Blog 63 - Be Successful / Be Independent / Be Employed

Blog 63

Be Successful-

Be Independent-

Be Employed-

(An abridged speech delivered June 11, 2011

at Sycamore Hill Baptist Church, Greenville, NC)

by

Mark S. Woodson

Our guest writer

                                                         Stephen Woodson           Mark S. Woodson

Class of 2011, you made it. You’ve graduated.  Enjoy the moment realizing that this is not an ending but a new beginning.  I want to encourage you to be life long learners and doers ever moving higher to pursue your dreams. Last year, my son, Stephen, graduated from high school and the day before this same service I presented him with a book I had written entitled, “I Couldn’t Ride With My Father.” It was my gift to him about growing up, my early life experiences and lessons I learned along the way. Today, I will be sharing some of those life experiences and lessons with you.

In Fayetteville during the 1960’s, I attended all black elementary, junior and senior high schools because all the schools were still segregated.  In my book, I talk about two teachers I had.  My 7th grade teacher and my high school Spanish teacher both had major impacts on my life.  First let me tell you about my 7^th grade teacher.

Miss “E”, at Fayetteville’s only black junior high, taught the smartest students coming from the five black elementary schools in the city.  Sadly, Miss “E” judged us and our ability to learn by the elementary schools and neighborhoods we came from, the jobs our parents had, the way we dressed, how poor we were, and how influential our parents were in the community. She told us from the “wrong side” of town, in both words and actions, that she was not going to waste her time teaching us because we were not smart, we would never amount to much, never be able to afford college and never succeed in life.  We would be forever poor, struggling to survive and exist like our parents and grandparents before us. Therefore, she moved us to the back of her class, stopped calling on us and treated us as failures.  She focused on the privileged kids of status who would go to college and become our future black leaders of tomorrow.  Eventually, about a dozen of us from the wrong families, wrong schools and neighborhoods stopped trying in her class.  We began to perform to our teacher’s expectations. Even worse, the privileged students in class began to treat us the same way, at times questioning why we should even be in the same class with them. At ages 12 and 13, we (they) didn’t know any better. That was a painful time for me during my early development.

My self esteem was so low that for many years afterward I did just enough to get by because I thought I wasn’t good enough at anything I tried in life.

Being successful means being in a position to get all the stuff you want.   Being independent means you don’t have to ask anyone else to help pay for it.

I have had terrible jobs; as a teenager I worked on a garbage truck in the afternoons while still in high school, then to get tuition for college poured hot asphalt in 100 degree weather building interstate highways, and was almost killed by shrapnel while serving the military in Viet Nam. Also, as a supervisor I had to select and terminate good employees when my company downsized and sent jobs overseas. I didn’t enjoy any of those jobs. But I did them.

I want to talk about what to do for you to get fired from a job.

When you get that good job, there are five sure-fire ways to get fired.  I’m encouraging you to please DON’T do these five things:

1.If you want to get fired: Compare yourself to others on the job, especially if you’re the new person.  Your education and knowledge may have gotten you in the door but performance will keep you there.

2. If you want to get fired: Work less and then offer excuses for not doing your work and not performing.

 3. If you want to get fired: Spread gossip about everyone else’s business whether it’s personal or job related. Use the company network to send text messages, voice mails, tweets, or emails about anything or anyone that’s not work related.

4.  Make your  boss mad by hitting his or her hot buttons

5. Finally, if you want to get fired, take all the credit, accolades and praises for yourself:  Start by telling people how great you are, how valuable you are, and how indispensible you are.  Just, don’t be a team player.

I started by talking about my gift to my son, the book “I Couldn’t Ride With my Father”. I told you about my 7th grade teacher, Miss “E”, and the devastating impact of that school year on my life. Now, let me tell you about my high school Spanish teacher, Miss “C”.

As my high school graduation approached students would gather in small groups to talk about where they were going after high school. Some were going into the military during this Viet Nam period, others “up north” and others to the various black colleges. At that time most white colleges were still segregated. Those few beginning to integrate accepted only the top black students in the state. 

During one of those bragging sessions, I said I was considering engineering at A&T in Greensboro.  Miss “C” overheard me, called me to the side and asked if I really was going to A&T. She knew the truth before she asked.  I confided to her that although I liked electronics and engineering, we didn’t have the money for me to go to any college. She asked if I had considered Fayetteville Tech (now FTCC), they had an electronics program and tuition was inexpensive. My excuse was, “Miss “C”, you know they are not admitting blacks there, only white kids can go.” Of course, I hadn’t even considered it because of the racial climate of the day.

She refused to let me get away with that excuse. She hammered me hard, asking, “Have you applied, did you try to get in?” “There is a first time for everything.” “You’re too smart to do nothing with your life.”  For every excuse she had a response.  Miss “C” held me responsible for applying and she wrote a letter to the school.  To my shock, I was accepted, and that August, I integrated the electronics engineering technology program at Fayetteville Tech, the only black in the freshman class with 42 white students.  I would graduate in 2 years with only 14 white students remaining and with my Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in electronics engineering technology.

Miss “C” was right to push me beyond my comfort zone. She put the responsibility for my future back on me, by not allowing me to blame someone else for something I hadn’t even tried. Yet, in a strange surreal way Miss “E”s 7^th grade class taught me valuable coping techniques that helped me adapt and survive the blatant, hateful and vicious racism I would encounter my first year at Fayetteville Tech.  It’s amazing how God equips and prepares you early for battles and challenges yet to come in life. 

Since that day in 1997, I have tried to live my life with that lesson in mind.

 

I told you about my two teachers, Miss “E” and Miss “C”, and their impact on my life. Even today, for every new challenge I face or obstacle I try to overcome both of these ladies whisper in my ear.  Miss “E” tells me that I can’t do it, I’m not smart enough, I don’t have enough money. I will fail because of who I am and where I came from.  People will hurt my feelings and laugh at me if I say or do anything. I’m a “nobody” and will never make a difference in this big cruel world. So, why try.

But, Miss “C” still speaks to me over the span of time during  my life’s ups and downs. She says, No excuses. Stop lying to yourself and blaming others for what you haven’t done. Have you tried it to see if you can do it? There’s a first time for everything. Blaze a path for others to follow if you have to go it alone. Live outside your comfort zone. No one can stop you but you.

Graduates, the battle of those two voices still rages within me many years after leaving high school. I hear both of them in every major challenge I face in life today. And, you too will hear your own competing voices of despair and hope, those demons of darkness and those angels of light, during your life.  But with an abiding faith, and a steadfast belief, with hard work based on integrity, doing the right things, and prayers for guidance and direction you will make the right decisions.

Remember, the hope and dreams of your parents, grandparents, and family, the tears and struggle of those long gone before – All go with you. Honor them.  The aspirations of those yet to come -- Await you, Make a difference.  The future is yours – Build it.

Be successful! Be independent! Be Employed! But with the right values and with Christ in your life.

Thank you for this opportunity and congratulations all graduates of 2011.

Profile of Mark S. Woodson

Mark S. Woodson is President of the True Venture Media Group that operates WECU-1570AM gospel radio at Greenville, NC. He assumed his responsibility in May 2005 with the operation of radio station WWNB 1490AM at New Bern, NC. Since then the company has added the True Ventures in Gospel Magazine publication and syndicated programming running on other stations and networks. Currently he directs the overall operations of the company in providing comprehensive multimedia solutions for customers and the religious community.