My name is Yvette Hallman, I grew up in a town on Long Island’s North Shore. Although it was a nice place to live, I often refer to myself as “the unprivileged privileged”.
I was always very social, I had friends, played sports, and may even be deemed as someone that was widely accepted. Despite my likability, micro- aggressions, prejudice, and racism were always looming. I remember teachers and adults confidently assuming I needed reduced lunch, or stating I lived in a particular area of town, I did not live in; simply because I was Black. As a young adult I had to leave work early to attend my uncle’s retirement from Cornell. My
co-worker (an older white woman) asked me– “are you sure he’s retiring from Cornell?” In her mind I must have been mistaken, because there was no way my uncle could be retiring from a prestigious institution.
There were always attitudes, behaviors, and subtleties that sent the message of “you can’t do that, you shouldn’t have that and why are you here?” It was hurtful and frustrating.
To add assault to injury, I often witnessed some of my peers of color disassociate from Black people, culture and customs in hopes of gaining acceptance from our white counterparts. I could never quite understand this. I remember a classmate of mine– also a female of color insisting she will only date white men. I was confused and asked why? Her reply: “I don’t want black babies with nappy hair.” I was in complete disbelief, so many things ran through my mind– “Who made her think this way? Black is so beautiful. I was also saddened at the possibility that society and our local environment influenced her to think this way.
Despite these encounters, I remained proud of who I was and where I came from, I didn’t want to assimilate or be anyone else; I just wanted to be me.
My personal community of family and friends shaped me to be confident and proud, I wanted to be Black and nothing else. I came from an African American family, blended with Caribbean relatives from Antigua and Jamaica. I loved my family’s conversations and intellectual debates in the living room on social matters, religion, and everything in between. I loved decorating and singing to the Jackson Five Christmas album and playing Loodie and all kinds of games after Thanksgiving dinner. I felt blessed that my family had cultural diversity that shaped the way I saw myself, and the world around me.
During my college years I took a semester abroad in Paris, France. I’ll never forget missing the late-night train with friends from my program. Our cellphones were dead, so I had no help from Google; I had to ask for directions in French and take the local bus. We got to our apartments safely but all I could think about was all the people that migrate to the United States, speaking minimal to no English. I began to feel so much empathy for my childhood classmates who had to adjust to a new country and language, as children. I feel my life has been training me to have a different level of compassion and care for cultural and race relations.
Every experience good and bad stirred up my desire to create safe spaces for people of color on Long Island. I began to curate events and social experiences that celebrated the African Diaspora; this is how Craving Culture was born.
Today I’m proud to say Craving Culture curates cultural events and provides workshops for organizations centered around entrepreneurship & self development. Our mission is to provide a platform that educates and inspires individuals–through curated experiences that celebrate culture, community and promote entrepreneurship & personal transformation.
Our events have publicized local business owners, entrepreneurs, and artists of color. We’re building a special community of people that uplift one another, educate each other, and help each other succeed.
We recently began the launch of Craving Culture the Podcast, to further amplify the voices & unique stories of Black entrepreneurs and creatives. We believe our podcast will give us the opportunity to impact lives beyond our local reach.
Ultimately my vision is to unify the African Diaspora and encourage individuals to find hope within themselves and the possibilities of their dreams. I hope Craving Culture dispels stereotypes, misinformation, stagnation and ultimately provokes transformation in our community. Simply put, I want to see lives and communities changed for the better.
You can find more about Yvette Hallman at www.yvettehallman.com or via Instagram @iamyvettehallman.
