|
Warning:
This web page may contain content, themes and
language that may not be suitable for children. If
this type of content offends you,
please leave this page now.
Click Here To Visit The New Black
Men In America.com Blog
Kevin Clash and Elmo
He may not look like it, but that Elmo's a love
machine.
When parents tell me, "My child lives for Elmo,"
I tell them that Elmo lives because of their
child's love for him. I don't just mean that
Elmo is alive in their child's imagination,
though that is certainly a part of it. That
child and Elmo aren't just experiencing love;
they're creating more of it to go around, and in
doing so they make the world a better place.
It works like this: Elmo feeds off the love he
receives from kids, from the adult characters on
the show, and from his fellow Muppets. He
doesn't just take that love in as a fuel and use
it up. Instead, he drinks it in and gives it
right back in spades. He's a kind of love-energy
power station, and the more love he takes in,
the more love he produces for the rest of the
world. The more love he produces, the more love
he receives, and the cycle completes itself over
and over again. Talk about a renewable resource!
I first saw this powerful cycle in action
shortly after Elmo debuted and was gaining in
popularity in the mid-1980s, when I did an
appearance with him at a school in the Bronx. A
group of preschoolers were gathered in the
library, all of them bundles of fidgeting energy
with their legs swinging like metronomes. As
soon as Elmo said, "Hello, everybody! Elmo loves
you!" it was like a floodgate had opened, and
Elmo and I were awash in a surge of little
children. I could almost feel an electric charge
in the room, as their shouts of "I love you,
Elmo!" reverberated off the cinder-block walls.
Elmo laughed and opened his arms wide and tried
to scoop up all the love and hug it to his
chest, all the while repeating "Elmo loves you,
too."
That may have been the first time in my adult
life when I finally comprehended the ancient
notion that what you put out in the universe
comes back to you. Since that day, I've learned
to try to put as much Elmo and Kevin love out
into the world as I can, knowing that it will
have a very positive ripple effect. Elmo and the
children taught me that one. Somewhere along the
road to adulthood, we seem to forget this little
secret about the power of love, but it's worth
remembering.
When children tell Elmo that they love him, they
all have different styles of expressing their
emotion. Some of the more demonstrative kids
throw their arms around his neck, snuggle their
faces against his, and with an eyes-closed,
sigh-heaving, hand-me-my-Tony-Award gesture that
projects to the very last row of the theater's
balcony, they proclaim their undying devotion to
Elmo in prose as purple as Telly Monster. "Oh,
Elmo, I love you more than chocolate ice cream!
More than I love the new baby! Please come and
live in my house forever!"
Older kids are a little more matter-of-fact, as
if they've been married for twenty years and
they're picking up their keys and their bag and
heading out the door with an affectionate but
perfunctory "Love you." Still others are more
shy and reserved, like the bashful and nervous
teen letting his or her feelings be known to
their crush for the first time. I often wonder
how these children will express their love as
adults and how many of them will remain
demonstrative and unembarrassed, or if they'll
naturally pull back into more conservative
styles as they grow older. It would be
ridiculous if we all greeted each other the way
the more enthusiastic kids greet Elmo -- imagine
how long it would take to get that first cup of
coffee at the office with all the morning
greetings in full swing! -- but still, doesn't
imagining a love-filled world like that put a
smile on your face?
Children approach Elmo differently depending on
their age, but they also are inevitably
influenced by the kinds of physical
demonstrations of affection they receive at
home. Elmo wants to reach all kids, and
sometimes he can be like that overly
enthusiastic puppy who finds everything in the
world so fresh and new and wonderful that he
can't contain himself. Just as kids may squeal
in delight when they first see a puppy and then
retreat in leg-hugging, face-shielding fear when
the puppy starts to jump on them, Elmo can evoke
the same response. Over time, I've learned to
think quickly on my feet, to gauge the kinds of
responses I'm getting from a child and either
tone down or amp up Elmo's enthusiasm level
accordingly. I constantly have to remind myself
that even though they've seen Elmo countless
times on television, they're meeting him
face-to-face for the very first time.
The funny thing is, no two kids are alike. I've
seen the quiet ones respond with smiles and
giggles that escalate to a full-on Elmo love
attack -- the eardrum-piercing, vibrating,
arms-wide, hugging and squeezing and kissing
frontal assault. Other shy kids need a little
bit of time to warm up to Elmo and his
"de-monster-ative" displays of affection. But in
the end, they all come around.
