Negativity and selfishness gets great publicity in our social networking, indirect-contact society. You’d be led to believe the world’s running low on good people and that no one cares for or respects one another anymore. Their only concerns are themselves; and when they’re in need, no one is willing to lend them a hand without reward.
This is not the case. Kind, caring, selflessly-generous people still exist. Areva Martin, Esq. is a shining example.
Known as one of the leading voices in American media, the gifted and outspoken host of The Special Report is truly a remarkable person. An awarding winning attorney and graduate of Harvard Law School, she founded the civil rights firm Martin & Martin, LLP in Los Angeles. Her golden statements on the law, life, racial issues, and popular culture have made her a viewership favorite on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, NPR and Dr. Phil. She shares her expertise regularly as a standout CNN Legal Analyst.
Martin is also a best-selling author. Her Make It Rain: How to Use the Media to Revolutionize Your Business and Brand topped bestseller lists for Barnes & Nobel, Amazon and Nielsen. A leading autism advocate who is the mother of a child with autism, her best-selling book The Everyday Advocate: Standing Up for Your Child with Autism and Other Special Needs is an important fixture of parental literature.
Recognizing disparities in healthcare for Black communities across America, Martin launched behavioral health app Butterflly Health. Specifically crafted for undeserved communities, it creates a soft-entry point for people to better understand their mental health.
While good at what she does, she’s also a good person and one who believes in helping others.
I asked Areva Martin to tell me about a time when she did something nice for someone she didn’t know. Here’s what she shared.
“A couple of weeks ago, I went to a popular upscale outdoor mall in LA to meet a friend. While sitting on a bench outside a department store, I watched two teen African-American girls approach shoppers trying to sell them candy. They were making a pitch that they were raising money for their traveling sports team.
I have seen kids selling candy for school and sports teams before. However, never at this mall which has strict no solicitation rules. The mall has heightened its security staff because following the murder of George Floyd, it was targeted by looters who broke into stores and stole merchandise and trashed the sides of buildings.
I could see the all-white security guards circling the area where the girls were approaching guests with their sales pitch. I felt uneasy and as a mother of three, frankly, I was worried that this could turn ugly. Several of the shoppers who were approached were visibly annoyed to the point of yelling at the girls. I suspect anonymous shoppers alerted mall security.
I watched this series of events while contemplating what I could do to avert a scene with shoppers and prevent the girls from being publicly humiliated; confronted by guards; and removed from the mall; or worse, arrested for violating the strict no solicitation policy. Visions of overly aggressive cops showing up and a physical altercation where the girls ended up on the ground in handcuffs flooded my mind.
Still no signs of my friend and realizing that the teens were too young and naive to appreciate the looming explosive situation created by their otherwise harmless efforts to fulfill their dreams of traveling with their basketball team, I decided to take action.
I got up from my comfortable seated position and approached the two teens. I asked them a flurry of questions about their school, their fundraising efforts and goals, and even their grades and hobbies. After feeling that I had gained their trust, I offered them $100 donation towards their effort. I also quietly told them that they should probably pack it up for the day and either find a new location or spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the beautiful outdoor mall.
Just as we were wrapping up our conversation and I was getting them to agree to my suggestions, two security guards from the mall arrived. They didn’t have to wait around for the guards to approach them. They got the message and started walking off. I wished them well and gave the guards a firm look, letting them know that I had already handled it and their presence wasn’t needed.
I didn’t see the teens during the rest of my visit to the mall. I don’t know if they actually left or took my advice to enjoy the scene. But I do know that in my interaction with them not only did they get a little closer to their fundraising goal, they also knew that a Black mother of three cared about them, their efforts and their humanity.” |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
“We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving.” – ‘We Are the World’
