To Whom Much is Given... Much is Required...

[joebriggsesq]

Reflecting on Black History Month: A Journey of Purpose, Partnerships, and Progress

This Black History Month has been a whirlwind of inspiration, collaboration, and meaningful impact—20,000 miles flown in four weeks, countless connections forged, and milestones celebrated. From intimate breakfasts to grand symposiums, every moment underscored the power of relationships in driving systemic change. Here’s a glimpse into the adventure and three lessons that will stay with me long after February’s end.

About The Journey:

Kicking Off with Purpose: I began the month at Amazon’s Black Employee Network HBCU Breakfast, where conversations with Andy Jassy and Candi Castleberry among others highlighted Amazon’s evolving commitment to people and excellence. The advocacy for initiatives to improve employee and customer experiences resonated deeply, reflecting my belief that civil liberties matter and that technology must uplift humanity.

Elevating Dreams at the Super Bowl: Supporting HBCU students and young professionals breaking into sports at the Super Bowl was a highlight. Witnessing programs like the NFL’s HBCU Experienceship - which offers behind-the-scenes access to events like the Super Bowl - reinforced how exposure and mentorship can unlock doors and supporting the Diverse Representation X WME Sports Business Pitch Competition at. A jet University to open more doors to funding and futures for underrepresented students.

Celebrating Excellence in Baltimore: At the BEYA STEM Conference, we honored my colleague Mamar Gelaye, recipient of the DeLoatche Award for engineering excellence during the HBCU Engineering Dean’s Council Breakfast—a testament to the brilliance nurtured at HBCUs and beyond. We also honored other Amazonians like Dwight Jones and Charles Kehkeh.

Turning Vision into Reality: From a simple PR/FAQ to the inaugural Amazon HBCU AI/ML Teaching and Research Symposium, this month proved that bold ideas, when rooted in collaboration, can reshape academia and industry. Watching Dr. Margie Vela create this Think Big idea that is still growing even bigger. I’m thankful to be along for the ride.

Local Impact: Alongside these highlights, I supported grassroots efforts like launching Maven Strategies and funding the Combine Social through my Sports Diplomacy Leadership Institute—reminders that change often starts at the community level.

Keep moving: Receiving an award from my community at The Gathering Spot, accepted on my behalf by my friend because I had to go teach my class where I was joined by another friend who gave my students an hour and a half of great advice and counsel.

Three Lessons on the Power of Relationships

1. Relationships Are Bridges to Opportunity - Whether through Amazon’s partnership with HBCUs or the NFL’s mentorship programs, every initiative thrived on trust and shared goals. As my friend Pablo Anderson reminds me all the time, “People do business with those they know, like, and trust”. Those connections—like Matt Garman and Andy Jassy before him aligning with Employee Led Groups at Amazon—transform vision into action.

2. Invest in People, Not Transactions - The BEYA Conference and the HBCU AI/ML teaching symposium succeeded because they prioritized *people* over metrics but still delivered on the metrics. HBCUs graduate 80% of Black judges, have produced 70% of all Black physicians and doctors, 50% of Black teachers and over 46% of Black engineers — proof that investing in these institutions that care about human potential yields generational impact.

3. Authenticity Fuels Enduring Partnerships. From the Super Bowl’s shadowing programs to the BEYA Awards, authenticity mattered. As I learned this month, “The single greatest ‘people skill’ is a highly developed & authentic interest in the other person”.

Gratitude and Forward Momentum

To the students, colleagues, and partners who made this month unforgettable: Thank you. Let’s carry this energy forward, remembering that Black history isn’t confined to February—it’s a living, evolving story we write daily through our actions.

Here’s to building bridges, nurturing dreams, and creating legacies one relationship at a time. Because ultimately, Relations Drive Results.

#BlackHistoryMonth #HBCUs #Leadership #STEM #Community

---

P.S. 20,000 miles later, I’m reminded that the real journey isn’t about distance—it’s about the lives we touch along the way.

