Everyday Dope

Happy Mother's Day 

Shaniqua Garcia is a trailblazer in the beauty industry with over 18 years of experience. She is a Master Cosmetologist, Certified Trichologist, Educator, and Entrepreneur. Shaniqua has built her career empowering women of all walks of life to embrace their beauty both inside and out. For 11 years she has owned and operated Inner Beauty Salon, and for 7 year she has been growing Pearl Salon Suites with locations in the West End, Decatur, Greenbriar, Riverdale area and 4 franchise owned locations. Shaniqua's haircare skills include natural hair, relaxers, cuts, color, extensions and hair restoration. She does hair for models, actors, and performers for live events, videos, and photo shoots. Her work is trusted by major hair product companies including Pattern, Design Essentials, Dr. Miracles, Aunt Jackie's Curls and Coils, Texture My Way, Africa's Best. Her work can also be seen in online publications and magazines.

Whitney A. Jackson, MSW joined Warrick Dunn Charities in July of 2018 as Executive Director. Ms. Jackson has twenty years of nonprofit management and social services experience and is passionate about improving the quality of life for children and families. Over the course of her career, Ms. Jackson has had the privilege of impacting youth in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina through organizations such as the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Council for Children's Rights, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, The New Teacher Project (TNTP), and most recently served as the Executive Director of the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Gaston County. Ms. Jackson is a native of Atlanta, GA and graduated from Emory University with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Women's Studies. Additionally, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice with her Master of Social Work diploma and began her career as a school-based Social Worker in Philadelphia. Currently Ms. Jackson oversees all of the day-to-day operations, fiscal management, staffing, programs, and philanthropic endeavors of Warrick Dunn Charities, Inc. and is charged with working closely with the Board of Directors to fulfill the mission of the organization and executing Mr. Dunn's vision of empowering families to break the cycle of generational poverty, to achieve a better quality of life for all.

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Leticia Bhola is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Texas. As a graduate of Baylor University with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Social Work from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she has worked with various populations in New York, the District of Columbia and Texas. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and obtained her Supervision Certification because she believes in helping social workers advance and grow professionally to become clinically licensed social workers. LMB Wellness is a Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) registered in the State of Texas.

Kristin Smith grew up in Atlanta and always wanted to be a teacher. She graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Business, majoring in Management and Minoring in Accounting. She started out in office management for a small law firm which led to her transitioning to a career as a paralegal. Even practicing in a field she loved, she still desired to teach so she volunteered through Hands On Atlanta where she worked with students at Whitefoord Elementary School. She and her husband moved from Atlanta to Huntsville, Alabama twenty years ago and she continued volunteering with local school children. Years before the birth of her only child, Kristin started to research the option of homeschooling. With the birth of her only child in 2004, Kristin and her husband began to seriously consider the idea. Excited about the numerous opportunities homeschooling provided - including satisfying Kristin's long desire to educate - the family committed to the homeschool journey. Kristin and her daughter attended several cooperatives over the years in which Kristin had the chance to teach and her daughter had the experience to learn in an environment more like a traditional classroom. Many of these other homeschooling families continued to seek out Kristin's classes and, in 2017, Kristin hosted the first classes for homeschoolers out of her home. She led an all girls team to compete in Mock Trial at the state level through Alabama Youth in Government in 2018. In 2019, Kristin and a small group studying Alabama History were preparing to celebrate Alabama's bicentennial. Through planning the lunch menu, they realized that Alabama had never designated an official state vegetable. Kristin and this group of students started a state-wide campaign and, in 2021, stood on the steps of the Alabama state Capitol with several state senators, the speaker of the House of Representatives, several state representatives, and members of the Alabama Farmers Association as the governor signed the legislation proposed by Kristin's students designating the sweet potato as the state's vegetable. Kristin has become a true leader in the homeschooling community and continues to teach. Kristin's daughter is a senior this year and will be attending college in the fall 2022. Kristin's desire is to continue to teach and mentor other families through their homeschooling journeys.

Joshua Travis Dickerson Sr. is a proud graduate of Griffin High School and Georgia State University. He went on to become an educator in the DeKalb County School system and was award 2007-2008 DeKalb County Teacher of the Year for Jolly Elementary. He is currently serving as Executive Director with a non- profit organization in Metro Atlanta. He has created several programs to empower youth and has helped to create chess and robotic clubs at various programs in Atlanta. Mr. Dickerson uses his experience and love for kids to train teachers and administrators on different ways to incorporate literacy into daily educational activities. His poem “Cause I Ain't Got a Pencil”, has sparked conversation around the world. As a proud father of four children: Destiny, Joshua II, Justice, and Skylar Dickerson, he knows all too well how important a positive role model is in every child's life. He is a passionate writer and author. His poem “Cause I Ain't Got a Pencil”, has sparked conversation around the world. Mr. Dickerson stand strong on his belief that though no one person can do everything, but each person can do something.

