#OthersideOfAmerica with The New Rich
On June 5, 2020, Meek Mill released a song entitled “Otherside of America”. This song, like many others in the same time period (most notably The Bigger Picture by Lil Baby), served as a rallying cry against police brutality and state violence. Meek’s prideful proclamations and raw lyricism resonated with me deeply; in many ways, it reminded me of a statement I had released the previous week, detailing my thoughts on the racial pandemic our people were enduring.
Fast forward to September 2020, and I’m given an incredible opportunity to be a part of a program called #ToyotaEnTOURage. This program works with micro-influencers across the Midwest to highlight Black business in their respective cities. This experience was a game-changer; I still remember writing the recap like it was yesterday. After finishing the EnTOURage, I continued the conversation with Toyota. I pitched multiple ideas, all inspired by my positive experience in September 2020.
Five months and several meetings later, we (Toyota & I) launched a partnership called #LetsGoPlaces: The Otherside of America! It’s a national Black herstory tour that highlights small, black-owned businesses across the country. For so long, a select group of Black people were forced to be tokens of our community and culture. They were forced to paint a picture of this country, and Black America that was inconsistent with the truths that Meek spoke about in his song, Otherside of America.
In the spirit of highlighting the heterogeneity in our communities, in addition to the need to honor the innumerable Black lives murdered by the State (rest in power to Dreasjon Reed, McHale Rose, Breonna Taylor, and so many more), I’m using this partnership to embolden the excellence of small Black businesses, one community at a time. When Meek Mill made “Otherside of America”, he was talking about a side of this country that the media misrepresents; consider this partnership my way of affirming the truth he spoke while also presenting a new view of that same side of America. A side that is burdened by the systems of racism and white supremacy while still being beautiful, bold and Black.
For the first stop on this national Black herstory tour, I decided to visit the Windy City! I took a trip to Chicago to highlight a small, black-owned clothing brand with global reach: The New Rich. The New Rich is a “community of individuals wearing conversation pieces that open up dialogue for how we are all rich in our own way.” I spoke with their founder, Myles Ward, about the meaning behind the brand and why it’s so important in times like these. We were blessed to have this conversation in a Black-owned coffee shop in Chicago, Momentum Coffee. Special shoutout to the visual artist that brought this installment to life, Raval Lavar.
I am thankful to Toyota for joining me in this effort to tell Black stories in little-known spaces and places. I am thankful to Myles for founding The New Rich and building it as a model for what “good business” looks like while being culturally competent and socially responsible. I’d like to thank Meek Mill and so many other Black storytellers in hip hop for sharing messages through their music that are necessarily provocative and unapologetically unadulterated. Lastly, I’d like to thank the community of powerpreneurs who continue to support my work; y’all continue to be a primary source of motivation.
This was the first of a few stops I would like to make this year, so be sure to stay tuned for more content as we go to the places and spaces that the media doesn’t want you to see: the Otherside of America.
P.S.: Be sure to support The New Rich by purchasing their special edition, Black History Month tee! You can buy one here for 10% off using the code “CENTS”—it’s on me! :)
