I have been going through so much thought and reflection about the huge impact that the Black Lives Matter movement has made on our country. I’m overjoyed with the attention and change that is happening. As we all look within ourselves to see what changes we can make in our own life, I can’t deny that there is always room to grow and learn.
When I started the Bcat Threads Experience, it came from the need to give children an outlet to express themselves through fashion. I wanted to help give them a louder voice without needing to speak. I am passionate about this and feel it is a very important part of giving them a way to feel secure about who they are as an individual.
As I gave the recent events more thought, it occurred to me that even when giving a child their voice (through fashion), a child of color may easily lose that sense of individuality simply because of the color of their skin, raised in our country, as they grow to become adults. With a quick judgement, their individuality, their strengths, their self expression, their talents, their feelings quickly become dismissed by judgement.
This has brought up a bigger message for me to keep in my business model, as a role model,and as a mother. We not only want to teach our children to find their inner voice and give them the outlets to express them, but we also need to teach our children to find the inner voice of their peers. Look at our peers’ individuality, their strength, their self expression, their talents, their feelings and EMBRACE them. EMBRACE individuality and understand that is where love blossoms, within all of our differences. Each difference can teach all of us something new, which helps us grow together out of love.
Right now, black lives are in need of our help. I do NOT want our next generation of children of color, to have to fear authority, fear belonging, fear that their voice won’t be heard. I do NOT want them to feel that they can’t express their individual strengths because they can’t face the repercussions. I will not only continue to raise my children with this message but I will continue to strive to find ways in using my business as a way to embrace this message wholeheartedly and consistently.