BUILDING A POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT: Prepared for Big Training/Workshop April 30, 1988

Our "self-concept exerts considerable power over our ability
to achieve career and life goals and develop effective
human relationships."

Our self-concept should be firmly based ... founded on real
capacity, achievement, and respect from others... A. H. Maslow

Our self-concept is the perception and picture we hold of
ourselves. It includes the roles we play in life, our
personality traits, our physical appearances, our skills and abilities.

Our self-concept, "formed in childhood, lays the foundation
for our attitudes towards work, success, personal abilities,
and the roles we play.

Later, in adulthood, our spouses, co-workers, friends,
professional colleagues, may continue to influence our self-
concept by reinforcing a pre-existing negative concept,
or reaffirming the positive image we have already developed.

Our "self-concept influences our career choices and how well we progress."

"If you believe in your power, other people will believe
you and trust you with respect."

Everyone needs to learn how to protect their self-concept
against those who try to diminish or limit their potential
and to listen to those who encourage and challenge them.

By controlling what goes into your subconscious mind, you
can change your self-concept.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT
Future oriented...Not overly concerned with past mistakes or
failures. Learn from errors and not immobilized by them.

Act on their own best judgment.

Able to deal with problems regardless of the opposition or the
prospects of failure.

Able to establish and maintain effective human relations.

Able to help others, and accept help from others.

Able to accept other people as unique, talented individuals.

Some Approaches To Building A Positive Self-Esteem

1. Accept self as is.

2. Set goals.

3. Use positive motivational affirmations as reinforcements
    towards achieving your idealized self.

4. Make decisions. Take every opportunity to make decisions
    both in setting up goals and devising ways to achieve goals.

5. Visualize the results you want to achieve.

6. Role play. Act the part you want to play before you have
     a chance to play it. Dress according to the image you want to project.

7. Develop expertise in some area.

8. Use reinforcing techniques.

9. Identify and accept own limitations. Continue to learn throughout life.
    Never stop learning!

Source: Effective Human Relations In Organizations
             Barry L. Reece and Rhondos Brandt
              
 

Cudjoe of Jamaica

Cudjoe of Jamaica
By Milton G. McFarlane
Ridley Enslow Punlishers
60 Crescent Place, Box 07078
Short Hills, N.J. 07078
143 pp. $7.95
By Gladys T. Turner

Cudjoe of Jamaica is a fascinating historical novel about
the dauntless military chief of the Maroons who were the
runaway slaves of Jamaica. The term Maroon is believed to be
Spanish in origin, meaning "untamed, wild, or unruly."

This is a story of struggle and war against enslavement;
the courageous battles of a group of slaves to live forever free,
and their ultimate triumph.

Milton G. McFarlane, the author, is a descendant of the Maroons,
and he has imaginatively recreated the times and life of
Cudjoe from documentary records and oral accounts maintained
by his people, as related to him by his Grandpa Wallen, "a
 man old and wise in Maroon ways."

"The before-time people, "ancestors of the Maroons, were
enslaved by the Spaniards and brought to the Carribean Island
of Jamaica from the Gold Coast of West Africa early in the
16th Century as a source of cheap labor. Prince Naquan, a
Koramanteen, had traded gold to Spanish traders in exchange
for copper and was subsequently tricked into sailing
supposedly to their homeland in search of more copper, with
some of his strongest men, but they ended up as slaves in
Jamaica. Naquan and his tribesman , reacting to the
conditions of slavery, refused to work and escaped to the
high mountains of the island. Although, the Spanish attempted
to recapture them, they were unsuccessful because the Koromanteens
were skillful in blending into the forestation by using the
African disguise of "ambush."

In 1655, the British captured Jamaica from the Spanish
and increased the number of African slaves to work on the
sugar plantations. Consequently, as more slaved escaped to
the Maroon community, the Maroons were seen as a menancing
threat to the colonists' way of of life and their labor supply.
Thus, British soldiers and the colonists on the plains
were to wage war over three fourths of a century against
the Maroons, believing it to be their civilized and God given
duty to wipe out the heathens, until a peace treaty was
signed in 1739.

