lookout for my book,
my programs and more!
Yolanda is the founder and CEO of SCT: Survive,
Conquer and Triumph, a support group for victims
of trauma and abuse, and Execute Performing Arts
(EPA), an arts enrichment program for school-age
kids. She is a self-proclaimed artsy chick that
draws and paints, loves dance and singing. You
can learn more about Yolanda on Facebook via the
following links: facebook.com/executepa, facebook.com/breakingthecycleofabuse,
and .facebook.com/sctrelief.

*STATISTICS FROM THE TNA FACIAL PAIN ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE - NINDS.NIH.GOV AND FPA-SUPPORT.ORG

BY MARCELLO MCNEIL
I go that Wednesday, and I was outside smoking a
cigarette and I put the cigarette out and walked in.
Service hadn’t yet started and as soon I stepped foot in
there, he [the speaker] said, ‘whoa, there’s a demonic
force that just stepped foot in this church and it is
within a young man. God wants me to tell you young
sir that when I do the altar call if you would come, you
will be delivered. But it’s on you.’
[I] was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, raised in
Asheboro, North Carolina. My mother went to the
school of the arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina;
she was a dancer. During that time, she got caught into
drugs and that took a toll on her. I was her youngest
child; by the time I was coming into the world, she was
heavily on all drugs. Crack cocaine ended up taking
most part of it. I was born [as a] crack baby. I was
born in 1981, so that was the new thing in children.
I grew up son to -- yes, a drug addict -- [but] my
father was [also] an alcoholic. He couldn’t deal with
some of the things my mother was doing. During
school, she ended up going and becoming an Eastern
Star. Her father was a FreeMason. My mother had a
lot of animosity between her mother, my grandmother,
and that actually kind of drove my mother
against God.
She ended up learning pagan religion, so I grew up
in pagan religion on the side of Christianity. My

grandparents -- knowing this -- they would always
take me to church on the weekends. My grandmother
always wanted to instill God in my life, knowing what
my mother was doing. My mother was a product of
rape; [her] true father raped my grandmother [when]
she was in her 20s. He killed a man and never actually
went to jail for it [because] he was part of the
society, and they just extradited him for 12 years. He
came back and then my mother actually wanted to
know about her true roots. My grandmother, being
that she had accepted Jesus Christ and was living for
the Lord, she knew she had to forgive him.
So, my grandmother … allowed her to go down there
to Siler City, North Carolina at different times of the
year. Then she got to an age where [she] wanted to go
stay with him. This was where she picked up this
negative type living. She went to school and so forth,
but all that stuck with her. Then, here I come after my
brother and sister and I’m the baby, so I’m like right
there with mom no matter where she goes, no matter
what she does.
I ended up witnessing a lot of things. I witnessed a lot
of spiritual things [and] I guess that has a lot to do
with who I am now. I witnessed it on the negative
side. I come home from school, and my mom [was]
levitating a cup of tea. To the natural eye, you’re like,
‘what in the world am I visualizing?’ What is going
on?’ Drug dealers in the area -- this is how my mom
made a part-time living. She worked at a nursing
home, but to take care of her addiction, drug dealers
would come by the house [and] she would do work for
them -- [doing] witchcraft -- to make sure they
d[id]n’t get drug charges.
I mean, I remember the whole scenario. They would
come in, pay half at the door, and then go in and she
[would] do what she do, and she would tell them
[that] they’re going to get off. So, when they [left] the
courthouse, [she would say], come back and pay the
rest for verification. And, sure enough, that would
happen.
I became to know that I was the witch doctor’s child
in the neighborhood, me and my brother and my
sister. Time goes on and I’m learning my mom [is]
actually teaching us this stuff.
My mom dedicated me to Satan when I was like sixth
months old. It was with the society; in their society,
there’s this thing they call the “first-born child ritual.”
As I got older, I had this thing where I could spit

lood -- any time, any moment, especially if I was very
agitated, angry and mad -- and I would draw a pentagram and
whatever I say would happen within seven days.
It became so common because I guess I was not a fighter.
People would pick on me in school and everything like that,
[so], I would [spit blood and draw a pentagram] and things
would happen. It like astonished me at first, because I was
like -- I didn’t think mama was playing, but I didn’t think
anything would happen. As I grow older, my friends knew
this about me [that my mother wasin
witchcraft and I was into pagan religion].
That became a huge part of my life.
[When I got older], I was strung out on
drugs, alcohol, cocaine, marijuana -- I was
on pills heavy. [I] had nowhere to stay,
staying here, there, and everywhere. It all
started when a friend of mine [came] to me
[and said I] could I move in with them
since I had nowhere to stay. She said God
laid it on her heart. Well, [I thought],
‘what does God want to do with me?’ So I
moved in with them.
At the time, I was seeking to become a
FreeMason -- I was wanting it bad. I felt
like that was my way out. [My friend]
kept telling me, ‘No, man, that ain’t the
way, that ain’t the way.’ At that time, I was
just so strung out. God was just tugging
on me in some type of way, and it was just
like I was going through the process of
having terrible nightmares, so that’s what
was drawing me toward God. Come to
find out, the demonic force my mother had
put around me, it started getting angry at
me because I was reading the Word. I
continue[d] reading, and I found a word in
the Bible -- it was “purge.” God told me,
‘ask Him to purge me.’
And I asked, [even though I] had no idea
what the word meant. I didn’t look it up
for another couple of days and He [God]
started cleaning me out. Gradually, I quit
doing drugs -- it took a while for the
alcohol -- but I knew it was all in God’s
time.
[That] Wednesday, we get to the altar call,
so I get up, and when I get up, it’s like
something throws me back down, so I get
up and it was like my face changed and it
was just like something holding me back,
but when I got there, he [the speaker] laid
hands on me and I went out. I went
straight down to my knees. He put his
hands on my chest and one hand on my
head and he started binding the demonic
spirit and he called it out of me. And when
he called it out of me, I started coughing.

