Glenda R. Taylor

Metaphysics, religion and yoga

Yogi Gupta (circa 1990's)

Glenda Taylor's Christian-based religious background gave her a foundation in biblical teachings. In college, she took courses in the Bible as Literature, Greek, Egyptian, Hebrew mythology, and African philosophy. She studied British and European literature and has done research on the literatures of African American, Caribbean, and Asian people. In addition, she minored in art history and is a connoisseur of African art.

Taylor credits the late Dr. Robert H. Schuller (1926-2015) as the bridge between her foundational thinking of Christianity and her metaphysical-based philosophy. Schuller wrote Christian motivational books based upon his ideology of "possibility thinking." These books include Self Love: The Dynamic Force of Success, Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking, Tough Times never Last But Tough People Do, and Reach Out For A New Life. Other early influences include Napoleon Hill (Think & Grow Rich ), W. Clement Stone (The Success System That Never Fails), Florence Scovell Shin (The Game of Life & How To Play It), Maxwell Maltz (Psycho Cybernetics), U.S. Anderson (The Greatest Power In The Universe), and James Allen (As A Man Thinketh).^{[2] [3]}

Taylor was a student of Yogi Gupta (1913-2011) for over thirty years. Yogi Gupta, author of Yoga and Long Life and Yoga & Yogic Powers, was one of the first people to bring Hatha Yoga to the United States (1954).^[3] Also known as Swami Kalishananda, Yogi Gupta was a self-realized yogi who is internationally acclaimed for his mastery of Yoga and his knowledge of Ayurvedic medicine. Yogi Gupta founded a mission in Rishikesh, India which uses natural, ancient Ayurvedic techniques to care for the sick.^[4] Taylor took many courses from Yogi Gupta including Divine Science, Meditation, Psychic Development, Pranayama, Ayurvedic Medicine and advanced courses in Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga and Kundalini Yoga. Yogi Gupta made these and other esoteric courses available to his American students for over 55 years. Taylor credits this self-realized yogi with teaching her the ancient secrets of Ayurvedic medicine known only to a select few students.

Glenda Taylor considers herself a metaphysician who believes in what Yogi Gupta terms Divine Science. She holds that man was created in the image of God, and each individual has the power within to access this divinity through prayer and meditation. Taylor accepts the teachings of Jesus Christ which she says are often distorted by some Christians who do not practice what Jesus preached. When asked if she considers herself a Christian, she stated, "I believe in Jesus' teachings, and not all people who are categorized as Christians practice or act as though they believe what Jesus taught."^[5] Taylor says she reads all Holy books and believes there are numerous paths to knowing and communicating with God.

Introduction to A Continent: African History & Culture

Inspired, in large part, by her mother who returned to college at age thirty-five to earn her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees, Taylor entered college at sixteen years old and began studying Art history and British and European literature.^[6] During this period, Taylor became fascinated with the works of William Wordsworth, William Blake, John Milton, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Geoffrey Chaucer. She loves their mastery of language and their ability to use poetry to tell stories.^[7] Taylor was also introduced to African American literature and often says that it is through the literature of Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Arna Bontemps, Wallace Thurman, Ann Petry, and Langston Hughes that she first began learning the African American story.

At seventeen years old, she was the youngest student in a group of City University of New York students selected to travel to the West African countries of Ghana, Togo, Dahomey (now known as the Republic of Benin), and Nigeria. When offered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study abroad at the University Of Ghana Institute Of African Studies in Accra, Ghana and the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, Taylor was on board without hesitation.

Cognizant that time spent becoming well-versed in Western literature and teachings left her ill-prepared in African and African-American history and culture, Taylor went to Africa not quite knowing what to expect. Taylor was amazed as she spent hours poring through dozens of books at the University] of Accra and a local book store, reading about the ancient civilizations of Ghana and other African countries. The continent's rich history, she surmised, had been almost invisible to those educated in a Western society. This discovery would prove to imfluence her philosophical approach to life and her study of history and culture.

Taylor accepted the reality that as much as she and her traveling companions wanted to embrace their African roots, they did not have the commonality they romanticized because the Africans they encountered, while warm, friendly and acknowledging a relationship with them, saw them as Americans. It was then that she began referring to herself as an American of African descent, rather than an Afro-American, the term used in the 1970s to refer to African Americans. She speaks to the multiplicity of the experience of African American descendents in her classic poem" Ingredients of An African American, A Colored, A Negro, published in her book of poems, Black America Cried. The African experience shaped Taylor's belief that critical thinking is essential to education, and the most valuable education anyone can have is reading and interpreting things for herself. In a society where many "experts" interpret events, misconceptions and misperceptions are inevitable. She came to understand one's education is extremely limited until she explores the cultures of other nations.

