Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Carmela Monk Crawford
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000056S
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00:01 Message Magazine is the oldest and most widely circulated
00:04 spiritual journal rooted in the African-American Community 00:09 Stay tuned to meet its first female editor and hear her story 00:12 My name is Yvonne Lewis, and you're watching Urban Report 00:37 Hello and welcome to Urban Report 00:40 My guest today is Carmela Monk Crawford 00:43 Message Magazine's first female editor... 00:46 Welcome to Urban Report Carmela... 00:48 Thank you... so nice to be here Yeah... I'm so glad you're here 00:51 I'm glad to be here. We've talked on the phone 00:54 and I've never had the privilege of meeting you... and so now 00:57 to put a face with the voice it's so nice... 00:59 so, thank you for coming. I'm glad... 01:02 So now, tell us a bit first of all about who you are 01:07 because you're the first female editor-in-chief 01:11 of Message Magazine and a lot of our 01:14 viewers are familiar with Message... and after today... 01:16 we'll have many more who will be familiar... 01:19 by the grace of God... tell us who you are... 01:22 Where did you come from? Where did I come from... 01:24 that's the hardest question 01:26 for most people, I think that's easy 01:27 but I'm a third-generation Seventh-day Adventist 01:32 and I say that because you grow up in the Church 01:35 and you feel like you are really... 01:37 you have a home in the Church 01:39 even if you don't have a geographical home... 01:40 That's true... 01:42 ...and so I grew up as a PK Preacher's Kid and an army brat 01:45 and moved... attended 11 different schools 01:48 by the time I graduated from High School and 12th Grade 01:51 so, I'm a product of the Adventist Church 01:54 and this is my family and my home 01:56 so, I grew up... like I said... in the Church 02:00 my father was a Seventh-day Adventist Chaplain 02:04 in the military and the Church work as a Pastor and 02:09 Administrator and I say that because he was also a 02:14 predecessor of my Message Magazine 02:16 because he was an editor of Message Magazine 02:20 one a long line of distinguished and intelligent men 02:24 who are about spreading the gospel... in this generation 02:27 and here I am... at the end of the line. 02:29 Yes, look at that... you're kind of continuing the 02:34 legacy so to speak of your dad... 02:37 Yes, well and not just my father it's a long line, you know, 02:40 Message Magazine was started back in 1898... 02:44 The Gospel Herald was it's predecessor... 02:48 and James Edson White started... 02:51 and I think it's interesting 02:53 and it's nice to go back... not just because of history's sake 02:55 but because of the radical nature of that move then 02:58 was to take the Word 03:01 to people who did not have the Word 03:03 who did not or may not have had the educational skills 03:07 to read for themselves... to provide a complete 03:11 and comprehensive life-changing message... 03:15 that was about everything from your diet, your health, 03:18 your education, your job and vocational skills 03:22 to the very message of the gospel and God's call and reach 03:27 to people who did not know about that 03:29 and so there was a long line, a long lineage, 03:32 it's not just my father but it goes back 03:34 into the roots of our Faith 03:36 Yes... so let me ask you this 03:39 and we'll come back to your background... 03:41 because we'll interweave that... but with Message... 03:44 so, has it morphed into this magazine that emphasizes 03:50 education, health and lifestyle or did it start out... that way 03:55 with James Edson White? Yes, that's the amazing thing 03:58 of it... I think people look at it, 04:00 this is a unique magazine in that... you have so many 04:05 products out there on the Market these days... you know... 04:07 they say, somewhere between 600-700 new magazines 04:10 on the market every year of course all of them don't 04:14 make it... we've been around for 115 years 04:16 but that amazing blend because... we recognize 04:21 that Jesus walked there, His was a comprehensive 04:26 gospel... now we need to let people know that, you know, 04:31 to give the accurate impression of who the Father was 04:35 and what He wanted for people 04:36 but to help them to live that life abundantly 04:39 and Message... from the start... was about that 04:41 and Message today is about that... 04:43 Abundant living... The abundant life... 04:46 That's right How wonderful.. how wonderful... 