We’re looking forward to introducing you to Damita Miller-Shanklin. Check out our conversation below.
Damita, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
Thank you for sharing my story. I wake up each day 4am. I work full time so I do as much of Uijma stuff as I can in one hour. This means I review and send emails, create social media post, and plan for what I need to do when I get home in the evenings.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Damita Miller-Shanklin. I’m the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Ujima Magazine. We have been telling stories of the “everyday heroes” in the our Black Community for 17 years. Our magazine is digital and it’s a niche product because it focuses on black people and our community. I started the magazine because I wanted to write and share positive stories of people who are making a difference in our community. We share stories of women entrepreneurs, authors, artist, black men entrepreneurs. young people and more.
We are currently working on building our contributing writers with black male writers and black young people who want to write and tell stories from their perspective. This will give Ujima a broader reach of readers.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
The memory I have of feeling powerful was when I left my job in 2008 and I did not have another job. When I was asked where you going, my response was “I’m going home.” This was true because I didn’t know what I was going to do. I wanted to write but I did not know how I was going to accomplish this dream. But I must say, walking away from my job of 17 years at that time, to go and try something new was a great powerful feeling. From that point, I set out to create something for myself and my community. I wanted to give back.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear that has held me back is allowing people to see who I am. Being that I was bullied in school, it made me diminish my light so people would not see me. I thought this would help, but it didn’t. I was told I was ugly, my teeth were bad, I was nothing. Each time I heard this said to me, I would go deeper and deeper into removing my personality and my true self. This fear is still with me. I can’t seem to change it at 61 years old. This is why Ujima Magazine has stayed in a small space because I don’t want people to know to much about me or get too close. The people who are my friends are people who have shown me I can be vulnerable and they still will love me and not betray my privacy. I can say bullying may stop but the long term effects has lasted a life time.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say my marriage, my family, my fur babies my business, and my small group of friends are very important to me. My world evolves around these elements that make up my life. I’m very happy with me life.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m home in my recliner. Home is my safe haven from the world. I can be me, doing things that I enjoy like sketching, watching crime documentaries and shows, writing and journaling. Home is where my peace makes me feel safe, happy and me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ujimamagazine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ujimamagazine1/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UjimaMagazine
- Other: Substack: https://damitamillershanklin.substack.com/
