Who knew Nina Simone singing, "To be young, gifted and black. Oh, what a lovely precious dream," would be the anthem for melanin millennials. Watching Candace Marie dominate Fashion Weeks all over the globe and be her pro-black self in luxurious spaces is exactly what our ancestors' dreams are made of. This powerhouse of a woman uses her respected voice in the industry to champion for people of color behind the corporate walls.
The Arkansas native shared, "During my 10+ year career navigating from company to company in the corporate realm, I saw not only a lack of Black colleagues but the systematic racism that was embedded into the guidelines, policies and practices that propelled white individuals towards success and Black individuals towards failure."
Courtesy of Candace Marie
Recently, the social media consultant and professor created Black in Corporate, a much-needed initiative for Black people looking for relief, support, and guidance in their jobs as well as those who are looking to help bridge the gap and be an authentic ally for Black Individuals who are currently working in challenging corporate structures.
xoNecole had the pleasure of speaking with Candace about being a Black woman in corporate, why she started the initiative and how self-care fits into Black in Corporate.
xoNecole: What does being a Black woman in the corporate world mean to you specifically?
Candace Marie: Being a Black woman in corporate is such a beautiful and powerful thing. Black women are the most hard-working, compassionate, clever, and creative beings that I know. Therefore, to be able to be a Black woman fully within a corporate environment, the opportunities should be endless, because whatever we touch grows. Unfortunately, the reality of being a Black woman in corporate oftentimes reflects as being the only one to look like you, [as well as] the feeling of isolation and exhaustion from being overworked and from being underpaid.
"Being a Black woman in corporate is such a beautiful and powerful thing. Black women are the most hard-working, compassionate, clever, and creative beings that I know. Therefore, to be able to be a Black woman fully within a corporate environment, the opportunities should be endless, because whatever we touch grows."
Can you share the moment you decided to start Black in Corporate?
There was a collision of happenings, events and life experiences that ignited something in me to start Black in Corporate. So much was weighing heavily on me. The killing of George Floyd, the ever-feeling of isolation within corporate spaces, seeing how distraught my Black colleagues were, as well as witnessing what was reflected on social was not reflected inside of corporations - I thought to myself if there was ever a time to act, now was the time.
How has your perspective lended itself to the vision of your new venture?
My perspective as a Black woman by far helped frame what Black in Corporate has and is becoming. As a Black woman who has been within a corporate environment for over 10 years, I have dealt with experiences of being the only one that looked like me, not having the appropriate resources for upward trajectory and lacking in connections and mentorship. All of this has guided me to think about what I wish I had on my career path and how I can provide that back to Black individuals in similar situations.
You have always been yourself unapologetically in whatever rooms you take up space in, including corporate rooms. What are some ways you would dare Black women who might fear they aren't 'professional' to do the same in the corporate world?
I must first start by saying that I was not always like this and that I understand the burden that weighs on Black women. It has been a 10-year plus journey. As Black women, we have to go above and beyond and most times that still is not good enough. Even being unapologetically us is taxing and draining. Nevertheless, to this I say we have to rise to the occasion because there will be Black women after us who will have it easier and women after them. I'm optimistic that it won't always be like this and that me wearing my hair natural or a wig won't have to come with an education class as well as over-executing my work.
"As Black women, we have to go above and beyond and most times that still is not good enough. Even being unapologetically us is taxing and draining. Nevertheless, to this I say we have to rise to the occasion because there will be Black women after us who will have it easier and women after them."
Speaking of professionalism, do you think the concept of professionalism is anti-Black, why or why not?
The idea and concept is definitely anti-Black - especially when it comes to Black hair. Black individuals are raised and trained to think that in order to be "professional", not only do our mannerisms need to reflect that of a white individual, but our appearance does as well. When I reflect on my experiences going into interviews, I always wore my hair straight or slicked back because I was told that my natural hair was messy and not professional. We have to change this stigma.
How is self-care and mental health interconnected in Black in Corporate?
The interconnection is vital to the point that it is our survival tool. For years, Black individuals have shown unwavering strength and tenacity within corporations that have failed them repeatedly. Sadly, the mental toll that this system has taken on Black bodies has been astronomical. The effects of systematic racism and racial trauma on Black mental health in the corporate sector is real and cannot be ignored. One thing is certain—Black self-care within corporate spaces is VITAL.
What do you want the world to take away from the current social justice movement when thinking about Black faces in corporate spaces?
I want the corporate sector to take the steps and actions to be an authentic ally for Black Individuals who are currently working in challenging corporate structures. I want them to think about cultivating the current Black staff to grow and thrive. I want the corporate sector to publicly be a white ally by recognizing and calling out microaggressions from fellow coworkers and bringing anti-racism into the workplace every day. Recognizing and acknowledging that Black individuals have been disproportionately penalized in the workplace and that white people had have greater access. At the end of the day, I want them to actively help make existing systems of oppression more equitable by opening up paths of opportunities to Black workers who previously did not have access to them.
For more of Candace, follow her on Instagram @marie_mag_. Also, be sure to follow Black in Corporate on Instagram to keep up with pertinent information and resources.
Featured Image by Candace Marie
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The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak