On July 24, a full audience of African-American women networked, connected with business owners and witnessed a panel of successful entrepreneurs during the Dallas stop of Brown Girls Brunch.
Initially kicked off last December in Atlanta GA, Brown Girls Brunch—founded by Atlanta-based event manager Terracia Brown-Wilkinson— was created to offer opportunities for women of color to follow their talents and become CEOs while learning from the triumphs and tribulations of others in this pandemic-laden era. The participating panelists were fashion designer Toni Grant; author and motivational coach Kristal Klear; real estate developer Benaisha Poole-Watson and producer, vocalist and film/screen actress, Brely Evans.
As expected, each panelist brought the benefit of their life experiences to the audience, and Brely kept it real about her former husband, the ups and downs of the entertainment industry and why women need to center and love themselves first. Before they took the stage, the Oakland, CA native opened up about her past and latest projects (OWN Network’s Ambitions, BET+’s The Family Business, Just Wright and Sparkle: “The best way to describe her is, your favorite aunt: Your favorite auntie is Whitney Houston”) and what she wants women to realize about the search for love.
“I was very vocal pre-marriage saying, ‘You could have it all; kids, marriage, the career.’ After being married for year and a half and it not working out, I wanted to come back on the scene to say, ‘Hey ladies, there’s something to the way we date, no one ever taught us how. There’s a few tips that I give live, and I also put a song out called ‘Don’t Date Down’: people always think that the title means, ‘oh the guy is broke,’ or ‘the guy is beneath me,’ but what I’m talking about is ladies need to not date when their self-esteem is down.” She also revealed that her fans can find her in September’s Single Not Searching, featuring African and American actors and “bridging the gap between the two diasporas.”
The host of Dallas’ panel was Dr. Catrina Pullum, an entertainment executive, speaker, producer and owner multiple ventures, including a public relations firm. She explained that it was especially essential that women re-establish their ties to their communities and each other after such a trying two years.
“We connect though multiple industries: we’re talking fashion, business, entertainment. Going though the pandemic, a lot of people suffered mental health issues, lost their jobs and a lot of us became isolated and secluded. With this event going state to state and city to city, this event has gotten women together again to encourage, motivate and empower each other. It’s also important because we want to break the stereotypes of ‘African-American women don’t get along.’ These sisters are powerful women showing how much more powerful we can be when we come together.”
