She Did That And Much More

Since the controversial flood of the #blackouttuesday black squares on Instagram, newly-inspired social media activists have been grappling with how to contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement in a productive and authentic way. In addition to protesting, signing petitions, and donating to various organizations, social media has risen as an essential platform to share useful information and promote self-education. After all, the conversation cannot stop here; we must continue to educate ourselves and support Black people across all channels always.

Enter: She Did That, a documentary directed by New York-based filmmaker Renae Bluitt, which tells the story of successful Black women entrepreneurs. The film, born from Bluitt's In Her Shoes blog, is streaming on Netflix and is one of the many ways you can support Black voices, specifically in the entrepreneurial sector. The film centers around four protagonists: Luvvie Ajayi (Awesomely Luvvie), Lisa Price (Carol's Daughter), Melissa Butler (The Lip Bar), and Tonya Rapley (My Fab Finance), and includes additional interviews with other Black women entrepreneurs as well.

When young Black girls who dream of becoming bloggers, entrepreneurs, or engineers see strong, independent Black women in the fields they dream of pursuing, they feel empowered.

In addition to interviewing a number of contemporary entrepreneurial powerhouses, Bluitt also points out that there is a history of Black women entrepreneurs that dates back far beyond Oprah Winfrey. Take, for example, Clara Brown who was born into slavery but eventually became the owner of multiple successful laundry mats. She was also the first Black woman to participate in the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s. Brown is just one of many early entrepreneurs often not shared in the typical history classroom setting, but who has nonetheless laid the foundation for Black women entrepreneurs today.

The film also makes sure to include outstanding statistics that mark the progress Black women have made in the business world. In fact, African American-owned firms grew 34.5% between 2007 and 2012 and there are approximately 1.9 million Black women-owned firms. However, the work doesn't end here. Black women still have to work at least twice as hard in any industry to get ahead; those who rise to the top tend to say their success derives from not letting anyone tell them they aren't good enough.

After all, nothing says women empowerment like starting your own business and watching it take off successfully. Melissa Butler was a successful side hustler before her start-up beauty brand, The Lip Bar, turned into a nationwide phenomenon. The makeup brand, from its vibrant lipstick colors to 26 shades of foundation, is available at Targets everywhere and has graced the pages of Essence, Ebony, Cosmo, Huffington Post, and The New York Times. This of course doesn't mean Butler did not experience any obstacles along the way. When her business partner Rosco Spears (current Creative Director at The Lip Bar) and her went on the popular TV show Shark Tank to pitch The Lip Bar, they were told they would not be successful. Instead of talking business, the panel of businessmen and women complimented their outfits. The anger Butler felt only inspired her to go full steam ahead and take the plunge. As Maya Angelou said, "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated."

Many women featured in the documentary have had their fair share of challenges, and Tonya Rapley is no exception. Rapley was in an abusive relationship which turned her finances upside down. After leaving the relationship and working her way back to financial stability, she decided to share her newfound knowledge on her Blog My Fab Finance and eventually became recognized as a millennial money expert.

Black women still have to work at least twice as hard in any industry to get ahead; those who rise to the top tend to say their success derives from not letting anyone tell them they aren't good enough.

Rapley is an exception (in the predominantly white business world), not the rule and that is the crux of the documentary. Black women are often overlooked in the corporate world and have had to work harder, smarter, and faster to get where they are because they've faced far more scrutiny than most every step of the way. So much so that another major topic of the documentary is the "superwoman complex" in which Black businesswomen feel they have to be "on" all the time and never say no — after all, in a world where they already have to work twice as hard to achieve their goals, it should not comes as a surprise that Black women can often experience severe burnout. Psychotherapist Therese Kempf speaks to how important taking care of your mental health and practicing self-care is, especially for Black people who often report being hyper-vigilant and "on guard" while in the workplace.

Despite the obstacles and struggles a Black women entrepreneur confronts along her journey, Black entrepreneurship is helping future generations in profound ways find inspiration and empowerment for their own journeys.

But when young Black girls who dream of becoming bloggers, entrepreneurs, or engineers see strong, independent Black women in the fields they dream of pursuing, they feel empowered. Dr. Nadia Lopez, founder & principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy, expresses the joy she feels when her students' faces light up when they see women of color in business –– "From us, by us, for us." And it's not just the young girls who are being inspired by these incredibly successful women, this air of mutual support and inspiration continues throughout these same women's lives and careers.

Luvvie Ajayi, a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the blog Awesomely Techie, discusses Black girl magic, referring to how dedicated Black women are to supporting each other in their entrepreneurial pursuits. In an article for The Root, Bluitt states "It's so important for us, as Black women to come together because we don't have the resources that a lot of our counterparts have. And we're so much more powerful together. We come together and get things done in a way that most people don't even comprehend." This is Black girl magic in action: an empowering phenomenon that creates community among the Black women entrepreneur community and offers a support system to combat the aforementioned "superwoman complex."

Despite the obstacles and struggles a Black women entrepreneur confronts along her journey, Black entrepreneurship is helping future generations in profound ways find inspiration and empowerment for their own journeys. Bluitt concludes the film with the sentiment that we still have ways to go — Jessica O. Matthews, CEO of Uncharted Power, states there are currently only 26 Black-owned startups — but there is a shift happening. There will be both trials and triumphs, but somewhere out there, there is a young Black girl watching these trailblazers and dreaming of doing exactly what they're doing… but in a world where they are finally the rule, not the exception.