Grandpa Wallen is the chief story teller of the feats
of Cudjoe, who was the oldest of Naquan's three sons, born
late in the 17th Century. Propelled by an oath to his father
that he would never surrender himself or his people into
slavery, Cudjoe organized the Maroons' settlements stragetically
for defense. Although, the Maroons possessed only antiquated
weapons against the powerful British, they successfully defeated
them because of their knowledge of Jamaica's mountaineus
terrain, Cudjoe's leadership skills and abilities in
guerilla warfare the art of camouflage in battle, and intelligence
data gathering.Furthermore, the Maroons possessed a communication
tool, the abeng, a bugle made from a cattle horn, which allowed
them to single out each other and send messages over long
distances. Finally, the British government in Jamaica, through
an intermediary, requested the Maroons to make peace. A peace
treaty was concluded March 1, 1739 guaranteeing Cudjoe and
the Maroons "a perfect state of freedom and liberty forever."

This is a book that adds richness and diversity to our
knowledge of African people, thir descendants and their
survival in the colonized New World. It disspells the myths
that all the slaves were happily and passively working "Di
Backra's" plantations. It is a book that should inspire all
freedom fighters in their fight against oppression, apartheid,
and injustices.

Tenth Annual Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame Induction

An impressive ceremony was held Thursday, October 4, 2018 at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium in
Columbus to induct the 2018 selectees for the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame.

The six selectees were Dr. Errol D. Alexander, Dr. Joseph Carter Corbin, (posthumously) Jo Ann Davidson, James Obergefell, Reene Powell, William Powell (posthumously).

Dr.Joseph Carter Corbin was nominated posthumously by local resident, Dr. Gladys Turner Finney
who accepted the award on his behalf. Dr. Corbin, the founder of the University of Arkansas-
Pine Bluff, was honored for his advancement of education as a civil right for freed slaves and their descendants.

The day began with a VIP breakfast where the inductees greeted each other, the staff, and
Commissioners of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Among them was Commissioner Dr. Carolyn Peters from Dayton. Also in attendance was an entourage of supporters from College Hill Community Church-PCUSA and Ohio University-Chillicothe including Dr. Martin Tuck, Dean.
Dignitaries in attendance included Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and State Senator Vernon Sykes.

The Mistress of Ceremonies was Angela Pace, WBNS-10TV. The keynote speaker was The
Honorable Judge Algenon L. Marbley, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. Closing Remarks were by Commissioner Lori Barreras, Ohio Civil Rights Commission Chair. A lavish reception followed.

The Stars: From Birth to Black Hole by David J. Darling--A Review

The Stars: From Birth to Black Hole
Minneapolis: Dillon Press, Inc. 1985. 64 pp.


The stars have fascinated man since time immemorial. They have
long been the subject of study and attempts to explain some truth or
reality.

Unlocking their secrets and characteristics, through observation and
study, has been the work of astronomers and scientists.

The Stars: From Birth to Black Hole, is one of a series of ten
"Discovering Our Universe" books, aimed towards helping young readers
discover the wonders and mysteries of the universe.

The book is divided into sections on star facts, questions and
answers, and appendices on self-discovery, well-known stars, and
amateur astronomy groups in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain.
There is an excellent glossary, and suggested reading list.

Through an imaginary journey on a star ship, the author takes the
reader on a journey to the stars. Along the way, a variety of stars:
red giants, white dwarfs, twin stars, and neutron stars, are observed.

We see how stars are formed from hydrogen and helium and then
disintegrate or die. There are also stars which cluster and form
constellations, such as Orion the Hunter, Cygnus the Swan, and
Ursa Major the Great Bear.

Finally, the Great Milky Way, the galaxy in which we live, with
more than one hundred billion stars, is explored.

This book offers the youth reader, ages ten to fourteen,
excellent information on understanding of the stars.

