Meet Carolyn Kurtz, Writer, Researcher, Member of Bruderhof Community

Carolyn Kurtz

Carolyn Kurtz is a researcher, writer and editor for Plough Publishers. Plough Publishing House is the publishing branch of the Bruderhof Community. Carolyn has edited two anthologies of writings by Dorothy Day and Bishop Oscar Romero. She lives with the Bruderhof community in England.

What was it like growing up in community?

My parents joined the Bruderhof community in Rifton, New York, before I was born. I had a rich childhood with a large family, a group of peers who were my friends from kindergarten through college, and caring teachers who taught us not only academics but also fair play, team spirit, and appreciation for culture and nature. My parents, my teachers, and my friends’ parents were all members of our church community and had a cohesive approach to raising and educating us.

Describe your thought processes/experiences that resulted in your decision to join the Bruderhof community.

I made my lifetime commitment to God, to Jesus, and to my fellow members through adult believer’s baptism when I was 23 years old. Since I was about fourteen, I knew I wanted to pledge my life to Christ. In ninth grade, someone asked me, “Are you a Christian?” I hedged, thinking of violent atrocities committed by Christians in the history I’d been studying: “What do you mean by Christian?” She rephrased her question: “Do you believe in Jesus?” I looked her in the eye and exclaimed, “Oh, yes, I believe in Jesus!” I was still a headstrong teenager, growing into maturity, but I already had a clear trajectory.

Commuting to college for four years, I saw fellow students striving for education to land a high-paying job. I took a class in Victorian literature, where the poet’s question what comes after earthly life and often seem to despair of life. Tennyson, in “The Holy Grail,” has Lancelot groan: “’…But for all my madness and my sin, / And then my swooning, I had sworn I saw / That which I saw; but what I saw was veil’d / And cover’d; and this Quest was not for me.’”[1] Wordsworth laments in “Song”: “Day and night my toils redouble, / Never nearer to the goal; / Night and day, I feel the trouble / Of the Wanderer in my soul.”[2] As he appreciates the joyous freedom of a sky-lark, he mourns, “I have walked through wildernesses dreary / And today my heart is weary; / …I, with my fate contented, will plod on, / And hope for higher raptures, when life’s day is done.”[3] I found myself applying these doubts and questions to my own life.

Simultaneously, during that spring, Annemarie Arnold, the wife of my pastor, was dying of cancer. Despite her suffering, she radiated love and trust in God, pointing children and adults alike to Jesus. I read the letters she wrote as a twenty-year-old: “Conflicts and difficult situations never find a solution; you just drag them around with you. There must be people who have an inner kinship with you, and it can’t be just anyone. Surely there must be people like that. It is so difficult to find a heart-to-heart friendship. The more complex a person is, the harder it will surely be.” Later, visiting the first Bruderhof community, she wrote: “Eberhard [Arnold] told us that the way of Jesus is a bitter way, the way of the Cross. This real sacrifice and complete surrender that Christ demands spoke to me very much. I wanted to join this life.” (You can find more about her search in Anni : Letters and Writings of Annemarie Wächter.) Experiencing Annemarie’s dying, I found my own positive answer to the Victorians poets’ despairing, timeless questions. I wanted to follow Jesus, as Annemarie had chosen to do.

Bruderhof Community, England

Annemarie’s final days had a great impact on my faith and understanding of community life. But looking back on my childhood and teen years, I also remember all the weekend visitors, interested in or curious about Christian community. They’d spend hours in deep discussion with my dad as we kids listened. An often-asked question was, “Do you believe community is the only way for people to live?” My dad would reply: “It’s the only honest way I can live. Each person must live his own calling from God.” My own future became more focused. God gave me these parents in this community; would I find a truer expression of my faith anywhere else? Our church meetings, communal mealtimes, and youth gatherings all contributed to my growing conviction that I was called to commit to this church community.

What lessons can we learn from the community’s 1937 expulsion from Germany by the Nazis?

By 1937, Bruderhof members resisted the Nazi regime on many issues. Their young men refused to join Hitler’s army, and the members refused to accept a Nazi educator for their children. They refused to give the mandatory “Heil Hitler” greeting, insisting that “Heil”—salvation—comes only from Christ. Knowing that these objections would incite conflict with the German state, they chose to uphold their convictions rather than compromise their faith. Their witness remains a challenge to me. There are many Christians currently suffering for their faith, refusing the alternative of compromise. I pray for this courage if I ever encounter persecution.

