By Sierra Pepin
Dressed to the nines. Smiles and gracious hugs. Recognition of movers, shakers, trailblazers, and give-backers. These elements formed the perfect cocktail to celebrate 40 Black women who hadn't even turned 40 yet.
More than professionalism, the 40 Under 40 induction ceremony stressed the importance of #sisterhood. I spoke with Cheresa LaFrances Purnell, the founder of YWLP about being a sister. "A true sister holds you accountable. A true sister tells not just what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. And do it in love," she says.
The ceremony included poetry from the artist, K Love, a
rendition of Andra Day's "Rise Up," and various Black women leaders
gave powerful words. This was all facilitated by two gracious hosts. The end of
the ceremony honored the new inductees.
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(Photo Credit: Gordon Oliver Jr) |
I heard Black Girl Magic a lot on Wednesday and the phrase
can make the moxie of Black femmes mythical. The pull and tug of misogynoir
seem like this unreal and distant thing. It can be overused.
And as real as all of the "isms" are, Black Girl
Magic prevails. Because that's just it. Black Girl Magic is about the triumph
after the trial. Because Black girls already know about the "isms" of
the world, and we want to celebrate the fact we've not only survived them, we
are impactful, successful, and happy despite of them. That was the kind of
celebration that took place at the DuSable Museum on Wednesday night.
"A sister means no matter what, I want to see you
succeed, I want to see you win. And I'll do anything to make sure you succeed
and win. And I take that very seriously. I feel that way about every young
woman inducted into our league. That's family." - Cheresa LeFrances
Purnell
Check out my full interview with Cheresa LaFrances.
Check out my full interview with Cheresa LaFrances.
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