1981–1993: Urban Strategies

Taylor's journey into the world of non-profit organizations, her Christian upbringing, her penchant for reading, and her African experience all laid the groundwork for what seemed to be a master plan tailored for her. Taylor fortuitously made a commitment to Urban Strategies, an organization designed to assist New York City residents who live in Ocean Hill Brownsville, Bedford Stuyvesant, and East New York. She has been heralded for being instrumental in developing Urban Strategies into a multi- service agency which provides education, employment, and social services.^[5] She was a novice in her mid-twenties, but it was just a matter of time before she excelled at the art of proposal writing. Developing the proposals led to negotiating the budgets, preparing the contracts and, eventually, hiring staff.^[8] Today, the organization still employs over 200 people. More important than securing the funding was her reason for doing so. Taylor realized that she wanted to alter the lives and the consciousness of the people the organization serviced. As Taylor became acquainted with the stories of the participants, she recognized that it was their desire to uplift themselves from their socio-economic circumstances. They were people who had lost their homes, children who had lost a parent, youth and adults in need of training and employment, abused children, and high school dropouts who found themselves in need of supportive services. In short, they were good, decent human beings who faced adversity and needed someone to advocate for social justice.^[9] They required someone who would, as John Rawls would say, implement "principles of fairness" in their behalf.

Taylor decided that if she could secure the resources to make a difference - that was her charge. As Deputy Executive Director of Urban Strategies, (said by the Ford Foundation in 1990 to be one of the fastest growing non-profit organizations in the country),^[6] Taylor's creativity and administrative acumen catapulted the organization into a multi-million dollar corporation consisting of shelters, daycare centers, educational and employment training programs, drug prevention programs, counseling and social service programs for pregnant teenagers and elders, and apartment buildings with a staff of over two-hundred and fifty people.^[6] She was exceptional at everything from strategic planning, to management, to acting as comptroller responsible for overseeing government fiscal and programmatic audits.^[8] Her ability to recognize human potential and provide tutelage to those under her supervision resulted in the development of numerous leaders and community organizers, affecting tens of thousands of lives in the tri-state area.^[6]

The CEO of Urban Strategies, Pelham Bollers who was an enrollee in the agency's first employment training program (1981), is one of Taylor's mentees. She taught Bollers English, writing, and strategic thinking, and encouraged him to attend Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. Bollers worked as an intern for her mother at Medgar Evers College. A native of Guyana, Bollers was determined to succeed. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Medgar Evers College in 1987 and rose to become the third Executive Director and CEO of the organization nineteen years later (2000).

1992–2001: Olympic Vision

Taylor is the founder of Olympic Vision, a charitable organization which promotes the engagement of professionals and businesspeople with community youth and adults. Established in 1992, the organization has provided over 5,000 youth and adults with educational, job placement, mental health and social services.^[10][11][12] The goal of Olympic Vision is to fortify institutions and assist individuals in the pursuit of worthy goals which strengthen communities and encourage young people and adults to use their creativity to cure societal ills.

Taylor is a proponent of the John Dewey (1859-1952) philosophy which emphasizes the importance of experiential education. Since her entry into the nonprofit sector, she developed many innovative, interactive educational programs which taught both youth and adults how to become gainfully employed, develop a meaningful career, and fulfill their long term goals.^[13]

In 1995, Taylor developed a school which trained youth and adults. The school used numerous innovative interactive training models with enormous results. Located in Harlem, New York with a satellite location in Brooklyn, New York, The Olympic Vision School and its related offices were painted in warm, embracing colors and decorated with antiques and beautiful works of culturally diverse art. The school had a sound system which piped motivational music into the classroom. Taylor insisted that the students deserved to have an opportunity to learn in an environment which was clean, elegant, and conducive to nurturing self-esteem. Her love for antiques and art had her searching for bargain price antique furniture, instead of what she terms cheap pressed wood which "deteriorates with the first drop of water."

The Olympic vision School provided programs which included courses in television production, computer technology, business etiquette, writing, publishing, entrepreneurship, and the art of being an equestrian. Twice per week, Taylor stepped away from her responsibilities as an administrator and taught two courses. As a part of the Visions of Success Program, she introduced the students to the self-help philosophies of Les Brown, Napoleon Hill, Og Mandino, Iyanla Vanzant, and W. Clement Stone.^[3] Staff members were required to attend lectures by motivational authors such as VanZant,^[14] and Taylor's syllabus included the study of Black artists such as Whoopi Goldberg and Maya Angelou who faced and overcame immense obstacles. This later became an ongoing theme in her writing. She believes all students can learn from Americans who overcame the hurdles life has placed in their paths.

