Shades of Influence

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Imagine Woman

Shades readers, today we are continuing to focus on women who are making an impact in our communities and the world! 

We are excited to share with you the story of Alicia Smith. 

Alicia was born in Jamaica and completed her undergraduate degree in Management Studies with a concentration in Marketing at the University of the West Indies.  In 2014, she moved to Toronto to pursue post-graduate studies in Digital Media Marketing.  In 2018, she founded Imagine Woman, which is an organization that she created to provide a space where Caribbean people, particularly Caribbean women could feel supported and included.

Imagine Woman’s directive is very clear.  At imaginewoman.com, you can find the following message about the organization under ‘Who We Are’:

A social initiative celebrating Caribbean women and providing the opportunity for us to make new connections, share in laughter, have authentic conversations; and hear stories of hope, endurance and determination that supports empowerment and success.

In a society where we are considered the minority, and statistics indicating we are at an additional disadvantage due to our gender, skin color and cultural background; it is imperative to have a platform that supports and showcases our success in spite of the odds.

In her amazing TED talk, The Danger of a Single Story, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (another woman of impact) discusses the indignity of only knowing one story about a particular group or culture.  It strikes us at Shades of Influence that Alicia Smith is focused on telling many stories through Imagine Woman and we celebrate her for that!

Shades readers, please join us at We Brunchin’, the official launch of Imagine Woman on Sunday April 7.  You can purchase your tickets at ‘ We Brunchin.’

Event Sponsors: Shea Moisture, Suits of Armour Inc, Simply Suites Ltd., 6ixpm Global Fashion Management, & Grace Food Canada