04:49 it's interesting because you say that you went to 04:52 eleven schools... different schools before you 04:55 graduated... High School... 04:56 High School... That's right... 04:58 I thought I was bad... I went to 4 different High Schools 05:00 but you've trumped me... so now, how did... 05:05 the people skills that you learned 05:08 going from school to school, how are you able to apply that 05:13 to what you do now? You know that is the trick 05:16 and I think... I have so much sympathy 05:18 for kids today... trying to learn to fit in... 05:21 trying to be a part of the group 05:23 and it's so important today, because the enemies... 05:26 if you can call it like that... the bullies that you have 05:29 at school... you don't just leave them at school 05:32 the friends that you have at school and that environment 05:34 you just don't leave it at school 05:36 you take it home as part of your life... 05:38 I can imagine how my life would be different 05:40 if I grew up now... but definitely... 05:44 you go from school to school and place to place 05:46 you get to learn people and you get to know different cultures 05:50 not just your culture everybody's culture 05:53 and you get to know where people are 05:56 and I have to say... that is one... 05:58 I enjoy meeting people, I not only enjoy talking 06:01 about myself but I enjoy finding about what other people are into 06:06 what their interests are, that has always helped me 06:09 to keep my mind and my perspective open 06:12 so, at what point did you realize that you wanted 06:16 to go into Publishing? Ah... as a child... 06:21 I wanted to be a writer... 06:23 and that was... that pre-dated even 06:26 my father's calling... 06:27 and my father used to say to me "Oh, well he heard that I was 06:30 messing around" he says, "Well, you know 06:32 I always wanted to be a writer I always wanted to do that. " 06:34 More than anything, I think I am a product 06:37 just like many people in this generation 06:40 we grew up hearing, and grew up studying... 06:44 and know that the Lord is coming soon... 06:47 and we wanted to... 06:49 want to use our gifts and our talents 06:53 and our experience to do whatever we can... 06:56 to tell people... to do whatever we can... 06:59 to glorify God... and I think... 07:01 what we are seeing now is part of that movement... 07:05 and it shows up in so many different ways 07:09 and I always wanted to do what I could do 07:12 to spread the gospel 07:14 that was a little non-traditional at that point 07:17 thinking of it at that point... 07:18 but that's what I wanted, but along the way, you know 07:21 the Lord had me take a kind of a zig zag criss-cross journey 07:25 it wasn't just Publishing, it wasn't just Newspaper, 07:28 Magazine... I left and went into Law... 07:31 I practiced Law for 12 or 13 years 07:34 I'm still a licensed attorney Oh... 07:37 ...and you know, the Lord has His way of preparing us 07:40 in a way that He wants... And how interesting that... you 07:44 I always talk on this program about 07:48 the Plan... 07:50 the Divine Plan that God has for us and... you know 07:54 many times we might take another path... but we end up 07:59 where He wants us to be... and while we were out there... 08:03 taking that other path... we got skills that we could 08:07 apply to the Divine Plan... because it's all part of the 08:11 Divine Plan... so, you were an attorney for... 08:14 What kind of attorney were you? Well, when I left 08:17 Message Magazine back in the 90s I wanted to go to school 08:23 to learn how to advocate for children... 08:25 Hmmm... ... which off of the bat... 08:28 does not sound like it makes any money... 08:30 and it does not... off the bat... 08:34 you know... I wanted to advocate for children 08:37 you know, I remember a story, I was so frustrated 08:39 at that point, because I was an editor for Message 08:43 in Hagerstown, Maryland... a small town... 08:45 and we were joking about being in the country environment 08:47 and talking to that urban audience 08:49 but that's where I was. I was reading a story in 08:52 Time Magazine... beautiful... beautifully written piece 08:56 by this reporter who was talking about the plight of children 09:00 in many of our cities today, and he had this story 09:03 of this child who was on the swing set in the playground 09:07 just there... everybody was crowded... 09:09 people playing... running and everything 09:11 the cops were getting ready to you know... start to... 09:14 like they say on the street "trying to swoop in" 09:16 and upon seeing that... there were older kids 09:21 on the playground.. teenagers... 