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“I am the CEO and Co Founder of Break The Box, A full service opportunity zone fund and business incubator based in Austin, TX. I Serve within the Executive team to create lucrative financial opportunities and socially equitable success tools for the Community in Austin. I enjoy building successful business cultures that invest in the growth of people, learning new technologies, and understanding what drives people to perform at their optimal level then driving the behaviors that engage people to exceed expectations. I enjoy coaching others to avoid reactive behaviors and instead work towards the behavior that proactively leads to excellence.”

Dr. Anyee` D. Payne is a powerhouse leader. She inspires leaders and aspiring leaders to become #organizedleaders, who identify priorities, develop action plans, and delegate tasks that catapult the organization's culture and academic growth. With this leadership model, she serves as principal of a high performing, internationally STEM certified school. Additionally, she has earned state recognition from the Governor's Office of Student Achievement for student growth. Additionally, Dr. Payne has secured millions of dollars in grant funding for STEM based instruction, afterschool, and summer programs. Dr. Payne began her educational career as a kindergarten teacher. Throughout her career, she has held various instructional, support, and leadership roles; including Reading Instructional Coach, Instructional Liaison Specialist, Leadership Support Specialist, and Assistant Principal. Dr. Payne holds a bachelor's of science degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia Southern University. She obtained a master's of education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Central Michigan University, and a doctor of philosophy degree in Educational Leadership from Mercer University. She fulfilled her ultimate dream which was completing the Harvard University's Graduate School of Education's National Institute of Urban School Leaders program.Dr. Payne's balance in life are her devoted husband Michael and daughter Avery.

Chanel Johnson is from Atlanta, Georgia, and currently lives in Atlanta as a Science Specialist for the 5th largest district. She has served countless students and educators since 2009, focusing on the areas of math, science, instructional technology, and coaching. Whether teaching students or teaching adults, her passion is to teach and ignite all voices so that they are heard. She believes in developing digital age learners and digital age educators by stimulating a culture of empowered learners through applying 5 C's ( Creativity, Collaboration, Citizenship, Communication, and Critical Thinking). Her passion is to show stakeholders how with current researched-based instructional strategies, empowering all learners' voices, especially those often silenced, fostering a dedicated community. All learners can meet their highest potential. Chanel usually develops and executes professional development around the implementation of content and instructional technology fluently. She believes instruction consists of Standards-Aligned Content, Appropriate Pedagogy, and Technology Integration. The most crucial factor is to remember we are teaching the child before the content. Chanel believes in the power of community and collaboration through being a part of countless professional learning networks often sparked from social media platforms such as Twitter. You can follow Chanel on Twitter as Dc_stemtastic. She has conducted several professional developments in training coaches, educators, and instructional leaders towards using the most appropriate technology to empower all voices in science education. She has presented at countless national and local conferences, served as an ASCD's Emerging 2019 Leader. Chanel is also the newly appointed Vice President for GSTA ( Georgia Science Teacher Association), ISTE Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Google Certified Level 1, Flipgrid Ambassador, Nearpod Advanced Educator, and countless more accolades. On a personal level, Chanel is a proud wife to her husband, Martin. Mother to three kids, Shaylyn, a set of Twins, Christian, and Chloe and Proud member of SIgma Gamma Rho Incorporated

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Tara began her quest building rockets in 2008 as a Systems Engineer working on Space Launch System (SLS). Currently, she supports the Systems Engineering Integration and Test capability with component verification in Huntsville, AL. She has, also, supported the Avionics and Software team with verification of component requirements and constructing new specifications. An important part of her role is to ensure the suppliers who are developing the components understand the requirements and are able to verify how the requirements will be met (Verification) and also that the component operates as outlined in the requirements document (Validation). Prior to her adventures in space exploration, Tara designed control systems via writing rungs of ladder logic and developing Human Machine Interface (HMI) screens as a Controls Engineer at Arnold AFB, TN. This AFB in particular, is a simulation test facility operating 32 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, space environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges and other specialized units. Her task was to design the control system specific to the tests performed in a certain test cell. Tara obtained a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from The Alabama A&M University and a Master's of Science in Management (Acquisitions and Contracts Management) from Florida Institute of Technology. Shortly after graduating from AAMU, Tara was an Engineering intern with the Department of Energy in New Orleans, LA. traveling to various petroleum storage sites and analyzing power related issues with the relay system within the substations. In her spare time, Tara is the Chief Financial Officer of a 501c3 non profit organization handling payroll, contracts, pricing and facilities maintenance.