Taylor organized seminars, forums, and courses in which business and entertainment industry executives, bankers, educators, and writers such as Walter Mosley,^[15] Elizabeth Nunez,^[16] Jade Banks, and Bebe Moore Campbell^[17] interacted with economically disadvantaged youth and adults.^[18] Legendary broadcast journalist Kae Thompson taught Olympic Vision students how to produce television programs.^[18] Olympic Vision students participated in the marketing of the National Black Writers Conference, and they assisted in the coordination of a major art exhibit by prominent artist, Izell Glover.^[19] These forums opened many doors and gave the participants access to employment and educational opportunities. Students were placed on internships coordinated by her staff and Mary J. Taylor, her mother, which resulted in full time employment in the City University of New York,^[20] Columbia University^[20] and other institutions and businesses in the tri-state area.^[20] Taylor closed the school in 2001 when she had to modify her workload. Her health prevented her from doing the extensive fundraising the school needed to remain open.

1999 - 2007: Exhibitions

Taylor, a patron of the arts, has coordinated over 200 exhibitions in Harlem, New York.^[21]. She has assisted museum curators and collectors with defining their goals and refining their collections into investment grade, museum quality art and antiques.^[21] In the tradition of experiential education, Taylor's exhibitions brought to life and made available fine art, antique furniture, hand blown glass, sculptures, jewelry, comedy recordings, films from the early twentieth century, pre-Civil war artifacts such as slave shackles and documents, rare and autographed books and unusual relics from every continent.^[21] The exhibits were free of charge, so all could afford the experience.

The exhibits, showcased at Aunt Meriams in Harlem, New York on 125^th Street in the heart of the commercial district, included A Century Of Murano Glass, American Art: 1900s - 1950s, African American Art: 1970s, African American Memorabilia: 1890-1950, American Furniture: Heywood Wakefield, Gods and Goddesses In African Art, Haile Selassie: An Ethiopian Emperor, and Ibeji Art.^[21] Taylor viewed the exhibits as an opportunity to educate the public through art and culture, creating a public discourse on the lessons of history. She and the staff provided individualized tours which gave everyone the opportunity to understand and embrace an often painful past of both oppression and victory.^[21]

Glenda and her mother Mary were featured in an extensive New York Times article for her exhibitions of Black memorabilia.^[22] The article caught the attention of Congressman Charles B. Rangel. On July 17, 2006, Congressman Rangel spoke before Congress of Glenda's work, praising her "Lest We Forget" project and recommending funding be made available for the establishment of a museum in Harlem displaying artifacts related to African American culture.^[23]

2001 - Present: Redefining the Vision

Currently, Olympic Vision assists organizations in program development and provides training and consulting services for the Board of Directors and staff of nonprofit organizations. Services include assisting individuals and cultural institutions in building collections of historical documents, artifacts, and memorabilia for exhibitions around the country. Olympic Vision also provides indirect and supportive services to community based organizations, artists, and small businesses.

Taylor works with organizations and creative artists such as Tony award winner George Faison to give young people and adults an opportunity to play a participatory role in the research, production, development, and marketing of historically significant, socially relevant 21^st century technologically advanced multimedia stage productions.^[24] For over three decades, Taylor has been committed to creating programs in which young artists can be mentored and engage in a socially relevant discourse with distinguished artists.^[25][26][27] In 1983, Taylor created a cultural arts program coordinated by Grace Killens (wife of eminent author John Oliver Killens) in which Junior High School students were taught by prominent artists such as Tom Feelings (1933-2003), Izell Glover (1944-), Otto Neals ( 1931-), Ernie Chrichlow (1914-2005), James Denmark (1936-) and Arthur Coppedge (1938-2010). She believes in feeding the spirit with art and culture; however, she recognizes that social services and economic support are a necessary part of assisting those beset by misfortune.

Taylor has not limited her work to the New York City area. In 2005, Taylor, her mother, and sister Shay raised funds and provided thousands of dollars in supplies, household items, clothing, and other necessities to Katrina victims in Mississippi. Olympic Vision makes on-going donations to individuals and non-profit organizations. These donations are in the form of grants, meals, supplies, educational materials, books, clothing, transportation, and other basic services.