How are nonviolence and unconditional forgiveness encouraged in real life?

Nonviolence and unconditional forgiveness are pillars of Bruderhof life. Our members are all conscientious objectors to military service, and we strive to educate our children and youth in nonviolent conflict resolution on a daily basis. Both parents and teachers know and are frequently reminded that children need to begin every day fresh. Mistakes and misdemeanors from one “bad” day must be dealt with then and not carried into a new day. Also, we committed members promise to speak directly to each other if we feel negatively towards someone, or when we know that we were wrong or unkind. Then the quickest way to peace is simply to say, “I am sorry.” When a member recognizes faults, our church helps that person to find peace with God and make peace with all members. Then the wrong is past, forgiven, and we continue life on a clean page.

Bruderhoff Community, England

What do you see as the major differences between living in community and not?

Our commitment is to God, to Christ, and to each other. Taken seriously, this commitment means I own nothing: time, talents, material possessions. I work where I’m needed, share kitchen space, and attend all communal events unless I’m baby-sitting. Visitors occasionally ask, “Do you have to do that?” For me this is not even an issue. I am here free-willingly! The motive for Christian community must be love to Christ and love to one’s neighbor. The commitment can only be made out of the joy of one’s soul, never out of coercion.

Bruderhof living may seem materially simple to a passing visitor. We don’t own our own cars, relying on a community fleet. We don’t have the latest entertainment technology in our homes, and we strive to live simply, without too many possessions. But community life based on love and mutual caring is rich. Fellow members shop, cook, keep accounts, do my laundry, teach my children, and earn money in our communal factory to keep us all fed, housed, and clothed. Truly, I do not worry about basic human needs. In fact, I think that only in community is it possible to fully live out the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapters 5, 6, and 7. In Christian community, God provides and each member is given what he or she needs.

What might be some practical solutions to the current lack of civil discourse in the US and England and other places worldwide?

Dorothy Day quotes Saint John of the Cross: “Where there is no love, put love and you will take out love”  (The Reckless Way of Love, p. 86). Apply the Golden Rule; start small, with your neighbor. How can you help each other, encourage each other, enjoy life together—an hour’s visit, a child’s birthday party, or any other excuse for a celebration? Reach out to give to people right around you. “Do the little things each day as well as we can,” Dorothy Day says (The Reckless Way of Love, p. 67).

How did you decide to work with Plough? How did you decide to highlight the works of Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero?

Plough is the publishing branch of the Bruderhof Communities. Four years ago, I was spending two hours a day in the apartment of an elderly woman who napped for one and a half hours of that time. Plough was looking for freelance editors to compile anthologies for its Plough Spiritual Guides series, small book of excerpts with the tagline “backpack classics for modern pilgrims.” So I launched into Dorothy Day, and realized I was researching my own roots. When I was six, a young single woman, Julie Lien, had joined my family. My parents became her community family and she helped my mom to care for us children for the next fifteen years. I consider Julie my aunt. Dorothy Day had visited the Bruderhof in 1955, bringing Julie, then twenty, along with her. Julie eventually joined the Bruderhof. While compiling this book, I had the chance to deepen my understanding of who Dorothy Day was, this woman whom Julie had respected so much.

Discovering Dorothy Day’s love for the poor and, ultimately, her longing for community, I was eager to delve into another spiritual guide. Plough suggested Oscar Romero. Oscar Romero? I knew he had been martyred in 1980, but like most people I had never read more than a few famous quotes. Reading his newly translated homilies, I began to “hear” him speaking directly to his people. He urges them to resist violence, to choose love, to live in hope. I am sorry I never met this man of God face to face.

Are there other individuals in the series you’d like to highlight?

I’m in conversation with Plough editors on further subjects for this series. I’m happy to have found a constructive outlet for my twin loves: reading and research. This work enables me to introduce young people to trustworthy spiritual guides from the past, and to encourage today’s seekers that they are not alone. Others have journeyed before us on this path of discipleship. Right now I’m working on a selection of the writings of Amy Carmichael.

