“There’s always something to suggest that you’ll never be who you wanted to be. Your choice is to take it or keep on moving” – Phylicia Rashad
Taraji P. Henson broke down in tears on Gayle King’s Sirius XM radio show and said “the math aint mathin”…and sis, she was never lying.
So guess what we gotta do curlfriends?
BREAK THE CALCULATOR…AND INVENT A NEW ONE.
This calculator we have to continue breaking, is the top floor glass ceiling to a system of inequity that continues to undercompensate Black women, at EVERY level. Many of us, like Taraji, are tired of being the undervalued genius “Hidden Figures” that creates the magic behind the multi-billion-dollar global empires and industries built on our backs.
From NASA during the 60s to Hollywood today, Black women are tired of being invited to the table to carry this anti-soft life #BlackGirlMagic weight without a fair share on our plate.
SICK + TIRED OF BEING SICK + TIRED!
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious about what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost. I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired,” said Taraji.
Black women all across the U.S. and the world could feel Taraji’s pain…because we’re all tired.
Tired of over-delivering for a corporation that pays us 63 cents for every $1 earned by our white counterpart.
Tired of the weakening or elimination of the token DEI positions post George Floyd, revealing that it was all a knee-jerk PR stunt to defend against a cancel-culture revolt.
Tired of being over-worked and under-paid.
If Taraji is sick and tired of being lowballed…you know we all are!
RUN ME MY COINS!
Some of the True + Pure Texture curlfriends recently discussed Tarji P. Henson’s emotional public outcry, and we shared our own relatable personal experiences as well.
I recalled how I was met with a familiar “passive-aggressiveness” during an interview for a corporate beauty consultant opportunity. When providing the compensation figures I required to make the opportunity work, the executive white man who was interviewing me stated, “Ohh you’re a negotiator.” I replied, “Aren’t all good businessmen?”
That set the tone for closing the deal on the compensation I believed was most commensurate to my worth.
Another curlfriend mentioned that she was working at a Fortune 500 company with a manager that continued to increase her workload while downsizing her support, without upgrading her pay. He gave her perfect annual reviews and promised her over and over she would get a promotion… but it never came. Once she delivered on automating all the processes she was tasked with to save the company millions, she was laid off.
What did curlfriend do? She pivoted into an entirely different industry, helping to scale a Black female-owned company into an industry leader. She also launched her own bakery business simultaneously – creating a future pathway much more rewarding and deserving of her most True + Pure loyalty.
CURLFRIENDS 3-STEP EQUITY PLAY: THE SOLUTION FOR TARAJI + ALL BLACK WOMEN
We already know the system is a man-made Mt. Everest that was not built with Black women in mind to reach the top. However - we climb, we grind, and we breakthrough those treacherous terrains and glass ceilings time and time again.
Here's our Curlfriends 3-Step Equity Play for Black Women:
#1: STAND UP + STAND OUT
Taraji stood tall against her unequal pay and True + Pure Texture stands with her + you #YourVoiceMatters
Our girl Taraji did EXACTLY what she was supposed to do. During this promotion for The Color Purple movie, Taraji leveraged her primetime moment to speak out against the unequal pay despite being one of the top actresses in Hollywood. This same inequity hinders every Black woman coming up behind her.
That took a lot of courage, and it had a major viral impact because her voice matters. So does yours! We must always be willing to speak up and stand up for the equal and fair compensation we deserve. Our ancestors would have it no different.
#2: CREATE YOUR OWN
Every Black woman can be a True Boss Chick #LevelUp
Since the beginning of time we’ve been the secret sauce. Taraji’s most recent starring role in “The Color Purple” is solely because of a visionary mogul who has shown us the billionaire blueprint for literally creating your OWN NETWORK!
Despite the odds Oprah has done it. Issa Rae – a True + Pure Texture curlfriend, is doing it. So Taraji...we have no doubt that you can too. You got a whole tribe of Curlfriends waiting to support you on your own “Girls Trip” produced adventure.
This goes for you too, curlfriend. Take a leap of faith & launch that podcast, self-publish that book, register that LLC to kickoff your own entrepreneurial dreams – just like I did with Salon PK & True + Pure Texture. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of “Own or Be Owned.”
Always remember, the biggest risk is not taking one.
#3: UNITE
The tighter our bond, the stronger our voice #Sisterhood #Curlfriends
Just like our popular True + Pure Texture TruPart Wig, where each weft weaves into a powerful whole, stronger than the sum of its parts, Black women rise when we stand together. Tightly woven threads of support, sisterhood, and shared experience form an unbreakable fabric, amplifying voices and demanding justice.
And just like our TruPart, this movement also has "no leave-out." Sistas we're all in this together.
In the pursuit of equal pay, each curlfriend’s story threads into a collective cultural texture, demanding an end to unfairness and securing a future where every strand shines with deserved equity.
True To You ➰🖤➰
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for” – June Jordan