Heavy. I’m thinking, it was phlegm coming up.
They’re putting napkins in my hands so I can spit,
and when I open up my eyes, I saw blood clots. I
closed my eyes after I saw that, and I said, that’s
enough. The pastor said that God is bringing up
what your mother dedicated you to. [That day], I
started a new covenant in Jesus Christ. He said
the devil gave you a gift to speak death on people.
God just changed it to where you speak life into
people.
After that day, that was pretty much [when] I
knew that God had given me a ministry about
music, but it wasn’t even about music, it was a
spiritual thing. God was going to give me an
opportunity to witness. He showed me the spiritual
side of the evil and being that I had witnessed
that, God let me know that I was supposed to let
people know about the evil and the end of times.
That’s my sole mission. People think it’s the
music, but it doesn’t stop there. It’s about [letting]
people know about your walk as being a Christian.
God is leading me on a spiritual journey that I
can’t say at the beginning of my life I wanted, but
I recognize it. He has my best interest even when
I think I have my best interest, he always has the
best of the best interest. I’m so blessed to be
where I am at, and I pray that I always stay
humble because I know it ain’t about me. God
was letting me know something -- as long as I do
what he wants me to do, and for others -- he’s
going to take care of me. So, I just want to do
what he wants me to do. I ain’t perfect -- sometimes
I get it wrong -- sometimes I stumble, but I
know he’s there to pick me up. I just want to do
what he wants me to do, period.
name I used to go by when I was doing music for the
world. Marcello is just too broad. I love the name;
I’m glad my mother gave me the name, but it sounds
like something in the business. I felt like God said,
‘what do they call you when they mock you?’ He was
like, ‘your body is a church.’ And boy, [well], everyone
wants to be ‘Lil’ this, ‘Lil’ that, so … Boy. [God
said], ‘You’re always going to be my child’ -- so,
Church Boy.
A lot of people have referred to me as like Daniel.
Daniel was very spiritual, prayed and fasted all the
time. That’s an attribute that I do a lot. I love the
word Daniel.
[In the future, you can expect] more music, more
in-depth, more spiritual -- because I’m of course
walking with God, getting closer and closer with him.
That’s what I want. More ministry. I want to be more
hands-on. I really want to get out there and help
people, and I figure the more opportunity God gives
me, I’m going to take it.
You can find Marcello “Church Boy” McNeil on
Facebook (Marcello Church Boy McNeil), Instagram
(@churchboy116) and on Sound Cloud (Church Boy,
under Rapture Music).
I was going to work and everything when I started
getting into God. So, I’m bringing my Bible to
work. At the time, I had a huge Bible and I got
three breaks, and every break I read. If it’s a little
scripture or a whole chapter, I read everyday. It’s
what the Lord told me to do, and of course, when
He first started making that transformation,
everybody that didn’t think I was serious about it
were being sarcastic [and they were saying] --
you’re Church Boy, Church Boy, Church Boy,
Church Boy. That’s all I kept hearing.
I had gotten where I wrote two songs and I was
like Lord, I need a name. I’m not going by the

*STATISTICS FROM THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION - AFSP.ORG

BY SHEILAH WHITE AND MALCOLM BATTS
My Dad was able to witness something we thought we would never see -- to have a Black president in office. It
was just an honor to know that we had come that far, to have someone represent Black America.
In 1942, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive giving African-Americans an opportunity to be
recruited into the Marine Corps. These African-Americans, from all states, were segregated -- experiencing basic
training at Montford Point -- a facility at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Approximately 20,000 African-American
Marines received basic training at Montford Point between 1942 and 1949.*
Dad was a proud Marine. He left home at an early age to go and join the Marine Corps; he and my Mom met
later after he had first gotten into the military. They would have dances on base at Camp Lejeune, and they
would bring buses of girls from Wilmington to go to the dances. That’s actually kind of where he met my Mom --
at the bus station. They didn’t really know each other, he was just trying to drag up conversation to get a chance

to meet her. Afterward, She went home to tell her family
that she’d met someone. Her cousin said, “you don’t
mess with those military guys, they’re trouble. You
leave them alone.” She said, “but he’s so handsome.”
They ended up together and were married for 65 years
before he passed away. They were peas in a pod, you
couldn’t separate them. If you saw my Dad, you saw my
Mom.
Dad used to always talk about growing up and having to
walk to school. He said it would be so cold -- some days
-- that because he had holes in the bottom of his shoes,
he would put cardboard in them to keep the cold and
snow from getting to his feet. He got teased. He said he
only had one pair of pants, and the children would call
him “brown pants,” because that was the only pair of
pants he had to wear to school. So, he said he would
take them and lay them out and put them underneath his
bed under a board so they could stay pressed out, but he
still got teased about that. He would talk about having a
jar of peas that he would take to school for lunch and
having to scrape the fat off the top of the jar to be able to
eat his peas. Of course, there was no microwaves to
warm anything up -- everything was cold.
He would talk about his mom. I wish I would have
known her -- he had fond memories of his mother, but
she died when he was very young. Dad would recall the
story of that day his mom passed. He said he ran up to
the store to tell him [the store owner] that his mom had
passed and she wouldn’t be coming to work.
The wife of the man who ran the store said, “I’m sorry to
hear about your mama, but you know she had some
money on the books.” It was like 17 dollars and it took
him a whole year to work and pay that off, because they
would make like 50 cents a week or something like that.
It took him a long time to pay her back, but he did.
Most of his siblings died at young ages. His nieces and
nephews would keep in touch with him when he was alive
-- they knew they could come to him for anything. He
was always there for them.
My Dad was someone that I looked up to and admired
greatly, even from a young child. He was almost like a
hero to me. My Dad was very straightforward. Growing
up, he was very strict and he liked order. He liked having
things in order in his home. I was the third born and
oldest daughter. I looked up to Dad the most after he told
me that he had actually prayed to God and asked for a
daughter after having two sons. I thought that was kind
of neat that God actually heard him and answered his
prayer. I reminded him, even in the times when he would

