Life as a Black Creative and How you can Support and Learn from Me

I have been thinking a lot in the past few days about what to write and honestly it has been a little bit overwhelming. I am personally not an activist, so I’m not going to sit here and pretend to be one. Seeing all of the protests, riots and all that has been going on over the weekend and well in to the week is a build up of out cries and pain that has been going on for centuries. I completely understand where the pain and frustration has come from, so I understand why Black people are standing up and speaking out for what they believe in. I personally feel sad that it has taken this long for non Black people to wake up and realize that injustice is real and it is not something that we were just making up.

I have had an overwhelming amount of messages from people (not Black) in my IG inbox asking me how they can support me and saying sorry, ect… I’m not here to bash anyone, but my question is what took you so long to want to show support??? Why did it take someone dying on the national news for you to all of a sudden want to speak up, show interest, and share my posts across platforms? My personal protest has always been fighting for diversity in the creative space, especially here in San Diego.

My Black story is not the same as others. I honestly grew up in very diverse settings and didn’t really experience any type of discrimination until I started modeling and making my way in to the creative industry. I have had to fight for years to be seen and be accepted as an equal in the fashion and Influencer/Blogger space. I don’t do a whole lot of talking usually.. I just let my work speak for itself and let my talent shine through. I am very thankful and grateful to all of the brands that I have worked with and to those that have given me a chance to let my voice be seen and heard by others. There is still so much more work that needs to be done and my hope is that you don’t feel guilty about your actions in the past, but that you will grow and learn from what is happening currently. Have those tough conversations with your friends, staff, family and really put diversity at the forefront. Don’t just talk about it… take actionable steps to reach out to those communities that you have never worked with before and bring in a different perspective and voice. I know that this will take some time, but taking little steps will help so much in the long run. We as humans in society all have the right to be seen and heard.

Here in San Diego I started Black Creatives San Diego in 2019 to share what is happening in the black creative space locally. The community is made up of dancers, actors, bloggers, hosts, podcasters, photographers, videographers, stylists, bakers, make up artists, visual artists, and so many other amazing art forms. There is so much talent here and I wanted to help them be seen in a city where there aren’t a whole lot of us represented. It has been exciting for me to see the creative community grow and create meaningful connections. I also work with Black San Diego Magazine, which shares Black stories in editorial form, and lets the community really get a glimpse in to the real Black San Diego. The magazine highlights business, lifestyle, fashion and so much more.

I can’t tell you how to support the Black community, but I hope that you will begin to take a moment to think about ways to bring more diversity in to your life and be open to new people and ideas.

Photo credit: Mikey Mora