[joebriggsesq]

His voice is gone and it is clear that he is a shell of his former self but it is also clear that almost none of these people care. They are happy to be in community, in white, swaying and moving in rhythm to a hero as he sings his very own unique brand of a swan song.

And it’s appropriate that the crowd’s inhabitants have independently and collectively worn the white that we perceive Angels to wear and carry with them because this is a spiritual experience. It is almost as the collective of voices in the room are willing him on from one note to the next. Carrying his vocal cords across a finish line we can all see approaching.

Step after burden laden step seems filled with the weight of the world and the worries of what there will be next but there he is on that stage picking them up and putting it down.

Giving every ounce of himself over to the minute and moments. A hero doing an otherworldly thing when reminded that he is to be almost in his fourth score soon. On and on the crowd swayed to happy feelings likely a truer statement than the artist knew. This was Frankie. Frankie Beverly. Frankie Beverly and Maze. And Maze featured Frankie Beverly for us all to say farewell to tonight in DC.

Thank you, Frankie

[joebriggsesq]

Thankful

There are many things I think

On a daily basis about

Some more serious than others

But the people

My people

Other people

They travel with me

I pray for them

I pray with them

For them I am grateful

For they have kept me

And loved me

And led me

And learned me

And still they walk with me

As I have with them.

And as we move on from today

Through to our collective tomorrow

I am again thankful for my yesterday

And the people who walked with me

And prayed with me

And reminded me that grace and mercy

Are both better options

To create the REALITY

We wish to see.

For that today I am Thankful.

[joebriggsesq]

Thank You!

Transition, a word that will meet many of us before we are ready to accept it. It has been a center point in my life for a while. It was there when I was told that I couldn't play football anymore. It is here with me now as I sit in my office at 1133 Upshaw Place working on the last few things for the NFLPA. After 16 years, I am stepping away from sports to pursue an opportunity in another industry.

I have experienced more life with many of you all than I ever expected. Some of you have helped me complete my sentences and many added to my blessings in ways that I will likely never be able to repay. I tried my best to take time with as many connections as I could because I've learned through my transitions that life is best lived in the present and in community with others, perhaps even folks you disagree with at times, because there you may find the best lessons.

As I leave this place to move to my next stop, I want to leave you with three thoughts:

The men, families, and communities we serve see you and while it may take some longer than others to appreciate what we do and have done, your work is very valid and necessary right now. And for that you deserve celebration which I hope you receive in abundance.

The world needs you to be your best self. As a frequent flyer I am reminded of that every time I sit on a plane: put your mask on first so that you may be able to assist those around you. Self-care is important. Take care of yourself so that you may care for others when called upon to do so.

While they have added it back to the game, there is no replay in life. We pass this way once and we should make the most of it. Therefore, you should love those you love and try to forgive those you don’t. Always help those you can and pray for those you cannot.

My hope is that our paths will cross again because our paths have already connected. If you need to reach me, you know where to find me... probably tweeting at all times of night about random things.

There are more words to say but I will instead simply stop here and say again sincerely, Thank You.

JB

[joebriggsesq]

My Father, My Superhero

There is too much to say and not enough words to say it. And though I am usually good with my words when called upon to say them, for this I have not found the right ones. The world lost a light on Friday, January 14, 2022, when my father, Bishop Jimmy L. Briggs, passed away. Its sun will not shine the same anytime soon for me. I would ask that you pray for us as we join together to remember him, his legacy, and his impact today. He pastored at Christian Light Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California for almost 40 years serving as the senior pastor for the last 31.

Obituary

Bishop Jimmy L. Briggs was born on January 25, 1948 in Sunflower County, Mississippi. Although he spent his adulthood outside of Mississippi, the lessons learned in Mississippi never left him. This was evident through his rapid speech, dialect, witty sayings, and even his corny jokes. Bishop Briggs had an enormous heart for others. He always found a way to serve and give to others, whether it be through his finances, time, mechanical expertise, or home. Bishop Briggs began working on cars at an early age, which later turned into one of his full time jobs alongside his service to his church. 

