After being invited to meet Senator Barack Obama at one of his campaign events, they maximized their opportunity and wore their new line of "Barack-the-Vote" shirts and lapel pins. Next thing you know Will.I. Am asked if he could rock one of their lapel pins, and then people began to take notice, and I'm not talking about your average everyday ordinary people, I am talking about people like Seal, Samuel L. Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. And you know how us BLACK people are, once somebody sees something that they like, "girl/man, where did you get that from," or "that, shirt is hot, how can I get one?" You know us and our six-million degrees of separation, its not hard to spread a word, or in this case a business. BARACKAWEAR is a company definitely on a come up, and its all because two young BLACK people had a vision and used their resources and opportunities to make it come alive.
I first noticed the shirt on www.theybf.com, which I frequent a few times a day, and then I went to the site read their story and bought a couple of t-shirts. And this was the beginning of more sales for them in my hometown, Baltimore city. I work at a Radio One radio station in Baltimore, and I went to work with my shirt on and people started to inquire, and next thing you know other staff went to the site and purchased some shirts. And of course, I can not buy something without letting my bestfriend know, so i'm sitting at BET (where I am doing a graduate independent study) ordering my shirts, and I hit up my bestfriend Kells to tell her about the shirts, and of course she ordered one, and I'm sure she has told other people. I'm sure you all get my point by now, when you believe in something, once you take that first step, it is everything but difficult to earn respect and support.
The message in this post is to take your destiny into your own hands young BLACK people, if you want to do something, make something, be something, don't wait on anyone to do it for you- be like NIKE, and just do it! If you want to be a writer, then just write; If you want to be a business owner, get on the net and figure out what you need to do first and DO IT (www.sba.gov).
Whatever it is that you desire to be, it can be done, but it is up to you. It is time for BLACK people to redefine our own dreams, and to start taking responsibility for ourselves. This is a new season, it our season- IT IS THE SEASON OF CHANGE.
Go BARACKTHEVOTE!
1 comment:
After reading "Power Players-Under 30", it made me go on Barackawear.com and purchase a couple shirts also. I think it is very important to realize that this is a history in making, We probably will never have a chance to see a African American President. So look at it like a once in a lifetime opportunity. I respect you Jenn for this, we need more people like you to help us African Americans be aware and conscious of our opportunities and the advantages we have today, that we didnt have before. Yet, some of us take our pasts for granted. We are ignoring the struggles and sacrifices that are parents, and grandparents endured to give us the opportunity that we have now.
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