Get to know who we are, why we started black & beautiful movement and where we are heading!
In 2015, two friends, sisters, and women of impact came together in Oakland, wanting to create a space for women to congregate, connect and empower one another. At the time Maereg “Mimo” had started hosting some events in Oakland for women, and a recent LA transplant, myself, Tiffany, had an established platform in which I was hosting women’s events in LA. When Mimo and I came together, we had ideas of including other women, and connected with a previous school mate, Nnennaya and another holistic practitioner in the Oakland, Nakia. All four of us knew we wanted to create something special for the community. At the time, the Sandra Bland murder occured, and we agreed on focusing our event on the “Say Her Name” movement. We brought in our different areas of expertise. Mimo and Nnennaya focused on the social justice, advocacy and community organizing piece, myself and Nakia, focused on self-love, self-care, and mental health. We decided to bring in friends who were business owners, to vend.
Coco came to represent the intersection between cultural pride, consciousness, advocacy, and advancement. We want women to be proud of all their blackness, in and out. We want women to become aware of intergenerational cycles that can be broken.
In the end, it became the first Black & Beautiful Women’s Brunch (BBWB). We had such amazing feedback, and it felt so special, that myself and Mimo knew it would be something impactful enough to continue. Four years later, BBWB continued to amass a following, and with the help of our friend, sister, and teammate Jasmine who became an organizer in its 3rd year, we wanted to expand on what we had and create more opportunities for impact, so we established Coco Coalition as a non-profit in 2018.
Coco came to represent the intersection between cultural pride, consciousness, advocacy, and advancement. We want women to be proud of all their blackness, in and out. We want women to become aware of intergenerational cycles that can be broken. We want girls to have healthy examples to look up to. As women of the diaspora, there are three things that we all have in common: a desire to connect and be connected with intentional and positive women, a desire to grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and a desire to thrive thru the power of exploration, wellness, and impact. This is why when you step into an event, you will see the words, connect, grow and thrive.
We wanted to create safe spaces for black women, empower black women, give black women tools, resources and knowledge, spotlight the many facets of who black women are and do something to give back to black girls. Coco is intended to be a growing movement, where one day, cultivating these intentional, beautiful, authentic and transformational spaces can be easily duplicatable.
Written By: Tiffany Wright, Co-Founder/Love Ambassador