Interview with Keith G. Wright Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to be joined by Keith G. Wright, who is here to talk about his new book “The World of Women Ain’t No Joke: Beautiful, Intelligent, and Powerful in an Unforgiving World. ” Keith G. Wright is the founder and president of Beyond Color Foundation, an organization devoted to racial harmony, multicultural unity, and "empowering everyday people to live famous lives." Born in the south, raised in the north, Keith G. Wright is the son, and only child, to a single mother, educator, and a truly inspirational woman, Evelyn Wright. From childhood, he has gained a real sense of the immeasurable value of women, an appreciation of the importance of our past, and a love for all people of all colors and backgrounds. “The World of Women Ain’t No Joke” is the third book he has written in the “Ain’t No Joke” series. Tyler: Thank you for joining me today, Keith. I understand “The World of Women Ain’t No Joke” is about women throughout American history and their stories. Would you tell us more about the kind of women focused on in the book?
Yes, “The World Of Women Ain’t No Joke” is about prominent women in history, but even more, it is about how today’s women, viewed & treated as 2nd class people, can connect with these stories, to overcome the definite problems that exist today. This book is about today’s women taking their rightful place in society, and in the world, making “her-story” in history. “The World Of Women” isn’t just about the life of Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Debra Veal, Golda Meir, Sojourner Truth, Marie Curie, and Evelyn Wright...This book is in no way some old dusty history lesson...this is about women who dared to change the unjust world around them, at a time when women didn’t have the right to do anything...this book is about today, women everywhere, about your birthright today, about your challenges today, about what’s going on in your life today, and about women having the courage to do what must be done now. Tyler: This book is part of the “Ain’t No Joke” book series. Would you tell us a little bit about the series and how “The World of Women” fits into it? Keith: I created the “Ain’t No Joke” book series to discuss real issues & problems that all of us face in our life, while inspiring folks to make a difference in our world. I wanted to move beyond the ineffectual self help “pie-in-the-sky-think-positive” books that are so typical. The “Ain’t No Joke” book series focuses on real stories, real issues, real problems, leading to real success. The “Ain’t No Joke” book series addresses various critical areas deteriorating within our nation’s culture. Our youth are growing up in a world of degrading values...“The Life Of Teenagers Ain’t No Joke” inspires teens to live courageously, and lead exceptional lives. The lack of competent & effective parents is producing more and more young people without respect, without ambition, without life skills, and with no clue...“The World Of Parents Ain’t No Joke” encourages great parenting strategies to raise the next generation of leaders. As the mothers of our world face increasing misogynistic actions, these are times when women’s lives have become the world’s playground of pleasure, humor, and disrespect...“The World Of Women Ain’t No Joke” reminds us of the importance of women’s influence and contributions on our culture, while honoring, encouraging, and uplifting women everywhere. Tyler: Keith, I have to ask, as a man, what made you decide to write this book about women? Keith: Tyler, I’ve often been asked that question, even challenged by some women who feel a man can never speak about women. As far as speaking “as a man who will never know what it is to be a woman,” I imagine there are things we will never be...we will never be President of the United States, but we speak on it...we will never be of another race, but we speak on it, and we will never be of another gender, but we indeed speak on it. As compassionate human beings with hopes of peace, prosperity & progress for all people, we absolutely have to speak on it, and more importantly, we have to raise our level of involvement in it. The deeper answer lies in being raised as an only child to a single mother in America...it was an incredible journey growing up with my mother, and I have so many stories to tell, so many lessons to share, as I’ve watched one of God’s most wonderful creations. What I wanted to tell the world is that women are incredible beings...women do what most men can’t or simply won’t. Tyler: Keith, would you tell us a little bit about your mother’s influence on you? Keith: My mother’s life inspired me to write this book, and my mother’s life inspires me to stand up for, and stand in support of women everywhere...she not only raised me to be the man I am, but she showed me everyday, through her own life, why a man must love & respect, value & appreciate, cherish & treasure, and uphold & uplift the honor of all women. As I sat down to write this book, I wanted to impart to the world, what I know to be absolutely true about women, what my mother’s life taught me, and what many women have shown me...that women are the real treasures of this earth, that the most troubling problems in this world are resolved by the priorities, decisions, and actions of women, and that as the lives of women go, so goes the world. Tyler: As a man writing about women, Keith, what do you think makes the book stand-out from books written by women about themselves and women’s issues? Keith: Yes, there are many great books written by women for women, and their insights of womanhood are certainly authentic. I believe “The World Of Women Ain’t No Joke” offers a very original and inspiring perspective to the lives and progress of women everywhere. And I also believe that, just as there were white folks who made significant contributions to the civil rights movement, often times that outside influence, that outside voice, from caring & concerned men, can act as a powerful accelerator to positive change for all women...and I offer my voice as a supporter of the world’s women. “The World Of Women Ain’t No Joke” is