So, about The Wing... 💁

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#WednesdayWisdom

"Abundance is a perspective that we must birth — first in our minds and then in our hearts — in order to view our lives as unboundedly enriching blessings." — Chimsom Orakwue

Morning Musings

Remember that time Nelly rapped, he's a sucker for cornrows and manicured toes (even though the last part didn't make sense and there's already a word for that -- pedicures)? Well, the same is true for me and millennial pink feminism.

So you can see why I instantly fell in love with The Wing, a co-working and community space for women. But if the racist incident at their West Hollywood location has shown us anything, it's that The Wing may not necessarily be a safe space for ALL women.

Admittedly, I've been a fangirl since The Wing launched in New York City in 2016 and when it was announced they were finally coming to Chicago this spring, I was ecstatic. Sure, the $200/month membership was out of my price range, but I'd been following closely enough to know they offered scholarships to women and non-binary individuals doing work in support of women and girls. So I applied and I was accepted.

I loved the aesthetic...I mean, how could you not? Each location is Pinterest perfect and Insta-worthy. I loved the community -- The Wing provided me with an opportunity to work with and learn from some of the women I admire most. And, I'm not gonna lie, I fell for the edge control and the Carol Daughter's products in the beauty room. What can I say? I'm not hard to please and I wanted to prove the naysayers wrong. 

But I was wrong. Or, rather, The Wing was wrong. You can read more about what happened here. Long story, short: A white woman, who was the guest of a Wing member, allegedly harassed a Black woman -- Asha Grant -- and her guest over a parking spot. And The Wing staff did nothing about it.

While disappointing, what happened wasn't shocking -- white women's comfort has historically been prioritized over Black women's rights, a sad trend that continues today.

Fast forward to last week and The Wing co-founders Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan sent an email to its membership about the incident and next steps (which, as a PR professional, I can assure you they did not write themselves). But the messaging pretty much fell on deaf ears and the damage had already been done. 

On top of that, their retail team had reached out to me about promoting their new fall line. I was on the fence because of what had happened at their West Hollywood location. But I was also, quite frankly, excited about the opportunity to work with such a popular brand. Until an influencer friend reminded me that it was exactly that, work. And this the day after The Wing launched a jobs board on its membership app.

It's not enough to simply hire women, you must also pay them for their work. So after an entire day of agonizing over what to say and how to say it, I declined the opportunity and I shared my reasons why. And my feedback was met with gratitude.

I don't know what will come of it and I don't know how much impact I can actually make. And for all of the praise I've publicly shared about The Wing, I felt a need to share the criticism as well.

I still think there is good work being done there, but I also believe they have a lot of work to do. What happens going forward will be very telling. But in the meantime, here's a list of co-working spaces designed with Black women in mind.

Love,
L'Oreal

IRL

Sept. 25: Homecoming: Back to the Hustle. Join me at the first fundraiser hosted by Prismatic's Associate Board. Use the promo code LOREAL5OFF to save $5. See you there!

Links I Love

What it's like being a POC at a nonprofit. Raise your hand if you thought old-school Pink was a light-skinned Black woman. WTF is a 'VSCO Girl'? Read this before you quit your job. Meet the Black women transforming wine culture in the U.S. Why the world needs more Lizzo.

My Latest Obsession

Okay, to be honest, I wasn't that impressed with Hustlers. I went to a screening last week with my friend Pam and we both agreed it was a 6/10, which isn't terrible but -- it could've been a limited Netflix series, if you ask me.

But what I did love were, in this order: 1) the pole dancers from Fempress Fit who entertained the crowd before the show started (and made me miss my pole fitness days. Fun fact: I was once named Miss Congeniality at a regional pole dancing competition); 2) seeing women of color on the big screen; and 3) J. Lo's solo dance scene (and overall performance although I'm not exactly seeing Oscar buzz...I wanted more depth and background about her character). Honorable mention: J. Lo's fur coat.

Read the article that inspired the movie here.

Now Hiring

1. Chief External Officer for iMentor

2. Director, Multicultural Brand Engagement for Planned Parenthood

3. Communications & Marketing Director for The HistoryMakers

4. Creative Director, Video for The Art Institute of Chicago

5. Communications Officer, Writing and Editing for The Joyce Foundation

6. Chief People Officer for Chalkbeat

7. Culture Writer for BuzzFeed News

8. Executive Assistant for If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice

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