The DAILY Message for Tuesday June 30th, 2015

“Change Their Heart Before You Change Their FLAG (Faith Love And Grace).”

Derrick Hayes is known as the “Encouragement Speaker” and is available for speaking engagements and Derricknym signings at meetings, conferences, and events. Please visit http://www.DerrickHayes.com email info@DerrickHayes.com  or call (706) 615-1662 to book Derrick Hayes now.

DERRICK Interview with International Journalist George E. Curry

Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes gives a DERRICK Interview by asking 7 questions through each letter of his first name to give you an insightful perspective from other experts, entrepreneurs, celebrities and up and coming super stars.

Today’s DERRICK Interview is with George Curry who is an International journalist, keynote speaker, moderator and media coach.  From 2001 until 2007, he served as editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service in Washington, D.C. Curry writes a weekly syndicated column for the NNPA and “Beyond the Spin,” a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Before joining the NNPA, Curry was editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine for seven years. Under Curry’s leadership, Emerge won more than 40 national journalism awards.

D is for Dream. What is your dream?

As a person that grew up in Alabama under segregation I have gone much further then I have ever dreamed of going. In 8^th grade I said I wanted to be journalist and now I have been doing it 42 years ever since 1970. My first job was with Sports Illustrated and I could not get a job with my hometown newspaper. I wanted to write books and I have done that so what I want to do most of all is to bring Emerge Magazine back out with an online version.

E is for Encourage. What encourages you?

My mother who never finished High School worked 3 and 4 jobs to take care of me and my younger three sisters. She had a huge heart and was always helping people.  My mother would take an older lady food across the street every day.  She was always willing to share and felt she had an obligation to help others even though we were poor growing up in the housing projects.  She still would go back and help others and this was instilled in us and this is something I try to live up to until this day.  My mother had an impact on me at an important part of my life.

R is for Resource. What resource do you have that makes you stand out or unique?

I read a lot. I have always loved reading. I was a History major at Knoxville College in Tennessee and I love, love reading and even when I’m writing stories people may research 2 to 3 things while I will research up to 20 because you never know what part you are going to use.  I just prepare myself so when I’m on television or anywhere else if I show up I’m going to be prepared. I feel obligated particularly in the situation when I’m the only black person in the room or on television at the time that I have to be smarter than everyone else and better prepared than everyone else. I don’t show up unless I’m prepared.

R is for Ready. When did you know you were ready for what you are doing now?

Something was instilled with me at an early age and I was never told that I wouldn’t be even though there were signs around me that said I couldn’t with white and colored fountain water signs and I had to ride in the back of the bus . I had people around me that told me I could do this and I had excellent teachers. I’m still in touch with my first grade teacher because I wanted to know and I’m grateful for all of the contributions that they have made in my life. I never thought I wasn’t ready. I just knew that they prepared you and like their generation said you had to be twice as good and get half the credit so you don’t complain about it and just go out and be twice as good and move on.

I is for Individual. can you name at least one individual that we should learn more about and why?

W.E.B. Du Bois and he was born February 23^rd the same day as me and that is all I needed to know. He was a man that stood up when everyone said Booker T. Washing ton was a great figure and was preaching segregation and I understood where he was coming but still I wanted someone that would  fight and disagree with that and once I found out about WEB Dubois it changed my life.  

William Monroe Trotter in 1901 helped publish the The Boston Guardian. He  did not compromise and take junk from anyone but he used his skills and talents and his newspapers to fight for Black people.

C is for Continue. When things look bleak what makes you want to continue?

When I think about how bad things are now it was worse before.  When I think about all of our ancestors coming over here in shackles and in the deck of slave ships not knowing where they were going to and our people survived all that and they survived lynchings and beatings so whatever we are going through today is minor compared to that and so we have no right to complain considering what are people have gone through.

K is for Keys. What keys to success can you leave for other?

Key to success is to always know that you have to keep studying and improving so that you never get to the point where you can rest on your laurels that you don’t have to work hard anymore. There is always ways to improve and I always look for ways to improve. In order to stay ahead in your game you have to always know that you can get better and strive for that.

Is there anything that we did not touch on that you would like to inspire others with?

A lot of youth use the fact that their father wasn’t home as an excuse not to succeed.  My father wasn’t in my home either. Success stories like W.E.B. Du Bois, Jackie Robinson,  Jesse Jackson,  Al Sharpton  and Barack Obama  didn’t have a Father in their home and they never let it hold them back. When we talk to young males we have to teach them to turn a negative into a positive

Visit George E. Curry for more information.