Have You Ever Been Bullied?

I was sad to read a story in the news today about two young girls who hung themselves in a suicide pack because they were allegedly bullied. This is so appalling because these two young girls did not see another option to help them get through this. Both of their parents felt they did everything possible to assist them and did not see any signs that they would take their lives.

When will bullying be taken seriously? I personally was bullied from third grade to six grade. I had a break during 7th and 8th grade because I was placed in a different school. It was the happiness years of my school life. But then I went to high school and met all the same people. To make a long story short, my bully hit me in the back of my head and it changed my life FOREVER. I have never been the same and it shaped how I deal with people and I do not allow people to get close to me because I do not trust motives or what they might do to me.

The young girls that hung themselves was said to be bullied on Facebook and through text messages. It made me realize that when I was going through this, at least once I left school, I had a break and could find solace at home, in my room, with my family. But nowadays, bullies continue contact 24 hours because of technology. I cannot image the humiliation I would get from online messages and text. It was more than enough in person each and every day.

My prayers go out to the families of these young girls and I am going to work and do what I can to stop bullying. I can no longer sit back and watch what happen to me, happen to others. I want to do my part. Something has to be done to stop this long history of kids bullying kids. I never knew what caused my bully to dislike me so much that she had to resort to violence, but I do not want other kids to have to feel how I felt and how I have to deal with the residual effects.




Damita Miller-Shanklin is the Founder and Publisher of Ujima Magazine and the Host of Ujima TV with Damita and Evelina.

Building A Business with An Idea

I have been watching American’s Next Great Restaurant and as I watch I think about my own business. No it is not a restaurant but it all started with an idea. All the contestants have an idea of what type of restaurant they want which includes what they will serve, their logo, how they will serve the food, the taste and how to market their business for the best return. These are lessons all business owners think about and work hard to accomplish.

Ujima Magazine started with an idea. From there the development of my concept came, the logo, how the information would be delivered, how I would market the magazine to gain interest just for starters. But just as the contestants found they had to make some changes to accommodate their goals, so have I. It has been difficult to cut back on things I found important to the magazine such as the amount of pages. But I think of the bigger picture which is I have a magazine that can still reach our community despite the struggle.

There are a few things I have learned as I push forward in building the Ujima Empire.

1.   Be clear about what you want to do. Decide the type of business you want to pursue from your ideas. Go with the one that fuels your passion if nothing else.

2.    Surround yourself with people who are pursuing their own business for support and feedback.

3.    Stay true to your dream despite naysayers because if you believe in what you are doing, you will be fine.

4.   Understand that success for most people do not happen overnight, so be ready to work hard for your dream.

5.    Make good business decisions that will impact your business for the good. But don’t be afraid to make mistakes because you will. But learn from them and keep going.

I continue to learn each day something new about my business and myself. But I embrace it and push on.

What have you learned? Can you share your lessons?

Damita Miller-Shanklin is the founder and publisher of Ujima Magazine and co-host of Ujima TV with Damita and Evelina.

Ujima Magazine 

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Working Hard

Hey Everyone- It has been a while since I have wrote. I have been working on establishing my web presence for my business. Because I learn things by reading and talking with people, it has taken a bit to get things going to where I can manage everything. I love technology and learning about social media's. Please visit Ujima's blog at www.ujimamagazine.blogspot.com and also join us on Facebook. The more people that become aware of Ujima and read the magazine, the more people we can reach.

I will return shortly with more day to day insights from my life. Thanks for reading.

Memories of my Father

Happy Father's Day To All-

“One of the things that my parents have taught me is never listen to other people’s expectations. You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about it.” Tiger Woods

I thought since it is Father’s Day issue, I would pay homage to him. My father passed away on February 16, 2003 at 9:30am. We all said our good-byes and as we sat in the small conference room waiting for the chaplain or the doctor (I can’t remember clearly) I heard the venting machine beep loudly announcing that my father took his last breath. I will never forget how devastating it felt.

My father had three girls and one grandson. We all had a different relationship with him. Because I was the baby, I was the last to leave the house, so I spent everyday with him. Even after I got married, I went over to the house and spent time with him and my mother. My mom would cook breakfast for us every morning before we headed to work. My father did not say much, but when he did, you knew it was serious and you should listen. So, we talked everyday briefly but I always knew he loved me and I never worried about that. As a matter of fact, I never told my dad I loved him until he was in the emergency room laying on a wooden slate upside down preparing to have emergency surgery. But we knew the love between father and daughter was there. When I was in high school, he would always give me an allowance each day. I would save most of the money and by the end of the week, I had enough money to buy a book or something I wanted. When I got married, he still continued to give me an allowance of three dollars a day. I looked for this money too. Before I would head out for work I would go to him and say “daddy, you got my three dollars?” He would laugh and turn his back and look in his wallet and give me the money. We did this up until the day he passed away. I missed it. It was just something we did.

My father, Willie Miller, Jr, took good care of his family and he ensured we all had what we needed to live good, happy, and peaceful lives. He taught us to depend on ourselves and work for what we want out of life. He worked hard everyday for the things we wanted and needed in life. I miss him every day and sometimes I hear him speaking to me or I think of something he used to do and it brings a smile to my face. He was a quiet but strong man and he believed in family. Take this Father’s Day and say I love you to your father or the man who raised you and has taken care of you. Let him know you appreciate him. 
I really wish I could give my father three dollars…

A Publisher's Day

     I have to tell you about a wonderful  day I had yesterday. I had an interview with a young man and his mother in Hutto. He is going to be the cover on the July issue of Ujima. I had spoken to his mother but I wanted to speak with him and get photos. The thing I cannot believe is I did not have my camera handy or my phone camera for what was about to happen. After we spoke, he wanted to show me his new baby goats. I had never seen a goat up close nor the opportunity to pet one. So, I said why not? Well, because I know nothing about farm animals, I thought he would walk out to the pen and pick one up. But no, you have to chase them down, like you do chickens. He finally was able to catch one and he brought it so I could pet it. They are sooo cute! They almost look like small dogs. They were brown while the rest were white. I got to see the father and the mother's. But while we were admiring the baby goat, the other's came out of the pen. What do you do? You put them back in. Well, I did not know how to do that but I knew I had to help. So, I went to the fence door so I could help guide them back in the pen. 

The mother and the son guided them and I opened the gate up wide and got them in. It was such fun and a wonderful experience. I told this young boy, I would always remember him and the fun we had putting the goats back in their pen. I was tired and a bit sweaty, but it was fun. This is just another reason I enjoy what I do because I meet new people and experience things that are so out of my range. It's a memory I will never forget but I will start keeping my camera on me. I did recently purchase a Flip camera so I need to use it. It would have been a good video.

I told everyone I saw yesterday "I got to pet a goat and help them get back in their pen." This was a proud moment for me.