Monica May's Point Of View

Keonna Yearwood-Branch from Second Harvest Food Bank offered information on their Culinary Training Program. It takes only 16 Weeks to get to a Better Life through their program giving students a career that can last a lifetime. Register today for their next 16-week class starting in February 2025. Monday – Friday 8:30am – 2pm. You must be 18 years old and have your H.S. Diploma or G.E.D. Register...

Joann Febus, Executive Director and Victoria Brantley, Executive Board Member of Dress for Success of Greater Orlando shared the story of how the organization began in NYC and found its way to Central Florida. With “boutiques” in several cities, Greater Orlando has two locations. One in Ocoee at the West Oaks Mall inside Career Source and the other is inside Orange Tech in Winter Park. Even after...

Pernell Bush, licensed mental health expert and CEO of No Limit Counseling & Education shared that the emotions many feel after this Presidential election is similar to grief. You may experience the 5 stages of grief, which are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Deal with it all but make sure to stay present during the process. Connect with Mr. Bush and his staff of licensed c...

Jason Reynolds, Orange County Manager of Neighborhood Services invited all stakeholders and neighbors to the Annual Orange County Community Conference Saturday November 9th 8am – 2pm at the Multicultural Community Center 7149 W. Colonial Drive. There is a nominal $10 fee to attend and breakfast and lunch are available. Topics include everything from – Beautifying your Neighborhood to Integrating A...

Menopause Awareness Month Sherrine Richmond, MSN, APRN-BC unveiled the truth behind menopause. The symptoms typically begin on average between 48-52 and continues for the rest of our lives. If a woman has gone 1 full year without a menstrual cycle, she typically is considered in menopause. Menopause affects women of color more because of our tendency toward hypertension. Heart palpitations are a p...

Eloise Abrahams, Executive Director and Alzo Reddick shared the history of the facility that has cared for our extended family members for decades. After COVID, most care facilities around the country experienced deficits in funding. Guardian Care is now hosting a fundraiser where community churches can raise funds to assist. Saturday, October 26th and Sunday October 27th worship centers are being...

Victoria Brantley CEO of the H.E.R. (Healing, Enrichment and Royalty) Organization talked about what life looks like for a female returning citizen or a woman who’s on probation. She provides mentoring services for women that include resume writing, life skills, dressing for success, education and more for returning citizens. Her event, She Got Up is Oct. 26th 10am-4pm @ Barnett Park. She can be r...

Tarcia Smith, host of the “Adoption Journey Podcast” was our guest. She shared her story from the time she was 6 years old and asked her parents if she was adopted? Their answer was positive, and she accepted that…until she wanted answers about her natural parents. Her journey took her through a system that she navigated across the country. She met her birth mother and years later before he passed...

THIS MAN IS MORE THAN A FARMER In fact, Ray Warthen is known throughout the world as “the Black Farmer!” Growing up in rural South Florida, Ray learned from his ancestors the importance of the earth. He went to UCF to pursue a degree in engineering but before completion was pegged to work several illustrious projects like the I-4 Ultimate Project, Brightline and others. Ray’s background and certif...

What is “Let’s Spill the Tea?” After speaking with a group of teenage moms, I (Monica) thought it might be a good idea to really share my story about what life has to offer and how to respond. I wrote a letter in 3rd person and read it and realized this gave the girls and their adult mentors a clear picture that a mistake is NOT permanent and there ARE more chances to turn life around. My daughter...

Keith Gooden, Marketing Director for the Center for Multicultural Wellness & Prevention invited Central Florida to the 21st Annual Health & Wellness Fair Saturday September 21st 10am - 3pm at the Orange County Multicultural Center 7149 West Colonial Drive. The theme, "Making Your Health a Priority" offers FREE health screenings that include PSA exams for prostate, cholesterol, mammograms, dental a...

Sifu Mimi Chan Our conversation covered what the pandemic brought to light: racism after the George Floyd murder and hatred towards the Asian population after President Trump blamed China for the pandemic. Chan championed for the safety and fear of her community into a discussion with the Orange County Sheriff. She also wrote (and it passed) legislation to have Asian American history taught in our...

At a time when Women’s Health is on everyone’s mind; we invited experts to discuss the importance of nutrition, chiropractic care and midwifery. August is also National Breastfeeding Awareness month and two experts who are registered dieticians, shared the statistics on why black women don’t eat healthier or breastfeed. We learned that knowledge and socioeconomic factors discourage women. We also...