While being a mechanic was an important part of his life, he hated the fact that his hands would get so dirty. He made sure to keep buckets of GoJo or other cleaning products around to quickly clean them as soon as a job was finished. He would be meticulous in the way he moved from hand to hand. Bishop Briggs always strived to dress sharp from head to toe, but was a man of great humility. His humility not only was displayed in his relationships with his loved ones and his service to others, but his sermons as well. 

Bishop Briggs was ordained as a minister in Los Angeles, California under the watchful eye of Pastor Odell Bush at the former Gospel Temple Baptist Church. He would serve at Gospel Temple as assistant pastor for about five years before being called to pastor Christian Light Missionary Baptist Church in 1991. He was the senior pastor leading that church forward for the last 31 years of his life. Just as he was meticulous with his hands, so was he with the study of the word. He could quote scripture from memory as if he was there when it was written. 

His favorite scripture was Psalm 1:1-3 

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

We, being mindful of COVID, chose not to have a large gathering for his memorial service knowing that many members of the Greater Los Angeles area and the world would desire to attend. Our father ministered around the world including almost annual trips to Far East, Israel, and various parts of the continent of Africa sharing the gospel hoping to save lives on this side or the other. He would not have wanted you to risk your life celebrating his. So instead, we held a small service this past Saturday, January 22, 2022 for his congregation and family which was streamed on the Christian Light MBC Facebook page. This would have been the date of his pastor’s anniversary weekend so it seemed appropriate to continue with a celebration of his life. There you may also see images of him in all his glory and hear some of the sermons that still reside. If you have thoughts for the family, you may leave them there.

The LORD blessed my father with the strength and ability to serve and give to others through his loving wife and my mother, First Lady Peggy Briggs. Their's was a love that lasted a lifetime. Bishop Briggs truly strived to be a man after God’s own heart, and live a life of service to the Lord, his family, his friends and whomever crossed his path. 

There is no way to say goodbye to a superhero. To many, including me, that is precisely who and what he was. But if he were here to say words to you he would likely share with you a closing few verses like he often did in his sermons. "Don't cry, just go read Matthew 8:20-22" he would say. He is missed. He will be missed. But he understood his assignment well and now his work on this side is done.

I love you, dad.

[joebriggsesq]

Voting Still Matters...

In our collective future someone will likely refrain that "voting does not matter..." or that their "individual vote won't matter in the grand scheme of an election..." When they do, you should remember the Atlanta Mayoral election and remind them that 759 votes decided what would happen with a city that carries a $2.1 Billion budget and a fiscal impact that will be felt in ripples across the entire US and the world. You should think to reference the vote recounts happening in 2017 Virginia elections. We know that the margins narrow with each ballot to determine which party will control a crucial part of their legislative body. You should also recall that the 45th president was elected (essentially) by a few counties that tipped the electoral college. We now know what that means for the country after the election is over and governing begins...

Votes matter, folks. All of them from the dog catcher to the top dog. Being an educated voter matters more. Being an engaged citizen matters most. Congratulations to those who won but the work for those that will be governed must never stop.

[joebriggsesq]

Don’t Hate The Player Hate The Game

Recently a trending topic on Twitter was #BlackMenGreeting. I am reminded by the topic of one of my favorite: :Don’t hate the Player, Hate the Game!” First time I heard this refrain was on the playground shooting marbles. See Timmy jumped in to a mean round with a big cats eye marble; much bigger than the smaller marbles his competitor was using. Timmy perfected his shooting with the larger version and was killing everybody else. Now... he wasn’t the only one that had a large marble in his arsenal, but on that day he chose to use it in a much different way than his opponent suspected. His results were an ultimate victory over the other guy... and some hurt feelings that led to yelling about fairness. “But I didn’t break any rules though! Don’t Hate The Player! Hate the GAME!”

