😮 Yesterday, I was scheduled to moderate a panel on the #GenderPayGap. The only reason I committed to and kept this engagement was because it’s #BatonRouge and it was part of Quentin’s @justice_alliance passion project. But with 3 hours sleep and about 12 hours of flying and airports, I wasn’t 💯 percent. (Needed ☕️ and a nap) When I arrived and set up my books, a young lady asked her corporal if she could have a book. 🤔 Girls with corporals? Can I just skip lunch and talk to them? Sure. That would be great! 20 minutes of getting to know a few of them, I knew they were all going to leave with one of those books in my bag. After signing 34 books with personal messages, they started reading right then! They served the rest of the day not letting the books out of their sights. #OperationGrowth was tucked into their pants pockets; t-shirts were stuffed in them as well. They began to write their goals in the back and came back to tell me what they wrote. They shared their personal stories of disobedience and trauma. One young lady, said she was calling her mother tomorrow to tell her she was right. She now knew mistakes could be overcome and she was going to be alright. I didn’t fly across country to moderate a panel, I flew across country to deliver a little love to 34 volunteers working hard to finish high school and overcome the life hand they had been dealt. As I’m ✍️ this, I’m really just realizing the impact of a Saturday afternoon in Baton Rouge, LA. As I flew away with another random first class upgrade, I looked out the window thankful for Big Momma, Mommee, Mother Dear, and Momma. Looking down at the Baton Rouge soil that grudgingly gave me an opportunity to be great through them, who would have thought today would have been possible. Now that’s magic! às̩e̩ Yes, I moderated the panel. And that was dope too. #Blessed #MakingDreamsReal #BlackGirlMagic #IFoundMyMagic 📷 @alex.global.solutions (at East Baton Rouge Parish Library)