De’Arbreya Lee
Staff Writer
As a part of the events held during the week of Capital City Classic, Jackson State University welcomed award winning author and spiritual technician, the Reverend Iyanla Vanzant on November 17.
Prior to her visit to campus, Vanzant was the featured speaker for the Women of the Classic Luncheon at the Old Capital Inn in downtown Jackson.
With a soothing voice, Vanzant urged her “beloveds” to awaken their spiritual beings and become the people whom they are destined to become. She believes that many young people today are capable of success and do not put forth the work that it takes to achieve this success. “Don’t be afraid to do the work,” said Vanzant.
With all of the daily tasks and demands that life puts on individuals throughout life, Vanzant stressed the importance of remaining focused on one task at a time in order to receive desirable results. “I give 100 percent to what I’m doing in that moment,” said Vanzant.
Stating that many people are guilty of not being fully present in situations, leaving them distracted and thus never completing a task to its fullest level on profection, Vanzant said, “Handle your business so that when you move from one place to the other, your back is covered”.
In her encouragement for students “to do the work”, Vanzant also stressed how important it is to not overlook the work of others, but to examine those accomplishments to recreate your own. “Be willing to do other stuff that people are doing, but do it differently,” the author said.
She also shared how important it is for men and women to have a circle of friends to whom they share their thoughts and feelings with, something that Vanzant shares that many African-Americans do not do.
“We as people of color do not know how to be fully present with our feelings,” she said, explaining that this lack of presence in expressed feelings has stemmed from slavery. Many African-Americans dared not express any feelings of distress towards slave masters, she added, and today many are still continue through struggles and withhold these emotions.
The author of several books, her newest 2010 publication “Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through”, which according to Amazon.com, recounts the last decade of her life, from her time with working with TV celebrity Oprah, the short life of the Iyanla TV show, to her ending marriage and her 15 month journey during the last days of her daughter’s battle with illness.
She read the opening poem written by her daughter Gemmia in her book “One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days and 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength and Personal Growth”.
After reading the poem, the mother of three reflected upon the hurt that she experienced in losing her daughter Gemmia to colon cancer. Vanzant said that after her anger at God for taking her child, she came to the realization that her daughter was not her own, but only a gift from God, and in that realization, she found comfort.
Before her daughter’s death, both Iyanla and Gemmia created the Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development in 1998, which according to www.innervisionsworldwide.com website is created to facilitate the evolution of human consciousness one mind, one life, one heart, one spirit at a time.
After her daughter’s death, the IVISD Ministerial class of 2010 created the Gemmia Lynnette Vanzant Foundation in honor of the young woman.
Several women in the audience who have followed Vanzant’s works throughout her career thank the “great mother” [the Nigerian definition of her first name] for her messages of inspiration in her books.
Lynette Suttlar, a graduate student from Yazoo County, Miss., said that the event was amazing.
“Her work has been very inspirational to who I am as a part of me knowing who I am today. I’m so excited to see JSU bringing in speakers of her caliber,” said Suttlar.
Onetta Whitley, Deputy Attorney General for the State of Mississippi, gave a long awaited emotional thanks to the woman who’s works she credits to saving her life.
“Today for me is an opportunity to thank someone who has had a profound impact in my life,” said Whitley. Whitley has also passed along books by Vanzant to others close to her and urges young people to read Vanzant’s works.
Whitley also stressed the importance that Vanzant put on students “doing the work” that it takes to succeed in every aspect of life, stating that they must do so by honoring their own thoughts and ambitions.
“It’s so important to open our souls up to other people and ourselves. Tell your story in a way that empowers you. Look for the lessons, look for the blessings,” Vanzant.
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