Doctoral research

Taylor's dissertation is titled: Tradition, Consciousness, Social Justice, and the Creative Process: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of the Artistry of Michael Joseph Jackson (1958-2009). The first extensive academic research study done on the artistry and creative process of Jackson explores if Jackson (in the African American cultural tradition) consciously used his art forms, his voice, his arena to promote social change.^[30] The dissertation deconstructs his evolving consciousness, unveils his creative process, and decodes his songs and short films based upon his unique perspective.^[31]

Taylor discusses how scholars began the discourse on Jackson and his impact on American popular culture over three decades ago; yet, there remains a growing, but paltry number of peer reviewed articles on Jackson, and the books written from an academic perspective are scant.^[30] She reveals that the primary voices in the field of Jacksonian research are Susan Fast, Harriet Manning, Willa Stillwater, and Joseph Vogel, explaining that Fast, Stillwater, and Vogel are pioneers in the analysis of the artistry of Jackson.^[30]

Taylor's research offers an antithetical approach to analyzing Jackson's artistry by delving into his religious foundation and unearthing an artistic voice rooted in a Judeo-Christian ideology.^[30] It unveils a prolific creative process nurtured by his parents and refined by his quest for perfectionism.^[30] It discovers an artist who believed in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Beloved Community and vigorously endeavored to use his artistry to promote individual agency and social change.^[30] Finally, it concludes by proffering a distinctive interpretation of Jackson's artistic work.^[30]

Over the years, Taylor has interviewed diverse artists such as Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Cissy Houston; Tony Award winning choreographer, playwright, and dancer George Faison; award winning authors and educators Louise Meriweather, Nettie Jones, and Elizabeth Nunez; screenwriter and poet Sophia Steward; scholar, academician, and integral theorist Toni Gregory; award- winning public servant, activist, and founding Director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Studies Specialization (Ph.D.) program, Dr. Nancy Boxill; fashion designer Alvin Bell, and biblical scholar and author Firpo Carr among others. She, also, had the opportunity to speak to patriarch Joseph Jackson about the secrets of his family's success.

Glenda R. Taylor meets the Honorable Portia Simpson Miller at her graduation. Photo credit: YouSee Photography

Glenda, her mother and sister Shay Photo credit: You See Photography 10/27/18

Literary themes & genres

Taylor's desire to write centers upon her love for writing and history; for she believes that unearthing unknown stories and wisdom can increase creativity in a demanding global economy.

Understanding that Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, Etta James, Lena Horne, Diana Ross, and other African American female artists who persevered and honed their crafts despite constant and overwhelming challenges to their sanity and self-esteem, she determined that their stories needed to be told and their words needed to be heard. She believes their methods of surviving, enduring and thriving throughout the psychological, mental, and excruciating emotional abuse they endured during the Jim Crow era, are inspirational stories from which all Americans can learn. It has been said of her work, The Secrets of Success (which contains the philosophy and wisdom of these artists), that "Each page is a living testament to sheer grit."^[35] Taylor mines what some reviewers call," pearls and diamonds and shards of wisdom."^[35] Ebony magazine agrees that her work is motivational.^[36] . She uses the power of the word and art to inspire and uplift, and her books include illustrations by artist Lauchland Pelle, Izell Glover, and Raul Manzano.

As historians Gerda Lerner, Nell Irwin Painter, Darlene Clark Hine, and Joanne Braxton, Taylor asserts American history is incomplete without the stories of women, specifically those of African descent, and her goal is to continue the tradition of preserving American history and culture.^[7]

Taylor's writing blends history, pop culture, African American cultural traditions, world religions, metaphysics, and references to British and European literary classics. Her poetry has an on-going philosophical discourse on God, ethics, social justice, race, politics, karma, American culture, morality, perception, and the individual's responsibility to his fellow man. The poems are rhythmical stories which use a variety of voices to raise serious questions about inner conflicts which she says "vibrate turmoil as they lie buried in the subconscious realm."

Taylor employs what she terms "the communal voice" as well as her voice and the voice of a variety of narrators. Her most recent volume of poetry Michael "Little Joe" Jackson: An American Master (2014) is notable for its seemingly authentic use of Jackson's voice as well as that of his father Joseph Jackson. This use of voice can be found in earlier works such as Blind Light and Black America Cried. Taylor gives a detailed description of this method in Waves of Consciousness: The Sojourner Truth Method & Creativity (2014).^[6]

Awards and Honors

Called a visionary by The New York Daily Challenge,^[38][39] Taylor has received a Certificate for Outstanding Service to Youth from the New York State Division for Youth, and is one of the first recipients of the Network Journal's 25 Most Influential Women In Business Award.^[40][41] In 2005, Taylor received the Harriett Tubman Award for her outstanding contribution to the non-profit sector. In 2017, her dissertation was nominated for the Marvin B. Sussman Award which honors doctoral dissertations judged to be outstanding in terms of originality, social meaning, quality of the research and writing, and the impact the study will have within the academic community at large.^[32]

Articles

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