A book that promotes racial harmony, spirituality and innovative thought to enhance our daily lives
I have just completed writing and publishing my new book: When Spirituality Meets Innovation. The 163 page book is an autobiographical look at the power and need for innovation and spirituality in personal and business relationships, urban school reform and the spiritual game of golf. I enjoyed the feeling of empowerment by self-publishing the book on Lulu.com. A book preview is available online at www.ourlifedesigns.com. Above all, the book is a model for the power of collaboration through racial harmony.
One of the key features of Spirituality is that it facilitates social change as a fully interactive book.
- As a medium to promote racial harmony. I am an educator and researcher from New York City and am of African American decent. My colleague who wrote the Foreword, Reverend Gary Manning, is a white, Episcopalian pastor, born in the south. Our common threads of interest are living and working in the same city, our belief in the good that spirituality can foster in the human condition, and our love for the game of golf.
- As a technology tool to promote social change using the embedded end of chapter links to facilitate threaded forum discussions. As a result of using the links, readers stay connected and on task with the key points of each chapter. Who knows, they may even be compelled to do something radical, like speak up about an issue that affects their daily life!
- As an E-book that can be used as part of a university curriculum to demonstrate innovative ways to facilitate social change. Any course that teaches innovation theory, social change theory, African American literature, or urban culture, could be a candidate for this approach.
As an educator, I am constantly seeking opportunities to empower the at-risk learners that I work with daily. I developed a program to cultivate the intellect of at-risk teens called, Let Them Eat P.I.E.. ( promoting intellectual expression) The goal of P.I.E. is to provide at-risk teens who have a strong intellect to develop their intellectual skills in a safe environment. The tenants of poverty, where so many of my students live, are often at juxtaposition with the mindset of critical thinking and strategic planning, especially coming from the residents of the bario. That level of intimidation and resistance to individual thought and creativity is how poverty keeps people captive.
The safe environment will be coffee shops. Over the years Coffee Houses have been synonymous with poetry readings, social networking and harmonious discussion. I have approached my local Starbucks coffee shop with the concept of holding a P.I.E. meeting one-time per week, for an hour after school, and we have an agreement in principle. Starbucks wins because they build a customer base with a younger demographic and a minority constituency. My goal is to launch P.I.E. nationwide.
I hope that you enjoy the read.
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