John Lewis: Civil Rights Legend

Author's Note: This post was originally published in May, 2017.

In late March, civil rights icon Representative John Lewis (D-Georgia) spoke before the House during the initial debate on the GOP's health care bill. He said, "This is the heart and soul of the matter. We cannot abandon our principles, Mr. Speaker. We cannot forget our values. We have fought too hard and too long to back down now."

A few months earlier, the current president, in a tweet, called Lewis "all talk, talk, talk no action or results."

Rather than take time to discredit that statement, I refer you to David Remnick's piece in The New Yorker.

One positive result of that infamous tweet was that a lot of people, including me, were curious to delve a little deeper into Lewis' history.

John Lewis grew up the son of a sharecropper in Troy, Alabama. He became sensitive to the reality of racial inequality while attending grade school. He noticed that white schools seemed to be newer, with more resources being given to them. Black students, on the other hand, were left with the hand-me-downs. Of course, growing up in the South in the early 40's, he experienced the "COLORED" and "WHITES ONLY" entrance signs guarding many public places. And some places, like the local library, he couldn't enter at all. His life and the life of most blacks living in the South was anything but "separate but equal."

So, by the time Lewis was attending American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, he was primed to take action when faced with the ever-present reality of inequality that surrounded him and his fellow African-Americans.

In his book, Walking With the Wind, Lewis describes how he joined efforts to desegregate downtown Nashville, beginning with non-violent sit-ins at lunch counters. He eventually became a leader in the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

The logistics involved behind those early lunch counter sit-ins would become one of the templates used throughout the South to move towards civil rights.

For years Lewis was at the forefront of other efforts, like the voting rights drive in Mississippi. He was one of the original 13 "freedom riders," putting his life on the line, with others, to help ensure that black Americans had the right to vote. Previous to these efforts, Jim Crow - illegal means used to threaten and dissuade blacks from registering to vote - was the law of the South.

John Lewis, standing third to left of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lewis walked along with Martin Luther King, Jr. as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on "Bloody Sunday" (March 7, 1965).

(You can see Lewis standing in the front row of the picture on the right, in a white coat). It was Lewis who actually had much more to do with the logistics behind the March than King. And it was Lewis who had his head cracked open by an Alabama state trooper's nightstick.

Despite profuse bleeding, he refused to go to the hospital, instead escaping back to Selma to speak at Brown Chapel to encourage other marchers not to give up hope. A few weeks later there was another, successful, march across the bridge to Montgomery.

In August of the same year, the first Voting Rights Act was passed. It was passed to enforce the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution. It read, in part, "no voting qualifications or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of their race or color."

By the time that the Voting Rights Act was passed, John Lewis had more than established himself as a leader in the civil rights movement. Both in the South and nationwide. Two years earlier, he spoke at the March on Washington in 1963, sharing the podium with Martin Luther King, Jr. Lewis' original speech was considered to be too strong by many of the other leaders of the March. In his book, Lewis recalls editing his speech, in an effort to keep the unity of the movement that was gaining momentum.

After that speech, Lewis went back to Mississippi to continue with voter registration and desegregation activities. He eventually left the SNCC in 1966, but continued efforts to enfranchise minorities. In 1986 Lewis was elected to the House of Representatives from Georgia, where he remains one of the most respected members of that chamber.

It was from that moral authority that Lewis helped lead a sit-in of 40 Democratic representatives on June 22, 2016 in response to the mass killings in Orlando earlier that month. Lewis sent out a tweet, "We have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent and the concern of our nation. We will use nonviolence to fight gun violence and inaction."

In summing up his life, Lewis said, "When I was growing up my mother and father and family members said `Don't get in trouble. Don't get in the way.' I got in trouble. I got in the way. It was necessary."

Border Wall: Separating Fact From Fiction

People Magazine

Maybe it'd be a good idea to begin this discussion with some words from Robert Frost, from his poem "Mending Wall":

"...He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors.'
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder If I could put a notion in his head: 
'Why do they make good neighbors? 
Isn't it where there are cows? But here there are no cows. Before I built a wall I'd ask to know, What was I walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offense. 
Something there is that doesn't love a wall.
That wants it down..."


With the current president's declaration of a "national emergency" along the Mexican border, now seems a good time to remind ourselves of some essential facts.

