Book Review of “The Path of the Child” by Author, Sojourner McConnell. 5-Stars!

October 7, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Book Review Post, Posts 5 Stars, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Author, Book Review, Exceptional Read, Sojourner McConnell, The Path of th Child

The Path of the Child – By Author, Sojourner McConnell – On Amazon

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Seventeen-year-old Melanie Easton grew up in a lonely loveless home and accepted that she was facing an empty life. Unable to reach out to other children that she attended elementary and High School with, her quiet existence seemed to be her lot in life. One morning fate dropped a new friend into her life. As unexpected as it was that she made this friend, she noticed that changes started taking place in her life. After making a new friend, she finds that changes are occurring in her life. Will they be wonderful changes?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. Sojourner McConnell continued to live in Pleasant Grove while raising her three children until 2000. At that time Sojourner moved to Phoenix, Arizona. She thrived in Phoenix, finding creativity and independence.

In 2010 she moved back East to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She lives in Winchester, Kentucky with one of her daughters and three of her thirteen grandchildren. She has six grandchildren in Alabama and four that live in Michigan.

The Path of the Child is Sojourner’s first book. She is currently completing a second book at this time. This book is expected to be released in 2016. When not writing, she is busy entertaining her Australian Shepherd, Beau. Beau gets jealous when she spends too much time working on the computer.

Note: My dear friend Sojourner is not only a fantastic writer and author, but many know her as a passionate reader and book reviewer on her fabulous blog: The Page Turner – Vickie Goodwin. https://vickgoodwin.wordpress.com/ Make sure you stop by and say hello!

BOOK REVIEW: 5-STARS!

“I Could Relate To This Coming of Age Story Personally”

Where do I begin? Even though this a piece of fiction, you learn right away that this story is one of many young girls journies and path in life. Starting from childhood to about 17, Melanie has faced abuse, abandonment, non-existent parental love as the list goes on. I could actually “feel” many of the same feelings Melanie felt. I to had a rough childhood. As I, and Melanie, just wanting to be heard or acknowledged from your parents would have been a sliver of hope for unconditional love.

I don’t like to spoil a good book, so what I will tell you is that the author did an exceptional job in writing this storyline as it shares many topics through her characters that brought meaning.
And when a writer can make you feel what she is writing with a tear shed, a smile with a laugh, a girl longing to find some truth, the power of friendship and feeling her character has ‘Triumphed’ by the end of the story?

Now that’s what makes a book a great read like this one!

And that is exactly what you get when reading “The Path of the Child.” It leaves you feeling inspired, learning the power of love, and shows we all have a “seed” within us to overcome anything in our lives through Melanie…. I will be waiting for book 2.

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For Readers of Addiction and Recovery Books. We Do Promote Recovery Winners & Authors!

October 1, 2016October 2, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Posts, Updates and More Memoirs, Poetry, Promotions, Recovery Authors, Recovery Reads, Workbooks

Hello and Welcome Readers,

Here at Lyon Book & Social Media Promotions by Author, Catherine Lyon, we do promote fine recovery authors & books! That is what this post is all about. Now most know that I live my life in recovery almost 10-years from gambling addiction and abuse of alcohol. And I am a pretty loud advocate over on my other WordPress website in the photo below atL Gambling Addiction Is A Real Disease

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And all of my mainstream authors I promote and work for also know that I am a dual-diagnosed person in recovery, meaning I also struggle with mental health issues as well as live in recovery. They support me as I am blessed they also support my mental health struggles and why I have to work from home. WHY? One of my disorders I battle is Agoraphobia. Yes, it is a long word that means I have difficulty getting out my house due to severe attacks of fear. But trust me, I do persevere and have no problem taking good business care of all my fine authors I promote. LOL.

Why am I sharing this? Because many of my visitors and readers may not know about me and I can share that those who have mental illness can be happy and productive people and help SHATTER THE STIGMA around all these of these topics. So, here are just a few talented recovery authors and friends in my life and share their fantastic books!

