#0044 We need to talk...

Hey Loved One,

Can we talk on a level? I’m supposed to be writing a business plan for my course but instead I went to the shop, bought a Bounty and a six-pack of Supermalt (32 years of love and the quickest way to my heart) because I needed to have this conversation with you. I doubt I’m about to say anything new, you’re probably already on it but it’s making my brain ‘hot’ as my littlest would say.

We’re on the cusp of a pivotal moment. I had kept my head out of the Trump stuff - I value peace deeply in my life - but he came back so spectacularly that I’ve had to evaluate what his decisions mean for us strategically.

You may have heard about the significant changes the new President wants to make through a series of Executive Orders. Whilst Gen Z are hailing Trump their saviour for giving TikTok a lifeline, we need to be looking at some very real forthcoming challenges: the wide spreading implications of Trump's attacks on anything he deems to be DEI. Honestly, it feels like he’s been given the keys to declare war on LGBTQA+, disabled people, women, and the global majority.

This moment reminds me of COVID. In the early months of 2020, I explained to my clients that we needed to go online. I joke that my mum is a CNN correspondent as it's on in my house all the time. Watching what was happening in other parts of Europe made me realise that it would take some time for us to return to normalcy. I explained to one of my clients that we would need to take their in-person work online. They said “Ahh don’t worry. The sun will burn it all away by summer”. I doubted that and built an online platform which we would use for months after we entered lockdown. I feel the same now as I did then and so I’m reaching out to you.

We as a Black community, as Black women, have decisions to be make: what do we do next for ourselves?

I believe we are standing on a burning platform of 6 to 12 months when it comes to our work and our businesses and, to be honest, that feels generous. Organisations will gradually move away from offering funding for anything Black focussed - not entirely but it will get more competitive - if they haven’t already. As the new Trump administration, alongside people like Elon Musk, evolves the impacts will also be felt by us on this side of the water too.

During this time, we need to be prepared to understand how we advocate and safeguard ourselves and I think language is going to be critical to this process. How we present ourselves and projects will need to move away with words such as ‘equality’, ‘diversity’ and will encourage us to innovate and present in new ways which is actually a positive by-product.

I don’t have all the answers - though this LinkedIn post by DeLisha Tapscott seems to be a solid starting point for all Black women - but I believe we need to start thinking about the choices that stand before us. This my rally cry to you. Don't sleep on this moment because it's not if but when. The time is now.

Until next week, loved one

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