a challenge to all men to respect & honor women, and a challenge to all women to respect & honor themselves. Tyler: Keith, will you tell us a little bit about how the book is organized and the purpose of the different sections? Keith: The book is organized into four main chapters, focusing on critical areas that I believe greatly impact the progress of women. And at the end of the book are Bonus Features & Outtakes, very similar to what we see on DVD movies. Interestingly, I’ve always found the DVD bonus features to be just as compelling as the movie itself, and I wanted to inject that element into all of my books. The first chapter, featuring Susan B. Anthony, spells out the current troubling actions that women all over the world face today...and like Susan B. Anthony’s life represented, it is a call to action. The second chapter, featuring Helen Keller lays the foundation of education for every success, and for overcoming every obstacle...and like Helen Keller, education is the great equalizer for women. Chapter three, featuring Eleanor Roosevelt, was the most difficult to write, which focuses on developing loving and healthy relationships...and like Eleanor Roosevelt, you can find a good man, and make him a great man. Chapter four is all about inspiration and action, featuring several extraordinary & powerful women whose life stories will light a fire under all of our butts...and like these women, you can live a life of enormous worth & influence. Of course the fifth section contains the very interesting Bonus Features & Outtakes, taking you inside for a more personal look on my life, views, and events in writing this book...including a last word for Whoopi Goldberg. Tyler: Keith, why did you find that writing the section on Eleanor Roosevelt was the most difficult? Keith: This chapter was difficult because, early on, I realized the things I wanted to say were going to ruffle some feathers, and I wanted to be careful always to communicate respect for the individual choices that women make...much of this thing called womanhood, really is an individual reckoning, and my discussions of female sexuality has certainly caused the most controversy on my blogs and in the many letters I’ve received. Women, let’s face it; finding a good man isn’t easy. In this chapter, I open up questions of how women view themselves, how women love themselves, and how closely your honorable words of womanhood are tied to the reality of your dating behavior. Tyler: Do you find you prefer to write about black over white women, or does it matter? Do you include any women besides black and white? Keith: Tyler, I don’t have any preferences regarding race. As the founder of Beyond Color Foundation, I honestly believe most of the issues we face are beyond the color lines. The lives of women cut across every race, white, black, brown, red, blue, & green...our women are the mothers of the entire earth. So, I didn’t consider race as a criteria for choosing the women featured in my book...in my mind these women are worthy examples of the messages I wanted to convey. Tyler: Which woman in the book do you admire the most and why? Keith: First, I admire every woman featured in “The World Of Women Ain’t No Joke,” and I admire & appreciate every woman not in this book. I was especially inspired & moved by the life stories of Eleanor Roosevelt. After reading about her life, I knew she would be featured in chapter three on the topics of love & marriage. Let me tell you, Eleanor Roosevelt was no joke. This woman was incredible. This woman’s actions were ground breaking for her time, and forward-thinking even on issues of race relations...something we still struggle with today, even as we prepare to elect a new President of the United States. This is a woman whom women today need somehow to connect with. I mean, a man who couldn’t walk, became the President of the United States of America, in large part because of Eleanor Roosevelt...an absolutely fascinating story. I immediately thought that this is what they must mean when they say, “Behind every good man, there is a great woman.” And I immediately thought that men owe a great deal to their women, and women should always understand their own worth, believe in their own power, their power to uplift men...even when our men have long given up. Tyler: The book includes some names frequently in the news today, such as Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie. Why did you decide to include the modern pop-idols, and how do they fit beside historical role models like Susan B. Anthony and Helen Keller? Keith: Yes, whether it’s Whitney Houston loving the ultimate Bad Boy...Britney Spear’s first ominous misstep...Vivica Fox finding & losing 50 cent...Cindy Crawford at the helm of a disaster...or Angelina Jolie’s mistake...“The World Of Women” really is about connecting the past with the present, and I thought it was important to illustrate the struggles, the failures, and the redemption of today’s women. My entire motivations are to uplift all women, and I want to say that the stories continue to be written in these women’s lives. For all the women mentioned and not mentioned, your story matters, your life matters, and what women do makes a real difference to the world. Tyler: I understand the book is largely a call to action for people to treat women respectfully. What do you view as disrespectful behavior expressed toward women in the current day? Keith: The respect of a nation, the respect of a culture... this is where women are losing. When women allow men to disrespect them, over & over & over again, without retribution, without action, we run the risk of breeding generations of boys & men never understanding the value of women. Beyond racial lines, from Don Imus to D.L. Hughley, black and white men demonstrate brazen disrespect for the same women who give birth to life...in popular music, in movies, on television, on the radio, on the streets, and yes, even in our own homes, the disrespect of women is far reaching. Tyler: What do you see as the major challenges facing women today? Keith: Acquiring financial independence, and understanding the importance of it...Even in these modern