Now, besides myself as an author and my current book, my good buddy Kevin Coughlin and my friend and exceptional recovery coach and trainer Cali Estes just released a brand new workbook and guide she uses to help train and certify others to become recovery coaches. It is receiving a huge amount 5-star Amazon book reviewers …

“Recovery & Life Coaching – The Official Workbook For Coaches and Their Clients”
By Authors, Rev. Dr. Kevin T. Coughlin Ph.D. and Cali Estes Ph.D.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Recovery Coaching, The Official Workbook has been used successfully by numerous individuals, residential recovery programs, out-patient programs, professional recovery coaches, aftercare professionals, counselors, therapists, probation officers, ministries, recovery retreats, sponsors, sober companions, and family members to help them to get a deeper understanding of the disease of addiction, the solution to the problem, and the program of action that promotes change in the substance abuser. A Support system for family and friends of substance abusers that help to provide clarity, understanding, education, prevention, and awareness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rev. Kevin T. Coughlin Ph.D., DCC, DDVA, DLC, DD, NCIP, NCAMP, IMAC.

Reverend Coughlin is a Founder and the Director of New Beginning Ministry, Inc., an evidence-based, twelve-step residential addiction recovery program for adults that is accredited by the A.A.C.T.. Rev. Coughlin has helped thousands of people to change their lives over the past eighteen plus years. He is an Addiction Expert, Author, Blogger/Writer at Addicted Minds and VIP Interventions, Sober Services, Inc., Contentwriters.com, Fromaddictict2advocate.com, Twodropsofink.com, small press, newspapers, magazines, websites, also seen on major media networks of NBC, ABC, CBS. He is a member of The International Association of Professional Writers and Editors. Rev. Coughlin was the Editor in Chief for Joel’s House Publications from 1997 to 2005. He has been a Professional Associate member at Gemini Behavioral Health.

He is a two-time World Champion and nine-time National Champion State & National Record holder Power Lifter, a gentle giant who has championed many in his career. Most call him Rev Kev, they enjoy his lectures and workshops on addiction, recovery, and life. Rev Kev has been very successful with pastoral counseling and recovery coaching with both those addicted and their families. And Award-Winning Poet as well. He has now released three new Poetry Books now on Available in The Amazon Kindle Store!

We Can a Collection of Poetry: A Journey Through Addiction and Recovery (We Can; A Collection of Poetry, A Journey…Books 1-2 & 3

We Can 1,2, & 3: Are Collections of Poetry; A Journey Through Addiction and Recovery is the author’s eighth book. This work is the author’s fourth collection of poetry; his first was Tumbleweeds published by Feather Books in the United Kingdom in 2002. The author’s poetry reflects the struggles of life in addiction, recovery, and his experiences and in the lives of others that he witnessed over the last four decades. His hopes are that his poetry books and other addiction recovery books and manuals will help individuals and family members to get a deeper understanding of the disease of addiction, the solution to the problem, and the program of action that promotes change in the substance abuser. Reverend Dr. Coughlin hopes to provide clarity, understanding, education, prevention, and awareness about addiction and recovery. This book is dedicated to all those who have lost their lives and their families because of addiction, and to the late Rev. Dr. Sebastian Paul Costa who passed on in October of 2015 due to prostate cancer; Paul was one of Kevin’s greatest mentors.

AND? Kevin Coughlin also has several other guides and books like his newest best-selling release that parents are calling a “Guide and Road Map on How to Keep their Children Safe from The Drug Epidemic!” . . . ADDICTIONS: What All Parents Need To Know …
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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Addictions: What All Parents Need to Know to Survive the Drug Epidemic is a must have for individuals, residential recovery programs, out-patient programs, professional recovery coaches, aftercare professionals, counselors, therapists, probation officers, ministries, recovery retreats, sponsors, sober companions, and family members to help them to get a deeper understanding of the disease of addiction, the solution to the problem, and the program of action that promotes change in the substance abuser. A Support system for family and friends of substance abusers that will provide clarity, understanding, education, prevention, and awareness. You can find out more about our Treatment Services at New Beginning at New Beginning Treatment Services
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Our next book is by nationally known Recovery Coach and my Grandfather of Gambling Addiction Recovery Author/Speaker, Arnie Wexler, and his book: “All Bets Are Off: Losers, Liars, and Recovery From Gambling Addiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Arnie Wexler’s life as a gambler began on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, flipping cards, shooting marbles, and playing pinball machines. At age fourteen he found the racetrack, a bookie, and started playing the stock market. His obsession with gambling accelerated until a fateful day in 1968 when it all came crashing down.