Many years removed from drawing circles in the dirt with my finger, I notice people still harboring hurt feelings because they didn’t pull out their big marble when they thought the game only required a small one. This reminds me of Timmy and that big cat’s eye. It also teaches one that pays attention that people often give you grief when you break tradition because they never realized that was a viable option for success. Their anger is often less about you and more about reflections they may have from not shooting their shot but instead waiting their turn. Now they think you jumped the line (broke tradition, didn't respect the politics) but maybe you never really saw those barriers the same. Lessons are found in both approaches that could build the other up and help more people succeed but folks egos/pride often get in their way. So stop hating the folks making moves in ways you didn’t see... The energy you save may help you find your own way to success.

[joebriggsesq]

Blessed...

Today's Message: I feel blessed. Sure it may be a bit corny to watch all the people take time to write Happy Birthday on your Facebook wall or send you a tweet but I do it every year. And with each comment, I remember how we met, how our paths crossed and why you are a part of my life. And I feel blessed. From my Lake Hamilton family and folks that joined this journey in my toddler years to my GIFTED classmates that still remember those bus trips to Lake Wales weekly for classes and the fun of Oregon Trail, I am blessed. To my memories of my Boys State crew to the football teammates that fought with me shoulder to shoulder defending the honor of the Hornets and the Horned Frogs, I am blessed. My FAMUly that worked with me and learned with me on the Highest of Seven Hills and the new brother I saw come into their own through the Mighty Melodic... I am blessed. Through my connections with all the law students that became the great lawyers I studied and argued with who sharpened me in the way only iron can sharpen iron, I am blessed. And to the policy makers and movers and shakers in the District and beyond who thought it not robbery to listen to me and let me learn from them, I am blessed. But most of all, to you who read this message, whether you hit the like button or not, I am blessed by having you in my life. Thank you for your well wishes. Have a great day and please pass these blessings on to someone else along the way!

[joebriggsesq]

An Open Letter To the Young Men Who Signed Scholarships

Dear Recruit: So it is the day after National Signing Day... You had a grand presentation at your school and maybe even made the local or national news because you joined a new journey. That was awesome...What now?

First, FINISH! Stay on top of your academics in this last semester because it will matter and despite what those around you may say your COLLEGE grades will matter too.

Second, stay FOCUSED! Many student-athletes had ONE future planned in February and found themselves scrambling to find another come July because of a mistake they made between the two. Also, offers get rescinded. Coaches get fired. Budgets change. Put yourself in the best position to weather ANY of those storms.

Third, realize that everybody that came with you may NOT be able to GO with you especially if you want to come back to help them. Some friendship will need to change others will have to change. And that's ok because your real friends will understand your grind and help motivate you to be your best. Your best friends won't put you in a position to lose your future.

Fourth, seek out advice from other former student-athletes that you trust. You are about to face what other men have met. Some have found success, others have found hard lessons... Learn the lessons. Don't Repeat them.

Finally, freshman camp will NOT be like your recruiting visit. Come hungry and ready to eat or you will be eaten by those same people that fed you so well and lied when they told your Mom they loved her cooking. Recruiting is over. Work starts now. Freshman.

Signed - A Former Student Athlete

[joebriggsesq]

Today's Message::Disciplined Living

Choices are all around us every day. We make those choices - some with authority, other with lingering questions in our minds. When posed with life's questions, people often let deficiencies in character cloud their ability to take advantage of their gifts, blessings, and favor. Some part of their history hinders their ability to step up to take control or even to make the best decision. The best way to get past this is to choose and maintain a lifestyle that includes discipline... 

Disciplined living gives one a better chance to take full advantage of those opportunities to walk in your purpose. Sure, disciplined living may not improve your character but it will give you a fighting chance to improve yourself. Never Forget the "basics" are the foundation to the blessings. Always make time to build your basic skills to be better. Basics matter. The poet must first learn the words just as the pro basketball player must learn to dribble to start.

This is my sermon today... And like most sermons, this remains unfinished. Y'all be blessed.

[joebriggsesq]

Uncles Matter Too...

