Sandra Jewell and Imani Thomas

00:00 You so much.

00:08 William Reverend, dr. Sandra Jewell better known as Sandra and I live in Yuma Arizona where we are recording on Saturday December 21st, 2019. My recording partner is the phenomenal Miss Imani Thomas and we met each other and both of us still trying to figure out how somehow in the community we met each other a money you do the same thing. My name is Imani Imani Thomas. Today's date is Saturday December 21st, 2019, and I have been in Yuma, Arizona for the past 11 years.

00:55 I met dr. Jewel.

00:58 I don't know actually went we actually met but I can say one thing we met because we're both activist and and engage the Civic engagement in our city. And I and one of those Journeys we connected and it has been amazing how the connection has off and deepened because we keep crossing paths. We don't always see each other but somehow we always wind up in the same Arena are the same path are the same activity and what I like about it we can call on each other with our busy schedules. I know thank you so much with I was busy schedule and help us out. I was reading the other day about life.

01:50 And it says our life is a book and you Imani are part of my book and you just happened to come in at this chapter and that beautiful quote. You just hit me and I said at this point in time the people who come into my life, I do a lot of traveling don't stay anywhere long. I've been here six years in Yuma, Arizona been trying to leave for 5 and 1/2 years because I wasn't planning to come here, but the universe planned for me to come here and I'm glad it allowed me to meet you. So I'm on my way out, but I'm glad in an interesting. I'm on my way out in a few weeks and I met you when I first came in phenomenal phenomenal, that's the way the universe works. Doesn't it? Absolutely absolutely because we are all spirits.

02:46 That's exactly how it works. And we have a tendency to draw who we are. I was asking I'm still curious about how we met that you refer me to NAACP. Did you refer me to a beautician? Didn't you talk to me about a worship center? This is his drawing a blank to I have no idea to be honest that got the most important thing is that we connected.

03:15 And you always out in the community you were rushing from somewhere that they were you doing today. Oh God today. We were Distributing food and toys to families and took this morning. We started about 6 a.m. And they're still doing it. My goal was to get here to connect with you for for this interview, but that's what we've been doing in the day before the same thing. We've given out hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of toys that have been given to us from the our local business from the local electrical union. Is it sufficient for now, my phone is been phenomenal and it's really interesting to completely give

04:05 You know when you have gifts and things in all these pretty toys you're saying. Wow, look at that, you know and today I was thinking I said, how can I draw and get involved with people are contacting me? Do you know to find and contact families? And when I had my little family it wasn't there I wasn't looking for it, but I was just saying how just how life how things work and I just assumed it that's part of my purpose here to is to be a good Steward and and yeah get to those at mostly and I need and stuff and help them. So and tonight. I'm going to a Mexican, Posada.

04:49 In a couple of hours, and we're going to be Distributing toys there as well and all and that will be through our missionary Society from Johnson AME church. And if that's who you are every time you invited me have invited me to speak somewhere. I never know what you've done to put that event together. It's that you have such a wide network of cultures and organizations and things that you work to benefit. You just called me just to be the motivational speaker. That's all I do and I'm always wild what I see in the number of people that I see in the cross section and the results show the work that has to be done behind it. And you still at no event. There's never been a bit where I've seen you sitting down you'll still floating glitter flip.

05:49 Glittering around this is my literacy motor is in the garage on my YouTube channel that my TV show. I have a literacy moment. I use the word and I said, how do you spell that glittering around but you are always f l i t e r i n g around and doing a variety of things and I think maybe we were drawn to each other and the people who are in a circle because we are always going always given always able to say yes, I don't have enough money to pay you but I ripped this the first thing people call me back, but I know how good you are and you'll be so beneficial to our group. Okay? Okay, bottom-line. What do you want? And so people called on us to do the things that they know can you get done to put put the icing on the cake to make sure that the connections are there and I'm just

06:46 Blessed to have met just in these six years been here in Yuma.

06:52 Do have this cross-section of people in my life and you have been one of the pillars there and I so appreciate I'm still wondering how we met is just amazing and you talked about all the things you do a read another quote and then another quote. I read another quote the other night that says, you know how people say I had a bad day. I had a bad week or a bad month. I've never seen you. I know we talked about stuff but I've never seen you with a bad day and the quotes that wasn't a bad day or did you hang on to that bad five minutes of that day again? I work at a prison. They are a lot of days that can be bad days. But you're sometimes we hold on to that last 5 minutes that we thought was so overwhelming that was not good. That was bad. But as you and I know the universe never leaves us with anything bad. It's just a learning experience.