Michael Crooms (born October 5, 1970), better known by his stage name Mr. Collipark and also known as DJ Smurf, is a hip hop producer and the president of his own Atlanta-based record label, Collipark Music, which was started in 1999.The name Collipark was derived from the city of College Park, Georgia. Crooms is credited as playing a major role in the career of the Ying Yang Twins,Soulja Boy, Taurus, Hurricane Chris, V.I.C., and Vistoso Bosses.In 2007, Mr. Collipark won BMI's "Songwriter of the Year" award.He was also nominated for a 2008 Grammy for his work with Soulja Boy.In 2011, Mr. Collipark debuted his mixtape Can I Have the Club Back Please, which features tracks from artists including Translee, Treal Lee & Prince Rick and the Ying Yang Twins.

Oluremi Onifade was born in Kenya to parents from Kenya and Nigeria. The youngest of four children, she moved to the United States as a toddler. Being from a family of doctors and high-achievers, it became important for her to make her imprint on the world. Entering Spelman College in fall of 2004, Dr. Onifade developed a track to allow her to become a physical therapist. At Spelman, she acquired her four-year degree in Biology while also maintaining three on-campus jobs. After a rejected application to a physical therapy program, Dr. Onifade pursued a Master’s of Kinesiology at Auburn University. While at Auburn, she earned a graduate assistant position in which she served as an educator at a juvenile detention center. Dr. Onifade was a catalyst in building a bridge program between Spelman College and Auburn University to attract students who desired to pursue careers in allied health. Her participation in this program laid the foundation for her future endeavors to educate and recruit people of color into the field of physical therapy Dr. Onifade was accepted at Emory University, and earned her DPT degree in 2013. After completing a neurological specialty in 2014, she entered the field of Home Health in North Georgia. Dr. Onifade now serves as a clinic director and minority partner of an outpatient physical therapy clinic in Ellenwood, GA.In 2016, Dr. Onifade and Dr. DeAndrea Bullock co-founded the National Association of Black Physical Therapists (NABPT). The association currently has more than 300 members. It is paving the way to increasing the numbers of the African Diaspora in the physical therapy field in the United States, while also creating programs to uplift the Black community. 

Michael (Mike) Jones lives by the great quote ofthe late Kobe Bryant, “The most important thing is totry and inspire people so that they can be great inwhatever they want to do”. Mike Jones is a graduate ofGardner-Webb University with a B.S. in Health andWellness. He is a former European Basketball Playerwith a passion for athletics, fitness, and healthy living.Mike served as the Fitness and Nutritioncorrespondent for Vitamin C Magazine for 2 years.Mike is the creator of the Mike Jones “Get Moving, GetFit” Kickball League, CEO of Grit, Grind and Muscle,IFBB Pro Bodybuilder and Certified Personal Trainer.Mike has helped dozens of people lose weight, gainmuscle but most importantly, live healthier lifestyles.He believes that fitness is about maximizing ourpotential as human beings. It's more than justexercising; it's finding the strength and will to keeppushing yourself to become greater. Greater HumanBeings! 

Solomon Dobbs is a sophomore at Morehouse College. Before entering Morehouse, Solomon has not only broken barriers in the game of golf, including being on the first all African American golf team to ever win a state championship in the country, but has also allowed his hard work and grind to inspire the generations of black golfers after him. Solomon is known for for his passion for golf and business, but one of his secret passion is fashion. Solomon’s hard work on and off the golf course has not only allowed him to form relationships with legends such as Vince Carter, Kent Bazemore, and Chris Tucker, but it also gives him the ability to pave him path to success after college.

Lady Luck , born Shanell Jones,  is a triple RIAA gold and platinum certified American Rap Artist. She got her start being heavily influenced by growing up around her great aunt Sylvia Robinson, founder of  "SugarHill Records". Determined to make her own way she began to rap for everyone around Englewood, New Jersey. One morning, while in 11th grade, Luck called New York's radio station, WQHT-FM Hot 97 to freestyle on the morning show.  Every morning they had her call in and freestyle before heading to school. After a week Luck had a bidding war between major record labels, ultimately signing a record deal with Def Jam.   At age 17 Shanell jones AKA Lady Luck went on to sign a million dollar deal with Def Jam Records. After three years with Def Jam, Luck parted ways with the label to pursue an independent career. In 2003, she had a legendary rap battle, which aired in MTV2, with another female rapper by the name of Remy Martin. The controversy surrounding it still has people debating over who the victor actually was and is considered to be a legendary battle in hip hop. Luck is known for her powerful punchlines and immaculate witty freestyles which gained her respect from today's top artist. While at the label, she built her discography to include songs with the likes of Missy Elliot and featured on many movie soundtracks. In 2017 Luck joined her family the Robinsons on “First Family of hiphop” that aired on Bravo television. As a fan favorite on the show Luck was able to capture the heart of millions while showing her out of this world personality. Independently Luck has sold of 75,000 CDs traveling state to state and organically built a fanbase. Grateful for the new experiences and new skills Lady Luck is hitting the ground running , exploring every genre and conquering new territory creatively. While independent, Luck began honing her writing skills in other genres of music as well as hip hop. This has created a more well rounded artist holistically. She has written songs for various artists signed to different labels domestic and internationally. Crossing over from artist, to various positions of the music creation process as a music producer. Not only song writing for artist but, executive producing albums while still creating great music of her own. Luck has launched “The Greatest Entertainment” and signed her first artist in 2019.  In June of the same year her production company partnered with Truly Original to score the music forBravo’s hit television show “Housewives of Atlanta”. This partnership led to Luck writing and producing “Come and get this hunni” for the show lead character Nene Leakes.Lately she stays busy with shopping television shows to major networks and producing scripts for movies.  Lady Luck is a woman on a mission with no desires to be put in a box! 

