Keisha & Friends presented mastHERclass on March 8 – International Women’s Day – at the Westin Hotel downtown. Over eight hours, women from all walks of life, ethnicities, sizes, skin tones, fashion tastes, heights, personalities, professions, ages and hairstyles gathered to learn how they could become masters of their fates. Twelve women – including Keisha Mabry herself – taught classes covering topics from beauty to social media branding, event planning and selling products online.
Those teachers included makeup artist Dre Brown; event producer Sabrina T. Boissiere; Uchenna and Chioma Ngwudo, who own a clothing and accessory line featuring West African prints; Tori Elizabeth, creative director, wardrobe stylist and co-founder of The Colored Girl; Chris Miss Bright, founder of The Art of Conversation and co-founder of Black Girl Beach Day; entrepreneur, filmmaker, creative director and writer Samantha Ramirez-Herrera; travel influencer, creative consultant, author and founder of Passport 2 Pretty, Kenecia Lashae; designer Samantha Smikle; digital marketing strategist and founder of LoveBrownSugar, Christina S. Brown; founder of podcast network Mayzie Media, Ahyiana Angel; leadership and professional development coach Jovian Zayne; and Mabry.
It was more than an opportunity for women of color to share their story and guide other women on how to do their thing – it was a meeting of minds, hearts, hopes, passions, truths and a yearning to act upon what inspires them. With a sold-out event, each of the 250 attendees chose four classes to take.
My first class, “Building an Online Community,” was taught by Christina Brown, who encouraged us to “start with love.” Brown said, “Identify your audience. Choose your platform. Craft your brand’s voice. Be authentic. Give something away. Be consistent.” Brown stressed that community starts with transparency and great storytelling.
In my next class, “Content and Campaign Creation,” Tori Elizabeth taught us to not only “ask, but give.” This was demonstrated in an activity, where we listed three members of our tribe, how they can offer value to our pursuits, and how we could add value to theirs. One by one, a woman in the room stood up to state what she needed in addition to what skills, talents and experience she had to offer. After her, another woman stood up to indicate how she could fulfill the last woman’s need, then she shared what she needs help with. It was powerful to witness.
The last class I took, by Jovian Zayne, covered “Building a Business on Purpose.” She advised us to “consider the intention and impact of your business.” She challenged us to have a deeper awareness of who we need to be in order to be successful in business. She said our business and purpose are impacted by our habits, attitudes, relationships and thoughts. “You are the business!” Zayne exclaimed. “Who do you need to be around? Who do you need to let go?”
The sisterhood, love, support, and bonding that took place over the day was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Something – maybe perspective, confidence, hope, knowledge – shifted over the course of the day, and I feel like a new woman, entrepreneur, creator and person because of it.
Sharee Silerio (ShareeSilerio.com) is a writer, director, producer and blogger. When she isn’t creating for The Root or Curly Nikki, she enjoys sharing her journey to discover wisdom, become whole and fulfill her dreams at SincerelySharee.com.
