Freedom Wears a Crown
This image of our Founder & CEO is not about a costume.
It is about identity.
It represents the truth that Black women have always been queens, whether the world acknowledged it or not. Long before recognition, before rights, before resources, Black women carried themselves with dignity, vision, and strength in the face of unimaginable limitation.
This blog is dedicated to freedom.
To queens walking fully in who they are.
To women choosing not to let the past dictate the future.
To those who understand that the way was paved, and now, we pave forward.
Freedom Begins in the Mind
True freedom is not only something written into law.
It is something lived internally.
If you are not free in your mind, you can exist in a free society and still live imprisoned by fear, limitation, or inherited beliefs. The way we think shapes the way we speak. The way we speak shapes how we act. And how we act shapes the lives we build.
Mental bondage shows up quietly:
- in self-doubt that feels familiar
- in shrinking to fit spaces that were never meant to confine us
- in accepting less because “that’s how it’s always been.”
- in allowing fear or bitterness to guide decisions
But when the mind is free, everything changes.
A free mind walks with confidence.
A free mind speaks with intention.
A free mind treats others with dignity.
A free mind refuses to be ruled by racism, resentment, or limitation.
Freedom of mind allows you to live it, speak it, and show it, without apology.
The Past Informs Us, It Does Not Define Us
Our history matters.
The sacrifices matter.
The struggle matters.
But we do not live looking backward.
The past informs us, it does not imprison us.
The way was paved through courage, resilience, and sacrifice so that we could walk forward with clarity and choice. We honor those who came before us not by staying bound to their pain, but by building on their strength.
We are no longer only surviving.
We are creating.
We are leading.
We are owning.
We are not waiting for a seat.
We are building the table.
The First Queens Who Built Anyway
Before opportunity was accessible and before ownership was protected, Black women were already building.
One of the most widely recognized pioneers was Madam C. J. Walker, the first self-made female millionaire in the United States. Born to parents who were formerly enslaved, she built a beauty empire not only to generate wealth, but to create opportunity, employment, and independence for other Black women.
There was also Mary Ellen Pleasant, a successful businesswoman who used her resources to fund abolitionist causes and support the Underground Railroad, quietly shaping history through action.
And Maggie Lena Walker, who became the first Black woman to charter and lead a bank in the United States, proving that financial leadership was never out of reach, only obstructed.
These women did not wait for permission.
They did not seek validation.
They did not shrink to survive.
They built anyway.
Queens Walking in Freedom Today
Today’s queens walk in many forms.
They are entrepreneurs, leaders, creatives, professionals, mothers, mentors, and builders. They understand that freedom is not loud, but it is visible.
It shows up in:
- How we lead with integrity
- How we build businesses with purpose
- How we treat others with respect
- How we uplift instead of compete
- How we mentor instead of gatekeeping
Color does not determine worth.
History does not limit destiny.
Mindset determines how far we go.
Now We Pave the Way
The women before us laid the foundation.
Now it is our responsibility to build forward.
At Here2Serve, our Founder and CEO stands as part of that living legacy, a woman who has built, learned, adjusted, and continued forward. Not because it was easy, but because freedom demands responsibility.
Responsibility to lead with integrity.
Responsibility to build with intention.
Responsibility to think freely and act boldly.
Responsibility to leave something stronger behind.
This is what freedom looks like.
A Final Word to the Queens
Wear your crown, not as decoration, but as truth.
You are not defined by what was.
You are not limited by where you came from.
You are not bound by old narratives.
The way was paved.
Now we pave the future.
Walk free.
Think free.
Build free.
This is our time.
