My Background

To begin, I was born in Clinton, SC and grew up in Greenville, SC. I went to work when I was 16 and moved out on my own at 20. In 1993, I had and the opportunity to visit Ghana, west Africa. This was my once in a lifetime opportunity to visit another country so I jumped at the chance. I have to say is was an amazing experience. I was in Africa, where my ancestors came from and the opportunity to learn about the Slave Trade from a different perspective. At the same time, I felt I was just as much a foreigner as any non-African. Being a descendant of slaves, I did not know the language, the belief system or the culture, which became very evident during my time there. Overall, I will always be grateful of the opportunity and will cherish my time there. In 1998, I found a job in Louisville, KY. I was my opportunity to experience life outside of South Carolina. The scariest part was moving far way from family, friends, and everything I know to a place where I knew nothing about or no one. For me, Louisville was no different than New York City! After focusing on my career for the past 20 years, I feel my personal like have suffered. Since things have not worked out as I have planned professional and I am now over 50 years old, I am now focusing more on my personal life. I am focusing more on my personal and spiritual relationships. I’ve had opportunities to visit cities across the US and expand my circle of friends, where as I would otherwise have been “living like an old man”; just working and staying home, worrying more about keeping the bills paid than living my life.