get on my case, [I would say], I’m here now -- you
prayed for me -- and I’m not going anywhere.
One thing I can remember, having seven children,
you had to make things stretch. We didn’t go to
movie theaters, but whenever there was a new black
movie coming out, my dad would pile us all in the car
and take us to the drive through at Camp Lejeune
which was something really neat to do that. One
thing we had to do, whenever we got there and they’d
playTthe National Anthem, we had to get out of the
car and put our hands on our chest. That’s how
military he was.
I loved my Dad tremendously. It’s just something
that he and I had that was special. My Mom would
always say, “you’re his heart.” One time, I had asked
for a guitar, and he came home one day and said, “I
got something for you, come in here.” And I came out
and he had this guitar. I thought it was very thoughtful
of him to try to get me something that I asked for.
He did that anyway; he was a giving person.
He also took a lot of pride in his oldest son and it
seems like a lot of the things that my Dad had
achieved in the military, my brother went after those
same things… and he actually excelled to a higher
level. He really was proud of his Dad and I think he
did that to make him proud. He did a lot of things
military-wise to the point of achieving Command
Sergeant Major in the Army before he passed. That
kind of made me feel like there was a void that
needed to be filled [in his life], so I tried to do everything
that I could to be there as much as I possibly
could because I know it hurt him when he [my oldest
brother] passed.
It’s kind of fresh for me talking about him because we
lost him last year, but, at the same time I know he’s
still with us because a lot of the things that he
instilled in us are still there, especially with me. I
was the go-to person for him as far as trying to find
things. Whenever he couldn’t find things at home, he
would always call on me to look for it, whatever was
missing. For some ungodly reason, I would find
whatever he was looking for. When it came time for
meals, my Mom had taught me how to cook and I
learned a lot from him as well. During holiday times,
he would have me in the kitchen helping me to prep
-- chop veggies and all that stuff. So, I learned a lot
of my cooking skills from him, as well as my Mom.
He was gone a lot of our lives growing up because
of the military. My Mom had the task of trying to
keep us in order while he was away, and I think she
did an awesome job at that. While he was away, my
Mom would take all seven of us crabbing, or we
would go to the beach. She would always try to
keep us involved in something.
My Dad was a very, very proud Marine, but he was
also a man who loved God and could preach and
bring the Word and it made sense. Growing up, we
would make fun of him when we got home and
pretend we were preaching; some of us who
mocked him actually ended up becoming preachers.
But I thank God for the life he lived and how he
trained us and brought us up.
He could teach you a lesson about things in the
strangest way. He would make you think. One time
I had stormed off after a lecture, and I slammed the
door. He said, “daughter come back here. Did you
buy that door?” I said no. He said, “go back and
apologize to that door for slamming it.” That was
like a lesson. You knew not to slam any doors
because you would be talking to an inanimate
object. (Chuckles).
Daddy would have us up early every Sunday
morning preparing to get ready to go to Sunday
school and to church. It seems we would always be
the first ones there -- early -- and if no one showed
up and class started at 9:45, he would go ahead and
start. It would just be our family sometimes. That’s
the kind of person he was. Everything was pretty
much detailed.
It’s amazing to go back and look at his achievements
with the Marine Corps. He was honored for
a lot of things. His last duty station, he was an
instructor in human relations in Green Bay, Wisconsin,
so he pretty much covered the gamut as far as
the Marine Corps. When he first went in the Marine
Corps, his job was in the area of cooking, [and] he
excelled from there to logistics chief. While he was
in [the military], he took advantage of whatever
studies they offered outside of the Marine Corps,
too.
According to my brother Malcolm: “He knew he
had to be better than everybody else, especially the

