I’m just a bottom line kinda girl.
Blame the writer in me (in most cases) caring about/focusing the need to have a conclusion first while enjoying writing the in-between stuff stemming from a great premise, but either way I need to know, or see the bottom line and end result before I lend my ear and time to the in between and or premise-you know..before I can enjoy, believe, or process what’s being presented to me.
I need to know what I’m working with (large or small).
As you may have read me state before, I tend to stretch my nostrils, my deep corner of the mouth dimples somehow get pronounced on their own, I throw an eyebrow up and place my third eye on somebody that elects to record or broadcast charitable things done for people [especially today-in a world where nothings scared, natural, genuine and real anymore]. Because by the same token, it’s at the tip of our fingers to find out about what, if any charitable things done or given by somebody-especially if in a big, grand amount, or way. My thinking is: are you doing this as a blessing to be a blessing to whom it may concern, or are you doing it for the attention of the people under the guise of true concern?
To singularly do it (and broadcast it) I can’t respect thing like such as genuine unless it becomes your mission to recruit and encourage (in droves) other persons to follow suit-and you have information to circulate so that charity can be multiplied by more than just you (singularly) on cam with questionable acts of charity [under the guise of, or for attention?].
I don’t have time to ponder or question that, but do it as a collective (in my eyes and heart) means more, provides more, and too, leaves no room for questions or pondering. Other than that, do it from the goodness of your heart, and let God see it and bless your and to whom it may concern-feel it.
Be a subtle blessing as, most of what’s not “loud” is rumbling bigger+making more noise than you’d ever think…
But if it may be broadcast, seek to bless as a collective as, the strength in numbers like such is a contagion and to, (can) inspire more people to follow suit than one singular act broadcast of kindness.
Example:
Without handing over a bag, bottle, or box; this one statement (broadcast) right here is charitable to me as, whatever you broadcast, shed light on the greater collective so that help can be multiplied-that way, we know it’s real, and real results can happen:
Emotional. Nine lives violently extinguished. Focusing my highest thoughts and donating directly to the church here: http://t.co/0kyZK8OHCm
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 18, 2015
…because (honestly) even when I first heard the news about the Carolina shootings, even with my 100k-500k per week blog hits and page views, [my] being trained in journalism and as a published writer who blogs, NONE of those “credentials” prompted me to think about the help that was going to be needed in this emotional and shocking moment.
Truthfully, (embarrassed at myself for not thinking of that very important piece of information), I ducked, and rolled my lower lip and said: “Oh yeah…that.”
So when I saw this post of Selma director Ava DuVernay’s, with little known info in at that time, as I wrote the blog (focusing on all basic facts in: hate crime e.g: white, suspect v. black church goers/1 survivor left to tell the story/hate crime stats)-I immediately interjected (and highlighted to make visible) where to donate directly to the church (slash) scene of the crime. Because after all the hoopla, emotion, and shock and awe is over; several families and a church community is indeed (and in deed) going to need help.
So my point (about charity/giving) is: The smallest things can be done in a big way. To take a moment to remind people where to go directly to the source to help right from your chair and computer is a massive, charitable act of kindness under the guise of no pretenses, just a public announcement to go help the people—directly, period.
That’s big.
Go big (and collective rather than singular) or not at all.
As well, owner of the Carolina Panthers did it way big too.
Charleston, S.C., as we all know, just suffered a tremendous loss in the community and families in which a young man named Dylann Roof took to the welcome and open doors of Emmanuel AME church, sat under the roof of its bible study class, absorbed the word, and one hour later, and proceeded to pull out a .9 Glock pistol with a beam on it-and beamed 9 innocent church going people up to yonder and months of premeditation and ponder.
Often times, some of the biggest companies and organizations that make the most money in, and from the city or town somehow crawls into some cubby-hold of a dugout and disappear into oblivion during trying times in a town. And deserving persons that are in need of and/or are victimized such that no amount of help is too much-somehow their needs or cries fall on deaf ears.
No. Not today though. And this charitable thing, too, made me happy to hear.
Jerry Richardson and the Carolina Panthers donated $100k to the victims families. People are so gracious. Warms my ♥️ pic.twitter.com/TMs4mTezvx
— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) June 20, 2015
Via letter this past Friday, Jerry Richardson announced that the Carolina Panthers’ organization would be donating $100,000 for the surviving families member of and in honor of the victims of the Wednesday night shooting.
To provide financial support for families’ funeral expenses, set up by Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley; in a letter to the Mother Emanuel Hope Fund that $10,000 is to be allocated to each of the families of the nine victims. As a “memorial honoring the victims,” the remaining $10,000 will be going to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.”
Via Bakari Sellers, a Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, the letter was uploaded and reads:
“In honor of Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, The Reverend Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, The Reverend Daniel L. Simmons, Sr. and Myra Thompson, please accept the enclosed check from the Carolina Panthers in the amount of $100,000 to provide $10,000 per family to help defray funeral costs, and other financial needs of each, and $10,000 for the church as a memorial honoring the victims. Our hearts are one with those who grieve the loss of these individuals.
Respectfully,
Jerry Richardson”
And well, it’s like I explain in the first ten or so paragraphs of this write up:
When the giving is real, the living is real, and the caring will help heal.
You can do it way big on a collective that benefits those in need and get it out to the masses without singularity putting the spotlight on you as an individual.
Let that be the blessing of God and the thankfulness by whom it was concerned.
As, when contacted by ESPN Panther spokesperson Stephen Drummond said in a statement in a statement as quoted by our sources: [quote] “that the team would not comment directly on the donation at this time, but said “our hearts are one with those who grieve the loss of these individuals.”
You see. Bakari Sellers provided all the proof and spotlight we really needed.
Play small but do it big. Is the name of the game.
And that, to me, is what director Ava DuVernay, Panther’s owner Jerry Richardson did, and Bakari Sellers did-on two different scales and different capacities:
One: 140 characters.
The other: $100,000.00
The third: the “liaison.”
Adding up to the same “big” results-each, in their own way.
Powerful.