times, women are paid 68 cents for every dollar men get, women have lower earnings and higher poverty rates, women are less likely to own a business, on the job sexual harassment continues to be very common, and the corporate “Glass Ceiling” has gotten lower & thicker to penetrate. Elevating the safety of all women...Every day, four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence, murders and assaults by husbands and boyfriends. Approximately 2 to 4 million women are battered every year, many requiring hospitalization. Probably the most unsafe place for women...is at home. The Elimination of Teen Porn in our nation’s fabric...we must treat a child and a childhood as sacred. Regardless of how you feel about pornography, one aspect of this industry has to make you sick, when our children are exploited for erotic fantasies and corporate profits. It is the beginning of young girls becoming degraded and abused women, and it is one area we must all agree to eliminate for the welfare of many generations of boys & girls. Returning to great parenting strategies...it is likely that we are raising an entire generation without appreciation for their mothers. Mothers are no longer mothers...they are now “my bitches,” as many daughters affectionately call their mothers. We are likely raising an entire generation of boys & girls, lacking in communication, lacking in compassion, lacking in engaging in long-term meaningful relationships, and lacking in their ability to resolve issues...violent in their frustrations of incompetence & helplessness. Women helping women is everything...women cannot afford to let opportunities to make radical change slip by. The fact that we now have a woman, Hilary Clinton, losing a battle to make women’s history, and possibly acting as the biggest change for the progress of all women everywhere, is a ringing indication that women may not see or fully understand their importance in the fabric of the world. Simply, without the direct influence of powerful women, men will continue to make decisions not beneficial to women...and I firmly believe that as the lives of women go, so goes the world. Tyler: Keith, TV and films are filled with detective stories and murder cases today. Do you think these films add to the problem of how women are treated when we often see women abused and murdered on television? Keith: Simply telling a story and depicting the realities of society is not a problem in itself...it is the glorification of misogynist behavior that makes even simple survival problematic for the world’s women. Obviously, TV producers & film makers want to make their shows as attractive as possible for higher ratings, but much of what we see on television, in film, and in music videos, is especially attractive to our young people still learning right from wrong...and we have degraded to a level where misogynist activity is celebrated as hip, cool, and fashionable. Now we see more girls, brutally beating other girls, then posting video on the Internet for fun, fame & validation. Like Black America, our women exhibit increasingly self-defeating behavior. Tyler: Keith, what advice do you have for women to help them improve their situations? Keith: First & foremost, value education as the #1 priority in a woman’s life...higher education, entrepreneurial education, trade education, real estate education, financial education, health & nutrition education, family education, spiritual education...value education as the foundation to life. Second, become a mentor to other women. Continue to reach out and make your wisdom, advice, guidance, and experience available to other women. Support the women’s movement, women’s agendas, support the cause, the crusade, the ballot...even if you don’t vote for Hillary Clinton you must support Hillary Clinton, and appreciate this potentially historic milestone for all women. Women helping women is everything. Thirdly, as parents, we can leave nothing to chance in protecting our children’s future. We must teach our daughters about domestic violence, that men can be dangerous creatures when they don’t respect their women, and teach our daughters that things become acceptable, only when we accept them. And we must teach our sons that our daughters are the treasures of the earth, that our daughters are to be protected, respected, cared for, and nurtured, not occasionally, but every day of their lives. And like Susan B. Anthony, today’s women have to develop an insatiable appetite for women’s progress, never satisfied, never indifferent, never apathetic, never ambivalent, and never dispassionate, seeking to become leaders of the world. Women are the only people able to turn a fetus into a human genius...it is the closest thing to God. Tyler: Keith, what do you plan to write next? Will there be more books in the “Ain’t No Joke” series? Keith: Yes, there will be more books...the next book, “The Life of Teachers Ain’t No Joke,” addresses the dramatic fall of education, and the most influential people on our children’s educational development. As America falls behind the rest of the world academically, as the prevailing values in our culture worsens, combined with government’s education budget cuts, we are seeing more & more young people becoming unreachable & unteachable...the teaching profession is truly a dangerous undertaking. Tyler: Thank you, Keith, for joining me today. Before we go, will you tell us about your website and what additional information can be found there about “The World of Women Ain’t No Joke”? Keith: The website has detailed information about the “Ain’t No Joke” book series, including book excerpts and book reviews. I am incorporating the No Joke Life Blog that welcomes visitors’ thoughts & opinions on various issues involving Teenagers, Parenting, Women, and Education. Please visit www.AintNoJoke.com to voice your opinions, your stories, and your advice for others. Tyler, thank you very much for allowing me this opportunity. Tyler: Thank you, Keith. I’ve enjoyed talking to you, and I hope “The World of Women Ain’t No Joke” encourages both men and women to work to improve women’s lives.
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