Maria Lloyd Talks Life, Legacy, Career and the Failed War on Drugs

Tweet

My name is Maria Lloyd (Twitter: @WritingsByMaria) and I am the Business Manager for Dr. Boyce Watkins and the Your Black World Network platform.

I graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a B.A. in Mass Communications.

Like most children in the black community, I am the product of a single-parent home. My father has been incarcerated since I was three years old, so it was and still is very frustrating to have a parent railroaded by a racist, corrupt government, but I’ve learned how to exert that negative energy into positive initiatives.

 

Determine what success means to you and follow this formula: Success = Consistency + Persistence – Mistakes. I created that formula a long time ago when I noticed a common trend in people I admire… They don’t ever give up! I also noticed that they embrace their mistakes as life lessons.

My short-term goal is to dedicate every day of my life to change the scope of someone’s thinking on an issue regarding the African American community. My long-term goal is to continue to expand Dr. Boyce Watkins’ brand and the Your Black World Network platform. I’m currently working on an initiative alongside Dr. Boyce Watkins, Russell Simmons, staff members at Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), and others to encourage President Obama to consider creating a committee to oversee clemencies submitted by people like my father who were victims of the failed War on Drugs. I’m also preparing to launch a website of my own that focuses solely on dating and relationship advice. I believe our microwave society encourages too many impulsive decisions that reflect in our interactions with one another in relationships. I plan to change that.

I’d like to encourage my people to be more receptive to networking and getting to know strangers. Far too often I run into a brother or sister who is doing something positive but doesn’t have a support system to keep them going. I challenge us to connect with a new person that we didn’t grow up with at least once a week. Don’t underestimate the power of networking. Your network really is your networth. Be sure to subscribe to the Your Black World Network’s newsletter to read about people in your community who are doing positive things. They could use your help!

 

 

 

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor at Syracuse University and author of “The 8 Principles of Black Male Empowerment.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.