She’s the CEO of an educational initiative to guide urban youth with the help of celebrities, produced a powerful anti-violence PSA with the parents of the late hip-hop artist Pop Smoke (who was killed last year by gunfire) and now philanthropist Tonya Lewis Taylor presents a new book to help inspire women to be their best by being themselves.
Ms. Taylor’s book, “Be You, Not Her,” is the result of her lifelong travels that allowed this trailblazer to love and embrace her uniqueness while passing that knowledge and wisdom onto other women. Tonya (pronounced TONE-YAH) shares with the reader her journey of self-discovery by way of personal reflections and inspirational affirmations. These elements are shared to encourage others so reveal their gifts in their own way. “Whatever your gifts are or what comes naturally easy for you, they are to serve a bigger purpose,” Taylor said. “Many of us never stop to ask what our purpose in life is or what problem we are meant to solve. We are all born with an assignment that we have to solve.”
As the co-founder of the non-profit initiative, Entertainers 4 Education/I WILL GRADUATE Youth Development Agency, Ms. Taylor uses her own life’s work as the inspiration for the book – which fits well into the theme of Women’s History Month during March of 2021. “When I launched the organization twenty years ago, no one had ever thought of having well known entertainers such as Bow Wow and Tyrese to serve as influencers to motivate kids to go to school,” says Taylor.
“In fact, I encountered much resistance in the beginning from the New York City public education system because they didn’t see the value in such a program. But when the officials saw enrollment increase all due to these music and TV folks appearing at a public school, there was finally acceptance. Most recently, we received an award from the mayor’s office in NYC for our work over the years. This plays into my writing ‘Be You – Not Her’ because of the knowledge, wisdom and strength I had developed through this experience.”
Taylor hopes that when one reads “Be You- Not Her,” they will be inspired to pursue their goals and dreams. “I’m so excited for the release of my book,” she exclaimed. “I hope everyone who reads it feels inspired to embrace their unique talents and do what they have been created to do.”