According to the latest Pew Research poll (taken in January), seventy-six percent of all immigrants currently living in the US are here legally. But only forty-five percent of Americans realize this is the case. Politicians and others who claim there has been a massive uptick in illegal immigrants are simply wrong.

The same Pew Research poll found that fifty-eight percent of Americans oppose substantially expanding the wall along the US-Mexican border. Only forty percent of Americans support this.

The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the US actually peaked in 2007 (at 12.2 million); a thirteen percent (10.7 million) decrease since 2016. Two of the four states that have registered the highest decreases of unauthorized immigrants are border states (California and Arizona).

The Immigration Project, citing the Washington Post and the Marshall Project, noted that while the number of immigrants in the US had increased 118% from 1980 to 2016, the number of crimes in the US had decreased during the same time period by thirty-six percent. Simply put: A border wall won't do anything to curb crime because statistics prove it's not necessary.

The same Washington Post story went on to report that the Anti-Defamation League documented a fifty-seven percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents during 2017, as hate crimes increased by seventeen percent that same year.  When national leaders stoke fear they give consent to hate.

Given all this statistical information, the Washington Post and the Immigration Project correctly make the point that the danger of violent crimes in the US isn't coming from outside our borders, but from within.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

One can only wonder as to the true motivation behind the current president who ran on a promise to build a "big, beautiful wall," which Mexico would pay for. If this is so, then why is the current president so adamant in demanding $5.7 billion of US taxpayer money to build it? To the point of shutting down the government and laying off over 800,000 workers?

In essence, the current president and his administration are backing a wall that most Americans don't want and isn't necessary. 

A recent report from the New York Times included an interview with Jon Barela, a life-long Republican and CEO of the Borderplex Alliance, an organization dedicated to economic development in the cross-cultural hub of El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, and Las Cruces, where there are some 2.7 million people.

Drovers

"The president is just wrong about the wall and about El Paso," he says. "As a fiscally conservative Republican, I just don't understand how spending $25 billion [the estimated total price tag] on a wall with limited effectiveness is a good idea."

The current president and White House administration chose to shut down the federal government for 35 days recently, creating the longest shutdown in US history. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the shutdown cost the US $11 billion. With nearly twenty-five percent of that money permanently lost.

Of course, the most relevant question to ask is: Was it worth it if nothing was accomplished? 

And yet, the current president declared a state of "national emergency" along the Mexican border, insisting on $8 billion to help build sections of his wall to hold off "an invasion" of criminals crossing into the US. 

Immediately there were many in Washington who were alarmed at the president's action, even questioning whether he had done something unconstitutional. Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House Chief of Staff noted: "It actually creates zero precedent [for going beyond executive power]. This is authority given to the president by law already. It's not as if he didn't get what he wanted and waved a magic wand to get some money."    

Actually, that's exactly what the president did.

Rather than dealing with reality, the current president and his administration are merely stoking fear. And fear is a very expensive emotion.

In an op-ed piece published in the Baltimore Sun, Meg Hobbins, a senior attorney in her law firm, and experienced with immigration law, recounted her experience interviewing asylum-seeking families (mostly mothers and their children) at the Mexican border recently. 

"None of these mothers had a choice [whether to flee their countries or not]," she writes. "And that is why policies of deterrence [like a wall, separating families or detaining asylum seekers] will fail every time... These families will continue to flee until the violence and lawlessness forcing their journey abates."

The problem, says Hobbins, isn't the border, it's the extreme poverty and violence in Central America that is causing families to flee. Hobbins points out that a better, more effective way of addressing the core problem facing residents of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala is not to warehouse asylum seekers, but to allocate funds for a Marshall Plan-type of systemic support in these countries. This would include economic development, anti-corruption efforts to bolster government protections against violence and organized crime.

At the end of the day, wouldn't allocating $8 billion towards such humanitarian efforts be a lot more effective than building a wall?
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FOOTNOTE: On February 11 the president held a rally in El Paso to drum up support for his border wall. The New York Times covered the event, noting: "Among lawmakers who represent border districts, there is remarkably little support for a wall...