White Marines. He strived to be better. He never went to work without
his shoes being shined, his clothes were starched to the T -- they could
have stood up by themselves (chuckles). I mean, his whole demeanor at
the time was Marine, Marine, Marine. He managed to parlet preaching
into that -- as a young man -- also. He was able to do both -- balance both.
I remember him coming home from Vietnam and preach[ing] on Sundays.
He kept up the church -- that was a must. That stuck with Mom even
while he was gone -- she knew to keep us in church.”
In 2012 or 2013, Congress had recognized that they were going to give the
first Black Marines who trained at Camp Lejeune or Camp Johnson a
Congressional gold medal for being the first who trained with the Marine
Corps, even though they weren’t accepted to train along with Whites.
Congress wanted them to be recognized, so all who trained there at Montford
Point received Congressional gold medals. That was a proud moment
for him. It was awesome that it came under the leadership of a Black
president, although he didn’t actually make the presentation. It was a
proud moment for my Dad, and I was glad to be there to witness that for
them, because they weren’t treated as other Marines simply because they
were Black. They weren’t even allowed to train with them. It was an
honor for him to receive that, and I was so proud for him and for the other
Montford Pointers. It was a proud moment to see them all up there in their
uniforms -- to see their medals, it was very heartwarming. At the same
time it was very sad, because to think that because of their color they
weren’t thought of as citizens, but they were willing and ready to fight for
their country. Without qualms they were willing to do that.
He would always say 29 years, so many days, so many hours. He would
always say that’s how much time he gave the military. He was a dutiful
Marine.
Anybody could come to my Dad for assistance if they needed it; he was a
giver. He was a good provider for his family, not just the household, but
the extended family. They could always count on him to help them out.
He was a smart guy. I don’t think I ever told him he was smart, but I
would go in his office and look around and see all of these certificates of
achievement he had and studies he did outside of the Marine Corps --
going to school to perfect himself. He had a lot of degrees and stuff that I
didn’t even know he had gone for.
He was someone who was truly committed and dedicated to his family, his
country, and to God. Dad also pastored for about 30 years after he retired
from the Marine Corps.
“The last few years of his life was when I got to spend a lot of time with
him, and it was him always counseling me and encouraging me on the
“dos and don’ts” within the ministry. He would always tell me that he
knew I had a passion for the youth,” my brother Malcolm says Dad would
always say to him. “If you see a church without the youth, that’s a bad
church.” Malcolm says that always stuck with him [because] “he wasn’t a
quitter; he never gave up on anything. If he grabbed hold of something to
achieve or accomplish, he was going to see it through. He was tenacious.
He just loved God and loved people.”

night before he died, he was up all night singing and
talking to God. One of the things he said was, “Lord, I
don’t want to be a burden on my family.”
According to my brother Malcolm: “The days he had
left, he was just peaceful. He always said he didn’t
want to suffer, he didn’t want to be a burden to his
family, and he definitely wasn’t that [a burden]. He
wasn’t a burden, he was a joy to be around, and he
didn’t [have] any suffering.”
I felt that wish was selfless -- you’re at the brink of
death, but your concern is for someone else. It kind of
broke my heart.
He would always tell us a story of how he was going to raise
hogs with George Brown after the Marine Corps, but it didn’t
work. They [the hogs] just wouldn’t get fat, they just had the
skinniest hogs.
[The hardest thing during the time of his passing was] letting go,
seeing him have to leave. I knew that meant a big void. It’s
strange how our relationship grew stronger in his latter years.
All the laughter, all the discussions that we would have -- I
wouldn’t have that any more. To see my Mom at that moment --
she was very strong. It seemed like she was ready to accept it --
it was almost like she was trying to be strong for us.
I am proud to share my Dad with the world in one
word that may seem small, but can make the greatest
difference -- dedicated.
My brother, Malcolm says: “Since he’s been gone, I
definitely want to live out his legacy of integrity, and
godliness and loving people and being there for them.
Being a true servant of God -- that’s my goal, knowing
that I am called to serve. I’m not called to be served,
I’m called to serve.”
*Information from the Montford Point Marine Association,
Inc.
“You never know what you’re going to have to go through
before you leave this earth” -- he said during his last days. That

BY ARTURO M. CUMMINGS
What can you say about a man who graduated
from high school, joined the military, married
his high school sweetheart (my Mommy,
Sandra) 30 days after graduation -- which they
have been together for 46 years, now -- and
committed 20 years and 23 days of his life to
the United States Army? A man who soared
through the ranks of promotion, trained
thousands of military men who went to war to
defend our country, who exemplifies discipline
and commitment at its finest to the call of duty.
Some would call him a war hero. Some would
call him crazy. Some would call him dedicated.
I simply call him Daddy. So, let me take
you on a journey of how the world came to
know my Dad, 1st Sergeant Cummings.
He was the first person in his family to enter
the military when he entered the United States
Army on August 8, 1972. He was sent to Fort
Jackson, South Carolina to complete his basic
individual training -- which was eight weeks --
and upon completion of basic training, he
received orders to go to Fort Hood, Texas to
complete another eight weeks of training. This
training was called Advanced Individual
Training, which would give him his job
assignment, or MOS. My Dad’s tenure at Fort
Hood was from October 1972 until December
1973; during that time, he was promoted from
Private (E2) to Specialist (E4).
Somewhere along the line, my brother decided
to pop into the world on December 4, 1972. I
don’t know the time of day, I don’t even care
…. I just know that ever since then, on top of
being an annoying older brother, he’s always
been the first to protect and provide for me as
my oldest and only sibling. Now, back to
Daddy.
Daddy received orders to report to Camp
Casey, South Korea on January 12, 1974. He
was assigned to Charlie Company 1 Battalion
32nd Infantry, where Lt. Colonel Colin L.
Powell was his Battalion Commander. Pause
… now I know him this man as General Colin
L. Powell, the former Secretary of State, but
that’s later on in life.
There, my Dad earned the Expert Infantryman