I love my nephews.

In many ways I have become the “go to guy” for guy stuff for them. This is NOT because their dad isn’t in their lives. They have a great father and I don’t try to replace him. I know my role is a support character in this theater of their lives. I am a member of their village and they are members of mine.

Last summer, I taught them to speak and write a few phrases in Mandarin… just because I knew they could. Two summers ago it was all about the Smithsonian’s and trying to see who could remember the most about each and every one of them. We spend a great deal of time talking, and I also FaceTime with them all the time. This is primarily because they live in a different state than I do, and I travel for work often. FaceTime is easy and allows for us to check in, and it forces them to look me in the eyes while we talk, something else we practice.

One of these FaceTime sessions was the inspiration for this post. One night I’m on the road and the youngest nephew hits me with a text. He needs to talk. Not too out of the ordinary, so I get done with my hearing, get back to the room, and hop on FaceTime to see what the deal is… The following conversation happens:

Me: What’s up Lil J?

Lil J: Are we slaves?

Me: Wait, what? Ask me that again?

Lil J: Are we slaves?

Me: No… We aren’t slaves. Why did you ask?

Lil J: Well I was in class and Chris said I was a slave because I was black. He said black people are slaves.

Me: *…Jesus…*

Now all the senses in my body told me that I should not tell my loving nephew that his new theme song ought to be “Knuck If You Buck,” but I reallllly wanted to in that moment. You see, in that moment I wanted my nephew to feel better and to show this person that his perception of (his) superiority was a fallacy in his version of reality. Because I knew my nephew, the kid I saw lay three kids out from the free safety position in little league football could handle this quickly.

But I didn’t…

Instead I talked through a portion of our collective history. I told him that while slavery was a part of “our story” – both his story and his classmate’s story – the history of black people didn’t start in slavery and it damn sure didn’t end there. I talked him through the complex emotions of him still wanting to be friends with his classmate, and the boundaries that should be established immediately should they hope to move forward from this teaching moment. I talked him through it all the while thinking “Jesus… He is SEVEN and this happened DURING Black History Month!?”

Needless to say my conversation with his mom was more colorful because she knew nothing about it. Not because she isn’t one of the best parents ever but rather… he only wanted to talk about it with Uncle Joe. I found out from my nephew that the teacher was:

1) In the class when it happened.

2) Knew it happened.

And 3) Had done nothing more than told the classmate not to say it again.

Player what!? No explanation why? No talk with the rest of the class about why? No. Just stop and move along? Oh, I also found out he had these feelings and questions inside his head for a full week and only wanted to talk with me about them. Jesus. Fix. It.

This moment reminded me how important we all are in the village, and how a world can take children on a ride to a very bad place if we are not vigilant in and on our watch. What would have happened if my nephews didn’t know Uncle Joe is always there for them? What if I hadn’t put these years into telling them I loved them and showing them with my actions that I meant it. Years into being a consistent guy…what if I fell back on one of those tired platitudes about them “not being my kids” and thus not my responsibility?

Tragedy…that’s what may have happened. Another boy lost to a bad situation thinking he is in it alone.

I thank God for giving me the chance to be a better person for them. Sure they are just my nephews, but I treat them like my sons because they are sons in my village. I am also glad that we made it through that situation… And right into the situation where two of his classmates were claiming to be his girlfriend.

He. Was. SEVEN.

Jesus.

***REPOST from My Guest Blog Post on Dadmies.com***

[joebriggsesq]

LIFE...

This may resonate with some of you and others may dismiss it completely…

I was reminded this week of an incident that happened 20 years ago. Four of my high school classmates decided to go to visit another town that was only about 12 miles away. Just recently they had all became old enough to drive and one had a new car so it seemed a great idea. This rival high school made a playoff run that year and it was having an end of the year celebration. Those four jublient young souls never made it to the party…

Instead that chapter of the story ended for them on a lonely stretch of highway 27  on a night that was etched in the minds of all those high school students at both schools. Their tale would influence a generation of students to be mindful of their driving, of their seat belts and their ability to get from one place to another in a safe way. But more importantly for us rag tag bunch of culturally and ethnically diverse kids growing together in that 90s melting pot, it taught us all about shared experiences.