09:22 who had drugs on them... 09:25 stuffed them in this child's pocket... because he was young 09:28 he was under-age... he was sitting there... 09:30 on the swing... he didn't know what was going on 09:32 people ran... they left... for whatever reason, 09:36 this child got picked up and taken in, collared, 09:39 for, you know, for having drugs on him... 09:42 and the writer's point that day is, you know... just remember, 09:45 or just think of what would happen... 09:48 if on that day there was not someone there 09:52 to state his case... someone there who was not tired 09:55 not jaded by the system... not willing to say, 09:59 "Oh, this is what happened, this is what these types of 10:02 children do" or "You can't believe their story" 10:04 "You can't know what's happening to them. " 10:07 What would happen to that child 10:09 had there not been somebody to stand in for them? 10:12 and that story changed my life... 10:14 it made me want to leave my desk 10:15 in the quietude and the solitude of being there... 10:19 tucked away in a safe environment and get out there 10:22 and help... many people most of all... for children 10:26 and I went into Juvenile Law, I practiced Criminal Law 10:31 I defended both children and adults before the courts 10:35 who were there on criminal charges, 10:37 How interesting is that! So, you read an article 10:42 that literally changed your life It literally changed my life. 10:45 It took you from one focus 10:48 to another... 10:49 That's right... That is tremendous... 10:52 that is tremendous... How did you... once you decided 10:57 made that decision to leave... how long of a process was that? 11:02 Well, you know, I left... I had to apply to law school 11:05 got to get in... go to school and 11:07 take the Bar and all that sort of thing, so you know 11:10 about two or three years three years obviously... 11:12 three or four years before I could practice 11:15 and I went and I started practicing 11:17 and advocating for children, particularly children 11:20 at that point who were said to be abused or neglected 11:25 I did some work in school, educational neglect, 11:28 it was very interesting, I had a story... a case once 11:32 sometimes, I go back and forth in the middle of the story OK 11:34 Yeah, yeah... I had a case once in which 11:36 a little boy was not going to school... 11:39 and they were trying to figure out why 11:42 was he not going to school... a lot of times you go in... 11:45 I know that in your background that you're going to the home 11:48 and you see what's happening in the home 11:50 Hmmmmmm... ... and at that point, 11:51 you cannot write somebody off, because you realize 11:54 I didn't have to play those kinds of cards 11:56 I had better cards to play, or my context was different 12:01 than this... and so you are going to a home 12:03 and you see what's happening, and this little boy 12:05 we tried to figure out why is it that he did not 12:07 want to go to school, he didn't want to go to school 12:10 because when he left when he left from his mother 12:14 his mother would be beaten by his father, 12:17 Oh... ... and for him, 12:19 in his little mind, as long as he was there 12:22 he could protect her... and so he would miss 12:24 as much school under whatever threat 12:27 of suspension and detention he had 12:29 he would miss as much as he could to be there 12:33 to protect his mother... but until somebody looked at 12:36 what was happening... Yes... yes... 12:38 ...beyond the surface of what was happening 12:40 beyond what was said, you know, to be his problem 12:44 then... that's only how we can look and address the problem 12:49 What a great point that is, you know, not just looking 12:54 at the surface issue, at the manifest issue, 12:57 but looking at the latent issue, what is underneath all that 13:01 what's behind all that... so many times, 13:03 you and I were talking just prior to the taping 13:06 about the context, so many times 13:08 we use statistics without the context 13:11 That's correct... And so it just takes things 13:14 to a different place... but God put you in that 13:17 position... to go beneath the surface 13:21 and to be an advocate, and to help the least of these 13:24 Absolutely... ... those who couldn't 13:26 help themselves. I like how you put that... 13:27 "the least of these" because this is an extension 13:29 of our work... as Christians... 