Badge on June 14, 1974, where only 15 soldiers
out of 1,000 earned this infantryman badge.
There, he also completed the 2nd
Infantry Division Race Relations Discussion
Leaders Course 4 on February 22, 1974. Daddy
then received orders to report to Fort Riley,
Kansas in January of 1975, where he was
assigned to the 1st Battalion 18th Infantry. He
was promoted to Sergeant shortly after he
arrived to the 1st Infantry Division. During
Daddy’s four-year tenure at Fort Riley, he
deployed several times to Germany on reforger
and Brigade 76 for a six-month deployment.
Daddy attended several schools while stationed
at Fort Riley and was promoted to the grade of
Staff Sergeant (SSG). He received his first
Army Commendation Medal during his tenure
at Fort Riley as well, and he received orders
while there to report to Wiesbaden, Germany
with our family for a three-year tour of duty.
Dad was assigned to the Headquarters Platoon,
as the Platoon Sergeant in the Combat Support
Company.
While there, he received his third Army Commendation
Medal as Platoon Sergeant. Daddy
then received orders to report to Fort Benning,
Georgia as a Tow Missile instructor on Lee
Drop Zone. Now, here’s where the story gets
great.
After many, many moons of waiting, here
enters the newest addition -- and of course, the
baby of the family -- me, Arturo Matthew
Cummings. Am I military baby? Yes. Am I
military brat? Kind of. I would say that was
more so my older brother, because the entire
time that everyone was waiting for me to come
to the earth, my brother had an amazing
example of commitment and discipline to not
only life, but his family -- from none other
than our Dad.
During my Daddy’s tenure at Fort Benning, he
received his fourth Army Commendation
Medal for being instructor of the cycle twice.
He then received orders to report to Fort
Carson, Colorado where he served as Platoon
Sergeant/Acting First Sergeant. Daddy
received orders to report to Friedburg, Germany
as an Anti-Tank Platoon Sergeant/Acting

"He is a true, proud Army man
through and through,
who loves his country --
but his family even more."””
First Sergeant/ Acting Platoon Leader, and
there, he received his first Meritorious Service
Medal from Major General George A. Joulwan.
If all of that wasn’t enough, my Daddy was the
pastor of Raybarrack Chapel in Friedberg,
Germany, where the congregation under his
pastoral leadership grew exponentially. My
Mommy was the director of the choir, where
me and my oldest brother would practice our
chirping. I believe that this is where I began to
develop my love for music while also infusing
the discipline that Daddy had, Mommy had,
and my older brother Raymond had. Yes, I
would say I am the person I am today in music
because of the discipline and commitment that
my father showed me through the military.
My Dad received orders to report back to Fort
Benning, Georgia as First Sergeant for Alpha
Company 1st Battalion 50th Infantry, where he
served two years in that assignment. He was
then reassigned as the Army Emergency Relief
officer, and was selected to attend the
Sergeants Major Academy. Daddy chose to
retire with 20 years and 23 days of service. He
is a true, proud Army man through and
through who loves his country -- but his family
even more.
At this time, my family when through two
major transitions. Not only did my Daddy
retire from the military, but my brother graduated
from high school. It was not too long
after my brother’s graduation that -- he, too,
like his father -- decided to make a commitment
to the U.S. Army and serve our great
nation. Of course, I didn’t go that route. I
support The United States by singing The
National Anthem.

last year, but not without a momento to
remind him of his dedication overseas.
Raymond met his wife Jessica in
Germany while serving at a duty
station there, and they were married in
May of 2013. That was my big graduation
present for receiving my Master’s
degree in Adult Education. Yes, I have
been serving in the classroom.
I am proud of both of these military
men. Everyone doesn’t have the honor
and privilege of having a Dad to look
up to, a Dad who supports and defends
his family just as proudly as he does in
serving his country. While many may
not know our story, I am happy that I
have the privilege, pleasure and honor
of telling a small piece of mine in a
journey that I title: Like Father, Like
Son. God bless the USA.
Daddy’s final recognition was that he
received his second Meritorious
Service Medal for retirement award
from Major General Jerry A. White
before he retired. I could say that my
Dad would have loved for me to have
to joined the military as well; however,
I know that my older brother made him
proud by continuing the legacy of
support. He -- my older brother --
committed 23 years of his life to the
U.S. Army. During his tenure, he
deployed multiple times, serving in
combat overseas in Afghanistan as well
as other countries. While me and my
older brother are 12 years apart, he has
always been in my life -- from buying
me my first pair of J’s, to even buying
me a car while I was in college. My
brother recently retired in November of
"I am proud of
both of these
military men...
like father, like son."

Everyone sat quietly in anticipation waiting
to hear the final results and who would be
the winner of Under the Spotlight - The Next
Generation. This event was sponsored by
Shay's Unlimited Radical Events, and spearheaded
by Shay Williams, the Founder and
C.E.O. of S.U.R.E. The judges included
Bishop Blow, Cool Kel, Sergio Fevers, II,
and Alisa Drakeford, all of either A&R
Record Label and/or other talent ventures.
The host for the evening was Rah1.
Each contestant received praise, as well as
pointers, that could lead them to the next
signing of a recording/distribution contract
and a cash prize.
All eyes inside of the Ezra Conference
Center located in Raleigh, North Carolina,
were looking at these four contestants …
Richie Nelson, a hip-hop artist, Ghost
Money, a hip-hop artist, Shame (the
Sequence), a hip-hop artist, and Zaire Ariana,
an up-and-coming R&B Artist. Who will
walk away with the cash prize and an opportunity
that will change the course of their life?
Before we answer that question, let’s go back
to how this vision came to life.
Shay says: “What made me want to create this
event [is that] I noticed that a lot of kids
sometimes are forgotten, so I needed to create
something for our youth to better themselves --
to feel good about themselves -- [and] to give
them confidence and self-esteem.”
In 2012, Forbes named Raleigh as number four
on the list of the 20 fastest-growing cities in
the United States. Now, four years later, we
are seeing the effects of that prediction. The
Next Generation - Under the Spotlight
provides this ever-growing population of
young people in the city of Raleigh and
surrounding areas with an artistic outlet and
way to get involved in their community. For
Shay Williams and Shay’s Unlimited Radical
Events, this is one of many ways for the “next
generation” to build their confidence and
self-esteem and make a difference in their