Wexler’s gripping narrative leads us through the dungeon of a compulsive gambler’s world—chasing the big win and coming up with empty pockets—and how his addiction drove him and his wife, Sheila, to the edge of life. With help, they managed to escape, and together they have devoted themselves to helping others with the problem they know so well.

Arnie Wexler is a Certified Compulsive Gambling Counselor and runs a national hotline for compulsive gamblers. He was the executive director of the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey and the senior vice president of National Council on Problem Gambling. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including 60 Minutes, Nightline, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, 48 Hours, and Crossfire, among others.

Steve Jacobson was a sports reporter and columnist for Newsday for more than forty years with a great interest in all aspects of sports. He co-authored a number of books with notable sports personalities. He was named by Associated Press among the top sports columnists and twice was nominated by Newsday for the Pulitzer Prize.

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Another fine recovery writer and Author, Amber Tozer and her new release: Sober Stick Figure: A Memoir now Available on Amazon. I just finished this one and what a RIDE!!

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Sober Stick Figure is a memoir from stand-up comedian Amber Tozer, chronicling her life as an alcoholic and her eventual recovery— starting with her first drink at the age of seven—all told with the help of childlike stick figures. Amber writes and illustrates the crazy and harsh truths of being raised by alcoholics, becoming one herself, stagnating in denial for years, and finally getting sober.

As a teenager, Amber is an overachieving student-athlete who copes with her family’s alcoholic tragedies by focusing on her achievements. It quickly takes a funny and dark turn when she starts to experiment with booze and ignores the warning signs of alcoholism. Through blackouts, cringe-worthy embarrassments, and pounding hangovers, she convinces herself that she “just likes to party.” She leaves her hometown of Pueblo, Colorado to follow her dreams, and ends up in New York City, spending lots of time binge drinking, passing out on trains, and telling jokes on stage.

She then moves to Los Angeles, thinking some sunshine and show business will save her. Eventually hitting rock bottom, she has a moment of clarity and knows she has to stop drinking. It’s now been seven years since that last drink, and she’s ready to tell her story. Sober Stick Figure is adventurous, hilarious, sad, sweet, tragic—and ultimately inspiring.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amber Tozer has written for the Cartoon Network’s animated sketch series MAD and Adult Swim’s Moral Orel. Her tweets have been featured by Ellen, Huffington Post, Playboy, and Mandatory. She co-created #nitTWITS, a Twitter-based web series that features writers and performers from SNL, Modern Family, The Office and Conan. She has appeared on Last Comic Standing, performs stand-up comedy across the US, and has written about sobriety for The Fix.com, After Party, and Thought Catalog. She lives in Los Angeles. Follow Amber on Twitter @AmberTozer.

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Our last fantastic new book and recovery podcaster is by Author, Roger Stark, and his Reclaiming Your Addicted Brain: A Recovery GPS: How to find your path to Recovery and not get lost along the way . . . . with Irwin Morse.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

The tool of self-destruction so effectively wielded by the addict is his own mind. The addict takes a perfectly good brain and, by relying on thinking errors, rationalization, justification, and every form of denial known to man, creates an addict where a person used to be.

“Reclaiming Your Addicted Brain” reviews the return journey from addict land, the learning of how to leave our thinking errors behind. Written around the recovery story of one man from alcohol and sex addiction, clinical notes, and comments appear throughout the story helping the reader to understand this baffling disease. Addicts report being able to see their own behaviors that were previously hidden from them when they are manifest in someone else. Reading George’s (the book’s addicted character) story and misadventures creates ‘aha’ moments of understanding that can open the doors to recovery.

