Born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker grew up in extreme poverty, navigating a world shaped by segregation and racial violence. Her early life was marked by instability, survival, and limited opportunity—circumstances that could have easily defined her future.

This Favor Fridays with Tony™, and on the 20th day of Women’s History Month, we spotlight a woman who refused to wait for permission from a world that told her “no.” A woman who didn’t just chase her dreams… She flew above every barrier placed in her way. Her name was Bessie Coleman and her story is a masterclass in what it looks like when favor meets fearless faith.

Many know the famous names of the Civil Rights Movement—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and others. But behind those towering figures were countless men and women whose courage fueled the movement from the ground up. Among them was a woman born into poverty in Mississippi who would one day speak words that shook the conscience of a nation. Her name was Fannie Lou Hamer, and she embodied the kind of courage that Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™ must carr

Spaces where imagination is celebrated. Spaces where creativity flourishes. Spaces where people who might feel “different” in everyday life suddenly realize they are surrounded by thousands of people just like them. Comic conventions—better known as comic cons—are one of those spaces. And on this Friday the 13th, it feels especially fitting to talk about the favor of safe spaces for creativity, fandom, and joy.

It shines a spotlight on a chapter of history many people The Woman King accomplished when it debuted in theaters. The film tells the remarkable story of the Agojie—an elite unit of female warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey during the 18th and 19th centuries. This 12th day of Women’s History Month, The Woman King stands as a perfect reminder that history is filled with extraordinary women whose courage shaped the world—even if their stories were overlooke

Sometimes you survive the battle and still collapse afterward. Sometimes the enemy is defeated, but the cost of the fight keeps bleeding in your spirit. Sometimes the danger is over, but the sorrow has only just begun. That is one of the deepest truths beating at the heart of Chapter 12: “Pain and Sorrow” from Book II of S.O.L.A.D.™: It’s Just the Beginning.

Some seasons feel like they happen in darkness — seasons where we are hidden, confined, waiting for the right moment to move. There was a woman in American history who knew that kind of waiting intimately. Her name was Harriet Jacobs. For seven long years, she lived hidden in darkness — confined to a crawlspace barely large enough to sit upright — while the world moved on outside. But her story reminds us of something powerful: Hidden does not mean forgotten.

One of the most powerful films that brings these hidden legacies into the light is Hidden Figures, the remarkable story of three African American women whose mathematical brilliance helped propel NASA’s early space program. For Women’s History Month, this film stands as more than entertainment—it is a reminder of what happens when brilliance meets perseverance, even in the face of discrimination, doubt, and systemic barriers.

People are overwhelmed by conflict. Confused by truth. Exhausted by division. Discouraged by violence. And spiritually drained by a culture that often seems to celebrate chaos more than courage. In times like these, stories that deal honestly with good and evil, courage and fear, sacrifice and redemption are not just entertaining—they are important. That is why stories like S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™ resonate so deeply with readers.

Truth is a seed. Obedience is a seed. Identity is a seed. And even suffering, when surrendered to God, becomes fertile ground. Sojourner Truth’s life was not accidental. It was agricultural.

Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822 as Araminta Ross, she endured brutality, forced labor, family separation, and a severe head injury inflicted by an overseer. That injury caused lifelong seizures and vivid spiritual visions. But what some might have labeled disability became, in her testimony, divine sensitivity. She believed God spoke to her. And when she believed God spoke — she moved.

This 27th day of Black History Month, we honor the extraordinary courage of Ida B. Wells, a journalist, educator, and anti-lynching crusader who confronted one of the darkest realities in American history — racial terror disguised as justice. She did not confront it with weapons. She confronted it with words. And in doing so, she revealed something powerful: Truth, when anchored in conviction, becomes spiritual warfare.

And in Chapter 5: “Second Encounter” from Book I of S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™, that alarm doesn’t just interrupt a day—it interrupts a life. It forces a decision. It reveals what was really built during the quiet weeks nobody applauded. Because let’s be honest: most of us love the idea of purpose…until purpose shows up in a crisis and says, “Prove it.”

Today on Tony Tips Tuesdays™, we’re going deeper than surface-level character growth. We’re talking about characters who embrace change — not those who are dragged into it unwillingly, not those who adapt passively, but those who consciously choose transformation. And because this is the 24th day of Black History Month, we will ground this conversation in the life of Ida B. Wells, whose transformation from teacher to investigative crusader reshaped history.

The heroes we carry with us—the ones we talk about years later—are the ones who tremble. The ones who feel. The ones who crack under the weight and then choose, somehow, to stand back up. Today's Tony Tips Tuesdays™, I want to talk about something that separates surface-level storytelling from emotionally powerful storytelling: Vulnerability in your hero.

If you want a case study in what happens when America sowed voter suppression and attempted to harvest democracy, look no further than Fannie Lou Hamer and the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

On February 15, 1968, tension was building in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Black students at South Carolina State College were protesting segregation at a local bowling alley. They were unarmed. They were organized. They were disciplined. They were not rioting. They were not looting. They were asking for dignity. Three days later, on February 8, state troopers opened fire on those students, killing three young Black men and wounding many others.

This Favor Fridays with Tony™ — on the 13th day of Black History Month — we honor the favor that turns survival into proclamation, and endurance into testimony. Today, we spotlight Frederick Douglass, a man who understood that sometimes favor doesn’t just free you — it commissions you.

In Chapter 2: Destiny’s Call from Book I of S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™, Kevin Darryl Edwards wakes up shaking. Not from pizza. Not from imagination. Not from random anxiety. But from a recurring dream. Same unknown people. Same key moments. Same message building toward something bigger. And what does Kevin do? He looks out the window at the storm and asks: “God, what are You trying to tell me through these dreams?”

Soldier of Light Against Darkness™, one of the greatest acts of courage is not rebellion—it is refusal. Refusing to bend. Refusing to blend in. Refusing to become what the system expects you to be in order to survive it. Throughout Black history, courage often looked like staying clean in environments designed to soil the soul. And that kind of courage still matters today.