You’d think that after the editors at Ebony saw our 2004 cover with Bishop T.D. Jakes, they would have said, “No way. Can’t be done better. That is the Bishop Jakes cover. We have to find someone else.” But no. They went ahead and put him on their April cover. I like what he’s doing with the beard there. Taking a page out of Zac Crain’s playbook. Here’s the full press release from Ebony:
Bishop T.D. Jakes – mega church founder and pastor, New York Times best-selling author, global humanitarian, film producer, TV and radio host, conference leader, and spiritual adviser – graces the cover of EBONY magazine’s April issue. The publication offers readers 175 tips on how to transform their life.
Known internationally for his sermons on spirituality and transformation, Jakes shares with EBONY readers his secrets to achieving innermost desires, and provides tips from his new book, Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive, scheduled for release in early May.
“Success is accomplished when you know your purpose and accomplish things you were put on this earth to do,” said Jakes when discussing his keys to success.
In the article, Jakes continues, “Instinct is something you sense; it’s just there in you. He added, “…I have had the privilege of being close to [people] who have done exceptional things. They accomplished great feats not because of intellect, but instinct.”
Jakes also advises against conforming and promotes transforming by stating, “Some people are trying to conform to what they see around them. Transformation is more about the outworking of what’s inside of you. You can only transform into what you are intrinsically.”
In addition to the features on transformation, EBONY has released a special report, “Guess Who’s Coming to the Prom” on teenaged interracial dating.
According to research conducted by Frank N. Magrid Associates, Inc., today’s teens are more likely to interact with a diverse circle of friends, and according to the Pew Research Center, 15 percent of new marriages in 2010 were interracial, compared to 6.7 percent in 1980. These statistics, along with the growing trend of interracial couples seen in pop culture (i.e. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Scandal’s Olivia Pope and President Fitz, and John Legend and Christine Teigen), are a reflection of the growing trend of teenagers dating outside of their race. Inside the issue, readers will learn the impact this has on society and how race overall is impacting the country.
“I tell my children they should find love wherever it is good,” said Lonnae O’Neal Parker, an African American mother. “I realize that I mean that more with my daughters than I do with my son. Race still matters in subtle ways as we try to make sure that our kids’ self-esteem is intact.”