Jasmine Burney-Clark – State Director for the Harris-Walz Campaign gave us an update on what the candidates plan to bring to the White House. She talked about the Biden-Harris transition and what that will mean for Democrats vying to put the 1st Black woman into the Presidency. Contact www.kamalaharris.com Randy Ross – is one of the Orange County fundraisers for former President Trump. As an admit...

Sifu Mimi Chan  Our conversation covered what the pandemic brought to light: racism after the George Floyd murder and   hatred towards the Asian population after President Trump blamed China for the pandemic.  Chan championed for the safety and fear of her community into a discussion with the Orange County Sheriff.  She also wrote (and it passed) legislation to have Asian American history taught i...

We began the morning with our State Representative Lavon Bracy-Davis. Lavon emphasized advocating for your rights and researching the views of various representatives. “If your views do not Rep Lavon Bracy Davis reminds us that while some are trying to flip the script with Project 2025, we need to be prepared with Project 2024. That means we need to Get Our House in Order and Vote! The Primary is...

State Representative Lavon Bracy Davis spoke with us about “Getting our House in Order” for the upcoming Primary Election August 20th. We discussed election integrity and how that disenfranchises black voters in particular. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our discussion coming up next weekend on Point of View. Our Legacy coordinator Kia Blair and 2-time kidney recipient Charlyce Simmons spoke about their...

In the first half, we spoke with Desmond Reid, the owner of DARE Books. DARE Books is a black-owned literature store built in Longwood, Florida. Desmond was inspired by teachers while growing up in the Caribbean that learning and education are a priority. His advice given through the hour is to know your worth and don’t give up; be faithful in your dream. He also talked about the importance of get...

JULY IS NATIONAL MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH It is time to bring awareness to the unique challenges that ethnic minorities face. Our conversation was meant to open the line of communication on what mental health looks like – and how it’s emotional, mental and spiritual. Our guests Denise Epps and Alaina Richie are a mother-daughter who went through a mental health crisis together. Alain...

House Representative District 42 Dr. Anna Eskamani talked about the 184 state bills that went into effect July 1st and how they will affect us all – Connect with her and read the bills www.myforidahouse.gov Civil Rights Attorney Jerry Girley introduced us to Project 2025 through the Heritage Foundation. The foundation has been in existence and is a research and educational institution whose missio...

Black People have the Highest Percentage of Water Related Deaths/Dispelling the Myths of Crypto Currency: We’re deep into the summer months and it’s necessary that we highlight swim safety. In the first hour we spoke with aquatic gurus, Niecy D and Arkeisha Reese about the importance of knowing how to swim. Florida is ranked #1 with drownings, and the rate is very high in Orange County specificall...

A new Fox poll shows that President Joe Biden is now 4 points behind Donald Trump here in the State of Florida. Mayor Demings pointed out that polls can be arbitrary indicators and provide a momentary glimpse. What is most important is to continue to look at what the President has done thus far and to make sure that communities throughout Florida vote in the upcoming elections. Recent census finds...

~Four Central Florida Pastors did our annual Father's Day covering for men in our community: Bishop Frank Thompson - Apostolic Worship Center,  Rev. Dr. Leroy Rose - New Covenant Baptist Church, Pastor Roderick Zak - Rejoice in the Lord Ministries,  Pastor Chauncey Brown - Majestic Life Church ~Cora Sneed shared the History of Evergreen Cemetery. It was built on plantation land in Casselberry, FL....

Follow two historians for their celebrations recognizing Juneteenth. In Winter Park join Hannibal Square Heritage Center for their 9th Annual Celebration at Ward Chapel AME Church 160 S. Pennsylvania Avenue Saturday June 15th 10am – 2pm – Father’s Day Brunch 8:30am and the Panel Discussion begins @ 10:00am featuring a discussion on “Knowing, Remembering & Reclaiming Our Stories.” Panelists will ex...

In the first hour, we spoke with Jonathan Gustave of No Limit Counseling. No Limit Counseling is an organization created to promote mental health wellness and awareness through advocacy and services. Jonathan Gustave is a licensed psychotherapist and began the discussion by talking about the importance of a father and daughter relationship. He explains that a lot of his “firsts” were experienced t...