Do you want attention or do you want to make an impact?

It’s always weird seeing the things I say shared. Not because I’m not a person who says a lot (I am) but because I don’t expect these things to have as much impact. In a world so full of noise, it’s still so random that people hear what you have to say. So when folks not only hear but resonate with it, I take it as a deep honor, not because it’s me but because in some way I could channel what they wanted to say but might not have found the words, the time, the space, or own strength to say.

This was a quote I said at the end of 2019 when I was warmly welcomed on to the Drink With James podcast. This was before 2020 and all of its challenges. This was before Ahmaud and Breonna and George. This was when saying BLACK LIVES MATTER was still considered a political statement and not the moral and human statement that it is. This was when too many of my fellow influencers would rather talk about their outfit or skincare than the actual things that were happening. Don’t get me wrong, I love a cute look or a good skin routine. But not at the expense of ignoring what’s going on. 

I went on this show and spoke to James Nord, to an audience I knew was largely well off white women and spoke on the need to recognize privilege, race, even the politics of hair, when it wasn’t cute, when woke was considered a joke, and when it was easy to ignore the plights of communities you don’t belong to. 

And it resonated with people. And for that, I am grateful. Here’s what someone shared, my words from that moment.