6 Creatives Weigh In On The Many Forms Of Black Love

While Black people have been through so much, the one thing that has stayed consistent is love. Being in love. Finding love…..it’s all so beautiful. Being stuck in quarantine has given unprecedented time to find a love that we may not have known exists. Maybe you found a love for a certain hobby. Or a book. You may have fallen back in love with your significant other or most importantly yourself.

The term “Black Love” has been highlighted more and more these days as people finally recognize the distinct beauty in it. However, Black love doesn’t just look like two humans in love. It comes in all forms and tones. It kind of looks like this…

The Love For Business

“I honestly had no intentions of being an entrepreneur or business owner.” – Cameron Wooten, owner of Lishe Juice

The Charlotte native told The Block that she has always been a health conscious person and has a love for eating clean but starting a business wasn’t in her vision.

“I didn’t take it seriously until two of my friends wouldn’t accept my excuses as valid reason not to do it,” Wooten says.

It’s always good to have the love of friends to boost you up where you need to be.

After supporting local juice shops after her workouts, the 31-year-old had an epiphany.

“The money I was putting into that company could easily go towards buying my own juicer and making the juices myself. I would post different juices on Instagram, sharing my wellness journey. Shortly after, the direct messages started coming in asking about it, and Lishe Juice was born in mid-2020.”

Ever since, business has been booming for the North Carolina A&T graduate. Some of her natural recipes are titled Detox Delight, Killa’s Kale Lemonade, Rise N Grind and more.

The Block: What does Black Love look like to you?

“To me, Black Love looks like Black people pursuing their passion and dreams to the fullest extent— be it by themselves, with a partner or as a collective. Just pouring into themselves and lifting themselves up to show that when we are united, we are unstoppable.”

The Love For Each Other

“We both found each other attractive, but it seemed as if no one wanted to make a move until about a year after our initial meeting.” – Chris & Asia

So it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for Chris and Asia Williams, but it seemed as if their love was destined.

“We began to follow each other on social media, but for about 6 months there was no communication,” the couple told The Block. “All of a sudden we kept getting invited to the same place at the same time almost as if it was a setup.”

Even with a sign like that, there was still some hesitation on who should make the first move. Asia said it took Chris, who also goes by Yung Citizen, two months to ask her out.

“I constantly had a wall up during this time because of getting hurt in my past relationship,” Chris said. “So it took me a while finally let the wall down until I felt a connection and compatibility between us.”

Once that wall came down, love was in the air. After their first sushi date, the couple said “it was undeniable chemistry.” The Williams admit that their journey hasn’t exactly been rainbows and unicorns, but they made a promise to each other early on to stick it out and not settle for breaking up.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, and we’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly from each other.

That was back in 2012. Now the couple has two years of marriage under their belt and look to be stronger than ever, saying that communication is key.

“Communication was key in our relationship and still is in our marriage. Although it was hard to deal with some of the things we were going through, we found a way to work our issues together.”

The Block: What does Black Love look like to you?

“Black Love is seeing each other for whom we truly are and not for what society sees us as. Black Love is uplifting each other and holding each other accountable to always do and be better. Black Love is embracing our cultural similarities and differences but overall just loving the skin that we’re in. Black Love is beautiful, important and strong. Black Love is everything.”

The Love of Friendship

“I didn’t think I would fit in, but these women made me feel welcomed faster than I thought.” – Ashley, Autumn, Kaycee, Mariah and Mildred

Sad but true, it is very hard to find a group of solid friends when you move to a new place. That’s what Mildred thought when she moved to Charlotte six years ago, but God had some solid ones waiting just for her.

“Even though I can be rough around the edges or feel like the awkward one, I am so comfortable and happy around them,” Mildred told The Block.

The crew, who calls her Millie, admires the fact that they can be there for each other in the time of need.

For Kaycee, it’s the connection between the group.

“I’m not sure how, but I always felt connected to them in a way I never have with a group of ladies,” Kaycee said. “Each one of them dabble in their own lifestyles, which in some circles, can really make or break a friendship— but not in this crew.”

Kaycee loves the fact that when they are together, egos are checked at the door.

“Nobody has egos or is jealous of another. We root for each other. That is what makes me love our friendship.”

The Block: What does Black Love look like to you?

“Black Love is understanding that even though we may come from different places or backgrounds, we can meet at a common ground and make each other feel safe. It is also understanding and allowing space for one another to grow in their experiences of being human, and also a Black person in the world. Being able to understand your partner’s struggles as a Black person and being able to come together and support one another, make for a bond that is unbreakable and show Black Love in positive light.”

The Love of Self

“It’s been really beautiful lately. A lot of people have found time to express to me how much I’m glowing.” – Ashley Mozingo

The journey of falling in love with your self can be hard, but so beautiful on the other side.

“My breakthrough moment was confirming that I didn’t need a reason to be happy,” Mozingo told The Block. “I could just be happy.”

Most people think that having the dream job, home, relationship and more is what make everyone happy. But, Ashley found a way to find the glow in herself.

“I didn’t need a high paying job, because at the time I didn’t have one. I didn’t need a relationship, because at the time, I didn’t have one. I didn’t have anything but me. I realized at the end of everything, all I will have is me. So I adopted an understanding, that if all I had was me, the least I could do was love me.”

Of course when someone says they are on the journey of finding “self-love,” they automatically think that some sort of trauma occurred. That wasn’t the case for Ashley. It was simply feeling misunderstood and wanting to fix it.

“Myself and I had a misunderstanding. I didn’t understand that I needed to have a relationship with myself. And my self didn’t understand that I needed time to process all the life changes I was going through,” she said.

The journey is almost never ending as there are some ups and downs that come with it. Ashley embraces that.

“Just like any relationship, it takes work, it’s going to evolve, it’s going to have its ups and downs. So, it’s natural that some days are going to feel better, and some may feel worse. But you have you. Honor yourself. Respect yourself. Trust yourself. Love will follow.”

The Block: What does Black Love look like to you?

“Black Love looks like freedom. It looks like joy. It looks like luxury. Even though most of my life I’ve only known love in a sense of dependency or suffering, I knew there was a deep element to Black Love. I always felt that it was more. Black Love is the sixth sense. It’s one of the wonders of the world. It’s the standard. It’s the blueprint. Black Love is a life source. It is not to be suffered for, it’s an inheritance. Black Love is love in its purest form. It’s love in its purest shape. Black Love is love in its purest shade. Black Love does not envy, but it is envied. With all of its magnificence, if I didn’t have it, I’d be mad too.”