community, along with providing positive role
models and a way to showcase their talents.
Shay says: “Sometimes our kids are left by the
wayside and we need something to lift them
up, to give them positive things to look
forward to.”
Zaire set the stage on May 20, 2016 by accompanying
herself on the piano in her opening
selection, followed by a second song via
soundtrack -- where she not only held the mic,
but she also held the crowd’s attention. As the
only participant to not only accompany herself
by piano, but also the only female contestant
of the evening, Zaire stood strong with original
pieces that she performed off of her soon-to-be
released EP. Ghost Money performed three
hip-hop selections, including showing his
talent with one of his pieces being straight
freestyle. Richie Nelson performed two
hip-hop pieces and held the crowd’s attention
with impressive lyrics that stayed within the
guidelines of the night’s event. One of the
stipulations for all performing artists was that
no profanity could be used at all within any of
the pieces that they performed.
And then there was Shame the Sequence, who
also performed two hip-hop pieces, but felt his
way through the crowd and got the entire place
hype. His lyrics were truly inspirational as he
told the reasoning behind his brand. One piece
in particular talked about his journey of being in
an accident and losing his ability to walk.
Dealing with the rehabilitative process -- unfortunately
-- Shame never thought that he would
ever be able to walk and/or perform again, thus
bringing on a feeling of “shame.” His greatest
testimony is the addition to his brand -- The
Sequence -- because his story did not end with
him being paralyzed, but jumping all across the
stage sharing his life’s journey and testimony
with all of Ezra Conference Center.
So, who won? Shame the Sequence, being a
testament that life experience can provide you
opportunities on a platform to heal and encourage
others, letting them know that there’s a light
at the end of the tunnel. Shame ended the
evening with talks and commentary from the
judges of being signed to a record label company.
S.U.R.E.’s The Next Generation - Under the
Spotlight event shows that there is a movement
that can and will be felt among the growing

population of Raleigh, the
Triangle and the state of North
Carolina. Shay says: “The
winner from The Next Generation
- Under the Spotlight,
Shame the Sequence, has put
in a lot of work in a short
period of time. He’s really
been shining in the city,
making a statement, and I
believe that he will make a
difference. He has a very
strong personality and I
believe that God has chosen
him to be a role model and a
vessel, also. Not just for
hip-hop, but to let people
know -- what I’ve been
through, I can still make it.
What anyone else has been
through, they can make their
dreams come true.”
Shay goes on to say: “What
the Triangle cities can look
forward to from Shay Williams
[through] S.U.R.E. is branching
out throughout the city,
throughout the Triangle, [and]
throughout the state. That
means [areas such as] Fayetteville,
[and] Wilson, [etc]. We
have some things coming up
within the next month or so.
We’ll be holding part two of
The Next Generation - Under
the Spotlight, also our Breast
Cancer Awareness [program]
and our S.U.R.E. Networking,
which is our elegant event --
and more things to come.”
Who will be the next winner?
Cash prizes, recording
contracts … who knows? It
just might be you.
Stay tuned ...
Source: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mhj45mhlf/4-raleigh-nc/#3d2693529a06

Minnie Gertrude Washington
Living with Grace & Gratitude
BY ARTURO M. CUMMINGS
Growing up, I saw her a few times, but she lived up
North. I never realized how much of a difference
she would make in our lives, but I am so grateful
that God chose to send a jewel to the earth in
August of 1925 in the form of Minnie Gertrude
Washington -- or who I lovingly call -- “Aunt
Gert.”
When my grandmother was diagnosed with pancreatic
cancer in December of 2003, I got to know a
lot more about my family. One jewel in particular I
was able to spend more time with and learn, and
she stepped in to help fill the void that my family
felt after my grandmother passed. She happened to
be my Grandma’s baby’s sister and the only sibling
left of 11 children.
“I loved her so much and I miss her so very much.
If anyone went home and if she didn’t have nothing
but collards and a ham bone she gave them something,”
says Minnie as she reminisces about the old
days.
Minnie Washington was the baby child of Minnie
and William Henderson. She was their youngest
child and grew up in the area of Jacksonville, North
Carolina called Plum Hill.
As Aunt Gert says: “They called it Plum Hill where
we lived because there were plum trees on either side
of the road.”
I had the opportunity to move to Greensboro, NC
where I attended college. My Aunt Gert always
shares one of her fond memories of my Alma Mater
with me.
“When I was a senior in high school, I was the first
runner-up [of a contest] and I got to go to North
Carolina A&T State University for the weekend. We
were supposed to stay on the campus with the freshmen,
but my teacher let us stay with her neighbor.
Everyone was so very nice to all of us. I went to the
movies at 4 o’clock in the morning for the first time.”
That story allowed my Aunt Gert to share with me
about her younger days. “I would go to the movies
downtown in the afternoon [at home] with the whites
downstairs and the blacks upstairs in the attic, and
that’s where I had my first job -- at the movie theater.
They were nice to me,” said Minnie Gertrude. You
see, she grew up during a time of segregation in the
South.
“I graduated from high school when I was 17, but you

