"Meeting Miss Jeffonia Jones and Her Mission For Fathers and Youth"

Haven't had enough of the happenings and dream chasers in Indiana? I've brought you another leader in-the- making focusing on changing and improving the community! We are unaware as to how much strength we possess and how much of an impact we can have on someone. We are given gifts, talents, and missions, and while some of us choose other paths, some of us keep it moving to the top. With the number of images, depictions, and examples we have of women and what is perceived as female role models in the media, we tend to overlook our female movement makers that focus on other people and the community. Below, is an interview between myself and the 24 year old hard-working, Miss Jeffonia Patrice Jones who was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana on the East side...“East Up ‘Til Yo Lease Up” (Miss Jones).

"What's your field of Study?":
 "I recently graduated from Ivy Tech Community College on May 9, 2014 with an Associate Degree in Human Services with a concentration in Youth Development. I also graduated from the 100 Black Men of Greater South Bend’s Michiana Diversity Leadership Initiative (MDLI) program on July 10th, 2014. I’m currently enrolled at Indiana University of South Bend to pursue my Bachelor degree in Social Work."

"What and who are some of your inspirations?": "What inspires me!? Hmmmm….good question! I would have to say my daughter, Sammyra Cortez Thomas, is my biggest inspiration. But to add to that, the youth and young men of this generation are one of my inspirations. Being a great mother and making sure my child and other children in this community grow up in a healthy environment, with a positive role model is my main priority. Knowing that we are constantly losing young men to drugs, street gangs, prison, and worse…the cemetery makes me go even harder to try to make a difference in my community."

"Is there a certain/fav. quote you live by?": "My favorite quote I live by is more like a scripture. “For we walk by FAITH, and NOT by sight", 2 Corinthians 5:7. Everything that I do and things that I've accomplished are solely based off faith. Even at times when it seems like or I’m not so certain that things may go my way and work in my favor, I always take a leap out on faith.

 "Please explain and offer information on your most recent event you held in the city and what influenced your idea for the event": "My most recent event I held in South Bend, IN was the Fathers First Picnic.  I, along with two others, formed and founded an organization called Fathers First Group. The picnic is an annual event for FATHERS ONLY that my team and I will put on every year to give the fathers a chance to spend a day of fun for FREE with their kids. At this picnic we provided the fathers and their children with FREE nail art, FREE haircuts, FREE foods, and resourceful informational booths. We were also able to take a few fathers and their children to Four Winds Field to watch a free Silverhawks baseball game, which was even cooler because for some that was their FIRST time ever being at a baseball game. Being able to share that experience with the children and their fathers was priceless. Fathers First Group was formed after many conversations about today's’ fathers, the roles they play in the family and/or community, and the fact that there aren't any fathers’ organizations in our city to help re-establish them into their child and family lives. I've always had a passion for redirecting and helping the males in our community to be better role models and community leaders. The original idea about father awareness came from a research question I was assigned in my internship class asking, 'What is a problem we see in the Human Service field?' Obviously, I noticed that there weren't any programs in our community to support fathers, but more than enough to support mothers. After listening to a friend’s testimony about the obstacles he has to face with being a single father just pushed me even more to raise awareness for fathers in our community."

 "As a parent what image or example (that you have provided) would you like your child/ren to remember the most upon their entrance into young womanhood??": "As a mother, I would like my daughter to always remain a strong, intelligent, African-American woman and remember that any goal worth reaching will not be easy. Funny thing is I actually shared my passion about helping young men to someone of religious power and this person tried to convince me that I wouldn't be successful because I’m a woman and no man will listen to or follow a woman and suggested that I put together ANOTHER young women group. They also stated that I would need a man with the same passion and be his ASSISTANT. People will not always support your passion and idea even if it’s worth it. There are many more obstacles I had to face to get where I am today, including being a young mother struggling to get through college, work, transitioning into adulthood, and most of all…getting to know myself. Patience is key, and walking by faith is the best advice I can give my daughter to remember." Hash-tag..."SuperMom" (just in case you couldn't tell).

"Being a businesswoman and parent requires dedication and time, but what are some things you enjoy doing in your free-time??":"One of my guilty pleasures is reality TV. I think I am a reality TV junkie. I watch anything from "Cake Boss" to "Bring It" to "RuPaul's Drag Race" to "Love & Hip Hop". I mean…I literally have my schedule down pack when it comes to TV shows. I feel bad because it detracts me from getting a lot of things done when needed like homework, which causes me to be pressured to meet deadlines! But I’m happy to say I’m getting better with that…. I THINK!!"

"What is your biggest goal? And do you feel you are close to attaining it??": "My biggest goal is to be a respectable leader in my community and actually make a difference. I believe I’m getting closer because within this last year I was able to be in the presence of many community leaders who I feel I made a great impression on. I still have a while to go to be able to fill their shoes though, but being able to get leadership advice is the greatest gift I could have received this far."

"What, in your opinion, is one of our biggest challenges in the community and how are you/would you approach it??" "I believe that one of our biggest challenges in the community is practicing what we, as adults, preach. After the number of criminal activities that have been going on in our community with the youth, I just feel we HAVE TO do better. The lack of respect, education, and fathers in the community is sad. As we know, the youth look up to us adults, and if we’re not respecting each other or seeking revenge on others, can we really be disappointed in the direction that our children are going in!? Think about it…Food for thought!"

Jeffonia Jones, is just one of the handful of sisters, women, and people striving to get a hold of her dreams as well as continuing to create change. Support her and her movement!