07:52 We've got to turn it on loose sometime. We got it turning away sometimes but you you you miss a money inherited Community work. You can run you inherited doing and given I'm just learning something else about you your mother one. Tell them about your mother. Well, you know what? My mother was a was a really a phenomenal lady. There are many things that I did not express to her while she was living that I wish I could now cuz we don't recognize and see things because it's so normal and and and my mother was originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and she met my dad. I'm a visit because from California, he was a farmer in California and that's how she got

08:48 Yeah, I came West but it's kind of hard for me to talk about my mother because

08:56 I was more of an activist growing up, you know, and I made such a late sixties and seventies and my mother was just really a pure lady. She really was she said she would never even think of stepping out the door the way I look today to be honest, but she was she saw no color and we used to argue, but I remember one day I asked her don't you see color?

09:26 And she just looked at me and she says I see you and it the way it hit me was if you could have knocked me over with a feather but I realize now that that was the way we were raised and as a result of the movie, I love my people and I thought I had everything I even do is for the benefit of my people, but I know that it's going to benefit all but my focus is on and my people being raised in a small rural community.

10:02 With up I was on affected as much with the racism as a lot of as in the cities on the border and okay. Yeah, and so I was not affected as much as matter fact. I saw more Mexican children discriminated against as opposed to anything in our classrooms were very small. So I guess it was not worth your time to really discriminate or or Point me out. So I got the same message. So I always got the message that I can there's nothing that I can't do because that's been put into me in at young age, but going back to my mom. She she my mom passed at 95 is 95 in the year 97.

10:54 And she had skills again. I didn't understand things. She went to the business high school. And so she could do bookkeeping type and she did all these things for the church and all and she worked as a cook initially in the school district and after work like so many other African American women after work. She went to the white people's house turning someone into those things and I remember also added at a young age, even though I wasn't affected about the Rave about the racism. I knew for some reason I did not even want anything that she would bring it home from those white people's hair at home. So, you know, but I nevertheless that's like I said, that's the way I grew up. She was involved. She attended the first White House conference on Aging that I think was started by Bill Clinton if I'm not mistaken and many many boards and let you know where is the irony of

11:54 My mother was you know, the people so-called name brand people people with titles and Authority they would invite the cook to the events. And in those days, you know, the women black women dress. My mom was going to events with him and you would thought that she was the one with the money the title in the big car is in the house and all that but she was always, you know people were people in as a result of the community as a whole the county is a whole. She's probably one of the most celebrated women in in in our County in terms of being honored by two or three organizations in so I'm glad because she got her flowers while she was living hell. Yeah. Really. Yeah makes a difference. It makes a major difference in and what we think does it mean

12:54 We're not listening to you and I see a lot of me now like her only thing I'm kind of got rough are just amazing as you talk and I would say that she was listed in the Library of Congress. Yes, but all her work and she was a recognized.

13:19 Then I guess we're all overworked. I got a cat have a look at it for a while cuz Duncan Hunter and the things I think I remember the 1990s 1994 volume 174. I think I'm okay. What is it in there somewhere that have the plaque and all that they presented they presented to her and to my knowledge.

13:43 In the valley when you look at the percentage of African-Americans, which is like they give for 5% She's the only one that has ever been acknowledged of anyone that race from our County. That's beautiful is good. Nausea to get warm when she was yeah. Yeah. She was about love me about love and accepting people for who they are and you know, and even though I was a radical I guess you got that part I can identify with that so much glad to learn that about you while we're here being friends still learning still discovering stuff about you the other day. I'm glad to know that about her but I think it was me an opportunity to talk about my grandmother. That's my bestfriend. I don't care how many times I talked about her. I find myself getting emotional because I call.