only had to go to school 11 years at that time. The class of 1942
was the last class that graduated with 11 years; after that, they had
to go 12. That was my class. We were the first class that graduated
in the new school they built for us.”
Minnie Gertrude Washington was born and raised in Jacksonville,
North Carolina. She later met her late husband Moses Washington
(my uncle) and they had four children -- Embry Bernard, Shelton,
Stanley and Vanessa.
“[Growing up], I had a wonderful life. I can tell you -- with the
situation that it was in the South -- I never really wanted for
nothing I didn’t get. I’ll tell you why, because my mother said that
I had sense enough to know, if they couldn’t afford it, I wouldn’t
ask for it. She said I always acted like an old woman. My sister
Daisy was three years older than me. When Daisy would have company, they would always say,
‘There’s something different about that child,’ talking about me. They said, ‘yeah, she’s just like an
old lady.’ I wanted to know what was happening, and whatever she was doing, I wanted to learn to
do it,” my Aunt Gert told me.
“We had a good life. We had good parents, and they loved us. I don’t ever remember them telling
me that they loved me, [but] I know Mrs. Minnie and Mr. William loved me because of the way I
was treated. They didn’t have to say it, but I knew they loved me. I loved my momma too, but my daddy was
mine all by myself. My brother Junious called me captain -- he never called me by my name -- because he
thought I was my daddy’s boss,” she told me, laughing.
Not too long after she graduated, Aunt Gert made her way toward the North. “I graduated from cosmetology
school in 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia and I attended the community college in Waterbury, [Connecticut] and I
needed five credits to finish, but I took in foster kids and it was so difficult. They needed me more than I needed
to go to school. I gave that up for my foster kids because the kids
weren’t going to school, and I felt so bad that I just stopped and stayed
home to help them. They were kids that were 11 years old and didn’t
know their tables and couldn’t read -- so, I took my time out to teach
them. I don’t regret it. “
Aunt Gert is a loving and giving individual. She reminds me so much
of my Grandma.
I asked her how it was to raise her children up North because of what
she experienced in the South during segregation. Her response was
beautiful and reminds me of why Christmas is my favorite holiday. “It
was wonderful raising my children up North, because it gave me an
opportunity to visit -- we went home two or three times a year when
our parents were living. We went every June, July and some Christmases.
We would always go home. My husband was an only child,
and my mother-in-law worshipped the grandchildren. We had a
wonderful life,” she remembers lovingly.
I never got the opportunity to meet my Great Grandpa or my Great
Grandma -- her parents. My Great Grandma actually lived to be 98
years old and passed away 10 days before I was born. Long life seems

to run in my family. My Aunt Gert is blessed
to be alive. “I feel OK. I’m weak, but I thank
the Lord. You know, I’m a miracle. Two
doctors said I couldn’t live,” she told me. She
was able to share with me about one of her
recent losses of a good friend.
“I was home for my best friend’s funeral -- we
were friends for 78 years. [One day] I was
thinking she was going to pass soon so much,
until my mind said call her number. I called
her number, and she talked to me a long time. I
don’t know exactly how many minutes but she
talked to me. They said she was getting
Alzheimer’s, but you never would have known
the way she talked to me that day. We had
talked about three weeks before [she passed]
for a long time. She knew who I was. When
her daughter called me and told me she had
passed, I really felt like I had to go [to the funeral].”
My cousin, Siobhan has had the privilege of growing
up with her Gram (my Aunt Gert), similar to my
experience with my Grandma, so I asked her what
she had to say about Minnie Gertrude. Her reply
was this:
“My grandmother always has been and will always
be known as the pillar of my family. She is a
woman full of wisdom and knowledge. She raised
her kids and grandchildren to be respectable,
God-fearing people who always tried to do what
was right, even when what was right seemed harder
and required more work. My grandmother instilled
a work ethic in me that still shines through everything
that I do. Do it with excellence or don’t do it
at all is something that I learned from her. Being
the foster parent for several different children, my
grandmother taught me that family isn’t defined by
DNA, but family is defined by L-O-V-E. There are
times that she and I don’t see eye-to-eye on a
situation, and although we may disagree, I know
that regardless of the situation, she still loves me,
and I still love her.”
I find it a privilege to have a jewel that complimented
my Grandma so much. Every time that I talk
with her, I feel like my Grandma is still with me. As
my Aunt Gert always says to me, “Torre, it’s so
good to hear your voice” and I always reply, “No,
it’s so good to hear your voice!” I hope that her
voice will be captured as a pillar of my life and the
experience that I have come to know as “Plum
Hill.”

OUR
LEGACY
BY ARTURO M. CUMMINGS
“I started thinking about doing it when I was
getting my Master’s degree. We visited a cemetery
down in Wilmington, [N.C.], and of course they
took us to the Caucasian cemetery and it was
immaculate. They had working crews, they had
people out there doing all kinds of work manicuring
the grounds. And then, they went literally
across the street on the other side of the fence to
the African-American cemetery and it was a total
mess. Lack of support, lack of maintenance. As
we were walking through the cemetery, you literally
had to remove the briar bush to see the graves
and the headstones -- knocked over, buried,
broken, either by Mother Nature or vandalism.
That sparked it.”
“How I actually started physically doing things
was a friend of mine -- Ssgt. Anthony Goodwin --