This is definitely a “How To” book. George presents his “legs of a stool” analogy that eloquently describes the needed steps to recovery. The clinician’s voice adds step by step directions on how to gain the key ‘Skills of Recovery.”

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So these are a few of the bestselling recovery authors as I also add new books to my recovery blog’s “Recovery Writers Unite! Great Recovery Reads page. So stop by there any time when looking for new recovery books & the fine authors who write them! You will be inspired and “Stick With The Winners!”

Author and In Recovery Columnist of “The Author’s Cafe” ~ Catherine Townsend-Lyon

Come SUBSCRIBE To The Best In Recovery News!

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STICK WITH THE WINNERS – Find out what other recovering people just like you are doing.
SOBER EVENTS – Information about sober events, including In Recovery Magazine special events.
ARTISTS IN RECOVERY – Enjoy the talents and creativity of recovering artists.
RECOVERING WRITERS – Will amaze you with their recovery stories, essays, and creative writing. And More!

BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Truth She Knew’-By Author, J. A. Owenby . . .

September 14, 2016September 14, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Book Review Post, Posts 'The Truth She Knew', Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Launch, Contemporary Fiction, Kobo, My Review for J.A. Owenby, New Novel Release

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ABOUT THE NEW NOVEL:

Mama didn’t want me. In fact, she would’ve traded my soul back for someone different if God would’ve let her, but he didn’t, so she was stuck with me.

For eighteen-year-old Lacey, life at home is a rollercoaster. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be good enough to truly deserve Mama’s love.

But when Lacey enters college and meets Walker, everything starts to change. Suddenly, Lacey is face to face with the realization that maybe what she’s always seen as normal really isn’t. Her entire life—and everything she’s ever believed about herself and her family—is abruptly hanging in midair.

Lacey is left facing two paths, and she has to make a choice. The first means walking away from everything she’s ever known. The other means never really knowing the truth.

The Truth She Knew offers an honest and powerful glimpse into mental illness, the meaning of true love, and the psychological waltz that a daughter dances as she endures her mother’s unpredictable emotions, manipulation, and abuse.

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

Rating: 5 Stars
An Amazing Story Of Contemporary Fiction with a Message.

I was very excited to be picked to receive an early copy for an honest read and book review.

With that said, this book is painful, in-depth, and even though it is a piece of fiction, it comes with several strong messages.

One? Parents? Listen to your KIDS.

Two?
As a childhood sex abuse and parental trauma abuse survivor myself, I have to share I was at times when reading the abusive and explosive dysfunctional relationship between Lacey and Mama; it had transported me back in time to my painful teen years. Not a bad comment, this proves the author did her job as a writer well. As this is an exceptional look inside mental illness and will help many.

What takes place in this dynamic storyline is real and are serious topics. The way the author formed and wrote her characters, narratives and fiction storyline gives a hint she has been through something like this herself or with a loved one. It can be a daunting task and fine line when writing about topics like mental health & illness, addiction and recovery and others without the reader feeling lost or disinterested.

That does not happen in this book! It grabs you from beginning to end and makes you want ‘Book Two’ in this series ready to read NOW. It too is a love story and will make you feel like I did, on a roller coaster of emotions. The read made me giggle, shed some tears from the pains Lacey had, and so much more. That tells me the author as a “writer” did her job with “passion.”

An excellent read I Highly Recommend for all and especially women!

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J.A. Owenby’s Book is Available At These Locations:

Goodreads link http://bit.ly/28LFell

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2cINkd2

Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/29NX8DL

iTunes http://apple.co/29LelKx

Kobo http://bit.ly/28RjthM

Visit her Author Website to learn all about the author:
www.jaowenby.com

AN EDITORIAL REVIEW:

A bittersweet story of young love independence and soul-crushing manipulation. Just as Lacey is finding herself in life, growing in independence, and finding the sweet taste of love for the first time, her mother’s claws grow tighter and more painful as if she were trying to choke the life out of Lacey and completely break her spirit. A confused Lacey tries to make her mother love her through trying to anticipate her mother’s moods and desires and doing everything she can to please her.

