By Shayler Richmond

Tracee Ellis Ross, star of “Blackish,” and Executive Producer of, “Mixedish,” sat down with Elaine Welteroth to talk about becoming empowered, trusting yourself and her new hair care beauty line on the Culture Stage of CultureCon 2019.
“I feel I’ve earned this spot in my skin. These years have done something for me, and it’s not by accident because I’ve done the work,” said Ross.
Everything is a process with mistakes. Ross expressed she has learned most from being forced to sit and work through disappointment and discomfort.
“I’m still learning how to love myself and how to be kind to myself; in moments I make bad choices; in moments of rejection or perceived rejection; in moments of disappointment; in moments of hurt and heartbreak. I’m still learning how to always hold myself, love myself and speak to myself kindly,” said Ross.
The compassion she has learned from her relationship with herself extends to how she sees the world and how she sees other people. Creating space for authenticity is represented by the woman she is, the stories she tells and the products she creates.
“As Black and Brown women we historically have not been able to have equity in what we build, to actually have a stake in the work we do, and let it be ours,” said Ross.
Ross has always dreamt of being a content creator and not just a person plopped in.
“The thing that is most exciting for me is to be in a place where I am creating stories that I’ve been interested in seeing being told the way I’m interested in seeing it,” said Ross.
Not only is she creating stories for us, but her hair care beauty line, Pattern Beauty, is for every curly girl traditional beauty brands refused to make space for.
Ross is owning all of her truth; the good, the bad, the weird and everything in between, and encouraging those following her to also advocate for themselves for themselves.
Her advice is to celebrate and appreciate the simple beauties of life and be encouraged and invigorated by your growth on your journey without a need for validation.
“Often the biggest and best places we are able to see who we are and what makes us special is intimate and ours,” said Ross.

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