"Meeting with Mac-Man, Learning About His Music, and Fashion Designing It With Kevin Colston"

Popping up in the blog world to check in and show off more fellow dream chasers striving to meet their goals and find comfort in the reality of their dreams. In this blog interview, I'm peeping out more people from my hometown working on music, and then making my way to Detroit to hop into the fashion department. I don't think you all are aware of what Indiana has to offer, but it's a lot! First up is "Mac" who I linked up with to discuss some of his music. Mark Dixon II (or "Mac") is a 23-yr.-old native from South Bend, Indiana, who is usually missing in action-due to keeping a low profile- until given a microphone and a stage.

Mac dropped his first song his freshman year and has been working with local artists including  Bosstype, City B, Marlo, Swisher Jones, Bino Cannon, Zig Da Kidd, Wally West, B.East, and Heyzues since. He has also performed for the mix-tape release and show for "East Meets West" (Wally West and B. East), and plans to have his own show after he attracts more fans. After learning about some of the artists he's worked with, I asked Mac what type of crowds his music attracts, and he replied,"People who like conscious rap, hip-hop heads...I'm not really sure. I get new types of fans with every song. A lot are unexpected. I hope to get all different types though". 

After inquiring as to what his dream was, Mac replied, "I'm gonna say making music is apart of my dream. My dream is to get  as many people to understand me as best as I can. Music is just my favorite way to do that." He seeks inspiration from his encounters with people and uses them to his advantage-whether positive or negative.  As far as the industry goes, I asked Mac his opinion on talent, status, and materialism and how it relates to the music industry..."Umm...I think its really all opinionated. People like what they like. And if you wanna make it, you have to get people to like you. Or just do what you do in hopes that people will like you. When it comes to the music industry, people will even have an opinion on what they think talent is. They will have an opinion on what status is, and they'll have an opinion on who has more or less. It's not like sports where there is a proven winner and loser...Materialism is sadly what 80% of the industry today is made up of. You might even be able to say the word in that sentence." Mac is still making moves and is continuously working on ways to express his messages through his music. Check out some of his work:

 https://soundcloud.com/macdilla410/m-a-c-codiene-cups

*****

With so much working going on back home, I've been trying to reach out and check out my friends in other parts of the world, so I caught up with my part-time friend, Kevin Colston- the creator of the clothing line, Loud Pipes- to see how his line is coming along. Kevin, 25, is working to be a millionaire by 35 and have his bachelor's degree in Engineering by 30. Alongside focusing on his studies, he's been tending to his clothing line, Loud Pipes. Kevin says, "I've been working on my clothing line for about a year now. Honestly, something just came to me one day and put this burning feeling into me just to do something. I would've never guessed that it’d be designing clothes". After asking where he got the name "Loud Pipes" from, he responded "The “Loud Pipes” name was something I made up one day on the line working at Nissan. I was talking to my home girl Brooke (one of my other inspirations) about cars and I was talking about making shirts. So I asked her what she thought about the “Loud Pipes” name and ever since then it’s been a wrap." 

Kevin isn't focusing on one specific type of art, but he is more focused on assuring he creates a line that people will take an interest in and love. The Loud Pipes logo is definitely an eye-catcher and I wanted to know where the idea came from, so I dug deeper into my inquiries to figure that out. "The logo was something I just thought of after I came up with the name. That's where the headphones with pipes came from. But I had this amazing artist, Mike Mass, who brought my vision to life. He captured exactly what I was thinking in my head. Shout out to him for that". When not in his books, spending time with his family and fashionista girlfriend (who owns her own clothing store), or working on the clothing line, Kevin is working on creating a non-profit organization that specializes in math tutoring. Fancy guy, huh? He's AIGHT. Kevin also opens up to share some of his inspirations with me: "One of my inspirations is my past. Its times I failed (in my eyes) that hurt me bad and gave me low self-esteem. I don’t want to be back in that position ever. Another of my inspirations is my girlfriend. Her ambition, her drive, the intellect that she brings to our relationship inspires me to do better for myself and us as well. To have a woman that’s so supportive is a plus to all aspects of my life." 

When in the fashion industry, there are a multitude of opinions and preferences, so I asked Kevin if he was concerned about the type of image his clothes may portray in relation to stereotypes, and he stated, "Honestly, I could care less about the stereotypes...because regardless of who you are or what you do you will always be stereotyped in some form or fashion. I’m all for the people. If they love it (which I think they will) then that’s all that matters to me. It’s not like I’m putting guns and drugs on my line. It’s far from that. Honestly, I think it’s more of a race thing.  And that’s for any race. White people see us dressing “urban”, and they automatically assume the worst about us. Like if we see white people dressing “urban” we say “they’re trying to be black” or they’re "dressing black”. It goes the same for blacks on blacks. If we see blacks dressing “preppy” or talking “white” we say “oh they’re trying to be white” or “look at that Oreo”. I think style contributes a lot to the media and status is society. Perfect example, in President Obama’s first term, I remember him throwing out the first pitch at a White Sox game and the media had the nerve to say “Why didn't he wear baggy pants?” “Why is he wearing straight leg pants?” That goes to show that no matter who you are the media will talk about the clothes you wear. It’s sad really. But my clothing will be more urban and “upscale urban”.  

I took an interest in his response because although not all African American/Black persons think this way (and possibly not all Caucasian/White persons either), he spoke truth in his statement in how we perceive one another because of our apparel selection...which some of us need to work on. We switch back into focus towards his clothing line and he lets me know that the Loud Pipes website will be up within the next 6 months, and although he has been focusing only on men's clothing, he is working on women's and children's clothing as well. Although working independently, Kevin will be forming a small group dedicated to the Loud Pipes clothing line in the near future.  I then asked Kevin about any upcoming news for Loud Pipes, and he said "Yea just watch out for it because it’s going to hit hard and keep hitting until we knock out the competition." So, on that note, keep your eyes open!

Here is a link to the Loud Pipes Facebook page: Loud Pipes

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