These attempts are futile because her mother’s actions become increasingly more insane and erratic.. At the same time, Lacey both loves and hates her mother. Lacy lives a double life, trying to be a normal young woman with her abundance of friends, at school, and at work; and then living a horrific life at home. I fell in love with Lacey’s character and with Emma, her true friend. The author, JAOwenby, does a superb job of developing the characters and mixing normalcy with insanity throughout the plot. On the one hand, Lacey is an adorable and lovable young woman, and on the other hand, she is the victim of craziness and mind-numbing manipulation at home.

Even though she lives in an out of control situation, Lacey is strong and she consistently tries to make sense of her life and to figure out the truth of what is really going on. Lacey must find her strength to break out of her family pattern and become the person she truly wants to be. This bittersweet story makes you cry, laugh, get furious, and ultimately you feel like you want to rescue anyone who is living like this. You end up cheering for Lacey and wanting the best for her. Lacey’s family could be your neighbors- normal on the outside and deep darkness on the inside. This compelling novel, The Truth She Knew, shines the light on the impact of mental illness on family members and makes you want to know more about what happens to Lacey next. —Dr. Sheri Kaye Hoff, PhD., Professional Life Coach

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“Presented By Lyon Book & Social Media Promotions ~ Author, Catherine Lyon”

15 Years Later We Still Stand United! To The Victims Families ~ We Will Never Forget and Remember YOU.

September 11, 2016September 11, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, News Around The Web, Posts Honoring 9/11 Victims, Love To The Families Touched, New York, Prayers To Those Lost, Terrorism, We Stand United, WILL NEVER FORGET

LET US NEVER FORGET
9/11 and The Victims Families
We Stand United With You!

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“A 9/11 Tribute to ALL WHO Parished in The 9/11/2001 Terror Attacks. LOVE & PRAYERS To All The Victims and Their FAMILIES” . . . . . Author, Catherine Lyon

Happy Labor Day Friends & Readers! Now Take The Day Off and Read A Book.

September 5, 2016September 5, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Posts HAPPY LABOR DAY

ABOUT LABOR DAY:

“Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans and is celebrated with parties, parades, and athletic events.”

Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities, and breaks.

As manufacturing increasingly supplanted agriculture as the wellspring of American employment, labor unions, which had first appeared in the late 18th century, grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay. Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to longstanding traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.

The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it.Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives.

On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers. In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.More than a century later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified.

Many credit Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday.Labor Day is still celebrated in cities and towns across the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays and other public gatherings. For many Americans, particularly children and young adults, it represents the end of the summer and the start of the back-to-school season.
(Courtesy of – The History Channel Website! )

A Must Read Guest Blog Article About All The Police Killings of Innocent Black Men …

July 8, 2016July 8, 2016 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Featured Guest, News Around The Web Alton Sterling, Black Men Profiled, More Police Shootings, Never Forget, Philando Castile, Police Murdered, Stop Killing

When Is The Killing Of Innocent Black
Men Going To Stop?

Philando Castile

Alton Sterling

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I wanted to share a very interesting Blog Post by Justin C. Cohen regarding the two recent shootings of two innocent black men just going about their day until they came across encounters with police. WHAT the hell is going on in AMERICA? When did people become SO immune to this disgusting break down of today’s Society in America? Are we getting closer and closer to the “End of Times” here on earth? Can someone explain this to me?

Here is how Justin sees it . . . .

“Advice for White Folks in the Wake of The Police Murder of A Black Person”…

Yesterday, Alton Sterling was executed by a police officer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The video of the encounter is gruesome, and it should shake you to your core, no matter the color of your skin. The police tackled him to the ground, pinned him, and shot him at close range. By definition, this is an extrajudicial killing. It’s not dissimilar to what happened to Eric Garner, Laquan McDonald, Mike Brown, Sandra Bland, Rekia Boyd, and a long line of Black people who have lost their lives at the hands of a corrupt and racist criminal justice system. We know their names, and it’s up to us to say them.

