Now more than ever, we are seeing Black women-owned businesses making a name for themselves in the global market. 

I am a student at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and last month a flyer circulated on campus for an event called “White Awake”. ​The flyer was distributed by UMD’s Counseling Center and Division of Student Affairs to advertise “A group for white students to talk about race”. 

​So the weekend comes around and for college students that means getting drunk, getting high and partying the stress away, right? Well for some students that might be what their weekend looks like and that’s completely fine. But, for me it’s not something I’m interested in.

As a young, black creative who is always in the process of finding new people to admire and celebrate, I generally start with the people around me. And an HBCU undergrad studying communications in the place formerly known as “Chocolate City,” I find myself admiring and celebrating people that look like me the most. ​

​Safety on college campuses is a widely contested issue at the moment and rightfully so. If you’re spending four years or more at an institution that’s basically a second home you should feel safe to conduct your daily business. However, that’s not always the case especially if you’re a black student.

The presence of Black women in local and federal office is imperative. Black women need to be in positions of power to reframe the narrative that surrounds our existence and to assert the power that has historically been stripped from