he started a project where he wanted to find the forgotten veterans, these abandoned,
“endangered” cemeteries. He went out to war. I told him, I’ll continue
your work until you get back. Unfortunately, [he] did not come back. He came
back with a flag over him; he got killed in Iraq. I told his mother that I would
continue his mission. “Resurrection Mission” is my title, because he wanted to go
find these abandoned cemeteries and bring them back, the mission of finding these
veterans. I have been doing cemetery preservation and stabilization for going on
10 years now,” says Jack Robinson, GySgt., U.S. Marine Corps retired.
Jack is a well known, respected and an award-winning historian. He is hands-on
with his volunteers, friends and associates as they are guided through the principles
of how to preserve endangered cemeteries in southeastern North Carolina.
Over 125 veterans (many African-American) from the American Civil War to
Vietnam have been rediscovered and properly recognized for their sacrifices
through Jack and his team’s efforts. In addition, over 70 former slaves have been
identified, and veterans have been laid to rest.
“I started out with just a small cemetery -- maybe 20 graves. Since then
(2005-2006), I’ve now evolved into 19 cemeteries that I either physically do or I
keep an eye on tmake sure they’re protected and safeguarded. Through that
evolution, I started doing the genealogy of the cemetery. What I do is I simply
find who’s buried in the cemetery, and find the immediate document that will
support that family,” he says.

“I don’t do it by myself. I talk to family members, I talk to
court records, staff personnel, [and] we all cooperate and join
forces and help out. The deeds of records here in Onslow
County are superb. The joke is that I’m on their speed dial.
People call up and say, I have a question about an old cemetery,
I can’t find this person’s grave. I go out and try to find the
cemetery, or I try to find the individual,” he explains. “What I
try to do is trace the connections of the people who are buried
in [these cemeteries].”
needs work],” Jack says. “[During] my first
initial walkthrough, you could barely walk into
the oldest part of the cemetery. Now, however,
you can walk in there with a person who is in a
wheelchair. The project is nowhere near done yet
… what I have done is merely clear it out.”
For the Plum Hill Cemetery in particular, Jack has been working
on the project since April 5, 2016, where he found the older
part of the cemetery unkempt and overgrown.
“It was virtually standing overgrowth to where it is now, where
you can see the sunken graves and recovering fallen and buried
headstones. There is a newer part of the cemetery dating back
to [approximately] 1935. That area is superb. The gentleman
and the family that takes care of that part of the cemetery is
well under control. It’s the oldest part of the cemetery [that

Since that project began, Jack has already re-discovered
eight graves that are unmarked, and a tree growing through
one grave with initials that he doesn’t know who it belongs
to. Jack is meticulous in his work, going to the Censuses
themselves -- page by page, county by county, and town by
town and pulling names of the deceased to draw lineages
to pass along to the families who are connected to these
individuals.
As an example, Jack “... found two graves where children
were born and died before the Census, meaning they were
never officially recognized because [this was] before death
records and birth records. I come across that many times
in all my cemeteries. I’ve already come across that in
Plum Hill,” he says.
Jack receives no compensation for what he does, but
accepts donations in order to keep the project going. He is
passionate about his work in
preserving local history and
making connections for
families in the area.
“I have always been asked
why do I do this -- [it’s] to
continue my friend’s mission
and goal. I jokingly say that
people can’t afford me, so I
don’t charge. I don’t charge
anything. To carry out my
friend’s philosophy, I do not
expect, I do not demand,
[and] I do not require any
financial benefit. But, however,
donations are always
welcome,” he says. “Preserving
local history is significant
in my view. By doing the
Census, by doing the death
records, by doing the birth records,
it shows how families are connected.
I do my humble attempt to
bring them together.”
Jack has several degrees, and has
authored several books based on
his work with Resurrection Mission.
For more information on the work
Jack and his team are doing in the
community, visit
resurrection-mission.com.

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CREDITS
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHY
JOHAN ASTRATHA ESKEW
JON ERIC JOHNSON
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHY
SPLICED FRAME PRODUCTIONS
*ROY HAWKINS:
*GREG LOPEZ PHOTOGRAPHY
*THOMAS BLUE PHOTOGRAPHY
*TREVOR GREEN
CHANTAL STRINGER
ABBY MCKEE
MARCELLO MCNEIL
EILEEN WILDER
MARK AND RENAE NEWMILLER
SHEILAH WHITE
ROSA DARDEN
SIOBHAN SPRUILL
KASEY AND MYRANDA POLK
YOLANDA HENDERSON
PIXABAY/SHUTTERSTOCK
CONTRIBUTORS
CHANTAL STRINGER
ABBY MCKEE
MARCELLO MCNEIL
WADE POPE
EILEEN WILDER
MARK AND RENAE NEWMILLER
SHEILAH WHITE AND MALCOLM BATTS
SUMELLA RAMBERT
JACK ROBINSON
ROSA DARDEN
MINNIE GERTRUDE WASHINGTON
KASEY AND MYRANDA POLK
YOLANDA HENDERSON
MELISSA LAVADOUR
ROBERTA BYRD
TIARA WHITE
DR. A. GISELLE JONES-JONES
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ARTURO M. CUMMINGS
CREATIVE DESIGN DIRECTOR
ELISE K. CUMMINGS
LOGISTICS COORDINATOR
MURDENA MILLS
STAFF WRITERS
ALISA PERSAD
DR. NORMAN L. COLLINS, SR.
DR. ANTONIO BISHOP
SANDRA CUMMINGS
ISAIAH MARRINER
DR. D.J. ALEXANDER
JOY PITTS
SPECIAL THANKS
THE NEWMILLER FAMILY
ARTHUR & SANDRA CUMMINGS
THE CHARLES COAKLEY, JR. CONSERVATORY
REMADE, THE SALON AT SARECTA
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