On Sunday, April 29th, Baltimore’s own Raven Paris hosted her very first “Women Unifying Women Brunch” at The 5ive Spot in Randallstown, MD. Raven Paris is the true essence of a Regal Lady. Raven is a freelance radio and media personality. You can hear her through the sound waves of Baltimore’s 92Q Jams, DTLR’s Poppin Tags Radio Show, or on her very own show- Love the Culture Radio. Who knows, you might even catch her gracing her presence on TMZ and on AutoPlay TV.
"My aspiration is to motivate and empower young women to be independent, be built on their own success, carry themselves with dignity and respect while being about their business. I want to be that example of resilience." -- Raven Paris
The Women Unifying Women Brunch's opening networking hour was like a red carpet event….literally lol. Orange and Cucumber Effen Vodka drinks were poured to quench our thirst, a delicious brunch spread was served, and the photo booth was popping with ambitious young women striking their best pose. The mic was even open for womenpreneurs to share their businesses while we waited for the panel discussion to begin. Once everything was settled, the event began with an opening prayer by CierraLione followed by an empowering song performance from Akilah Divine.
The panel consisted of nine amazing women who are bosses in their own right. These Boss Women were: Published Suepr Model Halle Deneen, Owner of Lust 2 Love , Jeanelle Keaton, DMV Media Personality & Entrepreneur Chey Parker, Spiritual Healer and Teacher Cierra Lione, International Journalist Raro Lae, Marketing Expert HipHopCleopatra, Fitness Trainer Jasmine Chiara , Serial Entrepreneur Crystall Bass, and least but certainly not least the hilarious Radio Personality & Stand Up Comedian Ty Davis.
The first topic of discussion was Sisterhood. Raven Paris started this segment by having every lady stand up and compliment the person beside you, and so on and so forth. It became a snowball effect of women complimenting each other. Once the time ended for this exercise, we were asked “Was that difficult?”. Many replied, “No”, however, in reality we know that sometimes this can be a challenging thing to do. We then went into discussion about “Why is it hard for women to support each other? Why do we see each other as competition.”. One response that struck out to me was from the panelist Raro Lae.
As we transitioned into the second topic, we participated in another exercise. This time however, we shared something about ourselves with our neighbor. This lead to the discussion of Self Care. Now ya’ll know I love some “Me Time”, so I was all the way here for this topic lol. Each of the panelists were asked to share what activities they partake in for their mental, physical, and emotional self care. Some of those activities included listening to music, journaling, shopping, twerking, and even “busting a nut”! I loved how open, honest, and down to earth these ladies were.
Perseverance: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc.,especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement [Dictionary.com], or in shorter terms, “Just Do It” as Crystall Bass encouraged us to do. Crystall is the epitome of perseverance. Several years ago, Crystall faced criminal charges and jail time for a drug crime that she had no involvement with. Not letting her falsified felony record hold her back, Crystall has beat the odds and now owns five business while maintaining a government job. Can you say, Yasss! Business owner Jeanelle Keaton said one tactic that she does to keep her motivated is sleeping with a $1billion check under her pillow. Talk about claiming it! Get it girl!
Overall the event was fantastic! Ending off with a Brand Monetization discussion left attendees with jewels, gems, and tools for growing their businesses and brands. What I loved the most from the event was that you could feel the genuine love and support in the room. We were able to laugh, cry, and feel safe about our vulnerability. There’s nothing more powerful than a group of strong women working together and building a sisterhood. I truly hope that the attendees took away all of the lessons that I learned and even more. Be sure to stay informed on all of the amazing things that Raven Pairs is doing by subscribing to her website and of course, following her on the gram!
Until next time,
Remain classy, confident, & compelling!
