Intelligence Careers – Seek Internships, Scholarships, and Jobs!

For years I worked within the Intelligence Community and wondered why so few people looked like me. Part of the reason was awareness. African-American Youth are not often informed about the opportunities to work within the Intelligence Community and that needs to change. I’ve asked recruiters to proactively target schools in underserved communities and HBCUs to recruit and hire students of color. There’s many scholarships, internships, fellowships and careers in the Intelligence Community to include HR, Accounting/Budget, Law, Medical, and Cyber/IT. Let’s change the narrative and diversify the Intelligence Community.

For those seeking jobs within the government consider searching: http://www.IntelligenceCareers.gov

Here’s a list of Scholarships and Internships from the Intelligence Community: https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/icstudents.html

Feel free to personally contact me if you have questions: Ebony Johnson, ebony@simplyebony.com

#RedTableTalk: Toni Braxton

Watching the Red Table Talk with Toni Braxton made me reflect on my own marriage and subsequent divorce. Toni talked about the breakdown in communication. Her sickness. Financial stress. Feeling responsible for going out on the road to provide for the family. She discussed the resentment when they divorced and she was forced to pay alimony. They established this alimony payment in the prenup agreement prior to marriage.

Toni’s situation closely mirrored my own marriage. The day and age where the man is the primary provider has far been gone. It does cause resentment when we as women are responsible to be the providers financially and gasp pay alimony or child support. Look at the widely publicized cases of Toni Braxton, Halle Berry, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott and Mary J. Blige. All made substantially more money than their spouses and served as the primary provider for the household. Upon divorce, all the women were responsible for paying alimony and the social media community harshly criticized the men for receiving the payments. The question is: Why?

I believe society still makes us feel that the women being the primary breadwinner is wrong. Subconsciously even when we voluntarily enter into these marriages where our income is higher or we are the sole providers, we resent it. It doesn’t matter if the male spouse satisfies all other needs or provides us happiness and support in multiple other ways.

I have to own that feeling of resentment. I felt it deeply. It transpired into my marriage. It impacted the way I communicated with my husband. I lost a certain level of respect for my husband each month he remained unemployed or underemployed. He was my biggest cheerleader whenever I’d accomplish something major at work or in life. He was my best friend. He loved me immensely. He did everything that a husband was supposed to do, except provide. The resentment of him not financially contributing to the household built up. I shut down. Ultimately this led to the demise of our marriage.

Fast-forward to the divorce. Imagine having to pay your ex-husband alimony. No matter how “okay” we say we are it is not a good feeling. I left my marriage after my husband hit me. I told him from the beginning that domestic violence was my one dealbreaker and I meant it. I was active-duty military in the Air Force. Located on a military installation. The local police had no jurisdiction on a military base.

As the military member, I was responsible for the well-being of my spouse even though a police report was filed after the domestic violence incident. It didn’t matter that my ex-husband confessed to hitting me. The military issued a stay away order. This meant we were not allowed to stay in the same residence. The judge banned my husband from base, he was mandated to attend batterers intervention counseling, and given probation. I was still responsible to ensure he had adequate housing and was ordered to provide financial support to my husband.

Was I mad that I had to provide alimony? No. I understood my responsibility. Did I harbor resentment? Yes. I questioned the logic of providing financial support to the abuser. This was my reality and the reality for many women in uniform.

As active-duty military women we carried the weight of marriages on our shoulders. We served our country and many of us struggled to balance work and family life. There were military husbands that stayed home with the children and were the primary caretakers. This was used as leverage when going through divorces or separations. Military women faced judges that deemed them unfit mothers because they were on call for the military 24/7, worked shift-work or deployed. This was the reality of my military sisters who oftentimes didn’t have the financial means to pay substantial legal costs to fight custody or complicated divorce cases. It’s a dangerous situation as sometimes out of desperation to keep their children or fear of going through a messy divorce many military women felt the only choice was to stay in toxic marriages.

I made the choice to divorce. It was not an easy choice. My now ex-husband wrote on the divorce paperwork that he desired to receive couple’s counseling and wanted to remain married. I declined. For years I struggled with the guilt: Should I have stayed? I sought individual counseling for many years to heal. Divorce is not an easy process. It can take years to heal. Even when you are ready for the marriage to end you still go through a cycle of grief. Eventually, after many years, I forgave him and forgave myself. That was freeing.

