We had the good fortune of connecting with Duvalier Malone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Duvalier, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I would say being a public servant is one of the most humbling experiences as you are dealing with so many diverse backgrounds of individuals. I believe one of the most important factors behind my success in business is my decision to follow my passion. I believe that when you follow your passion and calling in life success will follow. One of my greatest strengthens I learned on this journey of community activist work and community service is that God gave me the vision. Many times, family or friends may not understand the vision or support the vision. In those times, I remind myself that God gave me the vision and he will protect and provide the support that needed to carry out the vision. Lastly, I always ignore the negative noise that comes along this journey and remember to do what it is that I feel God has called me to do.

What should our readers know about your business?
I attended Alcorn State University, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2008. I later received a master’s degree in Political Science from Jackson State University in August of 2012. After completing graduate school, I established Duvalier Malone Enterprise (DME), a global consulting firm. The company’s mission is to provide community services in the form of workshops, assessments, seminars, broadcasts, and social events to develop the potential of young people and poverty level communities. All of DME’s branches share the goal of decreasing poverty and promoting education. As someone who was raised in poverty and understand how it feels to be hungry, without school supplies or a stable home, my goal was to establish a foundation that will help assist students and families in poverty.

After establishing my foundation, I became very engaged in the issues that affected my home state of Mississippi, such as the confederate flag, poverty, LGBTQ rights, and Emmett Till. As a native son of the south, I thought it was my responsibility to use my circle of influence to bring about change in my community. As a result, I wanted to encourage others and share my story to hopefully impact the lives of others so I decided to be a voice for change by writing my first book in hopes of inspiring others to follow their dreams.

It has not been a smooth road. I would say being a public servant is one of the most humbling experiences as you are dealing with so many diverse backgrounds of individuals. One of my biggest struggles was engaging people within my own community on how important it was to invest in their own community and use their influence to impact change on the system that attempts to hold the black community back. One of my greatest strengthens I learned on this journey of community activist work and community service is that God gave me the vision. Many times family or friends may not understand the vision or support the vision. In those times, I remind myself that God gave me the vision and he will protect and provide the support that needed to carry out the vision. Lastly, I always ignore the negative noise that comes along this journey and remember to do what it is that I feel God has called me to do.

Duvalier Malone Enterprise (DME), a global consulting firm. The company’s mission is to provide community services in the form of workshops, assessments, seminars, broadcasts, and social events to develop the potential of young people and poverty level communities. All of DME’s branches share the goal of decreasing poverty and promoting education. As someone who was raised in poverty and understand how it feels to be hungry, without school supplies or a stable home, my goal was to establish a foundation that will help assist students and families in poverty.

I am also the author of “Those Who Give a Damn: A Manual For Making a Difference,” How a small-town boy dreamed of changing his fate. You may know his story, but do you understand his struggle? Those Who Give A Damn is a story of struggle, adversity and the will to succeed. I detail how I overcame tragedy in the best way possible: in the service of his fellow man and woman.

My goal is to seek to give a manual on how to serve humanity. As a small-town boy who chased his dreams and found the path to manhood that was forged by the footsteps of those who paved the way, I was blessed with the tools to give back to my community. Now I want to share those tools with others by showing through example how to rise above one’s circumstances and achieve in spite of the hardships and obstacles that lay in one’s way. One of my company’s most proud moments are my annual back to school supply give a way and my annual toy give away to those children and families that are needed.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them to Ponce City Market which is a mixed-use development located in a former Sears catalogue facility in Atlanta, with national and local retail anchors, restaurants, a food hall, and boutiques.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my grandmother Mary Coleman Malone. I was born and raised in a small town called Fayette, Mississippi. Like many who were raised in small towns across the deep south, I was born into poverty and raised by a single mother. At the aged of 16, I entered and won an essay contest that changed my life forever at Jefferson County High School sponsored by the Southwest Mississippi ETA Leadership Institution. The prize was a trip to Washington, D.C. During that trip, I had the opportunity to meet political leaders and tour Washington, D.C. As a child who was raised in poverty and would go to school some days and not know if I would have food to eat when I would return home from school. As a result, I settled for average in my grades until this trip to Washington, D.C. My grandmother was the reason I entered the essay contest. She approached me with the ad from the local newspaper and thought it would be a great idea being that I was always engaged in politics.

After returning from Washington, D.C., I begin to improve in my grades and gain a deeper passion for politics and activist work. This trip allowed me to see that no matter where you come from in life, you have the ability to dream big and be successful. This trip allowed me to understand that poverty did not define my life’s journey.

Website: www.duvaliermalone.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/duvaliermalone

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duvalier-malone-11826157

Twitter: www.twitter.com/duvaliermalone

Facebook: www.facebook.com/duvaliermaloneofficial

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_tjcg8KEJL8z5pSgTa-Ug

Other: https://www.amazon.com/Those-Who-Give-Damn-Difference/dp/1986148300/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=duvalier+malone&qid=1619001589&sr=8-2

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