Evangeline
M. Mitchell, Esq.
Founder of
hope's promise publishing |
| "Don't
allow your FEAR to stop you from following
your dreams, your passion and your purpose."
Inspirational Scripture: "For God hath not
given us the spirit of fear, but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind."
—2
Timothy 1:7
Favorite Scripture: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
- Jeremiah 29:11
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| Mission
of Hope’s Promise Publishing:
Hope’s
Promise Publishing is a Black-owned,
independent publishing company specializing in self-help,
inspirational educational reference books and products
for aspiring law students in order to demystify the
legal admissions and educational experiences. We
are expanding
its scope in the future to include books for future
college, graduate and professional school
students as well. Our featured books
and products are geared especially to African Americans
and others
from educationally, socially and economically disadvantaged
backgrounds. The company was created out of a sense
of necessity and social responsibility.
Its mission
is to ‘take a vested interest in
helping you in the journey to achieve your goals’ and ‘to
help you make it to the next educational level.’ It
is the publisher's belief that there really is no success
unless we give back based on the knowledge and opportunities
we’ve gained for those who come behind us. By
the doing this, we can ensure that we have successors
who will continue to do the same.
Hope's Promise Publishing hopes to leave a legacy of motivating, inspiring and empowering people to achieve their goals of higher educational attainment.
ATTENTION ASPIRING AUTHORS: Hope's Promise Publishing will consider publishing books that involve minorities, college and legal education. If you have a proposal or completed manuscript that you would like considered, please send it to: Hope's Promise Publishing, P.O. Box 631234, Houston, Texas 77263. Please send a stamped envelope with correct postage so that your manuscript or proposal can be mailed back to you. |
Education:
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Prairie
View A&M University, Bachelor of Arts in English
- magna cum laude (B.A.), Prairie View, Texas
University
of Iowa College of Law, Doctorate of Jurisprudence (J.D.),
Iowa City, Iowa
(Member, Iowa Law Review)
Harvard
University Graduate School of Education, Master of Education
(Ed.M.) in Administration, Planning and Social Policy,
Cambridge, Massachusetts
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| Other
Education:
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University
of Iowa - Bordeaux Comparative and International Law Summer
Program
University
of Houston Law Center - Visiting Student
London
Law Consortium - Semester Study Abroad Program
Legal Extern for British Barrister, Elroy Claxton
Spanish Language and Mexican Culture Courses:
Universidad
Autonoma “Benito Juarez” de
Oaxaca (Oaxaca, Oaxaca MEXICO)
Academia
Falcon Spanish Language Institute (Guanajuato,
Guanajuato MEXICO)
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) (Mexico City, Distrito Federal)
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Favorite
Job:
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Japan
Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, Kashiwazaki-shi,
Niigata-ken as an assistant English teacher
in Japanese high schools. I especially enjoyed working
with students on speech and debate and incorporating multicultural
education and cross-cultural understanding components
in classes. I had the opportunity to lead workshops on
stereotyping and multicultural education at professional
development workshops on a regional and national level. I learned so much from living and working in another
country - not only about their country and culture, but
also about my country, culture and myself - the good and
the bad. This job also allowed me the time, quiet and
space to write these books.
People warned me to not go to Japan. I am so glad that I didn't listen! I learned that the negative things people told me were not true. I was embraced and treated beautifully. It was one place where I felt that my Blackness was a positive thing instead of a liability. Some of the best friends that I have are Japanese people who were willing to get to know me as a person at face value and discuss openly misperceptions and stereotypes regarding Black Americans perpetuated through the international media. |
| Wisdom: |
In the words of Washington Irving, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. Great minds have purposes, little minds have wishes."
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| Favorite
Hobbies: |
Traveling!
and really getting to know people and about their cultures. I am aspiring to be a sophisticated, open-minded person with a sensitivity to people, things and experiences beyond my own.
