Gabrielle Union could not have a better name. The actor knows that the most important aspect of her job, besides the glamour and glam, is the power of unity. Throughout her career, she’s made it a point to uplift others—especially other Black women—through charity work, her production company I’ll Have Another, and using her platform to speak out against racism in the industry.
Union’s latest project involves co-hosting a panel with Taraji P. Shenson and Sally Beauty, which will take place on February 22. The roundtable will include not only the celebrity brand owners but also the Black female founders and managers of smaller hair brands like True + Pure Texture and Mielle Organics. Although it may seem odd that these women, who technically compete, are joining forces, Union says that the goal is more than just selling shampoo and edge control.
“When I started my hair line, one of the first people to reach out was Taraji,” Union tells Glamour.“She was like, “Send me products. It will be promoted. And you think in your head, “But, you have a hairline.” Are you sure?'” Union was then reminded by Henson of her role in posting Henson’s line at its launch. “That’s what we do because there’s enough space for all of us. And so we’re like, ‘Okay, how do we take what we do for each other, and expand that?’ And so, at Taraji’s behest, we created this round table of founders.”
“You just wish that you could have done things sooner to make sure that everyone got included in these kinds of projects,” Union continues. “But what I love about how Taraji and I have always moved through Hollywood and the world, is this world is big enough for all of us to thrive. Sometimes we can’t see what others are doing or how they’ve received it. Or what worked or why it didn’t work. Being mentors, sharing these resources, that information… It wasn’t always encouraged. We are our brothers and sister’s keepers. This is how it has always worked. If I have information, you also have information. If I have a website, you have a website. How can we expand this? And that’s what we’ve come up with with the founder’s round table.”
“It’s easy to support people as they’re winning an Oscar or winning the Super Bowl or whatever,” she says. It’s easier just to be a fan and help them. Who really shows up when people are in their darkest hour? And who really steps up when it’s time to show real solidarity? We walk the talk, and we talk the walk. So hopefully it inspires more people to do the same.”
Source: Glamour
