The Brown Girls Magic Collaborative

The dynamic women who echo Apostle Travis Jennings’ vision of “Brown Girls Magic” came together for an open, honest conversation to help readers fully understand their perspectives as a collaborative group of committed women. “Brown Girls Magic” reflected in this e-magazine includes Dr. Stephanie Jennings, Lady Laurona Phelps, Apostle Dr. Regina Archat, Pastor Vanessa Hall, and Pastor Angelic Simmons. In this magazine, they offered a precursor to their upcoming “Brown Table Talk” discussions. The following highlighted sections provide a refreshing glimpse into the thoughts and opinions of Brown Girls who clearly hold the magic. These women’s five perspectives represent only a small part of the Brown Girls Magic discussion; the entire dialog will take place at the Brown Table Talk sessions, covering many different topics.

The Brown Girls Magic collaborative reminded us of how “invisible bars trap many of us.” Such bars cause us to feel drained when trying to accomplish goals outside of the bars. For example, some Brown Girls are trapped if they don’t understand the true meaning of friendship. Some friends are really comrades, only there when it’s time to battle. Then we have constituents, which are business connections, people we to do business with. Other people are considered casual friends through common interests. But then there is the confidante, someone who is there day or night, through thick or thin. The understanding of friendship is important when making decisions of who is allowed in your inner circle. The Brown Girl succeeds when she understands who is—or is not—a true friend.

As a collective, the Brown Girls are all eagles who, during a storm, rise above the turbulence to soar through the vicissitudes of life. This group of women has collectively sent dozens of Black children to college. Their philanthropic nature, coupled with their battle scars, affords them the unction not to apologize for their success. They are progressive with their work. The Brown Girl has the same 24 hours in one day as anyone else, yet they move past their mistakes to reach life’s purpose. They internalize Romans 8:28 and believe that all things work together for our good. These Brown Girls are the same yet uniquely different, operating fully in the gifts God has bestowed on them.

Through different spectrums of brilliant hues, the Brown Girls’ lived experiences, determination, perseverance, and encouragement ground them in the foundation of God’s love and light. For some, Brown Girls Magic might appear to be elusive or unattainable; it might appear to be only for “special” people. The amazing women of Brown Girls Magic challenge the notion that magic is a mystery. The melanin in Brown Girls’ skin is steeped with ancestral gifts and talents that have allowed them to show up and show out, in spite of the various hills and valleys they were forced to climb in order to claim a seat at the table. In fact, many of the Brown Girls in this interview have built their own tables, and they invite all Brown Girls to gear up and emanate joy, light, and calm amid adversity. The walk of the Brown Girl has been brutal at times, sometimes crippling. However, with every step forward, there is one Brown Girl pushing from behind, reaching toward the outstretched hands of the ones who went ahead, the ones who paved the way with their blood, sweat, and tears. Brown Girls Magic is more than a notion—it is a community of fierce, God-fearing women who are blazing new trails and taking the typical stereotype about women in ministry and turning it on its head.

See below some of the pearls of wisdom gleaned from the Brown Girls Magic collaboration.

Beauty… comes in all forms. It’s not only outward but inward as well. When a person can demonstrate a beautiful attitude both inside and out, they provide a holistic balance, as having a negative attitude on the inside can take away from your outward beauty. Beauty is confidence and knowing who you are. It is not arrogance, but assurance. Beauty is also Christ-like and content.

Steadfast Support… keeps us uplifted. Oftentimes the enemy tries to isolate us, but in the midst of chaos, as Brown Girls, we have each other. Our care and love are genuine. A call or text to see how each other is doing helps a lot, especially in our positions. It is a blessing during trying seasons when you can have a Brown Girl to reach out and touch, to speak a prophetic word over your life and administer encouragement. It is such a gift to have other women who look like you, sound like you, and speak like you who, in your lowest moments, can pull you out of your despair.

Ability to Stand… even when your legs are weary. We have bounce-back and tenacity. Nothing gets us down. When we come back, we bring others with us. The ability to stand with Brown Girls resilience helps us to succeed against the odds. It was in us from our fore-parents to be strong. We can come through anything, but we need purpose as our driving force. Having purpose will motivate us to get up, especially when we’re feeling as if we can’t go on.

Knowing when to sit… as your place can’t be at every table. If you are feeling defensive or destructive or no longer being effective, maturity knows when to sit down. Rest is important, and knowing the signs of when to take a break and recoup is important, such as feeling depleted and short on patience. Be cognizant of when you can be seen and not heard, allowing silence to be your sword. Take time to realign yourself with God. Every mountain is not worth dying on, so consider what mountain you are supposed to climb. When you can see and hear that you are operating outside of who you are called to be, it’s time to sit down.

How to begin… taking steps toward your purpose. Just get up! Put one foot in front of the other. Beginning is a mindset, so add movement to go along with your mindset. Having a sense of urgency will help you to begin to move. Good ideas plus God ideas will help you begin. A lot of times people commit suicide because they lack purpose in their life, so be sure to have the right support around you for those dark days to push you to that next level. Purpose will drive you to get up and recognize that it’s a blessing to be a Brown Girl.

Advice for the Brown Girls…. Remember that this Brown Girls Magic is woven into your DNA. Every woman possesses this Brown Girls Magic. That's just the truth! Understand that this magic is a posture that you are born with. If you look outside of yourself, you will find your future. We all can take ownership of this innate Brown Girls Magic, but not in isolation. In order for this magic to really stretch and leap, you need to connect with somebody who's doing what you desire to do so there is shared wisdom. It doesn't make you less; it makes you wise, because you asked for the help when you needed it. Go on and get a little residue of the businesswomen’s oil. Every Brown Girl is uniquely different. You don't have to try to be anybody else. Just be the best you can be. Walk in the shoes that God has given you, because the only shoes you can walk in are your own.