Creating spaces, and places for women of colour to connect – How She Hustles 10 year anniversary

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“You can’t be what you can’t see.” Marian Wright Edelman

It is not uncommon for black women to feel like they have to make others feel comfortable when they are in a group of people who they do not culturally identify with. There is a term that I most recently learned about called code switching. This involves embracing the dominant culture or vernacular among certain groups, or in certain spaces, and then switching back to a more authentic space when you are around friends and family.

I have spoken to other women who feel like they have to, “Dim their light,” so that other people will feel comfortable. All of this sounds really exhausting, and although women of colour may not discuss it openly, many are tired of living a double life.

For years, women of colour have been conditioned by society, more specifically, predominately European institutions, to feel that women of colour can at times come across: aggressive, bossy, and even self-centred if we share our opinions or speak our minds. We fear rejection and exclusion, so we deviate from our authentic selves. This can be damaging to the mind, body and soul because authenticity is integral to a human’s well being.

“When I started How She Hustles, I stumbled into it. I wanted to create places where women of colour could meet up, and discuss what matters to them.” Emily Mills

It takes a person with experience, vision, and wisdom to tackle an issue head on. It takes a person who is committed, dedicated, and determined to go ahead, step out on faith, and let the chips lay where they fall. The beautiful soul we all know as Emily Mills has proven to be that leader.

Yes, we can all admit that winning the 2018 Mercedes Benz Emerging Leaders Award, hosting the 39^th annual YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Awards (2019), and launching one of the most dynamic women empowerment platforms How She Hustles, is no small feat. Somehow, Emily does it with such grace, you would think she has been doing this for a lifetime.

It is a decade now since How She Hustles was born, and since then, it has taken on a life of its own. From the wildly popular women’s brunches, to the inspiring stories share by invited panellists, How She Hustles is now the meeting place for women of colour to come, network, and being amongst women who look just like them. Emily created How She Hustles to provide opportunities for many women like her: African women, racialized women, diverse women, to say “I can lead too!”

Life is measured in impact, not duration

Founded in 2010, How She Hustles is now a vibrant network with a digital reach of more than 10,000 women globally. The network’s global reach was important this year, because as you all know, the pandemic found a way to completely upheave most of our lives. Events, and travel plans had to be abandoned, and social media platforms have reigned supreme for the last few months.

Before we talk about the success of the 10-year anniversary, let’s take a look at some of the past victories that How She Hustles has had.

HERstory in Black
While Emily was building How She Hustles, she worked at CBC, and was there for seven years. Right before she left the station to focus on How She Hustles full time, she curated HERstory in Black, a digital photo series of 150 black women. It brought together 150 beautiful, intelligent, and strong black women, who shared their stories of hardships, triumphs, and victories. The project attracted national press coverage, became a 1-hour TV documentary, and earned the prestigious CBC President’s Award.

Startup & Slay
In the face of many challenges, generations of black women have become entrepreneurs, and have learned to be solution-oriented and resourceful. There are barriers everywhere for women of colour, and sometimes you need a little help getting around them. How She Hustles found a way to do this by creating the Startup & Slay series sponsored by CIBC.

Three factors are crucial to an African woman’s cultural model of success: networking support systems, spiritual values, and cultural identity. Startup & Slay created a space for diverse women to connect and learn about how to move their business forward. Women come thirsty to grow, aware that they do not have all the answers. Some are stuck. Some are in transition, and some just want more out of their business and life.

You can understand why women from all over the world wanted to join Emily in celebrating 10 years of How She Hustles. On Saturday, May 30^th, a group of over 200 women virtually joined Emily to honour this major milestone. Sponsored by CIBC, Hargrave Ranching, ByBlacks.com and SheDoesTheCity.com, it was two hours of fun, laughs and even some cocktails. Her guests included: Tracy Moore (City Line Host), Jazz singer Kellylee Evans, and DJ Mel Boogie.

Congratulations again to How She Hustles on their success, and may the next 10 years be prosperous, and rewarding.