Death of a Hospital: Requiem for Good Samaritan

Good Samaritan Hospital which traces its founding to the Sisters of Charity eighty six years ago is closing its doors forever on July 23, 2018. Just thinking about it makes me ill. The health care and
economic impact to the community are enormous. Will there be an antidote? Is the ten million dollars
offered by Premier Health to help redevelop the site fair and equitable compensation for the injury to the community? Non-profit hospitals have evolved into mega businesses or have been taken over by
corporate entities. As I mourn the death of Good Samaritan Hospital my self-prescribed antidote is to protest, pause, and reflect.

This gem of the community, feted as 20th in Ohio and among the Best in the Nation," Has been the difference between life and death for so many in the Dayton View Community. And it is difficult to let go with an uncertain future.

On May 12, 1932 when the people of Dayton celebrated the opening of the new hospital, at the
corner of Salem Avenue and Philadelphia Drive, the cost to build was $2,325,051, mostly financed by the Sisters of Charity. The nurses' residence, Regina Hall, was an additional $223,00. The people also had given generously to the fund raising effort. Of the requested million dollars, the Kettering Family gave $50,000. Dr. B. W. Beatty donated four acres at the corner of Salem Avenue.

Thanks to the Sisters of Charity for their vision and philanthropy. Thanks to all the staff past and present (physicians, nurses, social workers, etc.) who have shared their profession on behalf of
the patients of Good Samaritan Hospital. Thanks to the volunteers for their gifts of healing and caring.

Community Organization, Theory, Principles, And Practice

Author: Murray G. Ross, (New York: Harper & Row, 1967)
Community Organization, Theory, Principles, and  Practices

A Class Assignment (Book Review) Prepared for Survey of Community Organization 13-042-61
Graduate Department of Community Planning
University of Cincinnati
Instructor: Mr. Bailey Turner, Assistant Professor of Community Planning
Prepared by: Gladys Turner Finney
Autumn Quarter, 1975

At the time the book was written, Murray G. Ross was a social work
educator, researcher, and consultant in community organization at the
University of Toronto School of Social Work.

Community Organization, Theory, Principles, and Practices deals
with community organization, theories, guiding principles, and role
of the professional community organizer. Emphasis is placed on community
organization as a "process," conscious or unconscious, voluntary or
involuntary whereby a community identifies, ranks its needs or objectives,
finds resources (internal or external) and takes action to solve the
problem or obtain the objective.

Planning and community integration are seen as the two essential
tasks in community organization, both being an integral part of the
process but community integration considered the most important objective.
Planning is conceived by the author to "represent the whole act, from the
stirring of consciousness about a problem to the action taken to resolve
the problem." It involves four steps: (1) definition of the problem;
(2) study of the nature, meaning, and implications of the problem'
(3) decision regarding ultimate solutions; and (4) action on the
solution agreed upon.

The hypothesis of the book is that cooperative planning-problem
solving and consensus will lead to community integration (e.g. identifi-
cation, interest, and participation in the common life of the community).
However, cooperation and attainment of consensus are stressed almost to
the point where one might get the impression that cooperative-collabo-
rative planning and consensus are valued objectives within themselves.
Herein lies a grave danger that the community organization process is
more important than the outcome without any accountability for group
decisions. There is a fallacy to assume that group decisions are in
effect sound or rational decisions even though democratic methods have
been applied. For example there are innumerable situations where the
rights of minorities have been violated through the democratic process.
Another fallacy for the author to assume is that a skilled community
organizer will enable a community to achieve consensus on any issue or
problem and that the community will emerge better integrated from the
experience.

Ross' professional community organizer is a versatile, perplexing
man with many contradictions. He is a skilled community analyst,
diagnostician, and therapist; a facilitator, guide, enabler of the
community organization process, but via discipline and taboo cannot assume the leader-
ship role. He supports democratic values and processes, (e.g., right
to self-determination, freedom, equality, community participation, etc.)
but cannot take a stand on behalf of any group, solution or project. He
must "identify with the community as a whole" (which might be difficult
if he is an ethnic or racial minority). He is objective, non-judgmental
despite the fact that all planning and solutions involve value judgments
and preferences. He accepts symptoms for what they are. He does not
criticize, blame, praise or make comparisons. "His special expertness
is in bringing diverse groups together, in clarifying issues, enlarging
the area of common concern in the community, in establishing processes
and procedures by which a community can make a collective decision."

