Diary of a Founder: What G.R.A.C.E Means To Me

I was talking to a fellow Black Entrepreneur today and our conversation filled my soul. We had been trying to talk for several months after meeting years ago but our schedules did not allow us to meet.?But today, we talked, we laughed, we celebrated our shared respect and admiration for one another, and there was no ill will about the difficulty of scheduling. There was no long, drawn-out apology…there was GRACE, support, and understanding. There was sisterhood and more GRACE.??

As I look at GRACE through the lenses of friendships, business relationships, and family, I find that no matter the approach or context, GRACE is rooted in compassion, understanding, and empathy.?

Lisa Price, Simone Biles, Nikole Hannah Jones, my Black Co-Founder next door, and I are all examples of Black women who have had to plow through systems and spaces of oppression to meet and exceed uneven expectations in our respective fields.?Like them, my journey has been lined by mentors who look like me and many mentors who do not look like me but value my perspective.?I survive and thrive because--besides my own relentless drive-- I have been able to benefit from authentic mentorship, deep friendships, resources, and benefits that created pockets of breathing spaces for me.?Along my way, I have stumbled upon roadblocks--some erected by my own errors--but worked my way through these. Every day, I continue to push through. At certain junctures or stages, I found that the path was lined for me; I was simply handheld,?led through, or given the map that connected the dots.?To me, this lined path is the product of GRACE, of God’s unrelenting mercy--my greatest and free gift.

As we continue to navigate this current period of reckoning, I have been reflecting and acting on providing ample breathing spaces for Black Founders who meet and exceed expectations, yet are still marginalized and closed out. Even those of us who may be viewed as holding spaces of power and privilege are often managing the exhaustive labor of high functioning within systems that were not originally built to include us at the helm. How do we as peers, leaders, and stakeholders do our part? To me, the answer lies in courageously stepping into daily honest self-reflection, difficult conversations, and acknowledging episodes of microaggression and oppression as an upstander.?It means actively broadening and diversifying the criteria to serve those in need of the long tail of support through resources, education, and impactful investment.?It also means holding allies close and accountable as they cultivate deeper empathy, a re-training of their own eyes to see the insidious impact of racism, classism, sexism, and the resulting weight that lays on the psyche of those of us who honor our right to live fully.?It means opening doors and ensuing in GRACE.?

I recognize the recent work of allies and decision-makers at larger brands and corporations like Shiseido, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Target, etc.?I expand my own capacity to allow grace and make room for allies who are committed to the work of equity and inclusion at scales that make a difference to the bottom line of Black-owned brands. When I think about allyship, GRACE rushes over me like a wave. How do I show GRACE to the people who represent a system that continues to oppress me and mine? I show it because I recognize the system of oppression and marginalization permeates deeply and, yet still within our industries, there are individuals who?push through the conditioning that they’ve received. There are individuals who take action that disrupt the patterns that they’ve been taught, and who share the benefits accorded to the erroneously assumed dominant identities they have inherited.?There are individuals working on becoming authentic stewards of the values that define us as humans living and evolving in communion with each other. I choose to allow true allies GRACE in their process of reckoning, and GRACE around their rigorous self-reflection, and resulting actions.??

I believe that we are all in a process of evolution.?Holding space and offering favor within and across our group affiliations is the greatest driver of drastic change.?Even outside of a spiritual context, the word GRACE implies refined movement.?As you consider your own movement forward and your actualization of GRACE, I leave you with mine:?

G - God’s mercy

R - Responsibility to restore trust, love, hope

A - Action to seek support and understanding

C - Courage to evolve?

E - Empathy in how we handle shortcomings, perceived behavior