 Hello everyone. In this month's long series, Sister Power celebrates Women's History Month and our culture of inclusion and diversity through sharing the stories of the women who live here in Hawaii. Learn what drives them, the realizing, the passion through their work and the satisfaction of providing peace of mind. Meet Regina Cook. Regina is a logistics officer in the U.S. Army. She has served for more than 20 years and continues to enjoy the military experience. Regina is no stranger to service. Not only does she serve our country, she serves our community as a pastor's wife. She provides monthly meals for families at the Tripler Fisher House and does missionary work in Africa. Regina is a very proud member of Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and endeavors to live a life of purpose. Welcome to Sister Power. I'm Sharon Thomas Yarbrough. Our topic is local female leadership showcasing our divine nine community leaders. Since March is Women's History Month, it is of the utmost importance that we showcase local female African American leaders doing things in Hawaii to effect change. It is also extremely valuable to share what is done in Hawaii by our leaders to the larger community. After all, if we don't share what we are doing in and for the community, then how can we expect others to find out? Welcome, Regina to Sister Power. Thank you so much. So happy to have you. It's my pleasure to be here. I'm honored. Thank you. And we have to give a shout out to our dear friend, Dr. Kamonia Long, because if it wasn't for her, she's spent on the show before. I wouldn't have you here. And I told her, I said, you know, I met with divine nine. Excellent. You're going to tell us about the organization. And it was so inspiring and motivational. And so I told her, I said, you know, it's Women's History Month. I want a woman sitting here. So tell us, tell us a little bit about Divine Nine. What is Divine Nine? Divine Nine is an African American group of both men and women, sororities and fraternities, college educated men and women who are doing awesome things in the community in the world. And we like to give back to the community in a number of ways. So we're we're a moving force in the communities all over the world and internationally. Internationally. Yes. So the people who don't know about sororities and fraternities. So sororities are the various women organizations. Am I correct? Correct. Yes. And name a few of them. Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. We have our Delta Sigma Theta sisters. We also have Sigma Gamma Rho sisters and Zeta Phi Beta sisters. What about the fraternities? Oh, the fraternities include Alpha Phi Alpha men, the Kappa Alpha Psi. We have Omega Psi Phi. And we have Phi Beta Sigma and Iota. There's a there's a ninth one. Yeah. Very, very, I don't see them very often. And they're not a group that has a large presence. Not that they shouldn't, but I'm sure they do in different locations. Sure. Just not here. But there is a ninth group. I'm not sure of their. That's fine. This is so exciting because I one thing I know about the sorority fraternity. You're so much involved in the communities. So and also we have something in common where we're talking about you being the pastor's wife at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. That's one church I love to visit because that church is always involved in the community. Yes. Are there many challenges for you being a pastor's wife? There are challenges that I meet with a smile. Lots of time commitments. There's always someone needing to talk when you have something else on the agenda to do. But we always make time for people whenever they come to us because usually they're in crisis mode in their mind. They're in crisis mode. So we always make time. The reason why I say that my father was a minister, my mother of course was a minister's wife. And the one thing that she taught me is that when someone tells you a secret, you forget it because the minister and the minister's wife, you hear, you know, everybody's challenges and problems. So when people tell me something, immediately I forget it. Yes. So I'm glad that we had that conversation. So share your story with us. How do you become a female D9 community leader? I think that's purely by chance or maybe even coincidence. As a young girl, I would watch shows on TV. You know how the commercials, NAACP commercial will come on and they'd ask you for a donation. I was probably eight years old. I wanted to do something. Eight years old, no money. I got on the phone, called the 800 number and made a pledge. No money. Ask my mom for it. She's like, no, I don't have money to give. It was only like, I think $20. Yeah. I didn't have money to honor my commitment. So what I did from that point forward, I said, I know from going forward, as I grow up, when I make it a commitment to do anything in our community, I'm going to make sure I honor that. And that's when I started, whenever opportunities came up to work in soup kitchens or to do things with the homeless, provide