From rags to riches to replicas, all in one book
HoodCelebrityy ‘champions’ her new single
Caribbean Life, JUNE 25-JULY 1, 2021 39
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Start small, plan big.
You don’t have to have much
for the former, just a little love
and a place to launch. The latter,
though, that takes some
work. You have to see the goal,
hold your confidence tight, and
know yourself well. And then,
as in the new book “Where
You Are is Not Who You Are”
by Ursula M. Burns, you step
up and fly.
When she was a child growing
up in a New York tenement,
Ursula Burns never thought
about how much her mother
sacrificed for her and her
siblings. The family had food,
shelter, a TV, school, and clothing.
It wasn’t until Burns was
almost grown that she realized
what a feat this was: her single,
Panamanian-born mother kept
the family going on $4,400 a
year.
Somehow, despite the lack
of income, Burns was able to
attend a Manhattan Catholic
school, where she excelled in
her studies and learned that
being vocal could make a difference
in how things were
run. This outspokenness did
indeed make change, but it also
led to a certain amount of chiding
when she was an adult.
Upon graduation, Burns says
she had her pick of several
major colleges, but she chose
Brooklyn Polytech, after having
decided upon a career based on
the its potential income. It was
heavily steeped in math, a skill
she was good at but her moreprivileged
classmates were
better; it took a few months
to catch up before she began
tutoring others in math class.
Burns loved school and she
was grateful for the help she
got from New York’s Higher
Education Opportunity Program
(HEOP) , which provided
support, both career-wise and
economically.
At the end of her junior
year in college, she accepted
an internship position at Xerox
and the company supported
her while she got her master’s
degree. Upon graduation,
she took the full-time job they
offered, a position that allowed
her to make history…
Get a few pages into “Where
You Are is Not Who You Are”
and you might reconsider your
plans to finish this book. Author
Ursula M. Burns jumps almost
immediately to the latter part of
her career, leaping from point
to place to person in a dizzying
chunk that‘s exhausting to
read. Name-dropping features
heavily there, it lasts way too
long, and it feels forced.
If you’re still with the book,
you’ll be happy when Burns
settles in to share her memoir,
a rags-to-riches tale that has
the feel of a TV movie. It rambles
a little, but that rambling
is appealing; Burns writes of
poverty and of determination,
resourcefulness, and the love
of family before sliding into the
story of her career again.
The second time on that
subject, thankfully, is readable
and quite well-done.
This is one of those books
in which you need to prepare
yourself to pick and choose
what you read. Be ready to
skim or skip parts. Do that, and
you’ll be fine; otherwise, reading
“Where You Are Is Not Who
You Are” could be a big task.
“Where You Are is Not
Who You Are” by Ursula
M. Burns, former CEO of
Xerox
c.2021, Amistad
$27.99 / $34.99
Canada 240 pages
Book cover of “Where You Are is Not Who You Are” by Ursula M. Burns.
socio-political landscape, the
term ‘Champion’ takes on a
different meaning that tugs at
the heart.”
Since her massive debut with
the infectious single, “Walking
Trophy,” Tomlinson said Hood-
Celebrityy has remained consistent
with delivering strong
empowerment records.
Produced by TJ Da Beat
Man, she said “Champion” is
“an instant classic that will be
able to speak everyone, whether
you’re an essential or frontline
worker, a cancer survivor,
single mom or dad, an athlete
or a graduate.”
“We all are winners,” Hood-
Celebrityy said when asked
to describe her vision for the
song.
“We have all come up against
something with fear, fear of
losing,” she added. “In the end,
we won; we won, because we
simply didn’t give up. We are all
champions.”
In addressing today’s sociopolitical
issues and mental
health crisis, HoodCelebrityy
revealed that these have
impacted her lyrics.
“It’s important to always
remain fearless, even in your
success, understanding that
there is evidence that people
can attempt to take what you
work so hard for,” she said.
“But champions remain calm
during the storm. We know
that we will win. The strength
lies within.”
“Champion” became available
on platforms in time for
last weekend’s Juneteenth celebrations.
Continued from Page 37
Singer HoodCelebrityy arrives
at the BET Hip Hop
Awards 2018 at Fillmore Miami
Beach on Oct. 6, 2018 in
Miami Beach, Florida. Photo
by Alberto E. Tamargo/Sipa USA)
(Sipa via AP Images, File