He [the president] repeated grisly stories of violent crimes committed by immigrants - never mind that the crime rate among immigrants is no higher than among native-born residents. He said a wall would stem the flow of deadly opioids and other illicit drugs into the United States - another dubious assertion, given that most drugs arrive at legal ports of entry."

Review: My Grandfather's Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen

  from Dan Salerno on January 30, 2019
 
A wonderful blend of story-telling and practical wisdom, gleaned from living
 
I became acquainted with Rachel Naomi Remen through her On Being interview (https://bit.ly/2TP5EpR). I was instantly fascinated with her take on the difference between healing and fixing.

During the interview, Krista Tippett, the host, mentioned one of Remen's books, My Grandfather's Blessings. So I picked it up.

In the beginning of her book, Remen writes about the relationship she had with her Grandfather. As a young girl, Remen had the opportunity to hang out with him almost daily. And for a few hours, in between the time school let out and her mother (a public health nurse), came home from work.

Remen captures the wisdom of her grandfather, who was an orthodox rabbi and a scholar of the Kabbalah. Remen's parents were both socialists and agnostics, so his perspective was decidedly different.

Remen has struggled with Chron's disease for over 65 years, and endured eight major surgeries. She is also an M.D. But her specialty is listening to and counseling patients with chronic and terminal illnesses. She is also the co-founder and medical director of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program in Bolinas, CA.

While this may seem like a lengthy introduction to a book review, in Remen's case it's important. There are hundreds of thousands of self-help books out there. Remen's isn't one of them.

My Grandfather's Blessings is a wonderful blend of story-telling, practical wisdom gleaned from living and a look at the mystical connection between body and spirit.

"I've spent many years learning how to fix life, only to discover at the end of the day that life isn't broken. There is a hidden seed of greater wholeness in everyone and everything," she writes at one point. A few pages later she notes "I was stunned to find that many of the things most worth knowing are not written in books, or observed through scientific effort. They are known by people who have been to school but just as often known by people who have never been to school, by people who can read and by people who have never read a book in their lives. It came as a shock to discover that in order to live well you might need to learn to read life."

Remen gives us a lot to chew on. Her book is a like chocolate cheesecake, with chocolate frosting on top. Here's one last sliver of a slice, in hopes you'll want more!

"Science has cast a deep shadow over our ideas about life. We may even have allowed science to define life for us, but life is larger than science. Life is process, and process has Mystery woven into it. Things happen that science can't explain, important things that cannot be measured but can be observed, witnessed, known. These things are not replicable. They are impervious to even the best-designed research. All life has in it the dimension of the Unknown; it is a thing forever unfolding. It seems important to consider the possibility that science may have defined life too small. If we define life too small, we will define ourselves too small as well."
 

Meet Tiffany Blackman Program Officer, Consultant & Speaker

Tiffany Blackman

Tiffany Blackman is one of the most creative, people-focused, faith-filled people I know. She recently started her own consulting and public speaking business!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m 35 years old. I am a mother of four (ages 16, 14, 11, and 5). I am a Christian, a black woman, a recent divorcee (2^nd time, same man), a community volunteer, and a passionate person. A hard worker and first-generation college grad.  

What’s your day job?

Well… as of six months ago, I have a day job and a second job. During the day I work for the Battle Creek Community Foundation as a Program Officer. During the night I work as a consultant and traveling speaker. What I enjoy about my day job is I get to use one of my greatest skills; connecting. I meet and build relationships with organizations and groups that are looking for grants to help fund their charitable programs/projects. From start to finish I help oversee the process of helping organizations apply for grants, having committees of volunteers review them, and making sure that the grants are awarded.

What has been your greatest joy as a program officer? The biggest challenge?

The people. They are my greatest joy. I get to work with some amazing people but even more, I get to rub shoulders with many more. Our volunteers are amazing and genuine and the organizations and groups seeking grants are just the best. Everyone cares very deeply about our community and I love being one of the resources to help them figure out how to do that best with the grant process. As with most of my jobs, the biggest challenge is prioritizing the different aspects of my work. With deadlines, volunteers, donor and details, it's really about relationship building. The goal is to help everyone feel accepted and leave smiling, knowing we are all after the same thing in many different ways; building a better community.

What is your second job all about and are there joys and challenges there?

