History in the Making

1. Often when we celebrate black history month we look to the past. Indeed, it is a time to celebrate those who have gone before – the sacrifices they made and the successes they won. It is also time to look to the present and to the future because history is made every single day.This year JBFCS celebrates black history month by recognizing our employees who make history each day in their own, often unrecognized ways.

2. History in the Making We asked each of the following staff members two things. What would you say if you could send a message of pride about being a person of color working in the human services field? What would you like to share that shows off your funny side? Here are their answers.

3. Come celebrate with me that everyday something has tried to kill me and has failed. • Lucille Clifton • When I read the poem Won’t You Celebrate With Me by Lucille Clifton I am filled with Pride. • I love the last line. It reminds me that while oppressed and disenfranchised people mourn the losses, everyday is a celebration of survival. It speaks to me of resilience and that is the message that I would give to others. • Rejoice in your resilience. Every day is a celebration. Nariya Worrell, LMSWSocial Worker/Case Planner, Southern Brooklyn Preventive I love live shows, concerts and musicals. I have no problem singing along, singing loudly and singing out of tune!

4. Jeffrey ClarkeDirector of AMI Residences This quote is not about pride or satisfaction but it is one that keeps me going from day to day.  “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” I enjoy traveling and have shared that with the consumers I work with.  Over the years I have taken consumers on trips out of state to places like Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

5. “I used to have hair before coming to JBFCS.  Go figure.” Jean Bien-AimeManager of Network and Tech Services There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.

6. Shannta HindsPurchasing Coordinator People sometimes say, “You are a product of your environment.” I guess that is absolutely true. If it were not for human services intervention in my younger years, I would not have the pleasure and satisfaction of working for JBFCS. “What better way to spend my day then shopping  all day with somebody else’s  money.”

7. Happiness comes from helping others. And, I am fortunate enough to have a job where I can directly help to make a difference in the lives of others.  Agencies such as JBFCS are very much needed for us to flourish, not only as individuals, but as a society. • In life you must put people first and everything else will fall into place! • “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” • Shirley Chisholm Sophia MartinFoundations & Grants Associate I love to dance: my nickname is Soca. But, I’m probably the only Jamaican that can’t dance reggae music!

8. Steve Stitt, LCSW-RDirector Neptune Family Services / Clinical Consultation Program “I still think of myself as a second baseman, albeit, a retired one.” “I often think of my Grandfather, my Father’s father who was a tenant farmer/sharecropper who toiled the land, long and hard. His efforts, along with my grandmother and their children paid off with those forty acres. The plow he used stands as a landmark/monument now proudly situated on the land. Standing on his shoulders as well as the shoulders of my Mother and Father and the good, strong and proud people from which I come (like so many of us), I pay homage to their legacies every day I breathe and work to help/heal. I thank them for making this country better.”

9. Donna Saunders, LCSWSocial Work Supervisor, Bronx REAL PROS I have always been passionate about helping others in need. I feel blessed to be working in the Human Service field. I have been with JBFCS for over 10 years. The diversity of the staff and client population I work with stands out as one of the things I appreciate most about this job. Regardless of difference – whether religious, cultural, ethnic, racial, world view, social or economic status – I make an attempt to connect and build a relationship with everyone I encounter. “If you can do it, I can do it!” I do great imitations.

10. I value the time I spend with the residents at Kaplan House. Statistically 99% of them are black and Latino and I feel it is not only important to tell them they can be the best at something but also to lead by example allowing them to see others who look like them in administrative positions, as social workers, judges, or even as a health care provider like me. I feel this to be a very important aspect of my role at JBFCS and try to resonate the African proverb:  "Each one Teach one" with the boys I work with. Betty Boyle-Duke, CPNPMedical Coordinator, Kaplan House Everyone calls me Nurse Betty – just like the movie.  Although I think my patients coined the term long before the movie came out so I probably should have gotten royalties from Renée Zellweger.