14:43 Her mama, I had my own mother but she was mama thing about her is when whatever I tried to do. She was my biggest supporter. She was not the one like your mother to want to dress. She she was a she earned for Spelman College and the thing about her I will visit her and it was always someone renowned at her house asking for advice. She did not finish elementary school, but she had and what she told me she wanted me to have before she died. She's a baby. I want know she does a baby. She call your daughter daughter. I want you to develop mother with knowing the scriptures that say Elijah and Elijah.

15:37 There is Moses and Joshua Moses blessed Joshua with whatever he had Elijah blessed Elijah with what he had Jesus blessed his disciples with what he had my mother grandmother when she died. She said I want you to tell to tell you you have discovered and you have developed mother with so my grandmother blessed me with what she had this woman with less than an elementary school degree in education was counseling College president was calling all lawyers doctors. You always saw somebody with names and when it was her time to have what they called the circle that the women who go around do things in the community and they will have to feed each other. She will wet a knife.

16:37 To cut the cake that cake was so thin that you can see it see through it. She knew how to make a nickel go from one month to another and I know now if you give me $20 at the beginning of the year, I'm going to have $18 by the end of the year cuz if I don't have to buy something I'm not going to have to buy some like you we don't look at what we're receiving when will receiving but the universe has a way of teaching us what we know when we least expect the people talk about those were hard times. And those were not good days is what you remember and what can carry you through these days that you can help determine whether it was a good day and you go good day or the bad day or people holding on to that year when it was a bad year or the bad day and their life

17:37 Carried it forward for the rest of our lives. Are they really having a bad day? It's still amazes me what we just what we just give away. There's an expression that says this is from my recent reading again recent reading said that was three types of people that cause difficulty in our life. There are three types of difficulty in our lives are the three times of difficulty in my life. Either way is if I read it three different ways, it said one type is the difficulty that help you.

18:15 The next one is the person that brought the difficulty, but they left you.

18:21 Then the other one who brought the difficulty that put it there it is up to each one of us to decide how we're going to allow that real difficulty to manifest in our life or just be there at 5 minutes holding on to it or realize. This has come to bless me. This is come to make me grow in an hour in the community and a different paths that we cross. We see a lot of people meet a lot of people who will complain I don't have time. I don't have the money. I don't have and there appear to be unhappy people, but what you and I have learned to give we can't remember how we met at least six years ago cuz I've been here six years trying to leave in 5 and 1/2.

19:14 But we know that we did meet and I can see the good in you and I can only attract what I am so I called myself good because I see the good in you miss the money. I appreciate you so much and you know it like why is here because I remember when I not getting hot when I met you, but I heard you speak and you're an awesome and and the energy that you were you know that you had it was in any hit everybody. I mean not only myself but we're all do their likes truck and and and watching you as you were, you know, what try inspiring us and what one thing I took out of your mind nishal meeting with you here and you speak was

20:04 And so it is or it is so so it is and so it is yeah we use that a lot a whole lot and and when things in my life even occur good or bad and I and then on but the energy that you have in your you're really a real inspiration and what a great loss really that you must going to have by you leaving because I don't think that you really had the opportunity to really use your your gifts and talents here. Unfortunately, ya long enough to use all the gifts and talents, but I stayed out long enough to meet people and to it just enjoy and people call me back. I'm just going to be in Tucson 3 hours away. I can always come back stay at your house overnight. Ya ya ya cook for me. I love people cook for me. And so I am willing to to do that. So they leave the things that I tell people that

21:04 Is better to be an original of yourself. Do you heard that right down a copy of somebody else? I tried to stay in a place longer than a year after a year. I'm looking where do I go now but but my daughter asked no, not my daughter my son who lives in Dominican Republic was here recently. Mommy. Where are you going to settle down at your age of what hazard what at your age? You should be settling down and then he came back, you know, are you working because you are you want to because I can take care of you that Thrills my heart that touched my heart. It came out of nowhere and I thanked him and thinking I thank him today for him so I can take care of you. My son who was a rolling stone. He lives in Dominican Republic. He comes back every 6 months for his physical.

22:04 What is medical businesses and Adam people say what he just like you he'll pick up and go in a minute. He knows Italian, you know, Spanish those French. Did I say in Spanish? He can't speak five different languages, but yet and still no one has ever heard him. No one has ever hired him. So he has made his own way. He has made his own businesses. He is it called legally blind. He has a disease called written eyes up retinitis Pigmentosa, which is a form of night blindness. I'm not going to try to use that as a little just a moment because I cannot spell it but he does not let that stop him. It was discovered at age 10 and he has been a recording producer. He's had a groups that he produces he writes he raps he travels and counsels other people. He did go to the universe.