In 2018, I realized that I was doing a lot of consulting work for free. Mainly for Junior League as a volunteer. I’ve sat on panel discussions about fundraisers and development for a few years at the Michigan state level. Also, I volunteered to give my first presentation on a larger scale in March 2018. I gave a 75-minute presentation on diversity and inclusion for the Association of Junior Leagues International in Memphis, Tennessee. I was so excited to start traveling to do this type of work as I have been presenting trainings and orientations within my career over the past ten years. However, when the Association of Junior Leagues reached back out with feedback and asked what’s next, I let them know I would now be looking for paid consulting work. In October of 2018, I booked my first paid speaking arrangement with the Michigan State Council of Junior Leagues (Lansing Community College). By the end of October 2018, I had a website and blog set up and was starting to create marketing materials. By the end of the year I booked my second paid speaking arrangement with the Association of Junior Leagues International, in New Orleans, LA., and recently came back home from this engagement. There is more opportunity on the horizon as we have already spoken about a few more potentials for this year (spring and fall). I also have leads to head to a few more states to help with diversity and inclusion efforts within individual Junior Leagues. 

The joy of doing this work is that I’ve had to start my own business and it’s official! Blackman Capacity & Solutions was introduced to the world this past weekend at a local business pitch competition. After being encouraged by the women who hosted the event, I decided to have some fun and put myself out there. I have really enjoyed this process because it’s caused me to be brave and think of myself differently than I ever have. I think, like myself, many people of color haven’t thought of themselves as business owners, entrepreneurs, or even philanthropists.  It’s still settling in that I’ve started my own business. I don’t think it’ll feel as real until I go file for my DBA this week. But I’m already getting inquiries.

It’s fun because I’ve been able to use my graphic design skills to create my business proposal, business cards, and website. The challenging part, as with anything for me, is work and life balance. Because I’ve entered a new season in my life, I have time for additional work. However, I always want to be mindful that this endeavor isn’t taking time from my children. I typically work when they go to sleep and on days they are with their father. Setting goals around the number of consulting projects I will take for the year is also a way I plan to balance as well.    

What steps have you taken to get to where you are in your life and what would you say someone considering this type of work? 

Well the past five years, even ten, have been about learning. I wasn’t raised to value education to the extent that I needed it for my career so my focus has been there. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management in the spring of 2017. That was a goal of mine because I saw many barriers in the business world without the degree. My degree has not helped me immensely financially, at least not yet. However, it has given me a more comprehensive understanding of organizing and managing people. A business is only as good as the people who are employed. I think in the grand scheme of things my degree gives me credibility. In the business field locally, you often aren’t considered for positions based solely on merit and experience. Unfortunately, the old school mentality of training is often not the option. As such, I found it extremely important to actively address not having a degree as a barrier. I spent 4.5 years in community college and 2 years in an accelerated BA program. If I could give anyone advice it would be to know who you are and what you want. If you know you want to go into a particular field quickly find out what attributes and training/schooling is needed. More importantly, know who you are because that determines what you will do. 

You are involved in the community in many ways. What motivated you to become a member of the Junior League and what is most significant about your experience?

I joined the Junior League (JL) back in 2014. I joined because I was invited, I wanted to broaden my network, and I wanted to volunteer in a very different way. What intrigued me about JL  is that they train their volunteers extensively. From local organizations coming in to inform us of services at general meetings, to paying for members to travel to other states to learn more about project/program management. I often tell people that JL is the best professional development I’ve had. Junior League has experts in the field leading our women in practical application. I took the fund development track and have learned a lot about fundraising and fund development plans. In 2016 I asked our members to be brave and follow me on a journey to start a new fundraiser and mission-based development opportunity; the Annual Women’s Summit & Brunch was born. The summit has been an excellent way to involve a diverse group of women in women empowerment efforts. Every year we engage about 60-120 women in a lively panel discussion on a topic about women as leaders. This year is about self-acceptance and walking in our own individual greatness. Prior years were women’s health, self-confidence, and women in business. Although I had the idea and championed much of the work initially, it took the entire JL to make the one-day event happen each and every year. 