clothes, cook a meal, anything like that. The families at Fisher House who are dealing with a sick family member, just taking the opportunity to give back, to do whatever I can do to help, you know, their day go a little bit better. You know, just shed a little light on them. And I think, because I was doing things that were similar to what Divine 9 is already doing, their focus is, I just, the connection came, the opportunity came where I was able to connect with D9 and do these things with an organized group. So that's kind of my story. And you were honored. We have a picture that we'll bring up whenever it's available. You were honored by the NAACP. Am I correct? Yes, ma'am. So we have a picture with you. There it is, Dr. Martin Luther King G, NAACP Awards Galen. You look absolutely fabulous. Look at that. Thank you so much. So tell me about this award. I received a leadership award from the NAACP for my efforts with the Fisher House and the Mission Work in Ghana, which both of those are such an honor for me. We've been doing, making the annual trips to Ghana for about three years now. And I've been providing meals at the Fisher House for since 2012, 2013, 2013. So just, that is something to me that's kind of like going to work. I know I'm going because I'm going for a purpose. So getting up early on Saturday morning, going to the Fisher House is for a purpose. And I enjoy doing it. You enjoy that? Well, tell us a little bit about, what is the Tripler Fisher House? Tripler Fisher House, yes. That's a, it's lodging that's provided for family members who are, who have soldiers that are either in the hospital, well they are in the hospital receiving medical care. And the families will come from Guam or here on the island or neighboring islands and they will reside in the Fisher House free of charge. So when families come to be with their sick or injured loved one receiving treatment, they have a place to stay and they don't have to buy any food. And those families, they're spending a lot of time with their sick, you know, family member and they're worried about them and just to, they don't have to worry about going to get food when we come. We want to bring them that, you know, something good to eat so that they can just relax a little bit, you know, just relieve a little bit of the stress that comes with having to care for a sick individual. They need care for themselves. Absolutely. And you know, that's a coincidence. Well, we have something else in common because sisters in Park Hawaii, every Valentine's Day, we give hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of bags to the veterans at Triple Hospital. Wonderful. So I'm just, well, we must partner. Yes, yes. We definitely must partner on that. Can you name an African-American leader who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Well, I will be remiss if I didn't say Christine Wilson and that's my mother. Oh, absolutely. She has really been just a strong tower for our family. She raised four children. My father was a truck driver, so he was gone for weeks at a time. She, you know, she's so strong. She's resourceful. She, you know, is resilient. And she has just always given sound advice. She's always pushed me and my siblings to do more than, you know, not to be idle, not to be complacent. Always pushed us, you know, to achieve, you know, what we are capable of achieving and just not sit idle waiting for somebody to give us a handout. She's, she's a wonderful, wonderful lady. And she gives great advice. Sometimes it's hard to hear, but it's necessary. And she does it knowing that even if I'm at her, I'll still, you know, rely on her words and keep pushing. Yes, absolutely. What are the three leadership principles that you have discovered and executed that have contributed to your success as an African American female leader? Okay. The first one is to be an example, lead by example. It's very hard to lead people to do something that you're not willing to do yourself. So that's at the top of the list for me. Lead by example. Next is to really have confidence in what you're doing, be committed to what you're doing, and do it ungrudgingly. Do it with purpose. And just stay focused on what it is you want to do and do that. The last principle is whatever it is you're doing, you have to do it with integrity. You don't want to be a person who can't be trusted. You don't want to be a leader who just can't get people behind them because your morals or your ethics are in question. So you have to have integrity in what you do. It makes a difference. You know, just stepping back, we have a picture of you of the food that you provide at Tripler Fisher House. And I wanted the audience to see, I mean, this is amazing that you're serving. This looks like a restaurant to me. The local female leadership showcasing our divine night. So this is the food. Now who prepares all of this? We, the group get together and prepare the food. So this is homemade? All homemade. Except the biscuits. We do buy the biscuits. And this is? Pop them in the oven, yes. Tell