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AAPRC’s Global Communicator: LaJoyce Brookshire

LaJoyce Brookshire
Author
President, Brookshire Services Unlimited
Bushkill, PA

LaJoyce Brookshire’s life story is the stuff TV movies are made of. Smart overachiever moves to New York City, builds an accomplished career in media and publicity, falls in love with a dashing, handsome man. Marries. Discovers a dark, dark secret.

Eventually, there’s a happy ending. At the moment, though, more than ten years after she uncovered her first husband’s unconscionable deceit, Brookshire is determined to bring that dark secret to light. In her new book, a self-published memoir called Faith Under Fire: Betrayed by a Thing Called Love (read an exclusive excerpt on pg. 22), she chronicles her discovery that the man she trusted married her knowing he had AIDS –– but didn’t bother to tell her. Even more profound, Brookshire says her late husband’s mother and sister also kept his secret. According to Brookshire, the three of them –– mother, son and sister –– conspired to hide the truth so he wouldn’t die alone.

“I needed to write this book because after more than 10 years of silence, looking at the rate of African-American women becoming infected –– primarily through heterosexual transmission –– I could no longer remain silent,” says Brookshire of her decision to share this intensely personal story. “There are so many signs women could be alerted to if they knew what they were looking for…”

Brookshire says those signs include extreme homophobia and selfishness. “[He was] spending money for himself like he knew he was going to die,” says Brookshire in hindsight. “Never having a care about putting away for tomorrow, as if there would always be the endless well to dip in.”

Faith Under Fire is the Chicago-born writer’s third book. Her first, the “novelized” version of the hit movie “Soul Food,” was published by Harper Collins in 1997. Though the book sold 180,000 copies, Brookshire says her experience with the major publisher was disappointing. “I had to plan my own tour for that and raise my own money,” she says. “I got four national sponsors. I sold most of those books hand-to-hand. Twenty-five cities, 40 events.” With her second novel, Web of Deception, she eschewed the major publishing route and went independent, duplicating the model she’d used for Soul Food. She says her sophomore effort sold 100,000 copies. She plans to follow a similar path with Faith Under Fire, using print-on-demand services from Author House.

“My attorney was a little concerned with me going with print-on-demand. She said the story is too important, I need it to be taken seriously in the publishing business,” Brookshire recalls. “I said, you know what, let the publishing business come to me. This story has sat in every publishing house, has been to every Black editor and many others, and not one of them thought it worthy enough as a body of work to be published…They’re publishing Black erotica by the handful…The publishing industry is falling victim in many ways to what they think Black people want to read…But there are some of us who want to read things that truly help us, empower us and set us free.”

The former publicist says she pulled the agonizing story of Faith Under Fire from the journals and diaries she’s been in the habit of keeping since she was a kid growing up in Chicago. A habit started by her childhood sweetheart, who’s now her husband. “When I was 12, he gave me a diary for Christmas of 1975,” says Brookshire. “He could have bought anything else in the store with his $10, but he chose a diary. Then that was the staple gift, the diary and the stuffed animal… If it weren’t for him giving me those diaries I probably wouldn’t have any stories.”

Brookshire’s storytelling abilities and her vivacious personality (her classmates called her “Radio”) jump-started her career in communications while she was still in high school. The Chicago PBS radio station, WBEZ, held citywide auditions for a two-year course that would have students produce a weekly radio show. Brookshire was one of just 15 chosen out of thousands.

Bitten by the media bug, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in speech and Spanish from Eastern Illinois University before moving to New York to work in radio. She started as a television sales assistant at Blair Radio in 1984 and then moved onto Sheridan Broadcasting Networks where, as an entertainment reporter, she covered the party scene –– every night –– for the syndicated show, On the Beat. During the day, Brookshire taught writing at a specialized arts high school until the program lost its funding and she turned to radio full-time. Sheridan promoted her to programming coordinator in 1988 and she helped produce a popular syndicated show called Top 30 USA, hosted by BET VJ Donnie Simpson.

When Sheridan moved its operations to Pittsburgh, Brookshire chose to stay in New York. She used her severance package to start Retnuh Relations, a publicity, programming and production firm. She worked extensively with not-for-profit clients, and a successful event she coordinated for the National Urban League got the attention of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. She took the research and advocacy group on as a client and became their director of communications and marketing in 1993. Ironically, she was working with the Commission when she learned her first husband had AIDS. Working for an AIDS advocacy group while dealing with the discovery of her husband’s condition was a blessing in many ways, but eventually it became overwhelming and she had to leave. “I could no longer do AIDS at home and AIDS at work,” she says.

