Providing Opportunities for People of Color
“I Am African & I Can” is a women’s empowerment blog highlighting stories of Black women’s struggles and successes.
By Hadiatou Wann | 08/28/20
After Elaine Eason’s mother lost her vision in 1995, Elaine became the oldest daughter that was left with many responsibilities. Although her mother was blind in both eyes, she was very hands-on, which distracted everyone around her from noticing that she had a disability. Witnessing her mother maneuver life with grace and resilience helped shape her into the strong, independent woman she is today.
One of the memories that still lingers in Elaine’s mind is when she was around 6 years old, her Caucasian teacher disrespected her in class and made her feel like she wasn’t going to succeed in life. That was the first time Elaine realized that she was Black. “No child sees color until you say something that hurts their feelings,” Elaine expressed on the issue of race.
After that incident, every year Elaine’s mother made her and her younger sister sit down and write down their goals. Every 6 months, they had to revisit their goals to see if they achieved them or made progress.
While in middle school, Elaine was suicidal. Luckily, she enrolled in an art program at Clinton middle school that helped her express herself through art. She made it to high school with more emotional stability, was on the Dean’s List for 3 consecutive years and graduated with a 3.8 GPA. In college, she studied Fashion Merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). But after 3 years, she realized that she didn’t want to continue in that path.
Attempting to find her passion, Elaine interned at several E-commerce companies, where she finally concluded that she would rather work for herself. Today, she is retired and has two Airbnb businesses that give her time freedom, and support her financially. This entrepreneur has always loved helping people. But now, she finds herself leaning towards a bigger calling. She feels she has an obligation to help people even when they don’t ask for help.
This month, she decided to give back to the Black community by launching Brooklyn Ubuciko Festival— a virtual festival which celebrates people of color and provides visibility for Black artists who can’t afford a website or don’t have a following. The festival included comedy hour, spoken word, a cooking show, artist recognition and commissions for people interested in their work. She looks forward to growing this platform for the benefit of others.
Elaine’s best friend Kasha Vannessa Johnson says, “Elaine and I met at age 14 in high school as freshmen and have been close friends ever since. Ironically a friendship that grew from friendly competition because when it came to academics Elaine was also as ambitious as me. We always fought to raise our hands first (lol). But that very thing became the foundation of a friendship built upon two women who genuinely pushed one another to our maximum potential.”
“Elaine is the kind of person who never is stagnant. She's always looking to figure out how she can take herself to the next level. That's what I've grown to respect. But what I love is that she wants to take those surrounding her with her. That is what separates her from many because she isn't truly fulfilled if she hasn't found a way to feed a larger cause. That is what her Ubuciko festival represented to me,” Kasha said.
Elaine has a growing concern of the poor eating habits people of color have, and the pesticides injected in the foods they eat. Within a few years, her goal is to open a supermarket chain that will provide a healthier option for the Black community.
“We need to do something for ourselves. If we want to build generational wealth, we have to be conscious of how we make and spend our money. We need to buy our land, develop it, build our own institutions and jobs,“ she said.
In addition, she wants to change White people’s perspective and dismantle the narrative that for generations has painted people of color as lazy, loud, ignorant people who spend their time drinking and smoking.
Despite facing hardships throughout her life, Elaine still has a soft spot for people. Each day, she thinks of ways to facilitate others’ lives and help the “little people” that are left behind have a voice. Her success story teaches us that if we aim for the best, someone’s opinion of us will not dictate the outcome of our lives.
Welcome to Elaine’s World
“No child sees color until you say something that hurts their feelings.”
“If your friend is not trying to put you on to something, then that’s not really your friend.”
“I think the police should suffer the same way their victims did.”
Elaine has 5 cats and 2 pitbulls. She enjoys hiking, going to the park, and traveling. Before the pandemic, she went on vacation every other month. She‘s been to Puerto Rico, Saint Luis, Jamaica, Thailand, Spain, and The Bahamas.
“We need to do something for ourselves. If we want to build generational wealth, we have to be conscious of how we make and spend our money. We need to buy our land, develop it, build our own institutions and jobs.”
Connect with Elaine:
Instagram: @brooklynubuciko
Email: elaine@bkubuciko.com
Website: https://www.bkubuciko.com/
Read other success stories here: www.iamafricanandican.info/blog
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