The Story Behind #WeAreBlackHistory

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As I type this, my eyes are welling up with tears. I’m just filled with so much emotion, so much gratitude and so much joy over my last passion project – the #WeAreBlackHistory series. A photo series that launched exactly 5 weeks ago, paying homage to legendary female black history icons, the series emerged after having a discussion with my business partners Lexi Felder (of LexiWithTheCurls.com) and Jessica Andrews (of GlamazonsBlog.com) about the struggles we face as people of color. We started to talk about Ferguson and Mike Brown, about injustice, about Selma and how the media often pushes forth images of our struggle and pain but never the positivity that pervades our community.

Christina-Brown-as-Madame-CJ-Walker

Suddenly Lexi came up with the idea to tap some of our colleagues and fellow digital influencers to be part of a photoshoot emulating black history icons who we love and appreciate. #WeAreBlackHistory came to life before our eyes and though we knew it would be hard to pull together such an impactful project in so little time, we felt it was a story that needed to be told.

Julee-Wilson-as-Rosa-Parks

So we got to work making phone calls, sending emails and text messages, and explaining the concept in hopes that others would see our vision and participate. We got one yes after the other, most notably a stamp of approval from our acclaimed photographer Jerome A. Shaw aka @PhotosbyRome. I’ve known Rome for years and he even shot my headshots (check them out on my About Me page). Because I know his work ethic and attention to detail, he was at the top of my list of people to secure for this project. Once he said “Yes, I’ll do it” I knew greatness was in the works.

Deena-Campbell-as-Maya-Angelou

The next step was securing our wonderful subjects. Jess, Lexi and I were nervous about reaching out to some of our subjects but overjoyed once they said yes. These are our friends and colleagues but they are all incredibly busy creating, inspiring, rallying and being great. We didn’t know if they’d have time to participate. But, by the grace of God, we got a resounding “yes” from each subject.

Taren-Guy-as-Billie-Holiday

Our participants included natural hair vlogger Taren Guy (as Billie Holiday), Huffington Post Fashion and Beauty Editor Julee Wilson-Wareham (as Rosa Parks), Ebony.com Senior Editor Jamilah Lemieux (as Angela Davis), Essence.com Hair and Beauty Editor Deena Campbell (as Maya Angelou), style blogger and TV host Kela Walker (as Coretta Scott-King), feminist blogger and activist Feminista Jones (as Betty Shabazz), designer Jessie Adore (as Pearl Bailey) and Styleblazer Senior Editor Danielle Kwateng (as Bethann Hardison).

Kela-Walker-as-Coretta-Scott-King

On set, the energy was absolutely electric. Lead hairstylist Seto McCoy morphed each beauty into their icon with ease with a few hair flips and what I like to call “Super Seto” magic. For a few of our subjects (myself included), Seto used extensions donated by True Indian Hair to give volume and to really bring the looks to another level. His work and attention to detail undoubtedly made each subject a dead ringer for their icon.

Jessica-Andrews-as-Diahann-Carroll

Lead makeup artists Denise Laidley and Kalifa Gordon of Kayden Makeup Artistry worked stealthily and masterfully morphing each subject with their special touch and meticulous care. The makeup duo paid great attention to detail, highlighting features to make sure the subjects looked inspired by their icon’s beauty.

Jessie-Adore-as-Pearl-Bailey

Nail artist Gracie J (who used to be Assistant Beauty Editor here at LoveBrownSugar but has since moved on to pursue a successful career in nail artistry) completed looks for subjects like Deena Campbell and Jamilah Lemieux whose graphic nail looks helped put a modern touch on the images and portrayals.

Jamilah-Lemieux-as-Angela-Davis

As Jessica, Lexi and I took sneak peeks at the images throughout the shoot, we couldn’t help but get emotional thinking about the impact that these images would have on readers like you who would be inspired to carry out the #WeAreBlackHistory message, and hopefully on an even wider audience who we hoped would have an even greater appreciation for these black history heroines.

Danielle-Kwateng-as-Bethann-Hardison

The response last month FAR surpassed our expectations. Just the idea that ELLE.com was excited about debuting our photo series as part of their Culture section was unbelievable. ELLE.com gave Jessica a platform to tell her story about how this shoot came to life and why it was so important to us. Thank you ELLE for allowing us to tell our story.

 

Feminista-Jones-as-Betty-Shabazz

Many thanks to ALL of the amazing websites who have promoted the #WeAreBlackHistory campaign and shared our story with their readers including Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, EBONY, Essence, Hello BeautifulBlogHer, Black Enterprise, Madame Noire, Mommy Noire Styleblazer, Bossip, Centric, FashionBombDaily, InHerShoesBlog and so many more. I’m overwhelmed by all the support and incredibly inspired by how the #WeAreBlackHistory hashtag made such an impact.

Lexi-Felder-as-Dorothy-Dandridge

In this digital age, each and every day, so many of us are creating black history. We’re creating conversations, we’re starting social movements, we’re changing perspectives, we’re embracing the things that make us different. That’s why I founded LoveBrownSugar. That’s why so many of us do what we do. To empower and inspire and change perspectives. Beyond beautiful images, this series represents a movement that we hope will empower our generation to think positively and act with purpose.

Watch the Behind The Scenes Video:

 What did you think about the series? How do YOU plan to define history?

Christina Brown

Lifestyle influencer and digital mompreneur Christina S. Brown is a New York native, LA resident, and the founder of LoveBrownSugar.com and BrownGirlsLove. She's an award-winning storyteller, a motivational speaker and an advocate for confident millennial black women.