Excerpted from
My Life as a Furry
Red Monster by
Kevin Clash with Gary Brozek. Copyright © 2006
by Clash Puppets, Inc. Excerpted by permission
of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may
be reproduced or reprinted without permission in
writing from the publisher.
Left to Right: Photo
#1: Kevin, Elmo and Alicia Keys.
Photo #2: Kevin and the late Jim
Henson
Click On Photos To Enlarge
Author
Kevin Clash began making his own puppets
and performing for live audiences when he was a
boy. He turned his childhood obsession into a
professional passion, forging a career in
television and making an indelible mark on
children's imaginations. Kevin has been with
Sesame Street for twenty-six years
and is co-executive producer of "Elmo's
World." He has won three Emmy Awards for
Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series and
six for his work as co-executive producer of an
Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series. He has
a daughter, Shannon, and lives in New York City.
For more information,
please visit
www.kevinclashbook.com.
Written by
Kevin Clash and
Gary Brozek
Category: Self Help - Motivational
Publisher: Broadway
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
Pub Date: September 2006
Price: $19.95
ISBN: 978-0-7679-2375-0 (0-7679-2375-8)
Also available as an
eBook.
Book Review:
My Life as a Furry Red Monster by
Kevin Clash
I was
pleasantly surprised reading this book. It was
light-hearted, emotionally uplifting, and
informative as well. I actually felt the urge
to find some of the old TV shows highlighting
the author's career. It was good to read about
an African American who had a wonderful
childhood, loved and admired his parents,
and was proud of the area where he grew up.
I'm sure Elmo or Kevin could have dished out
some behind the scene Hollywood dirt or focused
on the darker side of life that we all
experience, but then that's just not Sesame
Street. Although I can't help but think
having a three and a half year old alter ego is
a bit creepy, I truly wish continued and even
greater success to Elmo and Kevin.
Sharon
Bowden, Clinton, MD
Author
Erica Simone Turnipseed
Question and Answer with
Erica Simone Turnipseed
Q&A with Erica Simone Turnipseed, author
of A Love Noire, and the recently
released follow-up, Hunger, two
sophisticated looks at Black love.
Question:
Did you find it difficult to write a sequel? Do
you feel any of the pressure surrounding
sophomore efforts?
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
I learned from my publisher that the term of art
is “continuation” rather than sequel because the
latter suggests that one must have read the
first before reading the second, and
Hunger does stand up as its own book.
Nevertheless, the two books are connected, and
that creates some additional pressure. Readers
want to see growth in the characters and so do
I. But even as I, as the writer, explore new
terrain for these characters, I must resist the
trap of having the characters become caricatures
of themselves. They must be authentically
themselves even as they grow and mature, make
mistakes and learn lessons. This is part of the
pressure of the proverbial sophomore effort. You
want to show growth as a writer. And now that
people have expectations—in this case
expectations about preexisting characters—the
pressure is that much greater. But I am very
pleased with Hunger. I find it a very
satisfying story that is a natural progression
for Innocent, Noire, and the others who people
their world. I trust that readers will feel the
same, even if they did not read A Love
Noire before reading.
Question:
Sometimes first-time writers are surprised by
the publishing process. Did anything surprise
you when A Love Noire was released? Is
there anything that you learned from that
experience that made the second time around
easier?
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
I can’t say that I was honestly surprised by the
process when A Love Noire was
published; it was just new to me. With ALN, it
was interesting to see the process unfold and I
wasn’t completely sure where I could (or should)
drive the process and when I needed to step back
and let it work. With the publication of
Hunger, I’m clearer about my role in
marketing and publicity efforts, I’m surer of my
voice, I’m always prepared with back-up copies
of my book wherever I go. I’ve learned many
times over that, as the author, I must always be
prepared to advocate for my books (and my
career). I’m also becoming clearer on what I
hope my career progression will be and how I am
touching people through my writing.
Question:
You created A Love Noire/Hunger: The
Soundtrack. Can you tell us more about it?
Do these songs follow the books’ storylines?
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
I must give my husband, Kevin Webb, the credit
for developing A Love Noire/Hunger:
The Soundtrack; it was his brainchild and he
is the project’s executive producer in addition
to being a contributor with his band, LEANiN6.