23:04 Minnesota I don't know why they got a degree or not. He can quitting and going back and doing whatever his life is telling him to do. So and I asked him what what you want to be when you grow up at least 40 years old. Why do you want to be when you grow up? He's like, I'm just enjoying life and that's what Thrills me to move my daughter lives in Georgia, and she was called a jack-of-all-trades. She went to school. She got her degree at Mercer and as she is now a subcontractor before that. She worked as a counselor these counseling job and I went to school with counseling and they didn't but they got this position at that before that she was something that they're always making their way. And my point is I'm happy enough that they can say that they looked at me they pull something out and they using it versatility.

24:04 For their own good and for the good of the community, they are Community workers. Look at your daughter she goes but she is she still has she finished yet College where she was not yet. She has another year and I have one more year and sheet. I don't know whether you drag are these bites cuz I drug my children these days and they think of me they think we now of taking all those different places that I drug them. They said they're using it and you your daughter. She was always with you involved when you things that you would do. I think that's why I mentioned that's our responsibility as opposed to share. We supposed to beat them into submission. Okay. Don't say that. Don't say that. Don't say that we're supposed to make sure that they're exposed exposes him. Important very very important because that's what happened with me with my mom. She she was also involved with the AME church and and she was a district trustee for for the 50s.

25:04 But beside that she took us places she had as involved in even 4-H the Negro we had a club called The Negro and negro Improvement women's Improvement Club in our County in she exposes everything from to the Arts, you know music some of my relatives on the East Coast, where do you know followers or Elijah Muhammad? So I act like I got a little taste of that. I have another I want to was married to a gentleman from Jamaica or someplace and he was the Marcus Garvey the black star moving and all so I've had a lot of different things that I think that has helped me in my life and one of the things I stress with all people

26:01 Go outside your door hurt you. Yeah, go outside your door. When you going somewhere. I'm going to I'm going to Tucson now to work as a position. I have really no idea what I'm going to be doing. But it's with the Pima County Sheriff Department. Yes, and I'm going to be doing PR and something else on his staff don't know exactly what but I was going fine and I'm going to have as long as I am having fun wherever they are the apparently I'm going to be there and I tell young people today in the first 90 days of your job. You don't need to know anything that's being we're be there be on time and keep your mouth closed pay attention after that. You can start working and you are indispensable absolutely cannot do without you.

27:01 Ask you to do things that you did know that you could do at a when I work for the federal government. They used to ask. Do you know how to do ABC I can either work. I will run to the library library. Then we were going to the library look up for that was how it was and came back and did that thing as a result of that got a promotion you got to be unique again. Why do my expressions and we are a unique unrepeatable Creation in the universe. We are not here to be bumps on the log. We've got to be created and I do know you have had to be creative you you I love you share this this is definitely something you don't know I started it.

27:50 A computer School post-secondary of State of California and we were certified the whole thing. We even offered Pell Grants and you are a computer a computer school. Yes. No, but check this out. I'm getting ready to say what you said. I can't even operate my phone again. But this is what I can do. I can research I can go and talk to people and part of the part of establishing the school. We have to develop a curriculum. We have to develop the admissions we have to do all that all of that game. Actually what happened. I paid a gentleman Who had who is a professor at a college in Orange County 2000 dollars to to put the package together. And where do you put together with a meth? It was a real man. I'm staying.

28:50 And I remember when they contacted me they they said you know, this happens all the time. So what do you do? You better get these books and start doing this and develop curriculum for networking PC repair a plus or I mean excetera and out of necessity. But the main thing is that I knew that I could do it, but I had to put in the time in the researcher to do it. So you don't always need a degree and I noted that in order in order to make it down days that little piece of paper is important but that does not necessarily mean that you really have the skill sets or knowledge to do anything. Yeah. Yeah, and I'm still always think about that it if it's amazing what you can do what you can really do and I couldn't write a

29:50 Working right now to see if it's someone answered. I don't know how but yes. Yes. That's how I end up in Yuma wind up in Yuma. It was a fight with Desiree and let me go to another state thinking I was only going to be here for three or four months to be honest and a couple years is still still offer you but you and I needed to be there. They were some things that they just could not do in terms of our even the marketing and the grand preparation and things of that nature so with

30:50 Just being a total failure, you know falling apart. We just see so yeah. Yeah. Yes. I mean, sometimes you do happy hour hands on it when they managed a couple years even without me and all but why was closed but then like I said,

31:12 Me and my daughter we end up taking off. So that meant that the law was also involved in it. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, so I really couldn't go there. Okay. It's amazing where I live, Texas.

