“Eyes of the Beholder,” is about ten women who have gone through many trials, experienced many obstacles and overcame many hurdles such as racism, child abuse, domestic violence, drug abuse, criminal activity including murder, broken hearts, infidelity and many more society ills. Some of the women came from a life of prostitution, lesbianism and fear.
The women grew into professional people. They became school principals, psychologists, entrepreneurs, doctors, attorneys, social workers, and ministers. Together, they formed an organization to help women and called it WOMAN Power. WOMAN is an acronym for “Women On the Move Against Negativism.”
“Eyes of the Beholder”, is about a woman named Rebekah who was ashamed of her mother. She saw her mother as an ugly disfigured woman, until she learned the circumstances of her mother’s disfigurement. After her mother dies, Rebekah goes on a self-destruction trip in the abyss of life that lasted over twenty years. This trip takes her through years of drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution, the gay life, criminal activity, bad relationships, and finally God, college and self-realization.
It’s about a multi-racial woman from the South, from a religious background. She had a Black mother and a White father. Her mother was a housekeeper and her father came from a well-to-do prominent Southern white family.
She and her colleagues founded an organization to help other women. “Eyes of the Beholder,” discusses some of the women they helped. It also talks about the men in the lives of the WOMAN Power members. Although Rebekah comes from a troubled past, she becomes an attorney. The other members also had troubled pasts, even the preacher’s wife, but they kept holding on to God’s hand. After fifteen years of self-destruction and looking for peace and happiness, Rebekah finally realizes that the power to change, to be happy and fulfilled, lies within her. She spends the next five years following God’s plan for her, building WOMAN Power, and praying for courage to endure what’s ahead in life.
It’s about a man loving a woman so much that he’s willing to wait a lifetime for her, and when he does find her again, nothing else in this world means anything. He didn’t care what she had done and he didn’t want to hear about her past. Finally after over twenty years, she finds her true love, she already had it, God was waiting for her to realize it.
“YES YOU CAN”
HOW TO START, OPERATE & GROW A BUSINESS
WHILE DEVELOPING YOURSELF AND
PURSUING YOUR PERSONAL GOALS
“Yes You Can”, a book on entrepreneurship, was published in 1998. It was written by a woman, about women, for women. However, it does not exclude men. It can be used as a resource for small businesses and as a guide to help the reader understand the concerns and obstacles with which women in general, and Black women in particular, have to deal. The focus of the book is on women entrepreneurs; however, a great deal of the discussion is about Black women entrepreneurs because they face special problems, real and psychological, when they become business-owners.
This book is written primarily for the new business owner – the new entrepreneur – and for those considering becoming entrepreneurs. However, individuals who have been in business a short time may find the contents of this book beneficial as well. It also provides information for people who may not be starting a business but who want to succeed in the corporate world. It provides material on how to supervise people and how to be all you are capable of becoming.
“Yes You Can” is divided into four stages: “The Start Up and Beginning Stage,” “The Operation and Management Stage,” “The Growing and Expansion Stage,” and “The Personal Development and Actualization Stage.” The reader will find motivational and inspirational material, and personal narratives recounting the obstacles and problems the author encountered while starting her own journey into entrepreneurship. The book takes the reader from the author’s troubled past as discussed in “And Still, I Cry,” to becoming a successful entrepreneur employing over 100 people.
