Why She’s Interesting: Black is the creator of Black Girl in the CLE, a blog and podcast collective that showcases Cleveland to African-American women. Black highlights events and experiences around town that are often not marketed to women of color. In addition to a weekly Friday newsletter with things to do that weekend, her blog also provides advice and tips on self-care, dating, careers and more.
Event Planner: About two years ago, Black started to notice that after posting about events or checking out new places on social media, people would ask about her experience and want to know more. “I realized that people didn’t know about certain things that were going on in the city that were popping up in my timeline. I thought that maybe I should go to places and tell people about the places that I go. That was the true start of Black Girl in the CLE.”
Target Practice: But it’s more than just keeping her fans in the know. It’s trying to get organizations to rethink the audiences they are targeting as well. Black has seen how certain events are marketed on only mainstream media. “I stand in that gap as many of us do. Our friends and counterparts don’t know that we are not getting the message. We know when Tyler Perry is coming, but we don’t know when Hamilton is coming. That’s the space where some black girls live in.”
Sister, Sister: Black believes in the sisterly perspective — keeping it real and giving insight and advice to her fellow African-American women to help them feel comfortable and safe about attending events. One example is a recent cigar event. “We had to tell our sisters to book their hair appointments after. That’s the sisterly perspective. You will smell like smoke, so don’t get your hair done before. Because that’s just how we are.”
Proud Mama: Black’s two children are the single mother’s biggest motivations. Sixteen-year-old Kayla aspires to be on Broadway, while her son Kayden, 14, is into video games and technology. “I am most proud of my family and the fact that I have been able to create a solid, good life, and everybody is happy and healthy.”
Symbol Of Strength: Black got a tattoo of the Superman symbol after dealing with some personal struggles. “It’s a reminder that I can rebound or overcome in tough situations. Plus the “S” symbol represents so many things like Shana, from Shaker, and a reminder that I am smart.”
Interesting Fact: Black was once an assistant principal within the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
