Northern VA Speaker & Author Deborah L. Parker Kicks off Black History Month Programs

RESTON, Va. - Feb. 1, 2014 - PRLog -- Deborah kicks off her Black History Month speaking tour on Sunday February 2 from 2-3:30pm at the Reston Virginia Museum with a topic, The Promised Land Journey for Civil Rights: Make It Personal. Then on Saturday February 8 from 2 – 3:30 pm she’ll present Strength, Soul, & Spirit: Breakthrough Stories in Black History at the Cascades Library in Sterling. This same program will move to Alexandria’s Beatley Central Library on Saturday February 22 from  1– 2:30 pm. Deborah returns to Reston’s Reston Regional Library with Greatest Generations - Lessons from Personal and Family History on Saturday March 1 from 2- 3:30 pm.

In these programs she builds on a lot!  Deborah grew up poor, black, and a good student in a segregated Waverly Virginia, located in Sussex County at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Her mother was a single parent of four,domestic turned factory worker and they lived with her maternal grandparents in a shotgun style house with no indoor plumbing on a wooded back road. But her mother was determined and her grandparents wise, plus they all emphasized how important it was to 'git your lessin'. With Dr. King's work and these elements along with her Baptist upbringing, Deborah pushed onward with a dream.

A key marker was attending The College of William and Mary, graduating in 1977, just several years after its doors were opened to black students. Then her family eventually moved to homes with indoor bathrooms and better jobs. She became an army officer and pursued other goals in spite of numerous obstacles. Deborah claims victory from these hallmarks!

Over the past 50 plus years Deborah continues to dream and recognize for this country, community and herself. Thinking of the 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and how 50 years ago the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the March on Washington changed America, plus the 1964 Civil Rights Act was signed; she understands the power and impacts of these events. They are foundational.

So now Deborah uses the gifts and wits gained from these historical and personal experiences to be of service to others in the messages of her writing and speaking.

Through her company, The DPJ Training Group, Deborah has been providing leadership, diversity and personal development learning programs for private and public sector clients for over 15 years. Using the tools of 360 feedback and other developmental assessments, she has also coached all levels of employees through periods of significant change in their career and personal lives. To solidify her work, Deborah blends her academic background of a B.A. in Sociology, M.A. in Human Resource Development from George Mason University with career stops as an Army reserve officer and corporate manager, to ensure best result outcomes for her customers. She is a member of the Metro DC Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development, Loudoun County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and other community groups. Deborah has penned four books, to include her motivational autobiography, Navigating Life's Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey. These books chronicle highlights of her life's setbacks and successes, leadership and history with the themes of career, family, and choices in a motivating format with relatable takeaways for readers. One of her books, For People of Strength, Soul, and Spirit: 7 Guidelines for Life & Career Success which focuses on African American goal achievement, was listed as suggested reading in a March 2013 Ebony magazine article. More information on her books and speaking can be found at; http://www.navigatinglifesroadways.com/