13:31 this is an extension of our work as people who believe 13:36 in justice and the active and transforming love of Christ 13:42 Hmmmm... hmmmm... We have to be in there 13:43 we have to help people, it's disturbing to see 13:46 the statistics that you would see 13:48 I was telling you, I was looking at that, you know, 13:51 the statistics of African-American men in prison 13:53 having worked in the criminal justice system 13:56 it is important to me... to advocate to people 14:02 across the board... Hmmm... hmmmm... 14:03 the need to recognize your Constitutional Rights 14:07 and want to see those Constitutional Rights 14:10 enforced across the board fairly... 14:13 when it is unfairly applied... when we're looking the other way 14:20 when the police stop our children 14:22 when we look at the other way, when children... many of whom... 14:26 are colored... in the classroom and you have zero tolerance 14:30 policies... when these policies affect children of color 14:34 in a different way we cannot sit back 14:37 and say, "That's them... " 14:39 This is what they do... we have to be active advocates 14:45 and God calls us to do that, and that's what I want to do. 14:50 That's tremendous, that is absolutely tremendous 14:55 really because so often we can get our nice jobs 15:00 and we can forget... those who are really struggling 15:05 really have situations misapplied... is the word 15:11 and so to go back and to say, "You know what, I've got to 15:16 reach back and I've got to help... because I want 15:19 things to be fair. " It's not about giving 15:22 inner-city kids an advantage over anybody else, 15:27 it's just leveling the playing field... 15:29 that's what we're trying to do. Or giving somebody a shot, 15:32 giving somebody a chance... Yes... yes... 15:34 I was talking to someone else, they were asking me 15:40 about my work as a criminal defense attorney 15:44 and they were asking me about... you're going in to advocate 15:48 for people... I'm not advocating as much 15:50 for the person... as I am for fairness in the system 15:53 Hmmmmm... ... and for our children and 15:57 for many communities... not just African-American 16:00 Communities... communities in which 16:02 people do not have a lot of money... 16:04 their educational resources are very limited... 16:08 Yes... ... educational opportunities 16:11 are very limited... yet... we have so many things 16:15 that we can offer in a community in which there are 16:18 limited opportunities... you and I were talking about 16:22 the background where you know about the health message 16:26 just something as simple as that can change the community. 16:30 I had the opportunity to be in California and interview 16:33 a man by the name of Ron Finley when you get a chance 16:37 you can look him up on Google and look at his talk on Ted Talk 16:41 this man... they call him the guerilla gardener 16:44 and he has... in his little home beautiful bungalow 16:49 in South Central Los Angeles and it's surrounded by a 16:54 cement block fence all around with barbed wire 17:00 looked like a terrorist den... a hideout... a compound... 17:05 you know, and when you go inside the compound 17:08 you realize this man is in there and he has a nectarine tree 17:14 growing out of a bucket... 17:16 the median along the street and the sidewalk there 17:20 that belongs to the city, that he is responsible for 17:23 maintaining... he's taken... he's planted strawberries, 17:27 Swiss chard, greens and 17:30 he has a banana tree 17:32 and he calls himself 17:33 the guerilla gardner he says, "You know I'm OK with that term" 17:36 He says, "You know, it's funny that they would call me that. " 17:38 He says, "You look around in our community right now 17:42 and there are stores and medical supply places where they have 17:47 scooters and wheelchairs, places for you to administer 17:51 and attend to your diabetes and your blood sugar, 17:54 places where you have to get your glasses 17:56 and places where you have to get everything that you can 17:59 to take care of your health after the fact... 18:02 he says, "You know, the fast-food restaurants that sell 18:05 food that clogs your arteries and veins... " 18:08 he says, "It kills more people than any other terrorist act 18:12 in the United States right now" he says, 18:14 "They are the terrorists" 18:16 they are the terrorists... Hmmmmm... Wow! 18:18 he says, "If you want to do something in your community 18:20 you grow some food in a bucket... 18:23 do something, grow your own fresh food, your herbs, 18:28 your garden, your window... 18:31 window place where you can put 18:35 flower pots with your salad materials... do something... 18:38 a little something... everything to emancipate 18:44 yourself from the prevalence of poor health, 18:48 lack of opportunity, lack of education, 18:51 all that... do a little thing and we can share that 18:55 with other people... it's not a lot... 18:58 Yeah... that's tremendous... that's tremendous... 