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From the Editor’s Desk A Look Back Over 2020 If you are anything like me, you might have expected the dawning of 2020 to bring forth an amazing year. It was, after all, the beginning of a new decade—one of perfect vision (20/20) and clarity. At least, that is what I believed. Instead, what I witnessed was a year of enlightenment, teachable moments, and life-changing perspectives. Alas, 2020 was not the year I anticipated. It seems as if I spent more time waiting IN anticipation… The year started out great. I was excited about what was sure to be countless new beginnings. Then, the unexpected happened: COVID-19 (Coronavirus)! A global, deadly pandemic came into our lives that drastically changed our norm. In just three months into the year, Coronavirus showed up on the scene, causing the U.S. to experience a shutdown unlike anything I’ve ever encountered in my lifetime. Immediate stay-at-home orders were put in place. Masks were mandated, coupled with 6-foot social-distancing measures and constant handwashing. Hospitalizations rose so fast, they were running out of rooms and personnel to care for the patients. Businesses had to close shop to keep from spreading the virus. Unemployment skyrocketed, causing families to struggle to make ends meet. The most devastating part of the pandemic is that hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives—and we’re still counting. What in the world is going on?! My curiosity began to rage. I needed to know more about Coronavirus, so I began to research…and this is what I discovered:
Dr. Cheryl Peavy | Editor in Chief Dr.Cheryl Peavy is an international bestselling visionary & author, transformation coach and speaker who provides women with self-development tools to smack fear in the face, step into their purpose and achieve their inner desires of their heart. Her coaching style of love, encouragement and support results in an abundance of personal growth & transformation. As founder & CEO of Cheryl Peavy, LLC, her purpose and passion is to help women facing life-traumatic situations heal within in. Her style of coaching, guides, educates and inspires women to show up in their greatness and create the life of their dreams. She created a social media movement, “She Is You, I Am You”, encouraging and motivating women to see themselves through God’s eyes and not the worlds.
Coronavirus is a virus of RNA (ribonucleic acid—as in living cells) variations that is a disease in people. That “explanation” made no sense to me, so I had to dig deeper. In my prayer time with God, I outright asked Him, “What is going on?” Oh, how Cheryl’s proudest moment is being a mom I love how God brings revelation! I was reminded of the story to her wonderful & talented son, Christian and when she’s not serving her clients, of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. God’s answer to my Spotlight she Sister Magazine January 2020 and 3 playing enjoys bowling, dancing question was, “A shift is happening.” Then, I thought back to Pac-man. the one word He spoke to me in 2019: “SHIFT.” I didn’t
From the Editor’s Desk - Cont’d understand what that meant until 2020 came and the pandemic started. It doesn’t end there, though. Just as all humanity was learning to adapt to a new routine, other underlying societal issues were exposed, including the roots of racism and social injustice. A noticeable number of
African Americans were being killed at alarming rates at the hands of white police officers. Although it has been going on for years, it was in 2020 when their transgressions were revealed in a big way! That very revelation brought me hope for justice. Victims like Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor lost their lives but became heroes of hope for justice. All the commotion, social media voices regarding each injustice, and the continual news coverage appeared to me like we were reliving the Civil Rights Movement. (I wasn’t born during that time, but the recordings of footage I’ve seen was a clear indication that history was, indeed, repeating itself.) I began to feel that what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked so hard to accomplish was being destroyed right before my very eyes. What became of “All men are created equal”? It looked like Racism 2.0 to me…up close and personal. What happened to the United States of America being the “Land of The Free,” where people came from other countries looking for a better life? For so long, I believed the U.S. was growing and getting better! I have since realized that racism is an open wound that salve just didn’t help heal. In 2020, the whole world came together to stand for BLM (Black Lives Matter). COVID-19 didn’t mean a thing. People of all races and ethnicities protested and came together to take a stand and say, “RACISM IS WRONG!” and “BLACK LIVES MATTER!” At that moment, it felt as though a change was going to come. Basketball teams, baseball teams, most sports teams, and even celebrities started to speak out and take a stand. I was inspired and believed that FINALLY, people understood why BLM. Oh, but wait… Later in the year, there was a Presidential Election held that will go down in history as “one for the books.” There was voter suppression, accusations of widespread voter fraud, calls to stop the count, the Supreme Court's involvement, numerous lawsuits…and the list goes on and on. I cannot fail to mention witnessing history in the making when Kamala Harris was the first African American woman elected to the Office of the Vice-President of the United States! Wow! What an amazing feeling to see that a woman—an African American one, at that—can hold such a high position and who is more than capable and deserving of the job. Kamala has made women of color feel that they can do anything they put their minds to do. Imagine my disappointment when I learned 55% of white women voted against Kamala Harris. Again, I say: Wow! As we head full throttle into 2021, it appears as if 2020’s tribulations are on “fleek.” Various legal battles are underway, including those who are trying to revoke Kamala Harris’ Vice-Presidency. COVID-19 vaccine trials and distribution have begun globally. We are awaiting the court trials for those who murdered Arbery, Floyd, and Taylor.
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Happy New Year! From the Editor’s Desk - Cont’d
And so, we wait with bated breath as the events of the upcoming year before us unfold. Will 2021 be a year of waiting for systemic racism and the pandemic to end? Will unemployment and food insecurity become a thing of the past…a distant memory? Will justice ever be served in the African American community? Those questions and more are ones for which I will be seeking an answer. I am prepared for whatever reality comes my way, and it is my sincere prayer that you, too, will embrace, fight against (when necessary), and live up to your 2021 realities as they are served.
Happy New Year! Dr. Cheryl Peavy
Spotlight Sister
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Spotlight Sister JANUARY 2021
Contents Regular Feature Letter from the Editor
Article Contributors Dr. Cheryl Peavy Evelisse Jones Dr. Clara Peters
Andrea Merriman Kimberly Collins Laquita Hogan Sherry Wrugler Teresa Perkins
Beverly Leonard Rita Oliver Marnina Reid Dr. LaTarsha Holden
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Special Thanks to the advertisers who support this publication!
Evelisse Jones Spotlight Sister Magazine January 2020 7