Author Barbara A. Robinson says:
When you read this book, you can achieve success
in your business and career by discovering the following:
| 1. | The “Success P-Principals” to Excellence |
| 2. | Communication Techniques that Build Relationships and Bring Business Success |
| 3. | How To Identify Time-Wasters and Strategies to Eliminate them |
| 4. | How to Develop a Strong Personnel System, Including Personnel Manuals, Administrative Policies and Procedures Manuals, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Programs, and Drug and Alcohol Testing Procedures Implementation |
| 5. | Techniques for Motivating Employees |
| 6. | Things to Consider when Starting a Home-Based Business |
| 7. | The Psychological Effects of Starting and Growing a Business |
| 8. | Marketing Strategies for Business Success |
| 9. | Barriers of Delegation and How to Overcome Them |
| 10. | How Culture and Ethnic Issues Impact the Success of a Business |
| 11. | How to Set and Achieve Goals and the Difference Between Clear Goals and Hazy Goals |
| 12. | The Importance of Accurate Record Keeping |
| 13. | The Legal Pitfalls of Hiring, Firing, and Business Development |
| 14. | The Importance of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) to Small Businesses |
| 15. | How to Deal With Stress and Distress |
| 16. | What to Look for When Purchasing Property to House Your Business |
| 17. | How To Determine If Working Solo Is For You |
| 18. | The Importance of Image and What Is Meant By “Dressing for Success” and “Presenting a Professional Image” |
| 19. | The Things You Should Know About Hiring Family Members |
| 20. | Why Are We Still Talking About Diversity and What Does It Mean? |
| 21. | How Can I Market My Business to the Public and Private Sector and to the Government? |
| 22. | What are the Different Stages of Business Success and How are They Handled? |
| 23. | Is Stress Important In Entrepreneurship? Why? |
| 24. | Do Women Entrepreneurs Face Different Challenges Than Men? If So, What Are They and How Should They Be Dealt With? |
| 25. | How to Develop and Implement an Employee Performance Appraisal Program |
| 26. | The Importance and Meaning of the Different Colors We Wear and the Messages They Send |
| 27. | What Does What You Wear Say About You? |
| 28. | Tips For Working With People On Welfare |
| 29. | Workforce 2000: What Does That Mean? |
| 30. | The Importance of a Business Plan |
| 31. | 101 Businesses that Can Be Started With Little or No Money |
AND STILL, I CRY
by – Barbara A. Robinson
“And Still, I Cry,” was published in 1993. It’s an autobiography of the author’s life, but it’s much more than that. It’s every woman’s story who is trying to either change her life or make a better life for herself and her family. Women say they like the book because it gives them hope when there doesn’t seem to be any hope left; they like it because it’s not fiction, it’s real. They like it because it shows the true spirit of Black women.
It discusses the trials of a young couple fighting individualized battles, both coming from similar backgrounds of alcoholism. Their mothers were alcoholics and the author’s mother eventually died from the disease. Both their mothers were single parents and the author’s stepfather molested and physically abused her. It’s the story of a troubled childhood and young adulthood. The book talks about a rocky road of sex and drugs.
“And Still, I Cry” could have been called “A Test Of Endurance,” or”A Woman’s Journey Through Life.”
It’s about life and the choices we have. It’s about turning obstacles into challenges. It’s about “isms” such as racism, sexism, and abuse-ism. It’s about being your own best friend. It’s about determination, persistence and not allowing anyone to define your limitations. It’s about logo therapy as Victor Frankel talked about in his book “Man’s Search For Meaning.”It’s about Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Therapy concept and not dealing with the “ain’t it awfuls” of life. It’s about believing that if worrying won’t change things, why waste time worrying? It’s about decision making. It’s telling women and men that it’s easier to fail than to succeed; when we fail we can blame someone else for our failures, but when we succeed we have to be responsible and response-able. Therefore, it’s about dealing with responsibilities and being response-able.
“And Still, I Cry“ is about overcoming adversity. It’s about the author’s personal triumphs over many of society’s evils from a Black woman’s perspective. The book represents the lives of many women everywhere.
“And Still, I Cry” is a personal story about life’s realities and what can be done about them. The author says if she can make it against the odds, other people can too if they really want to. This is a book to help women (and men) who may have had difficulties in their lives and which may still be causing trouble in their relationships today. For example, “And Still, I Cry” shows how the author handled being physically, sexually, and mentally abused as a child; it shows how she handled a difficult marriage; it shows what it’s like to rear four children in the inner city projects, being on welfare, and how she managed to finish college all at the same time. It’s a triumphant, down-to-earth true story that has helped a lot of people.
“And Still, I Cry” has positively affected the lives of many people. In many cases, it has given them inspiration, hope, and a renewed belief in themselves. It’s about loving yourself and not worrying about what you can’t do or what you don’t have, and thanking God for what you can do and what you do have. It’s about remembering the reality of the statement, “I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man with no feet.”