Trying to expose myself to new things and to never ever stop learning. |
| Favorite
Movies: |
Intelligent
Black movies that incite thought and discussion and that
illustrate the depth, complexity and diversity of Black
people, how we view ourselves, how larger society views us as a group, and our complicated relationships with each other - School
Daze, Soul Food, Imitation of Life, Boyz N the Hood, Sankofa, Roots,
The Best Man, etc. I appreciate "Black" movies that are not stereotypical but show us the realities for Black people in America. You can't change that which you don't confront. |
| Role
Models: |
Those
people who have achieved or are working to achieve something
against the odds and who have a commitment to helping
others. I sincerely believe that leading a life that is "all about you" without thought and regard for others is one that is destined to be empty and unfulfilling. My motto is that my life is about so much more than me. God has a purpose and plan for my life and I have to be open to serving others and thinking beyond me, myself and I.
I do have to give a shout out to my fellow Iowa
Law colleague Joseph Youngblood, J.D., Ph.D. who encouraged
me to apply to Harvard when applying to such a school
was something that I would have probably never ever considered
on my own - thanks for having faith in me and encouraging
me not to settle. I know you think I should have gone
for that Ed.D. or Ph.D. instead of just an Ed.M. but I'm
tired right now (smile.)
Mike M. - Thank you for being
a great support for a person who always felt that she
only could depend on number one and on intrinsic, self-motivation
to move forward. I will always appreciate your kind and
giving spirit and your believing in my vision. You have always been my #1 cheerleader! |
| Best
Analogy for Life: |
Mountain
Climbing - literally; It's an activity that is very difficult
- and it's something that I don't believe one can do alone,
you need someone there who is more experienced who has
climbed the mountain before and does not want to see you
fall off to help pull you up and get you through those
tough and dangerous points; As for the mountain that I
was able to climb twice (Mount Yone), there is no way
that I would have made it to the top alone on either occasion.
I needed the help of others to make it up. Even though
I could get through a lot by myself, I could not have
done it all without people extending a helping hand. Life
is just like this. |
| Philosophies
of Life: |
Don't
wait for things to happen, make them happen!;Don't waste
time and energy worrying about whether or not people like
you and what they think - no matter what you do, they
will always have something to say; God blesses you with
opportunities and puts you through different challenges
for a reason - He's preparing you for something that He
has for you to do!; If I don't take myself seriously,
no one else will; Listen to what your instincts tell you;
Don't rely completely on yourself - take time to pray;
Trust in and believe in yourself. |
| Favorite
Memories: |
Leaving
Texas for the first time after graduating from college and finally realizing
my dream of having a life beyond Houston, Texas; Leaving
the United States for the first time in law school and realizing that those beautiful buildings and landscape
settings I'd seen in books and on television were actually
real.
My flight to Boston to attend Harvard. As a teenager, my dream was to attend Howard University (for me, there was no other university), the Harvard of Black universities, but I could not because I did not have any financial support and was not aware of student financial aid. I had no idea that God would plan for me to one day attend Harvard instead of Howard. |
| Greatest
Personal Challenges: |
Overcoming
the obstacles presented by growing up in a single-parent
household and coming from an educationally and economically
"disadvantaged" background; Believing in myself
when no one else believed in me and maintaining high expectations
and continuing to set high goals despite others' low expectations;
Growing up away from extended family and feeling isolated;
Feeling as if I only had myself to depend on; Working
too hard and putting what I need to do ahead of even eating. |
| Current
Projects: |
The African American
Pre-Law School Advice Guide (Second Edition), Conquering the Bar,
and Legal Eagles Pre-Law Summer Boot Camp for Minority
High School and College Students, and lots of other
exciting projects!!! |
| Why
I Wrote These Books: |
To
fill a void and provide a greatly-needed resource. There
are many books out there about getting into and attending
law school, but I have found none that were written especially
for African Americans and that address the added concerns
and pressures Black people must confront. A lot of people
apply to law school without realizing the stiff competition
that they are up against in the application process. Many
people want to be lawyers and don't quite understand what
that means, what lawyers do or the many options available
for those getting legal training. Many people don't really
know about the great degree of intensity, rigor and commitment
that legal studies entail. These books serve to demystify
the law school admissions process and what the law school
experience is like especially for those who may not have
the privilege of friends or family members who have already
gone through the process. These books also provide insight
from the perspective of an African American who attended
a predominantly White law school and who is well aware
of the additional challenges placed on those who are not
from middle-class to upper-middle-class backgrounds or
well-educated families. I feel that writing these books
was not an option, but a responsibility that I had to
all of the other first generation college and law students
coming after me. These resources are ones that I wish
I would have had access to before applying to and attending
law school. I continue to strongly believe that it doesn't
make sense for people to have to constantly reinvent the
wheel over and over again when so many people before them
have gone through the same thing and can help them. |
Why
I
Independently
Published: |
I
didn't want to sit around and wait for someone to give
me a chance, I was willing to make the sacrifices and
take my chances. I read Dan Poynter's The Self-Publishing
Manual and realized that independent publishing was quite doable.