As he has noted, I created a world in A Love
Noire and expanded it in Hunger.
I like to say that he heard the music that lived
between my words. The Soundtrack extends the
world created in my books, making it a
multi-sensory and complementary experience to
the written word. The ten tracks from the album
come from ten extraordinary independent artists
and capture the themes of love, loss, and
redemption that are explored in both books. For
some, the Soundtrack is a postlude to two
satisfying reads and for others, it is an
enticement to read the novels. People have been
very receptive to the Soundtrack.
Question:
A Love Noire
could have also been named Hunger
because of Innocent’s and Noire’s intense desire
for love, understanding, neatly packaged
identities, companionship and success. With this
continuation, how have Innocent and Noire grown,
what new set of struggles do they face and how
have their desires changed?
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
You’re right about the intensity of emotion and
desire in A Love Noire, but with
Hunger, the stakes have been
raised. Both Noire and Innocent are dealing with
true life and death issues: both experience
loss, both have radical shifts in identity
thrust upon them, both have to carve out a new
place for themselves and find how to live in
their own skin, right their own wrongs, and find
peace in a turbulent world. It’s a bumpy ride
full of ill-advised erotic entanglements,
humiliation and reality checks, and a humbling
quest for life’s sweetness and joy. As Jayna,
Noire’s childhood best friend, states in
Hunger, “simple just isn’t coming back.”
Question:
Both books are sophisticated looks at Black
love. Are there specific aspects of Black love
that you are trying to convey or explore?
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
I think that love is love but that people are
impacted by their reality. Blackness is social
reality that is loaded with certain things. For
Noire, she is an educated black woman seeking
lasting love and trying to figure out if she’ll
find it, what package it will be in, and whether
she’s willing to compromise to get it. Innocent
is an immigrant from Côte d’Ivoire in West
Africa who is uneasy about being a part of the
so-called brain drain of Africa: Africans who go
abroad for academic and economic opportunities
and don’t return home to share their knowledge
and economic resources for the benefit of their
people. These realities impact how they
negotiate the relationships in their lives,
especially their love relationships. There are
pressures and prejudices that black women face,
especially black women in their late twenties
and early to mid thirties, that make the pursuit
for love especially daunting. The same is true
for our black male contemporaries. And for those
black people who hail from Africa and the
Caribbean, there are additional issues of where
one should seek love and whether that pursuit
will take you farther away or closer to “home.”
Question:
What are you currently reading? What is one book
that has made a significant impact on you?
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
Because I am in the midst of promoting
Hunger, it’s been hard to read books
consistently. I've got quite a backlog! On my
shortlist is the non-fiction book There Goes
the ‘Hood by Lance Freeman about
gentrification in Harlem in Brooklyn, as well as
Edward P. Jones’s The Known World
and Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake.
I keep on picking up I Got Somebody in
Staunton, a collection of vivid and
evocative short stories by William Henry Lewis.
And, as I prepare to sit back at the computer to
write, I've been looking at Shifting: The
Double Lives of Black Women in America,
Hung: A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men
in America, Kenji Jasper's Dark,
and the largely unsung Harlem Renaissance
novellas Quicksand and Passing
by Nella Larson. I’m also reading
The Power of A Praying Woman with
the women's ministry at my church. The list of
books that have been formative for me is long
and it certainly includes Migrations of
the Heart by Marita Golden and Maya
Angelou's The Heart of a Woman.
Question:
How has your writing developed since your debut?
Can you pinpoint how it may have changed with
Hunger?
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
The benefit of writing characters who are your
contemporaries is that you mature and grow right
along with them. When I first started writing
A Love Noire I was 27 and single. But
by the completion of Hunger I was
pushing 35, married to a wonderful partner, and
living with the reality of having lost my
daughter, Grace Ayodele Webb, just days after
she was born prematurely and I nearly died
myself. And I’ve witnessed loved ones struggle
with the experiences of life that we never hope
for but are sure to have. Those things shape
you; they inform what you think about and how
you think about them. Thankfully for me, they’ve
made me a better, more thoughtful, more humble
person (rather than crushing me). I’m thankful
for that. And as I sat down to write
Hunger, I sought to explore the issues
of love, loss, and redemption through the
particular experiences of Innocent and Noire.
Question:
Will we see Noire and Innocent again?
