Meet Shannon Morton | Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Morton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
At Black Women Lead it is our mission to be a conduit for and to amplify Black women’s voices. We support and advocate for Black female leadership while giving back to the Black community based on the diverse needs of Black women. That is how we help our community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Black Women Lead is a very new nonprofit, but we have done so much in such a small amount of time. It hasn’t been easy starting a nonprofit in the middle of a global pandemic. A challenge directly linked to the pandemic is our rally turn out. People, myself included, want to stay home for their safety and the safety of others. Still, the community has rallied around BWL and continued to show up even when it’s hard. We’ve learned to show up for each other in whichever capacity is right for us. Some people may not be able to march, but they can donate. Some people can’t donate because they’ve lost their job, but they can volunteer their time to help on rally days. I am so thankful for all of the support, both monetary and other. Because of the support we get from our community, I get to do this job. This job has challenges like every job, but overall, it’s one of the most fulfilling careers I have had. Turnout and engagement go hand in hand. Every nonprofit, new and old, experience this struggle at some point. Keeping people engaged is hard and finding new and creative ways to do that is challenging but fun! We are launching the Black Women Lead Film Fest TODAY! The first venture we are undertaking is the One Minute Short Film Contest. It’s a 15$ donation to BWL to submit your short film, and all proceeds go directly to BWL so we can keep feeding people, holding rallies demonstrations, and food/toy drives. If I could tell the world one thing about Black Women Lead, it’s not just a name. It’s a movement. Follow Black women; they won’t lead you astray. Listen to Black women. Protect Black women. Vote like Black women. Let Black women lead you; they won’t let you down.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In this pre-Covid world, I imagine my best friend Bethany has just flown in from Chicago, for the weekend, and it’s Friday night. I will take her to an exhibition at CAAM (California African American Museum), and after, we could grab dinner and a glass of wine at Bestia DTLA. Saturday, we would hike Nichols Canyon then grab a post-hike brunch at the Griddle. In the evening, we may grab sushi at Yamashiro then catch a magic show at the Magic Castle. Sunday, we would go to church at One Church LA, and after church, we grab brunch to go at Marilyn’s Soul Food, then hit up Barnsdall Art Sundays followed by a drink at Harvard and Stone and a late dinner at Mozza Osteria.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I couldn’t be the person I am today if I didn’t shoutout to the Black woman who raised me. It is because of Shirley Morton I know empathy, generosity, patience, and kindness. I’m still working on patience, but we are all a work in progress. My mom grew up poor, and most days, her one meal came from her school’s lunch program. So when the pandemic hit and kids had to start homeschooling, I immediately thought of my mother and all the children in LA like my mother. My mom encouraged me to reach out to the YMCA and see how we could come together to fight food insecurity. Not only do I ask myself, ‘What Would My Mother Do?” on a daily basis but I try to emulate her grace, humility, selflessness, and sense of gratitude, everyday.  Love you, Mom.

I can’t forget the books that would forever change my life, “Assata: The Autobiography of Assata Shakur” and “For Freedom Sake: the Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer.”

And last but not least, I couldn’t do this without the love, encouragement,  and endless support from my boyfriend, Ryan. I love you very much.

Website: Www.blackwomenlead.black
Instagram: @Black_womenlead @Blackwomen;leadfilmfest
Twitter: @BlackWomenLead2

Image Credits
Photos by @FranklinEast and @Amarimdixon