I am also the Immediate Past President of the Junior League of Battle Creek (2017-18) and I was the first African American president. This was a significant accomplishment because it signifies the effort to diversify all JL’s internationally. On a local level my league is diverse in religious beliefs, socio-economic status, and the family dynamics each member has or has been raised in. However, racial diversity is something we are still working towards and that is a culture shift and an inclusion shift internationally. I also started the Women of Color Affinity group for AJLI. To date, we have connected over 800 women of color to provide a safe place to grow, develop, and learn from each other for the good of JL. We have much to do still in formulating plans for professional development and mentorship. However, the most important part for me was to connect women of color as we often feel like one of a few in our own JL. This isn’t unique to JL as an organization, it happens for minorities at jobs, churches, and schools. There has to be a concerted effort to help different cultures feel welcomed, accepted, and free to be who they are. That is what I am advocating for.      

You also direct a girl’s empowerment program in Battle Creek. Can you tell us a bit about the I Like Me Society and what the motivation to become involved?

I created I Like Me Society (ILM) back in 2010 because my oldest daughter complained of having no one to play with. At our apartment complex, the boys were purposefully excluding her as well. After asking a few moms at school if they like to get together play dates, I Like Me Society was born. My best friend has been by my side supporting the group and helping to manage it ever since. Playdates quickly turned into giving life lessons and hands-on experience with arts, culture, and educational endeavors. The girls have learned about budgeting, sewing, cooking, values, character traits, and more. The purpose of ILM is to encourage girls (junior high and high school) to know their worth and become the woman she desires to be by giving her resources and tools. We’ve been able to take the girls to place in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, and Detroit learning hands-on experience with fabric design, culinary arts, glass making, theater, and African American history. College campus tours our in our programming as well. We’ve been to U of M and are heading over to Albion College this spring. It is amazing to see how far a little volunteerism and funding can go. We are so thankful that organizations and groups like the Miller Foundation and Women of Impact have risen to help fund our program. The Woman’s Co-op is our fiscal sponsor.     

If you were speaking before a group of young people, what would be the first thing you’d tell them, in regards to preparing for the future? Or life wisdom, in general.

The advice I’d give to youth is: Never stop learning. Often times adults feel confused and stuck in life because think they’ve learned all they could. Education is the combining of classroom learning and real-life experience. Experience life early, explore career fields (even as a volunteer), and know that your life will have phases. The average adult changes jobs/careers about 11 times in their life. The goal is to know your interest and how you would enjoy spending your time and effort. I’d say explore those interests early, even as early as late elementary and early junior high.  

Your faith is a very important part of your life. Could you tell us why?

My faith is of the utmost importance when it comes to everything. It’s who I am. I was a bus kid growing up and I saw people care deeply for me that barely knew me for quite some time. They helped me discover a loving God in my often-chaotic environment. In a world I couldn’t control they helped me understand that there was a Savior in control and that he has my best interest at heart. Jesus has been my rock every since that time. I’ve fallen short and held back my faithfulness at times in my life but he has never proven unfaithful. I often say that I feel like there is this edge that God has never let me come close to. This street where I can wander to that he would never let me go past. I think that is the edge of faith and the room I needed to explore growing up. Everything I do I pray and ask God to show me the way. To open doors or close them. Through ups and downs I have this rock that I can always lean on. I try to instill this same faith in my children the best I know how and ask God to fill in the gaps. It is a group effort and I am so thankful for family and friends that assist me in the effort. They mean so much to me and I want them to know God for themselves as well.  

Could you name two of the people you most admire, and why you admire them?

Maya Angelou because she was so real and authentic in everything she did and wrote as a poet. As a black woman, I identify a lot with her struggle and successes. She just had an amazing way of articulating her strength.

I admire my mom because she is one of the most resilient people I know. She has experienced a lot in her life and she still managed to raise seven children that were all in her care by the time she turned 19 (with two sets of twins included). My mom has always supported me and cheered me on. She challenged me to be a better person. She gave me access to my church even though she wasn’t tied to it herself; this created most of my value system. My mom and my family are my support system. When I went to night school, had to travel for work, or went to volunteer training my mom helped me figure out the logistics. My grandmother on my dad’s side was 70 years of age and caring for my children each week when I went to school for my BA. It is a beautiful testament to the tapestry of family values that women weave to help each generation better themselves.        

To contact Tiffany Blackman or find more information:

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email: tblackmanspeaks@gmail.com
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