LaShandra Little serves as the Legislative Specialist for Councilwoman Helen Z. Willis in the City of South Fulton. She has been in this role since 2017. LaShandra received a B.A. in Political Science from Albany State University and her M. Ed in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina   LaShandra has over 18 years of experience working in higher education, and with young adult leaders. The ability to have an impact on the next generation of leaders continues to drive her passion for community engagement and youth empowerment. Before coming to COSF, LaShandra worked as the Director of University Relations for NSHSS, planning events and bringing in scholarship dollars for students.  Since coming to the City of South Fulton LaShandra has helped implement in District 3 the annual Fall Festival, Yeek Fest, numerous food giveaways and assisted in the coordination of the 2020 City of South Fulton CENSUS Committee.  LaShandra believes in giving back to the community in which she lives so she is very active in her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., where she serves as President of the Atlanta Suburban Alumnae Chapter LaShandra also volunteers her time with the South Metro Democratic Women’s Council, Fulton County League of Women’s Voters and volunteers with Hosea Williams Feed the Hungry Drive as well as Project Open-Hand. 

Ed Chang is redefinED atlanta’s Founding Executive Director. For over 18 years, Ed has worked as a tireless champion for high-quality public schools. Chang began his career as a physical therapist before entering the education profession as a 7th-grade science teacher. He spent five years teaching at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Southeast Atlanta before going on to found KIPP STRIVE Academy in 2009. Following this, Ed focused on coaching and strategy for school leaders and districts across the country. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology and a master’s degree in physical therapy from Washington University in St. Louis. Chang holds a master’s degree in secondary science from Mercer University and a Certificate for Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from National Louis University.

Jaleesa Jackson is an Atlanta native who loves music, Broadway, Beyonce, black romance and sports. As October Brown she writes black romance and released her debut novella, Just Me & You, in June of 2020. You can hear her weekly on Sports & Bullshit, a podcast by black women who love sports with a little bit of bullshit mixed in.Twitter handles- @Jaleesa_Nicole @OctoberBrown1 @sportsnbullsh1t

Gus Newport is a social justice activist, and independent consultant providing TA in the areas of community and economic development, public policy, community organizing strategies and organizational and systems development. Gus was the program director of the Vanguard Foundation, consultant and Sr. Fellow to the Ford, Annie E. Casey, Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, Jacobs Family Foundation and the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation. Gus was the MLK Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sr. Fellow at U.Mass. Boston, Yale, Portland State, and UC Santa Cruz.He is the former director of the Institute of Community Economics.  He directed the community Building Support center for the Urban Strategies Council (USC).  Gus is the former Director of the Partnership for Neighborhood Initiatives (PNI) Palm Beach County, FL and the former Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) Boston, MA.  He is the former Mayor of Berkeley, CA (1979-1986). He was a member of the Board of Overseers of the Graduate Program in Community Economic Development at Southern New Hampshire University.  He served as the Vice-President from the US to the World Peace Council (1980-1986) and served on two United Nations committees. He also worked for the Department of Labor assigned to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  He also brought on line the 2nd Concentrated Employment Program (CEP) in the country in Rochester, NY.Gus delivered the commencement speech at Heidelberg University, his Alma Mater, Tiffin, Ohio, and May 2009 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters.

Dr. Daniel Black is an award winning author with great sensibilities for the black community. He started the African Community Nduga Nzinga at Clark Atlanta University. Dr. Black is a phenomenal choir director. When he is not directing the sopranos he like to sit on the bank and fish the day away. Come listen to Dr. Black break down music, black sexuality, and over all dopeness.

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Thank you for listening to Everyday Dope. We hope you were inspired to live in your DOPENESS. Don't forget to like, share, and comment. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @myeverydaydope