Solange Knowles is known for her ethereal presence and artistic mystique in her music, but this month she revealed a powerful truth: she's been diagnosed with multiple health conditions since 2018.
In a Reel posted to Instagram by model and fellow musician Shaun Ross, 33, got real about his experience with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), a condition that followed his bout with long COVID. Solange left an empathetic comment, shedding light on her own experiences with the "debilitating, confusing, and lonely" symptoms of the condition that is POTS. The singer also went on to reveal she had been diagnosed with Sjogren's and MCAS in 2018.
"Sending u so much love and strength Shaun and to all in the comments struggling with the debilitating, confusing, and lonely symptoms of POTS !" Solange wrote in her comment, adding, "I got diagnosed with POTS, Sjogrens and Mcas in 2018 and really relate to not wanting your health to be your identity."
What Is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)?
According to WebMD, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is "a disorder in which most of your blood stays in your lower body when you stand up, and in response, your heart rate jumps." The condition occurs when the autonomic nervous system isn't working properly and symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, fainting, and a rapid heartbeat.
Per Dysautonomia International, a resource Solange shouted out in her comment, doctors currently diagnose POTS when there’s a spike in heart rate—by at least 30 beats per minute or reaching over 120 beats per minute—within the first 10 minutes of standing up. While there's no cure, the condition can be managed through lifestyle changes and medication.
What Is Sjogren's Syndrome?
Per Cleveland Clinic, "Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that happens when your immune system damages the glands that produce and control moisture in your body."
The long-term immune system disorder is often identified by its two most common symptoms of dry mouth and dry eyes, per Mayo Clinic, and "often accompanies other immune system disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus."
What Is Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)?
Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) is an immunological condition where the body’s immune cells, called mast cells, go into overdrive and release too many chemicals into the body.
Per the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, those with MCAS experience "repeated episodes of the symptoms of anaphylaxis – allergic symptoms such as hives, swelling, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing and severe diarrhea. High levels of mast cell mediators are released during those episodes."
For those with MCAS, managing these flare-ups can be challenging, as the triggers and symptoms vary widely.
Solange's recent revelation serves as a bit of a health update from the star who first revealed she was 'quietly treating' an autonomic disorder when she had to cancel an NYE performance for Afropunk Fest in South Africa. In a since-deleted Instagram post, she wrote, "The past five months I have been quietly treating, and working through an autonomic disorder. [It’s] been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me… Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all."
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The seeds for these entrepreneurs were planted during their time as students at schools like Spelman, North Carolina A&T, and more, which is why xoNecole caught up with Look Good Live Well’s Ariane Turner, HBCU Buzz’s Luke Lawal and Morehouse Senior Director of Marketing and Comms and Press Secretary Jasmine Gurley to highlight the role their HBCU roots play in their work as entrepreneurs, the legacy they aim to leave behind through the work that they do, and more as a part of Hyundai’s Best In Class initiative.
On Honoring HBCU Roots To Create Something That Is For Us, By Us
Ariane Turner
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When Ariane Turner launched Look Good, Live Well, she created it with Black and brown people in mind, especially those with sensitive skin more prone to dryness and skin conditions like acne and eczema.
The Florida A&M University graduate launched her business to create something that addressed topical skin care needs and was intentional about its approach without negative terminology.
Turner shared that it is important to steer clear of language often adopted by more prominent brands, such as “banishing breakouts” or “correcting the skin,” because, in reality, Turner says there is nothing wrong with the way that our skin and bodies react to various life changes.
“I think what I have taken with me regarding my HBCU experience and translated to my entrepreneurial experience is the importance of not just networking,” Turner, the founder and CEO of Look Good, Live Well, tellls xoNecole.
“We hear that in business all the time, your network is your net worth, but family, there’s a thing at FAMU that we call FAMU-lee instead of family, and it’s very much a thing. What that taught me is the importance of not just making relationships and not just making that connection, but truly working on deepening them, and so being intentional about connecting with people initially, but staying connected and building and deepening those relationships, and that has served me tremendously in business, whether it’s being able to reach back to other classmates who I went to school with, or just networking in general.”