But it has turned out to be more work and more time-consuming than I originally thought. Sometimes ignorance is bliss! . .. So, then I created hope's promise publishing to publish
my books because I believe in what I wrote (although the naysayers were countless) and sincerely
feel that there is a market for these particular types
of how-to, self-help books for African Americans interested
in professional school. |
| Why
I Chose My Company Logo: |
I
chose the Japanese cherry blossom as the logo for my company
because of its soft and quiet beauty and the reverence
and appreciation that the Japanese showed for it during
my two-year stay in Japan. Also, because of the fact that
it is a poignant reminder of the idea that things change
and that nothing lasts forever and that one must seize
the moment and take advantage of opportunities when they
present themselves because you don't know when they will
come again. |
| Projects
in the Works: |
I am planning a Black College Tour and informal talks
about college and law school with high school students.
I am also doing research, planning and recruitment
for a video project featuring perspectives of diverse
African Americans on law school.
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| Great
Concern: |
About
our children having access to an equitable and quality
education, as well as to the information and resources
that will enable them to achieve to their fullest potential
and be able to compete with their more advantaged counterparts. |
| Goals
in Life: |
To
make a difference in whatever ways that I can by utilizing
the gifts that God has blessed me with; To travel all
over the world; To try to live as meaningful, caring
and giving a life as I possibly can; To challenge myself
to continue to improve and become a better person for
myself and others every day; To try to lead a happy,
fulfilling and passionate life on my own terms; To work
toward building a closer relationship with God and with
my family.
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| Why
I Selected an African American Woman of Justice for the
Book Cover: |
The
Concept and What She Represents: After choosing a cover
designer, I discussed what my book was about and my ideas
for the cover, but I did not have the original idea of
an African American woman of justice. My cover designer,
Gaelyn Larrick of Lightbourne Images, said "Well,
what about an African American lady justice?" I had
never even thought about or seen the concept before. At
first, it caught me by surprise. My first thought was
that it was heavy and I wondered if people would be able
to handle it.
After
we agreed that we would use it for the book cover, I
told her that I wanted to be involved in how this African
American woman of justice looked. I wanted to be sure
that it was not just a White woman with brown skin and
that she had Black features and that her accessories
and hair style represented Black American women and
our culture. I went through several African American
women's magazines and put all of my different ideas
together and sent a package to her with a sketch and
lots of details about how I wanted her to look from
her skin complexion, her hairstyle, what I wanted her
to wear, her jewelry and I sent that to the designer,
and she had an artist pull everything together, sketch
and then paint the image.
The
Lady of Justice is originated from the Greek goddess
of mythology called Themis. European and American representations
of Lady Justice is usually a woman of European descent
who is holding up a balanced scales of justice, a long,
sharp sword in the other hand with a blind fold over
eyes. But with the African American Woman of Justice,
her eyes are wide open with no blindfold over her eyes,
she is holding the scales of justice which are unbalanced
and she is not holding a sword. That says that she sees
that things are not equal and just. It brings to question
whether justice is indeed blind. The tilting scales
of justice show that things are not balanced. She is
not holding any sword in her hand. As a Black woman
in a White male-dominated society, she does not have
that kind of power. She still intends to fight for justice
but not with a physical weapon - her weapon is her mind.
Through legal battles which are mental and intellectual,
Blacks in this country have fought to create societal
changes. I hope others will understand and appreciate
the depth of this representation.
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