00:00I'm also a little girl from Arkansas who made my way to New York to do my dream.
00:06And I'm crying because this woman was on that vision board.
00:12There's a lot of inspiration.
00:21Being at the shoot with all these women is like feeling connected.
00:25I'm often amazed at how many careers and how diverse the opportunities are in beauty
00:32and how little awareness there is of that.
00:35Everyone knows our buying power is significant.
00:38Everyone knows that at the end of the day we lead culture.
00:41Being here today is magic.
00:43It is pure magic.
00:45My mother's going to be so proud.
00:48You know, I've been in the beauty industry probably about 15, 16 years right now.
00:52There are more and more black women coming into the industry.
00:56But I still sometimes find myself being the only face there.
01:01I have to be the voice many times for the black woman.
01:05You can read research reports.
01:08This is what I feel.
01:09You can read the reports and know all the demographics and the statistics.
01:12But there's something about having a black woman at the table that knows the nuances,
01:16the things you can't get in the report.
01:20I do STEAM types of responsibilities.
01:23So for me, it's really about encouraging young girls of the options that are out there.
01:28I love to see the excitement when girls see what they can do in our industry.
01:32And they see themselves being represented.
01:34They are part of something.
01:38For me, holding a space as a black woman in this industry is about responsibility.
01:43It's my responsibility to be vocal.
01:44The responsibility I have is not only to our consumer, but to women who potentially want
01:49to be in this industry too.
01:50I actually start with myself.
01:52If it doesn't work for me, how is it going to really represent kind of this beautiful melting
01:57pot that we have in this country?
01:58We need to have representation to make sure that the products are designed for us and that
02:02we're seen.
02:05I'm a mom, first and foremost, right?
02:08A mom to a little black girl.
02:09And so what it means to me is every day walking in that door and making sure that I'm doing
02:13something that makes her feel that her beauty is valued, that her beauty is highlighted,
02:20and that she never has to feel like an other.
02:23Most importantly, I'm helping change the face of beauty for black women, and I'm really proud
02:28to do that.
02:29I want to be able to create visuals and content and tell stories that represent what's really
02:36happening in the world.
02:37What's really happening in the world is there are a variety of different women and men and
02:42individuals out there that want to see themselves in the stories.
02:46The fact that young women or girls can look at me and see a career within business that
02:52maybe I didn't see when I was younger, I'm just so humbled by that.
02:57There's this natural sisterhood and just this natural vibe.
03:00We're just celebrating each other.
03:02Like, everybody's like, ooh, love your outfit.
03:04Ooh, girl, look at your hair and makeup.
03:05And I think that's what it is to be a black woman just in general.
03:08We're just loving on each other.
03:10So it's been great.
03:11Coming together as one, it was just so dynamic, so powerful, so loving.
03:16I mean, it's surreal being in a room with these women in a space where we're all being
03:22appreciated for all of the investment and the time and the work and the commitment that
03:26we have to this industry and to black women is just, I never thought it was possible.