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
I think that Noire and Innocent have earned the
right to live their lives in peace! But that
said, I’m not ruling out the possibility of
revisiting them in another phase and stage of
their lives (and my own). I have no plans to
revisit their characters, but that doesn’t mean
that it will never happen!
About
Erica Simone Turnipseed:
Erica Simone Turnipseed is the author of
Hunger, an Essence Book Club
Recommended Read. Her debut novel was A
Love Noire, which won the Atlanta Choice
Award Author of the Year from the Atlanta Daily
World. In addition, Turnipseed was
nominated for Breakout Author of the Year for
the African American Literary Awards Show Open
Book Award. A full-time writer, Turnipseed
has B.A. and M.A degrees in anthropology from
Yale and Columbia universities, respectively,
and is also the founder of the "Five Years
for the House Initiative," a fundraising
drive for the Afro-American Cultural Center at
Yale. She lives with her husband in Brooklyn,
NY. More information about Erica Simone
Turnipseed and her books can be found at her web
site,
www.ericasimoneturnipseed.com or through her
blog,
www.ericasimoneturnipseed.com/blog/, and her
MySpace presence,
www.myspace.com/ericasimoneturnipseed.
Author Frank Chase, Jr.
FRANK CHASE, JR.,
a native of Baltimore, Maryland, served in the
United States Army and is now an ordained Deacon
and a Minister at Emmanuel Church International
in Decatur, Alabama. Frank also serves as a
contributing writer and editor for the church’s
newsletter, The Flame. As a lay
minister, he has served as a teacher, counselor,
mentor and leader in men’s ministries and is
also a noted conference speaker.
We wanted to feature Frank Chase for quite some
time and finally got our schedules coordinated.
Here is the result of that interview.
The Frank Chase,
Jr. Interview
BMIA.com:
You have a diverse background. Where did you
grow up? Go to school?
FC, Jr.:
Believe it or not Gary; I grew up in your neck
of the woods (Baltimore, MD). Back then it was
called the Junction. I grew up on 2212 Garrison
Boulevard and lived around the North Avenue area
for a while and the Glen Falls Medical Center
area. As far as school, I spent my elementary
school years at Edgewood Elementary, and then I
went to Garrison Junior High school and finished
out and graduated from Walbrook Senior High
School in 1979 in the Junction. I went to
college in another state, and graduated from
Washington State University in 1989 with a BA
degree in Communications.
BMIA.com:
What lead you to write the book “False
Roads To Manhood:
What Women Need To Know, What Men Need To
Understand?”
FC, Jr.:
For years, I've always desired to write a book.
I didn't know what subject it would entail, but
my intrigue and passion concerning the rites of
passage into manhood drove this book from my
heart to paper and experiencing divorce.
Getting to the point of your question, Gary,
God sparked a match in
my soul to write False Roads to Manhood, What
Women Need To Know; What Men Need to Understand
to help men and women
recover from failed relationships and to ensure
that no man would go through what I went through
trying to heal and deal with hurt and pain.
Another aspect that brought this docu-story to
life is seeing men struggle with failure and
success. Those last two words are loaded. In
any case, I wanted to write something to
empower, teach and heal male and female, youth,
men and women so they wouldn’t travel false
roads to manhood or womanhood. In the end,
Gary, men in all kinds of predicaments inspired
me to write this book. However, I think the
question is not what lead me to write this book,
but who inspired me to write
False Roads to Manhood.
BMIA.com:
What is that you want the reader to learn or
“get” as a result of reading your book?
FC, Jr.:
Readers will learn about destiny, purpose and
about exit ramps from false roads. They will
gain an understanding often missed in the noise
of conversation and dialogue. When a person
reads my book they will get an understanding
about themselves and the complex emotions of
men. Now I know that sounds like a misnomer, but
light will begin to illuminate when people read
this book. To pull from a scripture text, the
words of this book will be a lamp to readers’
feet and a light to a pathway of insight. They
will walk away saying, “I’m glad for the heads
up!”
BMIA.com:
How long have you been involved in the
ministry?
FC, Jr.:
Gary, I was called to the ministry when I was 20
years old. After I gave my life to Christ, I did
a double take on God and ran for twenty years,
but never far enough away. I stayed in the
shadows of ministry, hoping God would not catch
up to me. But He did and I finally submitted to
the call, plan and purpose He had for my life.
Let me tell you, I now have a little
understanding of what Noah experienced in the
Bible when he decided to run from God’s mission.
