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.

Monday, February 1, 1960, four young Black men sat down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. They did not raise their voices. They did not raise their fists. They raised their resolve. They sat—and refused to move.

If you want your story to resonate, if you want your characters’ bravery to feel earned and unforgettable, you must be willing to let their courage hurt. Today on Tony Tips Tuesdays™, we’re talking about how to write courage with consequences—bravery that leaves scars, changes outcomes, and refuses to let the story return to “normal.”

When the enemy realizes he cannot break you through sudden blows, blatant temptation, or outright fear, he changes tactics. He switches strategies. He moves from destruction to depletion. From attack to attrition. From breaking you to wearing you down.

Rudolph isn’t just a holiday icon. He is a symbol of resilience.A reminder that rejection is not the end of the story. A beacon for anyone who has ever felt left out, misunderstood, or underestimated. His journey — from outcast to Christmas legend — continues to shine because it teaches something every generation needs:✨ The world needs your light, especially when it doesn’t understand it.

God develops His greatest warriors in secret places. He strengthens His champions in shadows, not stages. The shadows are not your punishment —they are your preparation. God hides you to shape you. He shields you to strengthen you. He shelters you to sharpen you. Everything He is building in you right now is happening away from public eyes — but it is not wasted. Heaven sees everything you’re becoming.

Sometimes the Commander allows the battlefield to grow dark so He can give you a new kind of sight. Every warrior must learn night vision. Because anyone can see God in sunshine — but it takes a trained soldier to recognize Him in shadows. Dark seasons are not proof of defeat. They are proof of development. They are invitations to deeper vision, sharper discernment, and greater dependence on the Commander’s voice.

Before the MCU dominated the world…before superhero movies became billion-dollar universes…there was a shy kid from Queens with a camera, a crush, and a destiny he didn’t ask for. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy wasn’t just entertainment. It was emotional. It was spiritual. It was personal. It taught us that heroism is born from heartbreak, refined by sacrifice, and sustained by love. And more than two decades later, the trilogy still resonates — because it speaks to the heart

God often goes quiet right before the breakthrough, right before the miracle, right before the strike. When the Commander stops speaking, it is not a punishment — it is a positioning. He is not ignoring you…He is preparing you. He is not distant…He is drawing you deeper. He is not silent because He is uninvolved…He is silent because He is working behind the scenes, beneath the surface, and beyond your sight. Silence is not the absence of God — it is the atmosphere before His