“He had me work with him to plan some SGA activities. We would have all kinds of activities such as lip sync. Back then, we would have VHS tapes, kind of karaoke style, record the tapes in the Union, and much more. We just had all of these events, once a month, that SGA sponsored for free.
Another fond memory of her Huston-Tillotson years was becoming the student director of student activities through a newly-created scholarship. Her duties included the authority to approve and remove flyers.
Now, fast forward back to Dallas where the Mays first lived, soon, the two would welcome their first child, a baby girl. Then, five years later, another girl arrived. Two years later, Anthony got his baby boy, who is now two years old. Small children mean that there is hardly a dead moment in the Mays’ home, now in Houston. When there is such a moment, Belinda seizes it to start writing on her fourth children’s book. That is right; Mays also is an author, or what
It’s a funny story, literally, of how her storytelling began. Mays is a member of Toastmasters International, a worldwide educational nonprofit that promotes public speaking and overall communication skills. (Sounds familiar, huh; Mays returns to her love for communication.)
Toastmasters held a speech contest, and Mays jumped in it. She wrote a speech about her father who was a military man (Air Force). She titled the story, “My Amazing Dad.” It was a thrilling speech that ended somehow with her dad fighting a roach. Yes, Mays laughed all over again. She won the contest and was encouraged to turn the speech into a story.
In 2013, her father passed away. At the time, Mays was in a self-publishing class at a local bookstore. She put her new skills to work and wrote her first book to honor her dad, entitled the same, “My Amazing Dad.”
Soon,
“I was very intentional about what I was writing. In this book, mom goes off for business, and dad takes care of their daughter. The book teaches time concepts. Further, when they see a dad on the cover, little girls get excited. This representation matters. I felt like I finally found my purpose because this will last and help people.”
Mays found her purpose and is now living in it, enjoying her day job while serving her purpose.
Her latest book, “I Am, God’s Affirmations for Little Girls,” is number one on Amazon under children’s Bible study reference books. She even was able to get Poet Nikki Giovanni to read the book. Giovanni, in turn, sent Mays a special note of encouragement and praise about the book. (While at HT, Mays was able to perform for Giovanni at a local poetry slam after tying for third place. That performance came full circle when Giovanni reconnected with her.) Mays wrote this book because her husband started teaching their daughters to recite their affirmations.
“My four and nine-year-old, since two years old, have recited, ‘I am beautiful, I am smart, and I am God’s child.’ I wanted to write a book that use Bible verses and poetry to help parents teach their little girls about affirmation. It’s not the beauty we think of in the world; it’s more inner beauty such as helping your granny and making sure your attitude is positive and everlasting, no matter how old you are.”
At the time when writing her books, Mays eventually wants to start a nonprofit to be able to give books away, not just her books but all books that align with her life’s philosophies. She envisions giving away backpacks of books to every student at a high school in a disadvantaged community.
“I want to go find these students and help spark an interest in reading,”
