Dare to Dream by Michelle Monkou

Yes, we can! Is a philosophy that garners the spotlight with the historic win of President Barack Obama.  But he highlighted what we, as the African Diaspora, have had to repeat through the centuries of slavery, colonization, epidemics, civil rights, and march to the presidency.

Yes, we can!  The phrase speaks of opportunity.  In history and the media, we have seen sadly the many cases where opportunity has been abused to the detriment of society and the environment. Greed, power, and the pursuit of material wealth have translated into genocide, bulging prison population, and under education of our youth.

I thank God that I had role models and my own sense of moral conduct to pursue opportunities with positive focus.  My parents held education at the highest priority where it provided the gateway to success.  People may measure success by earning potential.  Granted, that’s one way to define yourself.  But the gateway to success means that you are equipped with knowledge to improve yourself, your community, country, and even the world.  You have the ability to reach down to uplift a brother or sister or reach out to take along a brother or sister.

Yes, we can! is a driving force as I pen romantic stories.  The act of writing is more than the creation of a book with my name on its cover.  Storytelling is a vehicle to invite someone to read, imagine, create their own possibilities and message of Yes, I can. 

I continue to use this opportunity, this Blessing, to combat illiteracy and reading challenges.  Education doesn’t have to mean sitting in a formal classroom.  Selecting a book and absorbing the message have amazing value in adding to our knowledge. 

These Kimani books are stocked with positive role models of love, kindness, determination and strength.  How many times have we heard that we weren’t providing the reality.  These stories of monogamous relationships were only fantasies.  Our characters weren’t real. 

Well, I don’t know how real you can get when, that celebration of Black love of self, family and community illuminated the world with Michelle and Barack Obama stepping on the stage fulfilling the mantra Yes, we can!

Opportunity + Positive Determination = Success

Share with me what the Obama’s success has inspired you to do.