us about the picture we're looking at now. This is a picture of several of our deacons, of course, as my husband there, and members of our choir and one of our elders, that we would all come together. We would divide up the list of food that we're going to prepare that day. Everybody would bring some and we would cook it there at the Fisher House. We like to get that bacon frying and wake them up. Oh, that smells good. Yes, absolutely. So it's wonderful. That is so wonderful. Now who, so people donate their own monies? I mean, once you prepare the menu, then you divide it and then two people over here make the sausages or the eggs or whatever you're serving that day? Absolutely. That's how we do it. It's truly a, truly a passion to do that because you're taking your own funds. There's no money coming from any outside source. We do that from our heart with our own money and time. All right. Well, when we come back, Regina, we will continue speaking about giving from your heart. We'll be right back. Thank you. Aloha and welcome to At the Crossroads. I'm your host, Keisha King. I'm live at five every Wednesday, where we have entertaining and educational conversations that are real and relevant, both here in Hawaii and across the globe. I'll see you at the Crossroads. Aloha. Aloha and mabuhay. My name is Amy Ortega Anderson, inviting you to join us every Tuesday here on Pinoy Power, Hawaii. With Think Tech, Hawaii, we come to your home at 12 noon every Tuesday. We invite you to listen, watch for our mission of empowerment. We aim to enrich, enlighten, educate, entertain, and we hope to empower. Again, maraming, salamat po, mabuhay, and aloha. Welcome back to Sister Power. I'm my host. I'm the host Sharon Thomas Yarbrough, and this is my guest, Regina Cook, and the title of our show is Local Female Leader Showcasing Our Divine Nine Community Leaders. And you were naming the nine and the one you wanted to come back and don't forget them. Absolutely. I ought to fight theta. I, for whatever reason, could not think of their name at the time, but I don't want to leave them out. Absolutely. It's very important to the Divine Nine. Okay. That's wonderful. And this is Pastor Cook's wife. He's the pastor at the Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. Definitely a place to come visit. What are the hours there? First Sunday, we have one service at 9.45, and every other Sunday, we have two services, one at 7.30 and another at 10.45. Okay, right. All right. Well, let's continue to talk about Divine Nine, which is very interesting to me. I really appreciate the work that the sororities and fraternities are doing, especially with Tripler Fisher House. Yes. Thank you very much for that. What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today, and what is the one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess to face with such a challenge? In my opinion, the biggest challenge I think leaders face is commitment from their, not really their commitment, because they're doing it, but commitment from their team, commitment from other supporters. Oftentimes, people that are, you know, supporting the dream, they want a title. They want some special recognition for what they do, and I believe those things will come in time. Yes. But if you are, if you can be committed to supporting the dream that you signed up to support, please do that, because it helps the leaders and the community all benefit. It helps everyone benefit if everyone could just stay committed. And for the leader who's facing that challenge, passion. You have to have passion to keep doing what you're doing, because when it gets hard, you won't quit. When you're facing, you know, that brick wall or, you know, that stumbling block, instead of just throwing your hands up and quitting at that moment, you'll find a way to go through it, over it, around it to keep your vision moving forward. So you've got to have passion. Every leader has to have passion. We also have some lovely pictures of the children, and that's so important that we set an example for the kids coming up today. And tell me about this picture of the kids, they're bowing their heads. Yes, this is a picture where I'm having the children pray. The young lady standing with the calf on, she's leading the prayer, and it's a special time for us. I wanted the kids to learn the Lord's Prayer, and that is what we were we were learning and reciting. And there was another picture with a young man, oh my goodness, I love the table of the youth there. Tell me about that. Yes, this was an opportunity where we have a person in the group, young person in the group, find a scripture that they would like to read out loud to the group and tell us what it means to them. And this young man is flipping through the pages of his Bible to find something he wanted to share with the group. So it empowers them. It gives them a sense of purpose they can learn and they can share what their thoughts are. And there's another young man. Yes, that's a young man who is actually reading his scripture. And you