SASSY was created as a resource and community for women of color in their early twenties to their early thirties. As recent college and graduate school graduates, we are well on our way to greatness but are caught in an in-between-period in life. Without a doubt, we will do great things, but right now We are still on the path to greatness. We want to create a community of like-minded women and help each other by providing advice on networking, finance, fashion, dating and all that is SASSY.
We are currently on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter! These two websites, in addition to our blog, serve as vehicles for us to connect to our readers. We love being in constant contact with other SASSY women and use their input to make SASSY more meaningful and useful to our readers.
SASSY is also a vehicle to let young women shine. We showcase writers, artists, stylists and budding entrepreneurs. We are always looking for more writers.
Interview
What's the mission of SASSY?
This mission of SASSY is to to create a community for women of color in their twenties. I went to Smith College, which is an all women's college, and what I've missed most since graduation was the sisterhood, the comradory. I missed women working together to lift each other up and help each other out. Since then, I hadn't exeperienced that same community but I think it is so necessary. With all the competition that we have to do - in work, at school, and the dating pool (oh don't get me started), I wanted to create a safe and fun space for women to uplift each other and enjoy each other.
What called you to create SASSY?
I created SASSY because I couldn't find a podcast or a blog that spoke specifically to me. Yes, I know there are blogs geared to young women, but I didn't like the tone in them. I was looking for something positive but also informative. Since I couldn't find it, I created it.
How would you define the typical SASSY young women of color?
Well SASSY Women means Smart, Ambitious, Sexy and Sophisticated Young Women. That's the typical woman. Most of us at least have a BA, but most have some sort of graduate degree or are on the way. A lot of the writers (and readers I imagine) have some sort of hustle, usually in the form of their own business. They do more than just the 9 to 5 and then sit at home. They are of course sexy, beautiful inside and out, and confident. And sophisticated - we are not the stereotypical crazy or angry women. We carry ourselves with grace. (I can't forget that there are SASSY men out there. They are simply amazing too!).
What type of information do you share on SASSY?
I try to tackle everything that we're going through, I know, so broad. Recently, if it's something I've been going through, or a writer's been going through, we write about it. Sometimes people email me and tell me they want to read about a certain topic, and I find someone to write about it. It's important to me that SASSY is relevant to our experience and that it's helpful. I think it's really important to showcase diverse perspectives. We've had a hip hop republican post during the election because I thought it was important to acknowledge that not all young women of color were voting Obama, we have young mothers blog, we have a married woman blog giving relationship advice.
What has the response been like to SASSY?
Very positive. It started with some of my friends writing for it, but now other people have read the blog and wanted to contribute. My mom even wrote an article! We may not get many comments, but we have a lot of readers. Normally, people just comment to me about what they've read. They'll hit me up on facebook or gchat and tell me what they thought about what we've written. It's all good. I know people read it and they like what they read. That's all I need.
What future goals do you have for the SASSY brand?
I hope to create a podcast to go along with the blog. Hopefully we will have some sort of meet-n-greets so that local SASSY women can connect. I want to bring back Shining Stars, I like showcasing other's young women's businesses. I'm always amazed and impressed with what my peers are doing across the nation. I'm starting a PhD program in the fall, so I may start showcasing my peers research (but not in a boring way). I don't know, I'm open. The sky's the limit.
How can one take part in the SASSY initiative?
Read the blog, comment on it, join our Facebook fan page, follow us on Twitter. We're everywhere! If you'd like us to cover something you think is important, just shoot us a note, you can e-mail us, and we'll take care of it. It's really simple and we'd love to have you.
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