Meet Valrie Kemp-davis

 

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Valrie Kemp-davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Valrie, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

I was born in Florida, the Dirty South February 1962, prior to school integration in the early 70s. I am the oldest of three and the only daughter born to a school teacher and a college educated city worker who was a sanitation worker. My first 6 months of life I lived in a project in Tampa, Florida. I have no recollection of that..My parents who would eventually become quite established and accomplished within this major city in such a temperamental and racially charged state could have hid this tidbit from me. They in fact, made it their business to let me know!
This knowledge of our humble beginnings in the midst of the climb, challenges and dichotomies of life have emboldened me. By the time I was in elementary school my parents had been in their home for several years. Mom was no longer working at a school in an impoverished neighborhood but in the affluent Hyde Park area by Davis Island teaching upper to upper middle class white students and a range of economically disadvantaged students of color. Dad had changed jobs twice, going from truck driver hauling steel to working as a porter for Anheuser Busch running circles around his wife’s salary as a teacher. Dad never cared about status, he wanted to take care of his family well. Never mind the conventional jobs in electronics he had been educated to qualify for. Financially, these jobs at the time would not sustain his family in the manner he wished to provide for them. He would sign up for the Navy reserve and use his skills as a construction electrician supervising a 12 man crew that was predominately white while working a porter’s job and sitting on different boards in the city. Mom would return to university and earn her Masters in Administration and Supervision at the private and formidable University of Tampa. Later she would become the Language Arts Chairperson for this prestigious bougie school. Everyone was not happy with her promotion. And in the process of my parents trying to raise me and 3 kids with my dad’s work schedule, they opted to seek permission to teach school in the school district where mom taught. Here in my formative years, I learned to be comfortable in my skin, literally fight racist comments and to gravitate towards those who saw me and love them back. Oftentimes, I was the only black in the classroom from age 7-10. But, I saw my parents lead by example. Hence, I was my authentic self, participated in no code switching because I did not have any knowledge about this concept and let the chips fall where they may. I knew I was smart, felt confident and was expected to be an overcomer if necessary. It was like breathing, natural. But I was acutely aware of differences, but never felt less than because of such. This mindset is a part of my social DNA even today. Bring something to the table( your authentic self, gifts and talents), walk in confidence and don’t perform for accolades. It makes all the difference in the world to oneself and to those who will integrate and circumference your world.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Valrie Kemp-Davis is the author of the culturally conscious literature that celebrates both Children and Chidults of the Diaspora. Val, as she is affectionately called, is a native of Tampa, Florida. She attended Warner University earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. She double-majored in Communications and English with a minor in Psychology. Her graduate studies were in Criminal Justice Administration where she attended the illustrious historically black college, Clark Atlanta University. Her law enforcement career spanned thirty years of employment respectively with the Georgia and Illinois Department of Corrections. She retired as a Senior Parole Agent from the Illinois Dept. of Corrections in 2021. She always proposed to encourage those branded as “offenders” to take their rightful positions as the cornerstone within society and approached her job as a responsible and humble public servant while ministering simultaneously through professionalism and care.
She has been the International Liaison for the National Kingdor Parkinson Foundation since 2010. The National Kingdor Parkinson Foundation is the only Caribbean Parkinson chapter in the world. Its headquarters is based in Nassau, Bahamas.
Valrie is a member of The National Council of Negro Women and serves in the locall Gary, Indiana Chapter. She is also a Life Member and Silver Star of Eta Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has held several offices within her local chapter. She is currently the Youth Leadership Institute Chairperson of her sorority’s chapter and works diligently with her team in partnership with The Cross Church to nurture youth in her community ages 10-14. THE Youth Leadership Institute is a four program that meets monthly. It combines fun, challenge and education for participants through sessions on topics such as Stem & Steam, Financial Literacy, Environmental and Social Justice, Career Development and Creative Projects, Children are guided to develop their leadership skills. It has been an impactful and rewarding endeavor thus far!
Valrie is the mother of two Jamerican daughters and an aunt to a Jamerican niece and nephew as well a Blexican nephew. She has a host of nieces and nephews who live abroad who are of various ethnicities and cultures. Valrie is a Grandmother inwaiting. Her first grandchild is due December 2024. She affectionately calls herself GrandHoney and her grandbaby her, “Lil Honeybee!” She is a bee charmer and bees follow her without malice!
Her love of children has also led her to become a surrogate mother to several children in the East Chicago community who “chose her” and her home as a safe source of refuge. All who have lived in her home, and have left are working towards attaining their goals in life.
Valrie was bestowed an Award April 2022 as a Community mother.
“In Appreciation for Life Changing Mothering and Love Freely Given to Many in Northwest Indiana.”
At present, this Author is promoting her Commemorative Edition of her Children’s Book, Jamaican Mi Seh Mi ABC’s. for which she is a nominee for the Distinguished Author’s Guild Award. She is a previous DAG Awardee in 2021 for her Children’s Book ,Rainbow Cuddlings. She is also a Nominee for The Pay it Forward Award due to her activism and service in the East Chicago, Indiana community.
You can find Valrie working on Get Out To Vote Campaigns with her local NCNW sisters or her Eta Kappa Omega Chapter Sorors of Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is also her Inspector for her Voting Precinct in East Chicago,Indiana.
She serves diligently in her intergenerational, multicultural congregation of The Cross Church where Donald and Marlene Ramirez are the Senior Pastors. She serves on The Heart Ministry, as an Usher, volunteers at Lake County Juvenile Center, sings in the choir, oversees the Food Mobile Market ministry and leads an outreach ministry called The CREW. She has utilized her writing skills to write a Christmas play, poems and a narrative bio about her Pastor entitled, Trauma to Triumph

It is this author’s humble pleasure and honor to serve God and others with the various gifts and talents she has been bestowed, fully knowing that only what she does for God will last!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The Bible says it’s about Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is love. So always lead with kindness.

Remember, you reap what you sow. So, sow good seeds What you sow in the darkness… in one’s secret, intimate places will be that whch is harvested publicly. No matter how difficult the task sow good seeds and sow these seeds in good soil.

Lastlty, wisdom is the principle thing. So in all one’s getting, Get understanding! Understand the purpose and plan God has called you to. Know that you don’t live for just yourself. Help people unselfishly.!
Live upright.., circumspectly and give people the blue print to freedom through the God in you by precept and example. A wise person leads others to Christ and liberty!

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

My parents encouraged me to have a growth mindset..They taught me discipline. I appreciate them exposing me to culture, art, drama, travel, scouting, music, church,The Bible, a plethora of thought agents and even a myriad of vicarious experiences found in the pages of my mom’s personal library.
I appreciate the long talks, not so much when I was younger..However, with maturity in age, I’ve come to understand how blessed they talked to, talked with and even talked at me!
My dad told me he was sending me to college to learn how to think and also if a man wanted to try and abuse me, I didn’t have to stay there. I would be self sufficient
I still marvel at that. My parents are both deceased now but they were my greatest cheerleaders, close friends of mine, my rock. And as much as they would encourage me with their words, “Yes you can, yes I am here, yes, I love you, yes, it will be alright”etc.,etc., etc.!
They were never my yes men. They were always honest with me and for that I trusted and valued their opinion for they walked in integrity and love. Our love is etermal, boundless and transcends from time to eternity in perpetuitu and beyond! They gave me the tools and skills that keep me grounded though they rest from their labor. Prayer, wisdom and unconditional love will ensire our circle never be unbroken!!

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Image Credits

Erica Clayton Photography

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