Persevere. Strive. Learn. Feel. Perceive. Share. Find your power and use it.
Octavia E. Butler's Self-Talk - This link is to the Huntington Library's feature on Octavia Butler. The handwritten note above, and other Butler photos and personal items, can be viewed on the page. Butler was the first science fiction writer to receive a prestigious MacArthur "genius" award and the first African-American woman to win widespread recognition writing in that genre. Above is one of the many motivational notes she wrote to herself. Note that her goals are not all about her own success, but also about helping others to succeed. Read more about her here.
It Took Nearly 50 Years, but Octavia Butler Made the New York Times Best Sellers' List - "I shall be a best-selling writer." Although she had reached the status of an acclaimed writer long before, in September 2020, Octavia Butler appeared for the first time on the New York Times best seller's list, widely considered an indication that a writer has reached the pinnacle of their writing career. Ms. Butler died in 2006.
W.E.B. Du Bois's Beautiful Letter to His 14-Year-Old Daughter - There are so many gems in this letter...It is short, wise, and loving...with a clarity about differences, opportunities, and privileges that might startle some comfortable views.
And finally, two multiple award-winning, visually stunning animated short films...
SOAR - A young girl dreams of one day building airplanes. She builds models and tries again and again to make them fly, but does not succeed. That is, until a miniature pilot drops out of the sky and she is the only one who can return him to the sky before it’s too late.
Ascension - Two climbers attempt to place a statue of the Virgin Mary on top of a mountain. It doesn't go so well, but they persevere, and...