TRADITIONAL VALUES ARE POPULAR IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY

What do these four people all have in common: Wardell Stephen “Steph” Curry, II, better known as Steph Curry, Ayesha Alexander Curry, Carvin Haggins and BriaMarie?

Yes, they are all involved in entertainment at the highest levels. Yes, they all have achieved some measure of success within the industry. Yes, they are all Black. Yes, they are all Christians and yes they are all Americans.

But I think the other things they have in common are infinitely more important. They have never received a congratulatory phone call from President Obama for their courage to come out of the closet about their Christian faith. They have never been interviewed on MSNBC. They have never been cited by Sen. Harry Reid or Rep. Nancy Pelosi for speaking up for those who don’t have a voice and they have never been invited by Michelle Obama to sit in her box during the State of the Union.

While these snubs should be worn as a badge of honor, it also points to the fact that Blacks who have committed to living a “values-based” life are quite often and intentionally ignored.

These four individuals are each in the public eye and are not hesitant to talk about their Christian faith as the key to them enjoying the level of success each of them has attained. By any standard, they have all proven to be model citizens, both publically and privately. They all live “PG” lifestyles.

But, the real reason people like these are so often ignored in and by the media is because they are Black, heterosexual, American citizens, who are God fearing Christians.

Stephen and Ayesha met at a church youth group in North Carolina. They were 15 and 14 respectively. They both attended Davidson College and there they began dating. They married in July of 2011.

They asked their friends to forego getting them wedding presents, but instead to make a contribution to ThanksUSA, a charitable organization that provides college scholarships for the children of those serving in the military. Curry serves as their national spokesman.

Curry’s team, the Golden State Warriors, won the NBA championship this past June and Curry was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the NBA for 2015.

During his acceptance speech, Curry said, “First and foremost I have to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for blessing me with the talent to play this game…I do a little sign on the court every time I make a score or make a good pass, I pound on my chest and point to the sky; that symbolizes that I have a heart for God…and as a reminder of who I am playing for…People should know who I represent and why I am who I am and that’s because of my Lord and Savior.”

Even Curry’s line of basketball shoes with Under Armour comes with a Bible verse on each pair for which he has come under some criticism ala former NFLer, Tim Tebow. Curry’s wife is a successful actress, model, and a mom.

Carvin Haggins is a multi-Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer who has worked with some of the biggest names in music—Algebra, Justin Timberlake, Ledisi, Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, Chris Brown, BriaMarie and Jazmine Sullivan to name a few.

Haggins, who is also an ordained minister, has the audacity to think that he could write positive, uplifting songs and still have his music at the top of all the music charts. His record label, Ethical Music Entertainment, will only work with artists who are committed to living a “values-based” life.

BriaMarie is the first artist signed to Haggins label. Her inaugural CD, “Freshman,” was just released last year.

She is a native of Columbia, Md., and a graduate of Temple University (with a 3.8 GPA). She has what I call “brains, beauty, and values (BBV).” She sings, writes, and plays several instruments, but most importantly, she is a Christian woman of virtue.

Her CD takes you on her journey through her metamorphosis from a caterpillar into a beautiful black butterfly. She was bullied most of her life, therefore she has taken up this issue as one of her charitable initiatives. She travels across the country sharing with students her personal story of how she overcame the effects of bullying in her life.

People of faith cannot count on the mainstream media to promote and highlight those of us who have chosen to live a values based life. The values-based community must do a much better job of highlighting those who are living examples of a values-based lifestyle.

The four people in this column are not exceptions to the rule, but rather they are the norm. The liberal media would have you believe that people like Beyoncé, Bruce Jenner, Michael Sam and Miley Cyrus are the norm. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In the Black community especially, these four people are our norm. They represent our traditions and they live our values. Politically, no one reaches out to this group and the liberal media wants to continue to perpetuate the myth that there are no values-based celebrities who are Black.

If you share the above values, I strongly encourage you to support all the projects these individuals are involved in. Only then can we take back our country.

Raynard Jackson is founder and chairman of Black Americans for a Better Future (BAFBF), a federally registered 527 Super PAC established to get more Blacks involved in the Republican Party. BAFBF focuses on the Black entrepreneur. For more information about BAFBF, visit www.bafbf.org.

PHOTO CAPTION: Raynard Jackson says that the real reason people like these are so often ignored in and by the media is because they are Black, heterosexual, American citizens, who are God fearing Christians.