Things I learned from my marriage and divorce:

• Put God First in the Marriage. Without a solid foundation the marriage will crumble.

• Communicate. Talk to your spouse openly. Don’t hold on to things.

• Seek Counseling. Ongoing counseling is important to getting over barriers and resolving marital issues.

• Surround yourself with positive and loving couples. It helps to have others around you that are in a healthy and happy space.

• Walk in your truth. Be honest and upfront with each other.

Paid Fellowships for Military Veterans!

The Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program is an innovative program that provides recently separated Maryland-based veterans with 6-week paid fellowships.

This program is funded by a US Department of Labor National Dislocated Worker Grant in partnership with Military Corps Career Connect.

For more information visit here: https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/form/hiring-our-heroes-fast-track-corporate-fellowship-program-recently-separated-service-member-and

Veterans: DD-214 Upgrade Clinic and Information Session

The Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs is partnering with the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) to host a DD-214 Upgrade Clinic and Information Session. This clinic will provide DC Veterans with the procedure for upgrading less-than-honorable discharges followed by an individual consultation with an attorney from NVLSP.

When:

Tuesday, March 13th

9am – 10am: Informational Session

10am – 3pm: Individual Appointments with NVLSP Attorneys

Where:

441 4th St NW Washington, DC 20001

Informational Session Conference Room #1114 (11th Floor)

Individual Appointments Room 870 North (8th Floor)

How to Schedule an Appointment:

Call the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs at 202-724-5454

Walk-ins are always welcome, but those with appointments will be seen first. All veterans and providers are welcome to attend!

Having a less than honorable discharge can prevent a veteran from accessing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and services including health care and other social services as well as District level programs and benefits. The Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs is dedicated to ensuring that the service of our veterans is reflected in their military records so that they may be able to fully access the services and benefits they have earned.

All branches of the military consider you to have a strong case for a discharge upgrade if you can show your discharge was connected to any of these categories:

Mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Sexual assault or harassment during military service

Sexual orientation (including under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy)

Veteran and Military Jobseekers: Join Us at JBAB – Washington DC!

Join us on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 from 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM for a job fair for veteran job seekers, active duty military members, guard and reserve members, and military spouses at the The Bolling Club Theisen Street, Building 50, Washington, District of Columbia 20032.

This event will be a one-of-a-kind FREE hiring fair for both employers and job seekers.

A workshop for veterans and other military job seekers that focuses on resume writing, tips for successfully navigating hiring fairs, military skill translation, and interviewing will start at 8:30 a.m.

A Brunch and Learn for Employers will begin at 9:00 AM.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Hiring Our Heroes” event sponsored by KKR and Lockheed Martin is being conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, JB Anacostia Bolling Military Family Support Center, Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve (ESGR), the U. S. Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service (DOL VETS), U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, The American Legion, Goodwill Industries International, NBC News and other local partners.

Employers and Military Job Seekers register at HiringOurHeroes.org

To register directly visit here:

http://www.cvent.com/events/hiring-our-heroes-jbab-washington-dc/event-summary-e1072ccc568a4df098322e0197b69991.aspx?i=94613696-729a-4ee9-ade6-a6c69658117b&dvce=1

Amazon Hot New Release: Behind the Rank

Wow!! Thank you to everyone that purchased the digital copy of Behind the Rank. Congratulations to my 29 coauthors of #BehindTheRank Vol 1 book! Pre-order your signed copy now at https://www.paypal.me/LadyofInspiration/23

Our book hit the Amazon Hot New Releases Bestsellers Lists at

#1 in United States Military Veteran History,

#1 in United States Veteran History,

& #4 in Women in History

#Military #WomenVeterans #Amazon #BestSellers #USAF

Behind the Rank – Best Seller Release

Join me today from 1pm-2pm EST as I celebrate the launch of my book release! Get your copy of ‘Behind The Rank’ for only $2.99, then come back here to celebrate with me! Thank you for your support! #BehindTheRank

Get your copy here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075DCCW34/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504629536&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=camouflaged+sisters&dpPl=1&dpID=51QZav3at-L&ref=plSrch