know, after he finishes reading it, he's, you know, give us his thoughts on it. I love that. You know, it's just all about empowering and motivating, educating. That's the next generation that's going to take over once we, you know, we're laying down the foundation and they're taking over right now, slowly but surely, and through our guidance. Let's continue. I'm really interested. I'm so excited about hearing about Divine Nine and speaking with you and especially you being a pastor's wife. People don't know how challenging that may be. And I always say, who do you go to? We know we pray and honor Jesus Christ, but you have your mother, you still have your mother. I do. You have siblings? I have siblings. But my mom, she's my rock. That's your rock. That's it. And I take, I take nearly everything to her. I don't take absolutely everything, but most everything to my mom. And she's just, you know, how you, earlier you spoke of when someone tells you a secret, you forget it. That's my mom. She never brings it up. Every once in a while she would just say, how you doing, baby? Say, I'm good, Mom. Oh, you're so blessed to have your mother. Yes. I love her. My goodness. What advice would you give to your younger self or to a young woman going into a leadership position for the first time? Yeah, this is, it's a very special time in your life. And my advice would be to stay focused and maintain your confidence, maintain your focus on your goal, maintain your confidence in yourself. And there will be distractions. Know that distractions are coming your way. But whatever your goal is, keep that in the forefront of your thinking. And everything you do should somehow, someway get you closer to achieving your goal. And other things, things will come. Your friendships will come. Other things that you think are important at the time, they'll come. But be on purpose with obtaining your goal. And I think that's, you know, that's important. I do too. And my girlfriend says something very wonderful to me. And she said that, she says that, go position yourself where you are appreciated and not tolerated. Oh yes. Yes. So what is your takeaway on that sentence? That's important. But that takes understand self-awareness. That takes some emotional intelligence that we often don't don't consider. You have to know how you're feeling on the inside and be able to understand how the people around you are feeling. And from that, you should be able to read and understand, are they just tolerating me here? Or do they truly appreciate me? Sometimes people can make you, they want you to think they appreciate you in their face. But when you're not around, it's a different story. So use your discernment. Be observant. Observe first. And just, if you get a feeling or vibe, go with it. Because people always show us who they are. Well, what is it? The late great Maya Angelou says, when people show you who they are, believe them. That's right. What gives you pause? The biggest thing that gives me pause right now is our division. To me, I'm a big advocate for the strong family unity. And division, when it comes to couples going apart, leaving children to be raised by one parent, just things that disrupts that unity. Be it in family relationship or friendship, whatever it is, the things that we allow to come in to disrupt unity, those things really hurt my soul because what we should be at a place where we can recognize it, deal with it, get rid of it, and maintain our bonds. Oh, gosh. Well, our last question, what are you and your organization doing to ensure that young African American women feel comfortable and confident growing and developing as the next generation of community leaders? Oh, wow. Alpha Alpha Alpha is so honored to have the privilege to work with young ladies. We introduced them to community service and bite them out when we're doing things in the community. We expose them to both academic and cultural enrichment opportunities. We do things to help promote a positive self-image, positive self-esteem, and we also have different activities to help teach them team building skills. Those things, anything we can do to help shape their personality, help them build their own character and determine through their interaction with other people what kind of leader am I? What kind of leader do I think I am? What kind of leader do I want to be? So we're so honored to have that privilege. That is a privilege. That's definitely a privilege. And Regina, I just want to thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to come on Sister Power and share your knowledge. And now we know more about Divine Nine. And we also want to invite people to please come and support Trinity Missionary Baptist Church. Yes. We want people to support the sororities and fraternities and whatever you're doing if you need help raising money and food for a tripler Fisher House. And last, continue to watch Sister Power every other Thursday at 4.30. And we welcome any comments that you may have or referrals. So thank you, everyone. Aloha. Oceans of love, peace and blessings.