Feb 02, 2021

Celebrating Black-Owned Businesses with Daneisha Davis-Harger

Last February, we were not writing about Black History Month.

And although it makes us sad/angry/embarrassed, it is the truth. After the horrible events that shook our world (over and over again) in 2020, we can no longer sit around and simply be "non-racist." We understand there were many (many) events before now.

From the beginning of SoSis, we've worked toward inclusivity in sizes, models, lookbooks and more. But we must do more. We must ensure we are taking steps to make SoSis more inclusive to our Black sisters (and brothers) - so everyone can see themselves in our brand.

This February we want to use SoSis to lift up Black voices. In this series of posts, we will share with you Black women we admire, look to for inspiration and believe in. We are sure we won't get everything just right. We hope you'll extend us some grace.

This is just one way we are celebrating the beauty of Black voices. We are also committed to adding more Black brands to our SoSis mix and are always open to your suggestions. Leave us a comment on this post if you have any you think may be a good fit for SoSis!

Meet Daneisha Davis-Harger

Daneisha is the owner of Pixel & Ink Creative - a Black-owned business we proudly added to our collection of Louisiana artists in 2020. She is a Southwest Louisiana native whose business is based in Lake Charles - a city 2020 had no empathy for.

We are IN LOVE with Daneisha's work. We learned of her art from another Louisiana brand we follow, Mimosa Handcrafted. In an effort to lift up Black voices back in August 2020, Mimosa's owner, Madeline, shared a post from @shop.pixelandink. We followed her then. We added her to our store shortly after.

It is through getting to know Daneisha and her brand that we've become more aware that "digital art is real art," we are all just Elder Millennials who were raised by TV, and the key to being a terrible adult is saying "yes" to the "are you still watching" question.

Small changes can happen when the some of the voices we choose to listen to don't look like our own.

In Daneisha's own words:

My feelings on Black History Month are complicated. While I can appreciate the focus that is put on the successes and contributions of black Americans, I feel like these are things that should be celebrated and acknowledged year round. Black History is American History, after all. Oftentimes, what's discussed in Black History Month is watered down and usually only hits the highlights of stories and people that we already know or think we know. We very rarely get to hear about what leads up to the infamous things. The struggles and the causes. I consider myself a history nerd, so I take umbrage with most aspects of any kind of history that doesn't go any deeper than surface level facts. So Black History Month is a great jumping off point, but March-January leaves a lot of time for extended learning if you're willing.