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December 2021
Volume 8 | Issue No. 52
"There's something in me that can't quit, that is driven to make a
contribution. Like many, I want to see an unadulterated cosmic
shift in this country that fosters hope, dignity, equity, and healing
in communities of color. Instead of waiting and hoping for an
invite, we are building our own tables and chairs."
This article was originally published in February 2021.
A
combination of racial justice movements
in support of Black business and people
exploring entrepreneurial ventures during
COVID-19 lockdowns led to an uptick in Black-
owned businesses in 2020. Over the last five
years, women-owned businesses are similarly
booming. However, breaking down both racial
barriers and glass ceilings are monumental
tasks made even more difficult with
conservative and outdated beliefs in an area
like rural Missouri. Tonia Wright, CEO of Grace
Advertising and Consulting, Inc., emulates the
Black female entrepreneur experience with
strength, resiliency, and – of course – grace.
With a lifelong passion for the written word and
an impenetrable sense of self, she inserted
for herself a seat at the table. When she was
no longer welcome, she built her own table.
Today, her company celebrates its 14-year
anniversary.
Wright grew up in Kansas City, Missouri with two
older siblings and a single mother who worked
two jobs and ruled with an iron fist. Wright said
she is thankful, now, for the strict upbringing. As
the youngest, Wright became very introverted
and found comfort in the words of Winnie the
Pooh and inspiration from Maya Angelou as
books became a safe escape that quickly
developed into a love of creative writing.
Though she lived in a Black neighborhood,
she attended a white Catholic school,
attending Mass several days a week. Her lived
experience coalesced Black culture and a
mainstream white culture that enabled her to
float between two worlds. After transferring
from Bishop O'Hara to predominantly Black
Southwest High School in the mid '80s, she
felt the full weight of the shock. "I felt like a
novelty," she said. "There were some cultural
things I had missed." Her "midwestern dialect"
was also chastised, once again leaving her
feeling alienated and turning to books for
comfort.
As a high school junior at age 15, Wright got
pregnant, a difficult pressure to carry as she
was always the person in the family expected
to excel. Her plans to receive a doctorate by
age 25 were now put aside. Despite wanting to
attend summer school to speed up graduation,
she instead entered a school for pregnant
girls for a semester which she recounts as an
awful experience as, during this time, she also
struggled with her confidence after developing
pronounced patches of psoriasis on her face.
"I felt so misplaced and uncomfortable."