31:31 In 2013 that came to went to Tucson to do my first contract my role is to help confidence to develop to put together model models and even I will manage it or they pay me and tell me to go away they'll get somebody else to manager, which is fine with me. Just pay me either. I would run it for them and I was developing a sober a program for Sober Living Community Development counseling and develop the people for 1 year for 1 year April of that year. It was still snowing in Minnesota. I mean from Illinois where I was from at that time, I ain't going back. I told you spell everything that I have done that sell it. I'm I'm not coming back Eddy, but I decided I was going to stay in Tucson retirees. I can sit back because I was happy and I had met the street people I can walk to the office that I was going to have to go to anymore, but I can look out of my window and see the snow up on top of the mountain.

32:31 I'm wearing shorts downloading wear shorts, but I was warm down there and my friend and Oklahoma who just died this year call me revving and can't say that I was minding my own business. You always say that and the Lord told me to call you. What you getting ready to do. When I told you what I was going to do. Nothing. I'm going to stay right here by me a motorcycle. I've already picked it out. It's it's quite friend and silver got me to helmet the same as you. Can you nope? Nope. Nope. Somebody else need your services that is developing. I know I'm not going to argue with her and I should call me back. Let me know where you going. I called her back after someone that the people had called me in about a week and she's where you going. I'm going to Yuma she's so what is a human has a baby? I don't know but that's where I'm supposed to go. There's a company called wake up Western Arizona government.

33:26 Counselor government and ypic Yuma industrial, whatever is called when I pick what wipe it does is help people to find educational money and training money all training wake Hawk help you with housing rent utilities. They wanted to merge that Services though. Someone had given them my name and I came to develop their program for a year for a year and to help with that merger after 6 months already though. It was done. I'll just sit around I was at a speaking engagement. And after I finish someone came up to me said here I got something for you and they gave me the card over at the prison. They said they need you over there and I went there just going to stay up few months. It's been 5 years that I have been there and has been the most rewarding work. Well, I work I keep going back to prison. I'm still going to prison over in Tucson, right? But that is I grow and I think the people that I

34:26 Work with growth and whatever we learn like you said get outside of your door get outside of your body. We can take it to a variety of people a variety of people wind up getting our names and our numbers ask enough when I got no money, but we will but the Lord is it has been phenomenal. I work with a Baptist Church here. I work with a science of Mind church here. I work with another group. They don't know what they are, but they are learning how to let the universe leave them. So I'm willing I'm open you willing you open. So we are birds of a feather. That's why we flock together. How about that expression?

35:07 I'll take it. You can't we just be one in the spirit. We are one in the spirit we can all of that is for us. I will wrap it up now. I didn't think we had anything to say. I know we don't talk to me. If you want to give us a script and some questions to go back and we've been doing this too long. Yeah, but I really met you today and I appreciate and I hope the audience get something out of what we have said and our experiences cuz we are open to continue to share in my little closing remarks. I would like to say I hope the audience Dennis and it's very important to give back regardless when I can see when I leave here. I'm going to a traditional Mexican Posada for and we're going to be posted like 20 to families yesterday. We also went to encampments and homeless shelters in all in and distributed food and and toys and things

36:07 Nature and even if we don't have the contact her or whatever, there's always something each of us can do it. We don't have to really belong to a group because we can do things individually and a little can go a long ways can go a long way, and I think that's and I did explain mother with Mother wit is nothing but wisdom, and all we are doing is giving back that we've been very fortunate. We've been blessed and to be able to give back to share this because what you give no matter how good or bad it comes back to town, and I appreciate it. I appreciate you ma'am. I appreciate you as well. Thank you Store corn.