I am always thankful for the lessons, the hard, the sad and the reassuring. They remind me that I am still living which means I still have opportunities to get better. The crux of the matter is that My Life is often best described as a series of attempts at honorable projects. I hope your life is too and together, we can leave this world better than we found it…

***

Life

A minute to smile and an hour to weep in, A pint of joy to a peck of trouble, And never a laugh but the moans come double; And that is life! A crust and a corner that love makes precious, With a smile to warm and the tears to refresh us; And joy seems sweeter when cares come after, And a moan is the finest of foils for laughter; And that is life!

Rest in Peace…

[joebriggsesq]

It's late and you are trying to make it home. Something happens and what was once a routine thing - driving down a road - has turned into something else completely. You have been taught to ask for help, and though you may be injured you push on... You finally reach a home. You see a light. You knock and scream for help. But when it appears your help has come it leaves just as quickly... Again you search in the darkness and confusion for help. Again you see what you believe to be helpers. Again you are wrong... And now you can search for help no more... A city loses a citizen. A family loses a son. And a friend loses a friend. But another tragedy that may effect us all will be the fact that collectively, just a bit more of our hope fades... Rest in Peace Jonathan Ferrell.

[joebriggsesq]

Today's Message - March On Washington Edition

Today's Message: Who is waiting on your small push to help them get to their biggest moment? Today you will be inundated with an overwhelming amount of information about a small town preacher that made the big time despite folks telling him exactly who he was at every turn. He was a young black man that possessed the deficiencies and frailties that come with being human and less than perfect. He was a theologian that at times wrestled to reconcile his position on God with the world he existed in daily, filled with that God's alleged followers that meant him harm. He was a young leader that did not have universal acceptance and, to some, had not earned his seat at the table let alone on the stage or any where near the front of the movement. There were those who had fought this fight for YEARS for DECADES that felt his road should also be that long… But God… God saw this differently...

[joebriggsesq]

Motivation.... #GoFROGS

[joebriggsesq]

MARCH NINTH...

As you get older there are certain things that stick out to you. I remember my parents talking about where they were when JFK was shot. I remember them talking about MLK losing his life and what that meant to them in the moment. And I also remember me thinking how crazy it was to live life thinking about deaths. Now, on the other side of 35 and having lost several friends that I thought would be here with me on this journey, I am beginning to understand.

March Ninth was a day that I will remember in the same way I am sure my parents had their periods of recollection. I am starting to understand that the memories were less about the person that lost their life on that day but rather the bookend that was placed on the role that person played in their everyday existence. The fond memories my parents have of JFK saying "Ask Not" or MLK talking about how the normalcy promoted by some should not be allowed to continue are similarly woven in their lives and around the people they shared those moments with. The memories exist not so much because of the tragedy that occurred on those days but rather because of the collective actions prior of those men prior to that day and how they foreshadowed future actions that would be left unfulfilled.

March Ninth reminds me that before that fatal trip to Los Angeles, the Notorious joined my cousin Corey and I on some of our greatest adventures around Florida. Prior to the loss of Big, he helped motivate me to win on the football field by speaking to my spirit in pre-game routine. Before March Ninth, I was entertained while having the shared experience of sitting with my room mate in a new state watching the Source awards. We were polar opposites in most other ways, but for those few precious minutes we connected on the importance of the ceremonial jabbering between two coasts that in many ways began all of our journey towards March Ninth.

This is no great epiphany and I am sure there will be other days that remain etched in my memory for other reasons...but today... is March Ninth.

[joebriggsesq]

November 17, 2011. Howard University. With the Bruhz. Just after midnight. Still legitimately one of the best nights of my life. @bgoat04 @pincgator we're both there! (Taken with Instagram)