Brookshire joined W&W Public Relations, where she spent a year as a senior account executive handling artists such as George Howard, Men at Large and Sean Levert. While she juggled music industry publicity at work, she battled her husband’s illness at home. During her time at W&W, Brookshire’s husband became permanently disabled (she cared for him until his death in spite of his deceit). When he was hospitalized for weeks at a time, Brookshire leaned heavily on her boss, PR maven Patti Webster (who is a deaconess and the daughter of ministers). “Patti’s family saved my life. I literally slept on their couch so I could be at work. I would go home to the Poconos three times a week, and stay on their couch three days a week.”

From W&W she went to Arista Records where, as a publicity director, she worked with artists such as Aretha Franklin, Kenny G, Toni Braxton, Usher and the roster at Bad Boy Entertainment –– including the late rap legend, The Notorious B.I.G. In fact, Brookshire had been with the rapper in Los Angeles for several days leading up to the fateful weekend of the 1997 Soul Train Music Awards (riding, she recalls, in the vehicle in which he was shot). After the awards show, though, Brookshire had had enough of L.A. She gave Biggie her passes to the “Vibe” magazine party and took a flight back to New York. By the time she got home, the rapper was dead.

Before she could descend into depression in the aftermath of the shooting, though, Brookshire got a call from her literary agent with the news that she’d been hired to write the Soul Food novel –– as long as she could get it done in five weeks.

Brookshire returned to consulting over the past several years. She did another stint with the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS and worked with ClearChannel Radio Tri-State. Last summer, she did marketing and community relations for the Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts, a $25 million facility near her home in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.

These days she’s preparing for a 30-city book tour for Faith Under Fire. There are plans to do 10 of those cities with Brenda Stone Browder, author of On the Up and Up and ex-wife of On the Down Low author J.L. King. There’s also talk of a Web of Deception movie. Primarily though, Brookshire, is crafting a new life for herself. She goes to bed early, teaches dance, is an active member of her church, enjoys horseback riding and is a doctor of naturopathic medicine –– she earned for the degree through an intensive study group while pregnant with her daughter, Brooke. “I keep saying that I quit the entertainment business,” Brookshire insists. “I’m no longer a publicist. I’m no longer doing those kinds of things. That’s my other life. My new life is that I’m Gus’ wife. I’m Brooke’s mommy. I am a naturopathic doctor and I’m an author.”

You can obtain Faith Under Fire: Betrayed by a Thing Called Love at www.LaJoyceBrookshire.com or at a bookstore near you.

Excerpt

Author and former publicist LaJoyce Brookshire shares an excerpt from her new memoir, Faith Under Fire: Betrayed by a Thing Called Love, available this month.

“In my book, Faith Under Fire: Betrayed By a Thing Called Love (due out February 2006) I share this story of triumph and go into detail about my life with this man –– from contemplating killing him, to changing his diapers, coordinating help to care for him while I went to work (yes, I stayed until the very end), to the drama with his family when he died. There are too many secrets in too many relationships in this world. It’s time to stop lying, start telling the truth and begin living a life that is open and free.”
–– LaJoyce Brookshire

“For without faith, it is impossible to please God…” Hebrews 11:6

It happened quite suddenly my falling in love. You know the kind I’m talking about – that BAM! Love-at-first-sight kind of love. I’ll never forget January 30, 1990. I was a Speech teacher at Queens Broadcasting Center part-time. Full-time I was as a writer/producer of entertainment and information programming for Sheridan Broadcasting Networks. The day before I decided I’d take a “sick” day. I cleaned off my desk, returned all phone calls and handed in the weekly scripts early.

On my “sick” day, I took a lengthy bubble bath, washed my hair and lazed around until it was time to get to class. For some reason I dressed in a red silk blouse, black leather pants and high-heeled pumps. Quite snazzy attire for the teacher who was about to spend the next four hours correcting speech patterns for on-air hopefuls. I excused myself from class to make copies when I glanced into the recording studio and saw the tallest, finest, honey-dipped colored man I had ever laid eyes on. I ran to the Director’s office, air personality Johnny Allen of New York’s KISS-FM, to inquire about the eye-candy I’d just glimpsed.

Johnny replied, “That’s Steven, he’s a really nice guy.”

At the copier I took another long look at the honey-dip giving him brownie points for having the same name as my baby brother. After class Johnny introduced us and I turned red as my blouse due to Steven’s charming demeanor. Johnny announced that he would take me home.

“All the way to Brooklyn?” I protested, easily an hour’s drive.

“I’ll take you all the way to Pennsylvania if that’s where you live”, was Steven’s reply.

I raised an is-this-guy-for-real eyebrow at Johnny and he winked a sign of approval.

On the ride home we exchanged pleasantries, asked questions and laughed a lot. He kept thanking God. I liked that part. Coming from a Baptist background, God is indeed at the top of my list.

“Why do you keep saying, ‘Thank you God”? I asked him.

“I wasn’t supposed to be at the school tonight. I missed my final because I was in the hospital.”

