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I SLAY is a program I started on campus during spring of 2017. The idea developed after I realized that there lacked an emphasis on entrepreneurship among Black students, especially Black women. SInce I started my own brand, RaiBeats, I began to recognize how important it was to encourage self-sufficiency in Black communities. SO I SLAY WAS BORN.

I SLAY mission is to create a space on our campus where African-American collegiate women can meet with professional black women in the Columbus community, with an emphasis on entrepreneurs. who have developed a brand that is directly reflective of their identities and their passions. This program includes a live demonstration and Q&A segment, fostering discussion around the meaning of beauty, both and inner and outer. Each program includes a makeup session that is meant to channel inner beauty and its relationship with outward beauty. The goal is to discuss if inner beauty and outer beauty are mutually exclusive? Can a woman feel confident with the absence of makeup or is makeup the only source of true self confidence? The dialogue will provide a safe haven for undergraduate and graduate black women to discuss self-love, self-esteem and the aspect of beauty. 

The first workshop featured entrepreneur Jessica Hill, CEO of LipSTK Goblin. Lipstk Goblin was founded in 2015. The premise of the brand was founded as a solution to social and economic ills Jessica has faced in her life. As a company, Jessica and her team are extremely passionate about providing a safe haven for humanity to feel encouraged, enlightened, and empowered day in and day out. She believes the foundation of success is a derivative of self-confidence. Jessica believes that by sharing Lipstk’s with the world, she is sharing a piece of herself, and offering hope to those that need it. Her Lipstk’s are created to give confidence, power, and fierceness to those that wear our brand; our colors add boldness to make a statement. Long-lasting Lipstk’s that can stand the toughest situations just as the individual wearing them. She encourage individuals to rock our colors fiercely showing their confidence, individuality, and style. Being active in the community is a pillar of Lipstk Goblin. We have an amazing relationship with the Boys & Girls Club of Columbus. In addition to the time and personal resources invested into the Boys & Girls club of Columbus, a percentage of all Lipstk Goblin sales are donated for resources for the children.

Pictured (left to right): 

Naomi Baker, OSU student and I SLAY model

Jessica Hill, CEO of LipSTK Goblin

Kevin Black, designer

Rai Awad, creator (me)

[noirgirlmagic-blog]

“F*ck it, I’ll do it.” - Black Women

In response to the recent incidents surrounding law enforcement murdering unarmed Black people, activists across the country have taken their concerns to the streets, protesting in hopes of bringing light to the genocide that continues to claim Black lives. One of the most prominent movements of this generation is the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, founded by three queer Black women following the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and the acquittal of his murderer, neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman. Alicia Garza, one of its co-founders, describes the movement’s purpose as “an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise”. All three women recognized how systems of oppression intersected and ultimately, how they translated the message that Black lives still don’t matter in this country. So, they took on the challenge of sending a reminder.

Since the birth of BLM, the group of women have been subjected to a range of criticism, one of those being the questioning of its legitimacy and claim to be a “movement”. Google defines the term “movement” as “a group of people working together to advance their shared political, social, or artistic ideas”. While the movement may defy the typical paradigm of traditional Black movements, this particular rallying cry introduces new tactics to attain liberation for Black people. 

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Beyonce Knowles- Carter--- both Black woman and  prestigious mogul with political, economic, and social influence that goes beyond the music industry--- released her sixth project titled Lemonade, and this was unlike anything she produced in the past. This captivating 12-track visual album centralizes the remarkable experiences of Blackness and womanhood with love, relationships, pain, and even redemption via the personal instances of her life to convey the overarching combined theme of Black womanhood. Not only is this project a declaration of the invisibility and mistreatment of Black women, but it is also a love letter to Black women. The album features the appearance of a number of Black female figures including actress Zendaya and athlete Serena Williams. This album applies a modern twist to the Black feminist agenda such as the significance of intersectional analysis in regards to activism, placing Black women at the forefront of both Black and feminist activism, and ultimately broadcasting the sentiments and grievances of the Black woman that have been ignored for far too long.

Within twelve melodies, Beyoncé produces a chronicle about the intricate and complex trials and tribulations associated with the Black womanhood experience. She conveys  these grievances in the form of 11 parts that serve almost as the stages of a merciless cycle: intuition, denial, rage, void, accountability, reformation, forgiveness, resurrection, aspiration, spirituality and finally, redemption-- all beautifully explained through introductions provided by the honest poetry of Warsan Shire. Beyoncé creatively demonstrates what it means to bear the brunt of the world on your back. In those moments of loss and despair, Beyoncé Knowles- Carter reminds us to persevere, to remain firm as forces to be reckoned with,  and to use our misfortunes to make Lemonade.