The conceptual model upon which the author predicates his
community organization approach is based on a natural systems
change model whereby citizen participation, decision making, and
change at the local level can be instituted in a manner that will integrate the community.

The book has merits as an introductory textbook on community
organization and presents a good overview of community organization
as a profession and process for affecting social change.

There was a deliberate attempt to integrate and/or apply princi-
ples to practice through case presentation as a way of giving the
reader a clear understanding of what community organization is and
the role of the community organizer.

The Second Continental Congress

A paper prepared for
American Government Class
Gladys T. Turner
AM&N College
Circa 1950s

The news that fighting had begun at Lexington and Concord
between American patriots and British troops in April of 1775 so-
lidified the spirit of revolt and convinced many that separation
from Great Britian necessary.

The Second Continental Congress convened at Philadelphia on
May 19, 1775 with all thirteen colonies represented. "Its powers,
if it had any, were extremely vague; it represented, said Bancroft,
"nothing more than the informed opinion of an unformed people." 1

As the delegates assembled they knew that some kind of collec-
tive action had to be taken because war was actually in existence.
The first act on the agenda was the creation of a continental army
of which George Washington was selected commander in-chief. Although
war was in existence, independence, was far from the minds of the del-
egates and those who wished to sever our claims from Great Britiain.
were considered radicals. As late as the autumn of 1775, five state
legislatures were against independence. "Even now a tolerant attitude
on the part of England could have restored calm to the troubled
colonies, for few dared to speak independence. Instead, an obsti-
nate Parliament and a stupid king went blindly ahead with plans to
chastise the rebels. The result was a shift in American sentiment. 2

The king refused to receive the petition of the Congress. Instead,
he issued a proclamation declaring the colonies in a state of
rebellion, and hired troops to end the rebellion.

Congress advised the colonies to set up state governments
based upon the consent of the people. On June 7, Richard Henry
Lee, a Virginia delegate, submitted the following resolutions:

"That these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free,
and independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance
to the British crown; and that all political connection between
them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally
dissolved.

That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effective
measures for forming foreign alliances.

That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to
the respective colonies for their consideration. 3

For a whole month Congress debated Lee's resolutions while
a committee worked over the declaration that would be called for.
Finally, on July 2, the resolution was adopted; two days later the
immortal Declaration of Independence was accepted by Congress

"The Declaration of Independence, almost entirely the work
of Jefferson, divides itself into three parts. The first is a
statement of the radical philosophy of the seventeenth century"
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness- That to secure these rights
Government are instituted among men, deriving their just powers
from the consent of the governed, -That whenever any form of govern-
ment becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people
to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government  4

The significance of the Second Continental Congress lies in
the fact that it was the first central government in the United
States. It exercised both legislature and executive powers. It also
exercised the rights to wage war, raise loans, issue  currency,
establish a postal system, make treaties, and receive ambassadors.
The Second Continental Congress brought the greatest minds of the
country together to plan action and take charge of the existing
situation.

The Declaration of Independence directed the colonists toward
their objective of freedom; it made them increasingly aware of the
problem of assuring their own liberties, establishing the kind of
government which would insure them of their unalienable rights
which, they believed that England had threatened.

1. Harold Faulkner, American Political And Social History, Appleton & Co.,
New York, 1948, pp-99-100.

2. Ray Billington, The Making of American Democracy, Rinehart & Co.,
 New York, 1950, p. 81.

3. Billington, op.cit., p. 82.

4. Faulkner, op. cit., pp. 101-102.

Comments: My professor gave a grade of B+ with the following notation "Almost too brief but shows an awareness of the subject matter."