The reporter in me piqued, “Why were you in the hospital?”

“Bleeding ulcers.”

I asked unbelievably, “How old are you?”

“Thirty-one,” he answered. “I’ve had a lot of problems – bad marriage, stress on my job. But now that I’ve met you, all of that is about to change.” I hated to admit it, but I was soaring from being in Steven’s company.

The next day at work in the studio, we were playing WBLS radio while preparing for the weekly production, when DeeJay Bugsy announced, “Here is Ready or Not by After Seven for LaJoyce Hunter from Steven. He wants her to know that he’s coming for her ready or not.”

We all screamed and my phoned started ringing off the hook. Everyone wanted to know who this Steven was. My answer was the same, “Some dude I met yesterday!”

Being in the radio and record business had some advantages and one of them was access to the hotline in the DeeJay booth at WBLS, the other was knowing Bugsy personally. He vouched for Steven and even declared, “Now there’s a brother I’d really like to see you with.”

Later that afternoon, a deliveryman brought two dozen long-stemmed roses from Steven. He was really pouring it on and I loved it! I phoned to thank him for the roses and the dedication. He invited me to dinner the following evening. We went to a very pricey place on the East River and he had another dozen roses for me at the restaurant as he said, “to keep at home”. We were engaged by May and began planning an elaborate December 1st wedding.

After the gift of a 15-day, first-class honeymoon to Hawaii from my mother-in-law, she died in a fire at their home. Steven’s first response to his mother’s death was, “Now who am I going to share all of my secrets with?!”

In 1992, I learned that my husband had full-blown AIDS during a 45-day stay in the hospital when he called a carefully orchestrated family conference where he made the announcement. I was devastated! Being the dutiful wife, I was going to stand by my man, nurse him back to good health, and continue to love him.

When he got out of the hospital he used to say that we could move away, and when I got sick we would take care of one another. He had this convoluted vision of us running off into the sunset together and dying. I had no plans of ever getting sick. God had another plan. I was covered in the blood of Jesus, period. I rolled up my sleeve and told that nurse to take my blood right then so she could tell me I was negative. He wanted me counseled ‘just in case’. I denied the counseling and stood on Jesus while my family lost their minds and tried to get me to move back home to Chicago.

In 1992 we had to wait weeks for the results. I was patient because I’m God’s Girl for real. See, I didn’t just start praying when this showed up in my life. This was the test to see how I would stand in what I had learned about prayer –– then I relaxed in my faith. When the test came back, I was negative.

Hallelujah!

He said he had no idea how he contracted the disease. I offered the possibility of from his first wife, who, according to him, was a drug abuser and cheated on him –– so he said. Today I know the truth in my heart. He didn’t get the disease from his ex-wife. More than likely he gave it to her. Steve died in 1995 and she died in 1999.

I found out after his death he knew he had AIDS all along. I found out after his death that he and his mother had a plan –– that he wouldn’t die alone. On our wedding video tape his mother said, “See Steven, I told you about all that worrying. Everything always works out in the end,” with a wink-wink. His sister even said, “LaJoyce, he’s your problem now, so don’t send him back to our house!” He knew he had the disease, his mother knew, his doctors knew, and from what his sister said on tape, even she knew. Eleven months of dating and two years of marriage – its funny that he never mentioned it.

It has taken me years to get the courage to speak, but it is the devastating numbers of women contracting the disease that has brought me to this juncture. I cannot any longer sit idly by and protect the privacy of a dead man! There are mothers, sisters and wives who are hiding things for their men—but what they are really doing is destroying lives. The root of destruction of families today is secrets. Through a story like mine I hope more women will be honest and share, perhaps one less woman will go through what I endured. Perhaps one less woman has to die.

AAPRC’s Mission
The African-American Public Relations Collective (AAPRC) is an assemblage of professionals who provide communication conduits among clients, journalists, media and our communities. We come together as a collective because we recognize the importance of building those same conduits amongst ourselves.

A great deal of what we do is professional development––updating our skills, keeping pace with technology, refining and streamlining processes, providing a forum to tackle the issues that impact our work environment––but we believe our professional lives benefit most from the forging of effective alliances. Connected to one another, we possess the power of a nationwide body of committed, knowledgeable practitioners with an eye on the future.

As we move into the 21st century at lightning speed, mass media and its potent messages occupy an ever-larger part of our daily lives and our collective psyche. The AAPRC is focused on helping our members gain a deeper understanding of media’s force and supporting their growth as powerful participants in the global communications network.

AAPRC’s Contact
GQ Media & Public Relations
1650 Broadway Suite 1011
New York NY 10019
1212 765 7910
1212 765 7905
aapublicistcoll@aol.com

Message LaJoyce Brookshire and the AAPRC and tell them what you think

By Gwendolyn Quinn on 4/28/2006[read on] [3 comments]

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