BMIA.com:
Who do you look up to and admire?
FC, Jr.:
Gary, without reservation, I look up to
God first, but to answer your question, my
Pastor and spiritual father, Apostle Karockas
Watkins and his wife Audra Watkins, hands down
are the people I look up to and admire. You have
to know their story to appreciate why I speak so
highly of them. That’s why he’s on the front
cover of my book for the foreword. To say more
would lead into a long written dissertation.
BMIA.com:
What have you learned about the “souls of
men?”
FC, Jr.:
The “souls of men” are waiting to be called out
into their manhood by the community of men.
They’re yearning to be called son by their
earthly father, but don’ t know that God the
Father has knighted them as Sons of the Father.
BMIA.com:
You been quoted as saying: “It's
time for men across the world to "break free"
from the traditions of men.” What does that
mean?
FC, Jr.:
Gary, breaking free from the traditions of men
simply means you can be the man without
apology. Society often defines a man in
different ways until they seek false images of
manhood and not authentic manhood. Breaking free
means, abandoning truancy, rejecting rejection,
killing anger, turning discouragement into
encouragement, not becoming emotionally or
physically incarcerated, embracing trust in
relationships and never embrace ignorance
because it is not good for a man or a women to
be without knowledge, don’t let offenses define
who you are as a man and don’t become a nomad in
the lives of people around you who care.
BMIA.com:
What motivates you to do what you do?
FC, Jr.:
I would say the Joy of the Lord which is my
strength motivates me to do what I do. In
addition, when people come back to me and echo
how much my book gave them insight, reconfirms
what God spoke to me eight years ago about how
this book would change lives in ways I may never
hear about. I’m motivated by manhood in Christ.
BMIA.com:
Who’s the most influential person in your life?
Why?
FC, Jr.:
Gary, right now as I stated earlier in the
interview, my pastor Apostle Karockas Watkins is
very influential in my life because he pushes me
to excellence. I often feel like I have a hand
in my back and a voice in my ear saying, “Son,
go for the gusto!” You ask why he’s the most
influential. I believe it’s because I see in his
life a drive for God and people that makes me
want to go with him to another dimension. He’s a
man of excellence that wants every person he
meets to discover their destiny and purpose.
BMIA.com:
What’s your definition of courage?
FC, Jr.:
To know that I’m the head and not the tail,
above and not beneath. Courage is not allowing
people to define your life because if they can,
then they will determine your destiny. Courage
is: commitment over ugly responses amid guided
excellence. Courage also means admitting to
wrong when everything in you says run and hide.
BMIA.com:
What do men in general need to know or do to
improve themselves?
FC, Jr.:
Men need to know who they are in Christ. They
need to know that their background doesn’t
determine their future. Look, I was a 2-pound
pre-mature baby when I was born. I am a living
miracle. Medical science said I should not have
survived, but destiny on my life understood that
death could not stop me from living. I think
when you fully understand your destiny you can’t
be stopped. Even death must take a back seat
until your work is done. Also, men improve
themselves by reaching back to others to usher
them into the promise of authentic Godly
manhood.
BMIA.com:
What role do women play in this improvement
process?
FC, Jr.:
Every woman needs to know that they are
important to the man and vice versa. I would
encourage women to read proverbs 31 in the Bible
and there will be no doubt how women improve the
process!
BMIA.com:
How can people reading this article support you
and your work?
FC, Jr.:
This may sound self-serving, but I think reading
my book and providing comments on my web site
guest book is great support and encouragement.
People can also support my work by logging on to
my website to read the articles I’ve written to
gain a better understanding of my purpose and
passion. I want to bring reconciliation to the
hearts of men so that men and women receive
healing from past hurts, which brings
cooperation with each other. Word of mouth
advertisement about my book is the most
effective way to bring others to my website.
Purchasing False Roads To Manhood would bring
financial support to my God given purpose to
plant seeds of healing into the hearts of men,
one man at a time.
BMIA.com:
What’s the best part about being Frank Chase,
Jr.?
FC, Jr.:
The best part about me is that I’m a born again
believer who loves God and wants the best for my
life and family, spiritually and financially by
the truth of the Word. I understand that there
is a seed of goodness in everyone even when
you’ve been wronged. I’m not too serious about
me and at the end of the day it’s all smiles
even in the midst of trouble or struggle. The
other best part of me is what my name means.
