Laila Ali on Her Entrepreneurial Journey and Supporting Black Businesses
“You are going to pass through this life, and you have a contribution to make. You have a gift to share.”
World-class athlete, TV host, and entrepreneur Laila Ali offered these words of wisdom earlier this week in a virtual fireside chat hosted by BELIEVE, Qurate Retail Group’s Black team member resource group, to celebrate Black History Month. In an hour-long event for team members, hosted by HSN Host Debbie Denmon, Laila discussed her journey from pro-boxer to successful entrepreneur, the power of the Black consumer dollar, and Black entrepreneurship.
“I am intentional about not pointing out that I’m Black,” said Laila. “I want us to normalize being successful and being Black, being beautiful and being Black, being smart and being Black, being all these things and being Black.”
Laila also shared the legacy of her late father, boxing champion and global humanitarian Muhammed Ali, and her efforts to live by the lessons he taught her every day.
“One thing he always said is, ‘Never step on anybody else to get ahead,’ and that’s something that stuck with me,” Laila said. “People feel like they need to take someone else’s shine away in order to make themselves shine when there’s enough to go around for everybody. We become stronger as a community of people when we help each other.”
In addition to the fireside chat with Laila, BELIEVE and Color Outside the Lines – Zulily’s People of Color team member resource group – presented a number of events for team members to mark Black History Month, including virtual tours of the Muhammed Ali Center, the Civil and Human Rights Center, and the Freedom Rides Museum; a virtual fireside chat with Lisa Price, founder of multicultural beauty brand Carol’s Daughter; a virtual panel discussion with Black team members; and online tributes to Black unsung heroes.
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