She adds, “I don’t come from a business background. As soon as I finished school, I continued with my entrepreneurial journey, and so there’s a lot of that traditional business act and the networking, those soft skills that I just don’t have, but I will say that just understanding how to leverage and network community and to build intentional relationships is something that has taken me far and I definitely got those roots while attending FAMU.”
On Solving A Very Specific Need For The Community
Luke Lawal Jr.
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When Luke Lawal Jr. launched HBCU Buzz, his main focus was to represent his community, using the platform to lift as they climbed by creating an outlet dedicated to celebrating the achievements and positive news affecting the 107 historically HBCUs nationwide.
By spotlighting the wonderful things that come from the HBCU community and coupling it with what he learned during his time at Bowie State University, Lawal used that knowledge to propel himself as an entrepreneur while also providing his people with accurate representation across the internet.
“The specific problem in 2011 when I started HBCU Buzz was more so around the fact that mainstream media always depict HBCUs as negative,” Lawal says. “You would only see HBCUs in the mainstream media when someone died, or the university president or someone was stepping down. It was always bad news, but they never shed light on all the wonderful things from our community."
So, I started HBCU Buzz to ensure the world saw the good things that come from our space. And they knew that HBCUs grew some of the brightest people in the world, and just trying to figure out ways to make sure our platform was a pedestal for all the students that come through our institutions.”
“The biggest goal is to continue to solve problems, continue to create brands that solve the problems of our communities, and make sure that our products, our brands, our companies, and institutions are of value and they’re helping our community,” he continues. “That they’re solving problems that propel our space forward.”
On How Being An HBCU Alum Impacts The Way One Shows Up In The World
Jasmine Gurley
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Jasmine Gurley is a proud North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alum. She is even more delighted with her current role, which enables her to give back to current HBCU students as the Senior Director of Brand Marketing and Communications and official press secretary at Morehouse College.
“It was a formative experience where I really was able to come into my own and say yes to all the opportunities that were presented to me, and because of that, it’s been able to open the doors later in life too,” says Gurley of her experience at North Carolina A&T. “One thing I love about many HBCUs is that we are required to learn way more about African American history than you do in your typical K through 12 or even at the higher ed level."
She adds, “It allowed us to have a better understanding of where we came from, and so for me, because I’m a storyteller, I’m a history person, I’m very sensitive to life in general, being able to listen to the stories and the trials that our ancestors overcame, put the battery pack in my back to say, ‘Oh nothing can stop me. Absolutely nothing can stop me. I know where I came from, so I can overcome something and try anything. And I have an obligation to be my ancestors’ wildest dreams. Simultaneously, I also have a responsibility to help others realize that greatness.
Gurley does not take her position at an HBCU, now as a leader, lightly.
“People think I’m joking when I say I’m living the dream, but I really am,” she notes. “So I wake up every day and know that the work that I do matters, no matter how hard it might be, how frustrating it may be, and challenging it. I know the ripple effect of my work, my team, and what this institution does also matter. The trajectory of Black male experiences, community, history, and then just American advancement just in general.”
On the other hand, through her business, Sankofa Public Relations, Gurley is also on a mission to uplift brands in their quest to help their respective communities. Since its inception in 2017, Sankofa PR has been on a mission to “reach back and reclaim local, national, and global communities by helping those actively working to move” various areas of the world, focusing on pushing things forward for the better.
“Through Sankofa, we’ve worked with all different types of organizational brands and individuals in several different industries, but I would think of them as mission-based,” says Gurley.
“So with that, it’s an opportunity to help people who are trying to do good in the world, and they are passionate about what they’re doing. They just need help with marketing issues, storytelling, and branding, and that’s when my expertise can come into play. Help them get to that moment where they can tell their story through me or another platform, and that’s been super fulfilling.”
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