PR Diva Terrie Williams and Actress/writer Madeline McCray Launch Legacy Leaders Project, with Jackie Joyner-Kersee Headliner

-->By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

When PR Diva and sister/friend Terrie Williams puts her creative might behind something, you know it's going to be great.  So when I received the press release with the following caption:

"OLYMPIC LEGEND JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE HEADLINES LAUNCH EVENT FOR THE NEW LEGACY LEADERS PROJECT (NLLP), A WELLNESS AND PROSPERITY INITIATIVE, CO-FOUNDED BY TERRIE M. WILLIAMS AND MADELINE MCCRAY"  - I had to stop what I was going and make sure this hit the blogosphere asap.

Jakie Joyner-Kersee

Terrie, as you may remember, penned the pivotal book, "Black Pain", which brought out the hidden depression many of us suffer, from behind our smiling masks to front and center for all to examine and deal with.   She is the first mental health activist I'm aware of.She took many of us from being part of the "walking wounded" back into the realm of thriving and surviving.  In expanding her message from that of the psycho-social realm into the physical, she has taken on the role of producer (again) via collaboration with Madeline McCray - actress, writer and prosperity activist  - to launch the New Legacy Leaders Project (NLLP), a national empowerment initiative, aimed at inspiring people to adopt healthier lifestyles that supports personal achievement and prosperity.

 

Per Terrie, Jackie Joyner-Kersee was  her first choice, from her roster of celebrity clients that she’s represented over the years.  Which makes it even more compelling, since Jackie has just celebrated her 52nd birthday March 3,  is ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the women's heptathlon as well as in the women's long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those two events at four different Olympic Games - this despite the fact that she suffered from asthma!

The choice could not have been a more appropriate one with so many African Americans suffering from asthma nationally.  And, while the focus of NLLP will be on the entire physical health and well being of women, there is no doubt that if you cannot breathe, there is a distinct possibility that you won't be able to do much else either.

The launch date for NLLP is Friday, March 14, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture - 595 Malcolm X Blvd. (Lenox Ave for the uninitiated) at 135th Street.  Doors open at 6:00pm - performance begins at 7:00pm.

They decided to launch during Women’s History Month to celebrate the accomplishments of two dynamic women who set the standard high for overcoming obstacles.  A woman of numerous “firsts”, Joyner-Kersee was voted by Sports Illustrated for Women, Female Athlete of the 20th Century, and Black Aviatrix, Bessie Coleman..  

At the Event, Madeline McCray will perform her one woman play A Dream to Fly: Inspired by the Life and Times of Bessie Coleman, the world’s first female Black pilot. Coleman burst through the racial and gender barriers of her time with the attitude of never accepting “no” for an answer. 

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the NLLP launch. The project focus encourages people from all walks-of-life to recognize the connection between achieving ones dreams and investing in your health”. Bessie Coleman inspired me to continue on despite naysayers--her story can inspire a new generation” said Joyner-Kersee. 

 

 The audience is invited to participate in the post performance panel discussion. Jackie Joyner-Kersee and sports-fitness specialist, Terahshea McCray will address Bessie Coleman’s athleticism and how fitness was a major factor in her ability to fly and perform aero stunts.

NLLP ‘s mission is exemplified by its tagline, “Our Vision, Our Journey Beyond Depression, Obesity and Poverty to Wellness and Prosperity.” Plans are underway to conduct bi-monthly workshop events to promote healthy lifestyle choices and raise prosperity consciousness.  

Per Terrie Williams:  “Our mental and physical health are interconnected—and must be addressed in the same breath. The New Legacy Leaders Project is all about us stepping into our greatness—saving ourselves and future generations.” 

During an era when President Obama is successfully making it possible for us to have comprehensive health care insurance, this could not have come at a more appropriate time.  So many of the "accepted" cultural diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure are now on the "curable" list, as opposed to the maintenance roster.  Armed with this new tour de force for better health, wellness, mentally and physically, it makes it possible for so many women to enhance their quality of living. 

Tickets are available online at: adreamtofly.eventbrite.com & Denny Mo's Barbershop located at 2496 Frederick Douglass Blvd ( between W.133 and W.134 Streets) in Harlem. 

Event sponsored by MACY’S, HealthFirst, WNYC Radio, A.C.E. Media, Fathers Incorporated and NY Amsterdam News

For more information visit www.newlegacyleaders.com

About Terrie M. Williams

The phenomenal and inspirational success story of Terrie Williams began as the tale of a caring and shy young woman who “wanted to save the world”. The early chapters of her life will chronicle that she was a social worker by training who earned a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University. But it was her venture into the entrepreneurial world—as the founder of The Terrie Williams Agency, one of the country’s most successful public relations and communications firms—that made an enduring mark in the archives of business history. Williams is one of Ebony Magazine’s “Power 150” for activism, Woman’s Day Magazine’s “50 Women On A Mission to Change the World” and a Black history maker honoree on the 2013 theGrio 100 list. Her success story has been featured in dozens of publications including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Crain’s New York Business, The New York Daily News, People and ESSENCE. The Agency’s accomplishments have been used as the basis for public relations seminars and college classes, and Williams is quoted and featured in college textbooks, and industry newsletters. Williams is the author of The Personal Touch: What You Really Need to Succeed in Today’s Fast-paced Business World, is a perennial business bestseller. Her second book, Stay Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Teens, A Plentiful Harvest: Creating Balance and Harmony Through The Seven Living Virtues, and Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting, is the untold story of depression among African- Americans as well as Terrie’s tale of her own chronic and crippling depression—a revealing narrative she shared in the June 2005 issue of ESSENCE Magazine. Williams early career path—one designed to help others—lies at the very core of who she is continually reflected in her work and community service.Event sponsored by MACY’S, HealthFirst, WNYC Radio, A.C.E. Media, Fathers Incorporated and NY Amsterdam News

  

 

About Madeline McCray

Madeline is an author, producer, prosperity activist and critically acclaimed actress. McCray’s A Dream To Fly: Based on the Life & Times of Bessie Coleman is her very special project. She wrote the play to honor the dynamic female aviator—celebrate her leadership qualities with audiences—and inspire young people and adults to dream and pursue big dreams. Madeline’s first book Healthy Women Rock: How to Live the Life You Desire and Deserve, Lose Weight and Control Negative Thoughts is a collaboration with her son fitness and nutrition expert Terahshea McCray. Madeline specializes in strategic planning, idea solutions and internet marketing.

McCray says, “I love being able to lead my mentees into those breakthrough moments that moves them closer to realizing their dreams.” The Co-founder of the New Legacy Leaders Project is passionate about empowering women to step into their personal power and rise to their full human potential.

Madeline received glowing reviews for her co-starring role opposite Emmy-Nominated actor John Amos and Isaiah Washington in August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fences and Suzan Lori-Parks’ Imperceptible Mutabilities of the Third Kingdom. McCray later decided to take a break from acting, during which time she founded a performing arts organization in the Virgin Islands. While there she produced international performing arts festivals bringng in celebrities such as Danny Glover, Glynn Turman and Tony Award winner Lillias White, as well as preeminent director, producer Woodie King Jr. As producer and talent manager, she spent time in countries including England, Canada, and Namibia in South Africa.

Madeline is proud mother to sons Uhuru, Terahshea and NeNeMah (grandmother) to Khalil, Nadir, Minkhara, Elijah and Kyla.

You won't want to miss this pivotal event at the Schomburg. log onto www.newlegacyleaders.com

 Tickets are available online at: adreamtofly.eventbrite.com & Denny Mo's Barbershop located at 2496 Frederick Douglass Blvd ( between W.133 and W.134 Streets) in Harlem. 

Stay Blessed & 

ECLECTICALLY BLACK

Gloria Dulan-Wilson

www.gloriadulanwilson.blogspot.com/ECLECTICALLY BLACK NEWS