5 First Steps

In Five First Steps: Suggestions on How Black Americans Might Save Themselves, Vickey Wilcher delivers five short essays that lay out the steps she believes Black Americans from all walks of life will need to take to save themselves from extinction. The essays speak to historical and socio-culture norms that have often led or forced many Black Americans to think of themselves, and to live as less than. Each essay then calls for Black Americans to take specific actions to change the way they think about and treat themselves and one another so that the group is prepared to take the lead in raising itself to equity of personhood, socio-economic equality and the inalienable right to sustained existence.

In Five First Steps: Suggestions on How Black Americans Might Save Themselves, Vickey Wilcher delivers five short essays that lay out the steps she believes Black Americans from all walks of life will need to take to save themselves from extinction. The essays speak to historical and socio-culture norms that have often led or forced many Black Americans to think of themselves, and to live as less than. Each essay then calls for Black Americans to take specific actions to change the way they think about and treat themselves and one another so that the group is prepared to take the lead in raising itself to equity of personhood, socio-economic equality and the inalienable right to sustained existence. Through these five essays readers are offered practical, easy to follow suggestions on how to accept and embrace personal and group responsibility for changing past cultural, systemic and oppressive challenges into the building blocks needed to ensure an overall enhancement in the quality and sustainability of life for Black American individuals, families and communities—And as a result, the whole of American Society.

A Community Relations practitioner and Executive and Life Coach with more than 20 years of experience in community engagement in the Washington, DC area. Vickey Wilcher has a proven ability to build coalitions and collaborative partnerships that cross neighborhoods, political party lines and, sociocultural and socioeconomic boundaries. She often addresses the needs of children and young adults in her work. She is a published song writer and local columnist. Her work in the political arena is best expressed by several local and state election victories and through her work with various constituencies. Ms. Wilcher launched her career in Executive and Life Coaching in 2005. Since the start of her coaching practice she has successfully coached top government executives, business owners, and a number of women, children and young adults. Ms. Wilcher holds Bachelor of Arts degrees from Trinity College in Communications and Human Relations, a Master of Arts from Hood College in Human Sciences and a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Georgetown University. Ms. Wilcher currently lives in West Virginia, where she writes and runs Vox Omnis Executive and Life Coaching, LLC.