Courtesy of Blair Paysinger and Juana Williams
Courtesy of Blair Paysinger and Juana Williams
Black History Month – Highlighting Families Building Legacies Rooted in Love.
Happy Black History Month, Fam! This year, we’re paying homage to the rich history of the past while celebrating the change-makers of the future. For the entire month of February, we’re highlighting couples, siblings, and families building a legacy rooted in Black love that are making history in their own way. Support these business owners and also let us know in the comments if there’s anyone you’d like for us to highlight next year! Wishing you a month of Black love, Black pride, and reminders that Black History is truly happening every day.
Meet the Co-Founders of Post 21
Juana Williams and Blair Paysinger
Courtesy of Blair Paysinger and Juana Williams
Location: Los Angeles, California
Their Story:
Post 21 was created by a mother-daughter duo who for years wanted a comprehensive marketplace that focused on modern and design-forward products from Black-owned businesses. While the discovery process of some of their favorite products was always an exciting one, they felt strongly that there’s no reason why these products are consistently being discovered when they should be household names. So, they said let’s create the place we want to shop
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Black Love: Tell us the story of Post 21. How did you get here?
Blair: My mom came to me in November 2018 and said, “I’m going to be retiring soon, let’s start an online store where we sell products from only Black-owned businesses.” It was something she always wanted available to shop from. I loved the idea and started making things happen. We launched online on June 1, 2020, and opened at Downtown Disney on Black Friday, 2021. So we got here much faster than we expected.
Black Love: Share your earliest memories of Black History Month.
Blair: My mom gave my brother and I a box of African-Americans in History flashcards and said, “you need to know this.”
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Black Love: Entrepreneurship isn’t always easy. How do you encourage each other in those moments?
Blair: Although it isn’t always easy, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My grandfather was an entrepreneur, and my mother worked with him as a little girl, and now I’m continuing that legacy in a safe, loving space. My daughter and son see Granny and mom achieving, being strong business owners all in the context of family. My mom was raised to be Christian and raised me to be the same, so we pray. Sometimes we each recognize the other person needs a moment. And often we tell each other “we got this”
Black Love: Black Love goes beyond just romantic relationships; it’s the love we have for our people; how does it feel to build a legacy rooted in love together?
Blair: It feels amazing! We both love what we are doing and know we were meant to do this. Our love is true. It’s how my mom was raised and how she raised me, loving Us.
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