This article is a reprint from BizJournals.: As our communities continue to struggle, women across America see their lives becoming more complicated as they juggle responsibilities at home and at work (which is often still at home), caring for coworkers, customers and family. Judi Townsend’s mannequin business lead her to some very human conversations.
“The death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg was the catalyst for my friendship with a business owner who I misjudged as being a “Karen.” And our relationship empowered both of us to use our voices to advocate for social justice.
This fall I enrolled in a 12-week virtual program for small business owners sponsored by Goldman Sachs. One of my classmates was Brianna who owns a woman’s clothing boutique. I own a mannequin resale business.
Although we are both in the fashion industry, our business challenges during Covid-19 were as different as our 20-year age gap, geographical location (I am in Oakland, California, she is in Jackson Hole, Wyoming) and racial makeup. (I am Black, she is White).
Brianna’s stress points were related to the inventory she purchased in Paris that was stuck in customs. And now that the population in Jackson Hole was increasing, she did not have enough staff to handle the boom to her business.
My stress was related to keeping my business afloat. The demand for mannequins was already declining and the forced closure of non-essential businesses like mine in California made things worse. And the only population growing near me was the homeless encampment across the street from my warehouse.
When we worked together on a homework assignment I was further reminded of the gulf in our current circumstances, because saying her name reminded me of another Brianna – Breonna Taylor.
The day Ruth Bader Ginsberg died Brianna sent me a text expressing her dismay about what this could mean for the Supreme Court.
This resulted in a flurry of texts between us and which then led to engaged dialogue instead of business stilted conversations. We became virtual friends. I discovered that although she lives in a red state, the city of Jackson Hole is very blue, as were her politics.
Brianna showed me the liberal political posts she interspersed on her business Instagram feed and I was shocked she was unfazed about whether this could cause her to lose business. And even though only a tiny percentage of her customers are Black, she posted about Black Lives Matter.
My business Instagram account rarely has anything political because I can’t afford to risk alienating my customer base which is 90% non Black. In the 20 years I have been in business it is only this year that I actively promoted that it is Black owned.
I told Brianna I would be labeled an “angry Black woman” if I duplicated her posts. She then realized that even her voice, not just her skin color, was a privilege and wrote about this double standard on Instagram.
I found a way to use my voice advocate for a new narrative about Black owned business. Industries like mine where only a handful are Black owned tend to get overlooked in Buy Black Guide which are heavily focused on restaurants, beauty products or clothing retailers.
So I collaborated with two women to create a website that showcases the 800+ Black owned businesses in Northern California in every type of industry and service.
In a year that was characterized by hostile divisiveness and my friendship with Brianna gave me a sense of hope for change.”
This is a time for virtual community and sharing so we’re asking many women we know—and some we don’t—what their lives look like. We’d like to know about yours as well. Please send me a note at [email protected] if you’d like to share your story as well.
Src: https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2020/12/in-her-own-words-judi-townsend-s-pandemic-partner.html?page=all
