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ChanteSez … Get ‘over’ it

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You’ve seen or heard it lots of times: Her boyfriend has downloaded over 50 movies. Over 51 percent of African-Americans who are online don’t have broadband (a true fact!). There’s no chance of over 300 people showing up to the concert.

But you’ve got to get “over” it. While these sentences may sound OK, you should replace “over” with “more than.”

Here’s the tip: If you’re working with quantities, use “more than” one word (“over”).

  • Her boyfriend has downloaded more than 50 movies.
  • More than 51 percent of African-Americans who are online don’t have broadband.
  • There’s no chance of more than 300 people showing up to the concert.

Inspiring advice from Essence emeritus editor Susan L. Taylor

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The Home Depot’s African American Pulse resource group hosted speaker Susan L. Taylor last week at the company’s Atlanta headquarters as part of a Black History Month celebration.

Taylor was congenial and conversational as she offered inspiring advice to the audience of Home Depot employees and special guests.

The emeritus editor of Essence — who started at the black female-focused magazine with just a high school diploma — kicked off the presentation with a video encouraging viewers to mentor a child.

Among other notable achievements, such as being the first black woman to be inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors Association Hall of Fame, Taylor is the founder of the National CARES Mentoring Movement.

I was near tears just moments into the video, in which Mariah Carey, Danny Glover, Terrence Howard, Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities talked about the particular need for mentors to serve African-American youth.


After the video (the above is a shorter version), Taylor talked about a wide range of topics, from how she began in the magazine business to eating for life.

Here’s just some of the inspiring advice from Taylor.

  • “Give from the overflow.” In other words, give of those things that you have in abundance. And you can only do that if you are taking the time to renew and refresh yourself, so that you can build back those reserves. When you’re not giving from the overflow, there’s drama. That drama can occur just about anywhere — in your home, on the job, anywhere there are other humans involved.
  • You have to understand the position you have now, and what it means for you in your life at this particular moment. Think about the route you’ve traveled, and use that to put your current position in context.
  • Recognize and honor your position, whatever it may be. Show up! Remember that you are standing on the shoulders of those who came before you, and do them the honor of working with excellence.

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