19:01 but I'm so impressed with that whole idea of taking 19:05 where you are... and making the most of where you are... 19:09 and actually... doing things that can 19:11 impact your life profoundly 19:14 if you don't have your health, you don't have anything, 19:17 and we are, as African-Americans we are chronically... 19:20 we have chronic diseases, we're the forerunners for 19:24 chronic diseases... so if we can eat... 19:26 we have a health message as Adventists... 19:28 if we know about this and we share it 19:30 that's one of the things that I've always loved about 19:32 Message Magazine... by the way 19:34 because of the commitment to those 19:36 those dynamite recipes in there 19:38 the commitment to health... tell our viewers about Message 19:42 What is the goal of your magazine? 19:45 the mission... Well, the goal has always been 19:49 that Message would be a tool in the hand 19:52 of someone to share their faith... 19:55 Message is evangelistic, OK... 19:59 ...and it does not speak... we're trying not to 20:02 speak to the Christian per se as much as a person who is 20:07 looking for something... a person who needs a way out 20:12 and a key and a way to find something different... 20:16 a different truth, a different reality, 20:20 and to that end... the recipes do give us 20:23 another option... no it's not about firing up 20:27 the barbeque... the thing is... 20:29 something that you do traditionally... 20:30 but, as we learned in one of our 20:33 recent issues, just the fact that you're 20:36 barbequing the meat... the fat... and the charcoal 20:39 and the fire and the high amounts... as you know 20:42 the high temperatures... causes carcinogens 20:47 to go to your body and to create a problem for you 20:52 and this will create further problems... 20:54 and so... just little things like changing the way you eat 20:58 protecting that body vessel so that the Lord can say 21:03 something to you and use you in a different way... 21:05 Message has always been about that... 21:08 we do intend and we do in every issue 21:10 provide a glimpse or a slice of the life of Jesus 21:16 while He walked on this earth... 21:17 to find out... what it was that He wanted 21:21 to share with us... Yes... 21:23 What does it mean to Pray? 21:25 Our most recent issue has an article called 21:28 "Power of a Praying Christ" which in and of itself 21:33 that just had me... stopping for a moment... 21:35 you have the whole string of books 21:37 The Power of a Praying Mother, Wife... 21:39 Yes... yes... yes... just to think that Christ 21:43 Himself is praying for you... What is that? 21:46 What kind of power is that? Who else could you need 21:49 to ever pray for you? Exactly... 21:51 So we do, you know, everything from... here in this life 21:54 to the eternal implications and we want to share with people 21:58 but more... we want people to share with their friends 22:01 and their family... It's wonderful... 22:05 How affordable is Message Magazine? 22:08 That's an interesting question because I like 22:12 the flip side of it... What is it worth to you? 22:16 Come on... come on... that's it... that's it... 22:19 What is it worth to you to see somebody 22:21 that you know in the Kingdom... 22:22 Hmmmm... hmmmm... What is it worth to you? 22:25 Hmmmm... hmmmm... You know, I could spend... 22:28 I could take a few subscriptions 22:31 and see to it that the people that I know 22:35 who maybe incarcerated 22:36 or people who come from a family background 22:39 in which they haven't been shown Christ... 22:41 or... the Christ that they've been shown 22:44 is one that is not full of grace... 22:47 Hmmmmm... hmmmmm .. one who is not forgiving them 22:50 one who is exacting... how much is it worth to you 22:53 to let somebody know that? I've been telling the story 22:56 everywhere... I went down with my family 22:59 because this is the first year where we were local 23:02 to Washington... so we went down to see the 23:04 the inauguration... I put my kids and my husband 23:07 and I took our three children and we got on the metro 23:11 so my son... my middle son loves riding the trains... 23:14 he loves trains... coming back from the 23:16 inauguration... it was so crowded... 23:18 people everywhere... and we were trying to get on 23:22 the train... to go home... and the train pulled up 23:26 and people came out... they are sauntering... 23:28 you know... you only have that certain window 23:31 before they... the chime happens and the door 23:33 closes... and it's gone... Shuts... right... right... 