The stories in Penny Blue’s book, “A Time to Protest: Leadership Lessons from My Father Who Survived the Segregated South for 99 Years” help shape her and her 10 siblings lives.
Black history is being made by your neighbors
Historians have written about famous names in Black History, such as: Martin Luther King, Jr., Madam CJ Walker and Booker T. Washington. Penny Blue’s dad, Charles Edwards, Sr., is not famous, but the way he lived his life made an impact on his 10 children and the community in which he lived. The stories he told his children and grandchildren are the inspiration for Blue’s first book, “A Time to Protest: Leadership Lessons from My Father Who Survived the Segregated South for 99 Years.”
Penny was grew up on a tobacco farm in Franklin County, Virginia. She returned home after obtaining a Mathematics Degree from Hampton University, an MBA from Duke University, and a certification in project management. Penny retired from IBM as a Delivery Project Executive. She returned home to help care for her dad who was 95 at the time.
Penny published this book right before the pandemic and prior to George Floyd’s murder. She says her mother and father taught her and her siblings to be first class citizens and demand to be treated as such. “In order to be treated as first-class citizen, one must act as a first-class citizen.” The book underscores the many ways to protest: education, voting, self-respect, hard work. Penny says the main theme is standing up and speaking out for what is just and right.
And while her father may not have been famous, he showed those around him that ordinary people can make black history in extraordinary ways.
Making counseling more accessible
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study nine out of 10 adults said they believed that there’s a mental health crisis in the United States. Still more than 50% of adults with a mental illness remain untreated. That is why Licensed Professional Counselor Christy Vaughn and the other counselors at Tinker Creek Creative Counseling have started a special program to reach those who don’t have insurance or are under insured.
Their new program is called Mental Health Express Membership. It allows patients to pay a monthly amount for a set number of counseling sessions. Families and individuals can use the membership to get the counseling they need.
Tinker Creek Creative Counseling offers several modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, art therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.
There is also a diverse group of therapy animals at Tinker Creek Creative Counseling. In addition to the pups, there is an alpaca, a llama, pig and chickens. All offer a unique way of make therapy fun.
Meet Christy Vaughn and Penny Blue in this edition of Sisterhood of the Second Act.
Sisterhood of the Second Act on the New Moon Network
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Sisterhood of the Second Act (SSA) is a production of New Moon Creative Media, LLC for the New Moon Network. SSA is a lifestyle talk show for women entering a new phase of their lives. These women may be changing careers. Retirement might be on the horizon. They may be caring for elderly parents while raising their own children. They could also be experiencing an empty nest for the first time in decades. Whatever their situation, Sisterhood of the Second Act provides trustworthy information they can use to create a joyful, prosperous second act.
Show Notes
Penny Blue peblue09@gmail.com 540-488-2122
Christy Vaughn Tinker Creek Creative Counseling
