Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Louie T. McClain II. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Louie T., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

There I was. Sitting in the Major’s office with my mother by my side. She drove to Pensacola to be with me during this troublesome time I was experiencing, and I needed her consolation. As I sat in the office and held the letter I prepared the night prior… I began to think about events which got me to this point.

The year was 2008 and I was fresh out of college, a semester early. A year prior, I completed an internship with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and I enjoyed the work so much that I went on to volunteer with the juvenile probation department after the internship terminated. That’s where I met Therese Moses – a great friend who inspired this article.

Therese was the Supervisor of the juvenile probation department and she gave me so much insight into the best ways to communicate with children and positively intervene in their lives. Time spent and conversations with her while volunteering helped me figure my five-year plan after college. My plan was to graduate with my B.S. in Criminal Justice, work in the juvenile detention center as I completed my Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and then work with Therese in juvenile probation for a few years before moving back home to Texas for a higher salary and position.

See, Therese would have hired me as a probation officer directly after college, but unfortunately, my school was unaccredited at the time. Imagine that! I was still looked at as a high school graduate even though I graduated college. But tragedy struck shortly after I began working at the detention center in Pensacola, or, more like a foolish injury. One moment I’m shaking hands and excited to meet my new coworkers and the next moment I’m lying on the roof of my coworker’s house with a tree branch embedded in my leg. Yeah, I definitely shouldn’t have volunteered to help the old man with his yard work.

After surgery, five screws, and a metal plate inserted into my broken ankle, the detention center advised me that they would have to terminate my employment since, practically, I was of no use to them. Nevertheless, that’s when I received the kindest gesture, a blessing, from my good friend Therese Moses. Therese stood in the gap for me. After telling her about the ordeal I was in, Therese rallied any and every juvenile probation officer she could find in Escambia County, Florida and she pleaded with them on my behalf to donate a portion of their sick leave to me.

As I sat in the Major’s office with fear in my heart and the feeling of despair due to a dream deferred… as I sat there and began to read the letter I prepared – the major interrupted me. “Louie,” he said, “we called you here today to inform you that you can take all the time you need to rest up and recover. Therese Moses has created a sick leave pool for you and now you have more than enough time to heal. Come back to work when you get better.” Immediately, I dropped the letter on the floor and began to cry tears of joy. I was in utter shock and disbelief, yet deeply grateful for the blessedness of a true friend.

Therese believed in me and she gave me an opportunity to fulfil my potential. In a world overladen with numbers, material things, and schemes to capitalize… I found a true believer in humanity. I found a true friend who lived from her heart’s core and transcended every limitation that causes others to stumble. I literally am honored to call Therese Moses my friend and I remain indebted to her for her love and selflessness.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Louie T. McClain II is the Founder and CEO of Melanin Origins: a children’s book company that writes about the intriguing lives of African American leaders, pioneers, and innovators. Louie is intrigued by the resilience and tenacity of African American leaders who stand for truth, justice, and overcoming any obstacles placed in their way. Thus, he decided to create Melanin Origins to share messages of lesser-known African American pioneers to the children of the world and empower them to aspire for excellence and chase their dreams regardless of any complications they may face.

Melanin Origins is a publishing company that specializes in children’s books about lesser known African American Pioneers and focuses on rebuilding a connection to our cultural and spiritual past. Their mission is to provide quality educational materials that inspire young minds to aspire for excellence while embracing their heritage & their vision is to become the largest Culturally Competent book provider in the USA.

Mr. McClain has authored six (6) book titles including Brick by Brick: a Snippet of The Life of Booker T. Washington, his autobiography, Up From The Trap, for emerging leaders, and his latest children’s book, Abraham’s Great Love.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I can almost laugh at this question because life is all about change. The only thing that is constant is change actually, and one must know how to thrive once change comes a-knockin at the door. Yet, before thriving comes the pivot. I wish the rest of my life was filled with superheroes like Therese Moses, but life showed me otherwise. Therese came to my aid and saved my budding career early on, but there was much that God wanted me to learn on my own after that.

Through it all, I learned that change is to be embraced. It can be analyzed, but only with the objective of ensuring that your response to the change will serve your greater purpose. I learned that we cannot control anything except ourselves, and since that’s true – I learned that I must first teach myself and build my character to work with life and make the proper adjustments that are needed. We thrive when we make the necessary adjustments and continue to live from our heart’s core. Yet, I am still learning to die to self in the midst of change.

I could share multiple stories, but the pivot I hope for on a daily basis is to be in position to bless others, daily, the way Therese Moses was able to bless me.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

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Contact Info:

• Website: https://melaninorigins.com/
• Instagram: @MelaninOrigins
• Facebook: @MelaninOrigins
• Linkedin: Louie T. McClain II
• Twitter: @MelaninOrigins
• Youtube: @MelaninOrigins