I feel an extraordinary amount of anger and sadness today, but that pain cannot compare to what our Black friends and colleagues are experiencing. As a White person, I will never know the extent of this sort of pain. I can, however, offer some modest advice to other White folks who are trying to figure out how to be good allies on a day like today.

1.) If you’re White, don’t look to your friends of color for answers today. If you haven’t already grappled with the extent to which our criminal justice system – from the police to prosecutors to prisons – treats Black people differently than they treat you, today is not the day to start reaching out. If you’re eager to learn, talk to other White people who have been engaged in this work, as one of their primary roles as allies is to lessen the burden that people of color have for the education process around issues of justice. Now also is a good time to do some independent reading and research. If data moves you, read Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, which catalogs the extent to which the American criminal justice system disproportionately, and unjustly, punishes Black people. Once you’ve spent some time educating yourself, then you should have some conversations with friends of color, but you should spend most of the time listening to them.

2.) What happened to Alton Sterling is, in fact, about race. If you are tempted to change the subject to something else, please resist that urge. Police kill Black people at a rate disproportionate to both criminal activity and their presence in the population at large. Campaign Zero has done an extraordinary job of cataloging both the extent of this problem and its relationship to race. What happened to Alton Sterling does not happen to White people.

3.) Be aware of a few standard, and racist, media tropes about Black victims. In the wake of police executions, you are bound to hear a few things that distract from the real issues. One of those storylines is that “he was no angel,” wherein the media will outline the various ways in which the victim behaved inappropriately in the past. None of this matters, and it certainly does not change the fact that the police killed the person outside of any legal process. I smoked pot when I was in high school, such as, and if the police used that as justification to murder me, that would be ludicrous. The second narrative that will emerge is that the killing of Alton Sterling is part of the “Ferguson effect,” wherein police killings are linked to increases in crime. This is not true, as there is no statistical connection between local crime rates and police killings:

The final storyline to avoid believing is the notion that the real problem is “Black on Black” crime. Bringing this up is an attempt to change the subject away from the extrajudicial killing of Black people by the police. Not to mention, the vast majority of crimes are committed in racial groups, so “White on White” crime is just as prevalent as “Black on Black” crime.

4.) As a White person, you are in a unique position to influence the perspectives of other White people. If the illegal killing of Black people by the police bothers you, as it should, talk to your White friends about it. There are many nuances and ambiguities in institutional racism, but the police committing murder is not one of them. In many cases, having these conversations will not be easy. The more you talk about race, however, the easier it will become. You might even change some minds, particularly among family members. If you’re already spending time talking to other White people about race, now is a good time to help other White people develop their skills.

It is never too late to make a personal commitment to being a more active ally in the movement for Black lives. A year ago this month, folks were fighting to take down the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capitol, after the massacre at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. A year ago this month we started wondering what happened to Sandra Bland. Correcting these injustices is the work of generations, not years or months. If you’re a White person on the sidelines, we need you in the fight.

Please raise your voice, particularly today.

“Now, of course, when my guest posted his blog post, there was another senseless killing of Philando Castile not long after and was live streamed on Facebook to prove that Philando Castile had not done anything to provoke the police. He was reaching for his wallet to get his licence and gun permit when the officer fired on him.
Then? Last night, we have a “Killing Spree” at a protest for the two slain men of Dallas Police officers? More killing and carnage of innocent lives. Wow! I have no words. No words except for what I wrote in the beginning of this post.

Is this what AMERICA HAS COME TO?
Look, there are people on both sides of this tragedy who are not going to agree about this whole mess. But it is NOT about who is right or who is wrong. It not about black or white, it is not about “black lives matter” or “all lives matter” it is about “Human Beings” being killed, lives being taken from families and loved ones.

DO YOU really think it matters what the color of your skin is when you are lying in a pine box six feet under the ground? Really? No, what matters is that another human being was killed in another senseless shooting. That is what matters here” . . . .

“My Thoughts, Love and Prayers go out to all the Families whose loved ones were Killed and Hurt in all the senseless killings this past week. This is to ALL LIVES TAKEN” . . . .

Author & Columnist, Catherine Townsend-Lyon

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