Tracee Ellis Ross is a trailblazer. Many of us know her for her work in TV and film and for being the daughter of the immaculate Diana Ross, but her work goes beyond that. Ross has built a multi-million dollar beauty company, PATTERN Beauty, that centers the expansiveness and beauty of Blackness.
Ross says that at the beginning she wanted to create "a different kind of beauty company... a company in which all decisions were made through the lens of celebrating the joy and the diversity of Black beauty." Ross set out to create a company that is full of purpose and also profitable. It is clear that Ross sees her company like a love letter to Black beauty.
She recently won the Trailblazer Award at the 15 Percent Gala. Ross's acceptance speech was full of stories about the vision of the company she is trying to create and some of the systemic challenges she faces as a Black Founder. Like many Black women, Tracee Ellis Ross was faced with fewer resources, skepticism, and other barriers as she tried to build her company. Ross said, "System is systeming y'all but you can't system us away. We are here." I'm inspired by Tracee's commitment to building something different that celebrates and embraces Black people. https://buff.ly/3uOZBsL
This #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm celebrating 29 Black women who have influenced me through the ways they pursue their own liberation. Black women's work is often unrecognized and not cited, and this month I'm determined to pass out a few flowers to Black women. #Day25 #29LoveLettersToBlackWomen #GiveBlackWomenTheirFlowers
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