This might get me some unsubscribes..and I don’t care
In business, they say you should refrain from talking about sensitive topics, and stay clear of all things that are polarizing, race being one of them.
As I was deciding if I should charge a small fee for my NY terrace meet up, I had a thought: why not have 100% of the ticket ($15 only) to go my favorite organization doing work that I truly care about?
That organization is the Equal Justice Initative, a nonprofit to end wrongful mass incarceration and promote racial justice in the United States.
I could have picked an organization that was “less polarizing” like a local brooklyn community center or something more generalized, but I felt the need to pick this one because I am in a season of fully leaning in and showing my audience who the F*CK I am and what I stand for.
Talking about race and inequality might get me some unsubscribes, but if you are at all curious about where I stand on this, keep reading ⬇️.
Growing up, I didn’t have a stable 2 parent household, and bounced around from family members and lived with my best friend’s family in high school. Read about it here.
That family is a Black female household, and living in southern California, it was very clear that our school district lacked diversity.
We didn’t look like your typical ‘Newport Beah Surfer Girl’, and most of my friends were the only people of color in the school. We bonded over our immigrant upbringing and bringing school lunches that got us made fun of, and formed a friendship that still lasts to this day.
Living with my best friend Jessica and her mom, Pam, a Black woman and single mom of 4 girls who went to UPenn and Harvard for advaned degress, taught me so much about race in America, and how we know very little about eachother’s lived experience unless we really get proximate to it.
I remember Pam driving us to school in her BMW and getting dirty looks from cars next to us, and Pam telling us a story about how when she showed up to the operating room to help deliver a baby (she is an OB anesthesiologist), the new doctor informed her that the trash can was “over there”, thinking she was the janitor.
Little did they know, she grew up in the projects outside Washington DC and was abused as a child, and got herself a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins university and put herself through medical school with a baby in her lap.
Although her high school counselor told her she should consider being a housekeeper for “rich white folks”, she rejected that narrative and became one of the most skilled anesthesiologists and formed a private practice, while raising 4 daughters on her own.
See photo of me and her daughters, circa 2012 during one of their UPenn graduations.
Everything about her Pam’s life has been about breaking the mold and paving a new path for the next generation, and I believe if you are reading this, you are also breaking a mold in some way. I know I am, since people do not expect a 5 foot tall daughter of Chinese immigrants to be a PR coach, helping other small businesses confidently pitch themselves and take up space, when the media doesn’t quite reflect our image.
🙏🏽That is why I believe this work is sacred, and way more than just “PR” for me.
(name)--we all have our perceptions about what someone “looks like or acts like” even if we don’t consider ourselves racist or prejudiced. We have sterotypes from media, society, and images we are surrounded by, making our own version of reality.
It’s often had to break past our bubbles and easy to categorize or just live in silos, but from living a life that took me from living on 3 continents, to living with a Black family I am grateful to call my own family, to having best friends growing up from dozens of different cultures, I can say that the one thing that is stopping us from cultivating more diversity and understanding is forcing ourselves to get PROXIMATE to those who are different from us.
I’ll never forget a conversation I had last year at an entreprenuer event, where a female online coach who had WAY MORE followers than I did, was stunned to know that my audience was 90% people of color, immigrants, non-native English speakers, and people from all industries and walks of life.
“I have a large platform and want to promote diversity and value it, but people of color just don’t come into my world often or buy my program”, she said.
This is a common thing I hear from many online coaches that claim they “value DEI” but can’t seem to attract diverse customers.
But here’s the thing. We don’t “attract” diversity. We “become” diversity.
💗Through getting out of our neighborhood and meeting people who speak different languages.
💗From going to art and cultural events to learn about other cultures.
💗From putting ourselves in situations where we might be a minority.
💗From asking questions and getting curious about other lived experiences and not feeling ashamed that we have more to learn.
💗From consuming content and learning from people who might not be the loudest ones in the room.
As a first generation immigrant creator and online coach of color, I am very aware of the spaces I am building and who is in my community, so that a sense of inclusion and belonging is there at all times.
This goes beyond just “selling to everyone” and means careful consideration of what events I speak at, what podcast guests I have on my show, and how I hold space for our PR members.
Because at the end of the day, our businesses and our communities are a reflection of us.
So, although I could have picked an organization that was “less polarizing” to donate my NY Terrace meet up tickets to, I decided to go ahead and donate the funds to Equal Justice Initiative, you can read more about them here, or watch the film/read the book Just Mercy to learn more about the work of Bryan Stevenson.
And if you feel that “all lives matter” is more of your vibe, kindly unsubscribe by hitting the button below.
With love,
Gloria
PS: Don’t forget to RSVP to the event here.
PPS: Want to work with me 1-1 to plan your entire 2025 and get your Q4 PR pitch and media list done and dusted? Book a mini VIP day with me so you get my undivided attention and award-winning PR brain on YOUR business, and no one else’s!