Emie
Meet Emie, founder of ReveledUp Marketing, an event marketing boutique that helps nonprofits, small businesses, and social good companies reach their target audience and strategic goals through live immersive experiences.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I'm a Haitian Black Womxn, Mama, Sista, Entrepreneur, Wifey, Supporter of Other Mamas, Friend, Community Member, Spiritual Believer, Social Justice Advocate, Mental Health Warrior - right there are my passions listed in no specific order - they all matter to me and I don't have to choose. I am all of that yummy complexity. I don't love pronouns - they can become another way to limit all that a person can be - but I respect the self-identification of others.
My company ReveledUp is a event marketing boutique that helps nonprofits, small businesses and social good companies reach their target audience and strategic goals through live immersive experiences. We want companies that are doing good in the world to be more successful and reach their strategic goals. We do good when You do good.
2. Micro-aggressions and covert racism are way too normalized and a daily occurrence for people of color (and sometimes expressed by people within our own communities). How do you respond to them? Or was there a time when you didn't respond to a racist comment - how did it make you feel in the moment and after?
What hurts for me more than the overt things are the covert abrasions. Those times when I stopped and wondered 'wait a minute- did they do that because I'm who I am or am I going crazy?". Those are the times that feel the most raw and painful to me and have made me question my sanity and humanity. In fact in those times, it's not me that has gotten irate but friends who are like "how can you let them get away with that?" And then not only am I mad the aggressor but I'm also mad at myself for not speaking up or not recognizing it soon enough to clapback. It creates impotent FURY within me. But a body gets tired and gets scared. I get tired of realizing that I'm conditioned to make decisions about survival that I don't even realize that I'm doing it. And I get scared about what it would look like if I did rip the seal off of my true anger. How would my babies and my family suffer? So in those moments, I try to remember that this is a daily uphill battle. It is not won when I clapback that one time. It is won everyday, being me - changing the narrative. I am the clap-back.
3. How do you deal with it when it’s another POC?
I have no patience for POCs who espouse ignorance, especially in this country and in this state of White-a-chusetts, other POCs should know better because they experience it. As a Haitian person, I can't tell you how many times someone has said to me, "you don't look Haitian". And I hear the conditioning of the dominant white patriarchy coming of out of POC mouths and it makes me really irritated. So I take a moment, cause its important that this person does not continue to harm them self or others and I say "Just like every other Black country we are filled with beauty of all variations" - Just kidding. I'm too mad to say that so I say something flip like "how many times have you gone to Haiti to know what Haitians look like?" or I hold up my finger and say "Don't say anything that is going to come out ignorant". You'd be surprised how many people even realizing what they want to say is ignorant will still want me to hear their stupid comment.
4. How do you envision a more safe and welcoming society?
This is such a good question. I see a place where it's ok to take a minute. A minute to consider and think about the consequences of one's actions and words. A place where taking a deep breath is allowed, permitted and exalted so that we get to think about how what we say or do will impact someone else. This isn't a sexy solution. It's not a fun and exciting solution. It's a deep moment that allows us each the space to consider, "Will this person be hurt by what I'm about to say? Am I being inconsiderate of another person's experience? Am I taking away opportunity that I already have? Can I make space for someone else to sit at the table - are my legs of privilege spread too wide? Do I think it's my due to get all that I have and more?" That would be a dope society.