23:34 and so I'm trying to get my children in there 23:37 so we're watching... we're standing there patiently 23:38 while people saunter off and at that moment 23:41 I saw that the door... next to us... 23:43 not the one that we were in front of... 23:45 that one opened up... and so I said, 23:47 "Quick, let's go over there... " I didn't stop to see 23:50 who is behind me... I said, "Come on, let's go" 23:52 so we moved over... I had my little son by hand 23:54 my daughter followed me and my other son and my husband 23:56 were back there... I didn't worry about him... 23:59 he's a grown man... so... we got on the train 24:02 and I turned around and there... I had my son... 24:05 my daughter... the doors closed on her backpack 24:09 and I pulled her in... and there's my son 24:12 with his hands in the door "Mom, mom... " 24:14 and he... immediately I was panicked 24:17 everybody on the train just froze 24:19 because his hands were stuck in the door... 24:22 and all I could see or all I could envision 24:24 was that something would happen and he would be dragged 24:27 Yes... ... and so, I pushed him off 24:29 of there... and I went over to the other door and I looked 24:32 out... and I said, you know, "Dad, go with dad... " 24:35 I thought that my husband got on maybe he had got on 24:37 a car behind us... but I looked out 24:40 my husband was standing there 24:42 with my child... you know... we have numerous children... 24:47 so, thank God for that, but what sunk into me 24:52 was that it's my responsibility to make sure... they're there 24:57 I'm the mother, I got to get them on the train 24:59 am I OK with leaving any of my children 25:04 even in the train station... leaving them behind... 25:08 Am I OK with that? and I believe that the Lord 25:11 helped me go through that as an Object Lesson 25:14 as a Christian... I'm busy about my own task... my own life 25:20 my own ministry... not taking the time to make sure 25:25 I'm bringing somebody along... Hmmmm... 25:27 Am I OK with the people in my circle 25:31 and in my life that I'm not bringing along... 25:35 is it OK with me... that my hairdresser 25:38 a woman that I spend so much time telling my 25:41 deepest secrets to... am I OK that she doesn't know the Lord 25:46 or she doesn't know that He's coming back soon... 25:49 Come on... You know... 25:50 Yes... We've got to get to that point 25:53 where we're not OK with our own busy lifestyle... 25:57 Yes... We're not OK with the things 25:59 as status quo... driving blindly... in this life 26:04 thinking that, you know, it's all about me and my family 26:07 and that's what we're trying to do... 26:09 just bring it back... full circle... 26:11 I want to make sure that people know that... 26:13 That's wonderful... Don't leave them... 26:16 Don't leave them behind... Don't leave them behind... 26:19 That's wonderful... because that's what it's all about 26:24 as Christians because God's given us entrusted us 26:28 with this plan... that we can share 26:30 and how better to do it than through media 26:35 whether it's the printed word or television or radio 26:38 all that... God has given us these tools... to use... 26:41 and I love what you said about someone that's incarcerated... 26:45 there's so many young men... that would love to get some mail 26:49 let's make the mail count... 26:51 That's right... ... count for Jesus... 26:53 let's make it count for Jesus... 26:55 We had an interesting situation in our office... 26:59 in the last 2 or 3 weeks... which we had... 27:02 a man that was incarcerated write us... 27:05 He said, "I appreciate Message Magazine 27:07 I share it with the people around me 27:10 it has done a lot to keep my spirits up 27:13 and to assure me that there is something better 27:16 for me in this life... " he said, "I sure would like 27:19 to know who is sending me Message Magazine... " 27:22 and we wondered... "You know... well... 27:24 do we need to let him... you know... so we looked around 27:27 and we tried to figure out 27:28 we went back to the records... before we could even write him 27:31 it was his mother... it was his mother... 27:35 and she called us up... coincidently and said, 27:39 "Yes, I'm sending my son Message Magazine 27:42 I didn't know, he didn't know, 27:43 but I'm glad it's working for him. " 27:46 How better to end than that... Thank you so much 27:48 for being with us... What a blessing you are... 27:51 and thank you so much for tuning in... 27:54 We love you... tune in next time 27:56 you know... it just wouldn't be the same 27:58 without you. |
Revised 2025-01-15