Frank means “Free Man” and the spiritual
connotation of my name is “Shining.” So, I’m a
free man that shines. That’s the sum of me.
BMIA.com:
Where do you draw your strength?
FC, Jr.:
I draw my strength from the joy of the Lord
because the joy of the Lord is my strength. I
also draw strength from my brothers in Christ
through fellowship and intimate connection with
them as men. As I said in my book, it takes men
to teach men. So as an iron sharpens an iron,
other men of purpose who influence my life
sharpen me. I surround myself with men who know
their purpose in life and draw strength from
them.
BMIA.com:
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
FC, Jr.:
I see myself holding life-changing seminars,
with my book as a number one New York Times best
seller. As an author and President of FC
Publishing, LLC, I see myself publishing at
least 5 books in the next five years of other
clients. I’ll take you on a more in depth
journey. I see my book as a major play, then a
written screenplay for the silver screen. Now
that’s vision and without a vision people
perish. I don’t see the future; I have visions
of the future. Don’t take this as arrogant, I’m
just bubbling over with words of confidence.
BMIA.com:
What is the biggest challenge facing black men
in America?
FC, Jr.:
Let me say this Gary, he who reads leads. We
have to read about our history and remain
vigilant. Like the Jews, we need to pass on our
history to the younger generation so they will
know where they are going. I think our challenge
as black men is that we are not imparting or
equipping other men and youth to take the baton
of the future. We must educate, teach, train and
never get trapped in the blame game. We must
stand up and say, “Hey, young brother, come
here! We must call them into their destiny and
not let them fend for themselves on false roads
to manhood.
BMIA.com:
Thank you Frank.
FC, Jr.:
Thank you Gary and Black Men In America.com.
Frank Chase currently works as senior aviation
writer on Army Helicopters for the Department of
the Army’s monthly publication, PS Magazine,
LOGSA, located at Redstone Arsenal, Al. He is a
graduate of Washington State University and has
a BA degree in Communications with a minor in
Sociology. Frank has authored and published
numerous religious and relationship articles for
newspapers, online magazines and print media. He
has appeared on many television and radio
programs as a recurring guest. Frank lives with
his wife Teresa in Alabama and is the father of
six children.
You can visit Frank’s web site at
http://www.fcpublishing.com.
Click here to read our review of Frank’s
book.
Sign Our Guestbook
View Our Guestbook
Sylvia Henderson Is A Springboard To Success
According to author Sylvia
Henderson, “Talking White” is more than speaking
well. It is communicating effectively,
presenting yourself professionally, and
conducting yourself in a socially acceptable
manner as perceived by the business and
professional world in which we make our living
and establish our careers and businesses. She
goes on to say that “talking white” is a choice
that only you can make for yourself. “I can
help you discover what to do and how to do it.
Only you can choose to eliminate the behaviors
that sabotage your success. Or help those you
care about do the same.”
Sylvia is the CEO (Chief
Everything Officer) of
Springboard Training, a training and
personal development firm in Olney, Maryland a
suburb of Washington, D.C. Ms. Henderson
conducts leadership and communications programs
for organizations that want to develop their
people for success.
Sylvia visited the Black
Men In America.com office and sat down for an
extensive conversation with Gary Johnson.
Sylvia is indeed a multifaceted and talented
woman.
The
Sylvia Henderson Interview
BMIA.com:
Hello Sylvia. I don’t know where to start.
Thanks for stopping by.
Sylvia Henderson:
Thanks for having me.
BMIA.com:
Tell me a little bit about your background?
Sylvia Henderson:
I was raised in a lower middle class family in
Philadelphia. I attended public school and an
all girl high school. From there I went to
Cheyney State and earned a B.S. in Secondary
Education. I pledged Zeta Phi Beta at Chaney.
I earned my MBA from University of Pittsburgh.
From there I interviewed with IBM and got a job
with them and an assignment to Minneapolis.
BMIA.com:
I’m going to jump around a bit. Tell me about
Springboard Training.
Sylvia Henderson:
I actually became an independent contractor when
AOL got rid of me and several hundred other
people. I was faced with not having a job. I
didn’t have the guts to follow my own dream when
I was being paid well. When that situation
changed, I started my own business. I didn’t
know anything about what I was going to do. I
liked the name and concept of the term
“springboard.” O | 
