AT&T’s 28 Days Celebrates Black History Month with Caribbean Natives

While we are still in Black History Month (in my opinion shaping up to be one the best Black History Month in my years of celebrating…more on that later), I didn’t get the opportunity to do any dedicated to Black History Month content I thought it was great that AT&T reached out to me to highlight a few of our current Caribbean-American leaders changing the game in their own right. Black History Month is not just about people of the past making history, but recognizing people who preserving the culture and leading by example.

AT&T’s 28 Days Celebrates Black History Month with Caribbean natives is the perfect opportunity to get to know two Caribbeans in America holding it down fi wi! Jamaica native Paul Brunson, Matchmaker & Relationship Coach and Trinidad native Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, President of Howard University.

I met Paul C. Brunson at Blogalicious back in October, Kerry-Ann and I spoke with him after his panel and he gave us a great perspective on recognizing our strengths in being in a niche market (thanks Paul!) Kerry actually interviewed him for her podcast (check it out here).  Paul is a respected entrepreneur, but most importantly, a thoughtful leader.

I remember reading about Trinidad native Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick being appointed President of Howard University and of course upon announcement Caribbean people were extremely proud.

Get to know more about Paul and Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick in this quick Q&A with both men.

Paul C.Brunson

Which tech tools help you accomplish your professional and personal goals?

It sounds really simple but there are so many tools around Gmail that I love.

Which qualities are necessary to be an inspiring leader?

There a lot of qualities necessary to be an inspiring leader, but I think the No. 1 is to listen. Everything starts with listening.  And I’m not just talking about hearing. Listening is critically analyzing what you’re hearing and then acting on it.

The first step to being a part of the solution is …

Being a part of the discussion. That’s very important. And the reason why is because if you’re not at the table, you can’t even begin to look at the solution because you don’t even know what the problem is.

What does self-care look like in your life?

It’s really about spending time alone in meditation and prayer. That’s very important to me. I always allocate time in the morning. I allocate time in the middle of the day, and I allocate time at night for my meditation, my Lord and me. That to me is self-care.

What is your personal manifesto?

“Be great.” I always say this because I believe there were people put on this earth to achieve things monumental, to achieve something big. I truly feel like I’m in that category. So my manifesto is “Paul, you’re going to get out here and do something great!” Just saying that to myself helps pump me up, helps motivate me. And, hopefully, it will allow me to do something great.

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick

 

Which tech tools help you accomplish your professional and personal goals?

The tools that help me accomplish my goals are my smartphones. I have two of them because my mother and grandmother live outside the U.S. I use my personal smartphone for keeping in touch with them. All my e-mails and professional interactions occur on my work smartphone.

 

How do you mobilize your network to stay connected?

I mobilize my network through different means. I use social media. I will also gather people together in different settings, some professional, but a lot times in casual settings. I love to see people interact in casual settings having conversations about things that help them and find ideas and solutions.

 

The first step to being a part of the solution is …

Making sure that you are not part of the problem. You have to examine what you do to bring about the change that you want to see. But in order to do that you have to make sure you’re not participating in the problem. We often look elsewhere and outside of ourselves for things that are concerning.

 

What inspires you to work toward making the world a better place?

I was born with sickle-cell anemia, a chronic illness. I’m a Type-1 diabetic. I have every reason to participate in self-pity and spend time wishing that my physical ailments didn’t exist. However, the world has given me so much, so much care, so much compassion, so much love. I have a beautiful family that supports me very much in everything I do. I’ve had an incredible group of friends that I’ve had the opportunity to grow with. I’ve been associated with Howard University since 1988. Despite what I can do in my role as president of Howard University, I would never be able to pay the debt of gratitude that Iowe her.

 

What is the trait you believe has most helped you impact others?

Love is the thing that has allowed me to impact others more than anything else. That love is a reflection of the love I have received from others. I try to go into everything that I do with full passion, full compassion. But I try also to make sure that despite the technical aspects of what I have to do, people feel loved and appreciated.