Today we’d like to introduce you to Myshel Wilkins.
Myshel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My father is an American. A missionary who married my mother in her native land, Ghana in West Africa. We moved to a very small town called Midway KY, where myself and one other child were the only two students in the entire school with brown skin. I struggled to fit in. We later moved to a slightly bigger city only 20 miles away and there, I found children that looked like me. The problem was, I was hearing derogatory jokes about being an African. If I had a dime for every time I was called an “African booty scratcher” I’d be incredibly wealthy. It was tough. I finally fit in but still… somehow… the jokes about how dark my skin was left me feeling as if something was wrong with me. I was ashamed of my connection to Africa and was determined to never mention my middle name, the name of my Ghanaian grandmother, to ANYONE! Then, the day came when my mother said… “pack your things, we are going home to Ghana for a month. I had a mix of feelings overwhelm me. fear of the unknown. I mean, the jokes and images on TV portrayed Africans wearing no shoes, living in huts, eating God knows what and it was hot as Hades there. Is this what I was going to see? Are these images the reality of my heritage? Would I be even more ashamed upon my return? I was nervous and a little excited. The time came and we were off!
This is the experience that changed my heart, mind, and life forever. I met the most stunning women, so regal, oozing with confidence I coveted. I was overwhelmed with pride as I encounter such profound women. They were queens. I asked questions about our history, the kings and queens, the meaning behind the many stories I heard. Everything was intriguing and deeply rich. Every story was intentional, it is a generational message. Their skin was strong and they wore it with such unquenchable confidence. When my plane touched down on U.S. soil. I was unmovable in my love for God, people, and myself. I had seen and experienced the truth. No huts but beautiful neighborhoods and high-rise buildings, busy city streets, businessmen and women, breathtaking landscapes, and the life-changing visit to the slave castles sealed the deal for me. I am beautiful, powerful, wealthy within and have so MUCH to be proud of!
I realize that not every little girl will get such an experience. We are ashamed of what we do not know. The wrong images and bad teaching of history that starts at slavery in our history classes and done much damage to our perception of who we are. I was now determined to bring this experience to others. My head wrap business is in the infancy stages but I believe in time it will grow to be something that goes beyond fashion. You, see, I have been called to speak at many schools where a counselor or teacher I knew, noticed a young girl who was ashamed of her dark skin or being teased for being from Africa and was asked to either speak one one one with them or to a classroom about the beauty of knowing who you are, celebrating the way God made you, and lifting your head with shoulders back and living like the queen that you are! I always rock my head wrap when I do. They need to SEE a queen they can relate to. I want to speak to their hearts like the women of Ghana did for me at that age.
I am a former “Miss Tennessee State University” Queen and I won the national title of “Miss National Black Alumni Hall of Fame.” So, even from my college years, I was a spokesperson, mentor and role model for many young women struggling with self-hate, low self-esteem and deep insecurities about themselves. It is my greatest pleasure to extract the lies our young ladies believe and replacing them with empowering truth of how powerful we really are! It was clear to me that God was in this desire of mine.
So, the way my business works is, I can host Queen/Head Wrap events for Universities, organizations, churches, a small group of ladies who want to do something different for their bridal party, birthday, girls bonding night or black history/women’s history month. Oh and thanks to black panther, Wakanda queen parties are on the rise! lol.
I teach the history of the head wraps by taking the ladies through the journey of head wraps in ancient Africa, on through what happened to the wrap during slavery and bring them into modern day head wrap styles and meaning. It’s pretty cool! They learn what many overlooked symbols on African cloth actually mean. (every symbol is saying something, know what you are saying as you wear your African attire) I then show them several ways to tie their head wraps. We eat, take pictures and have a BLAST bonding! I think thats my favorite part. Watch us come together to learn about ourselves and inspire each other with love and encouragement! I want each woman to leave feeling like I did when I left Africa so long ago, fueled with new confidence in who they are, and proud of the richness of our culture! Knowledge really is power and empowering people is what I love to do!
I usually sell head wraps from my line at each event but they can also be purchased on my site. https://www.myshelmusic.com/queens-crown-1
This is my QueensCrown events advertisement link: https://youtu.be/3WodTpJ0f8s
I am an artist. Music is my first love and I long to empower through it as well. I also do missions. As I mentioned in the beginning, I grew up in a missionary home surrounded with so many different cultures… I have a heart for the world! My husband and I traveled to Kampala Uganda to work with the partners of Go-overflow.org. We fell in love with them and will be returning to love on the young girls who desperately need to know that their lives matter and we are determined to empower them so that the cycle of poverty in their family can be broken! I am working on ways to connect my business with aiding the young ladies in Uganda but for now, a portion of every purchase will go towards blessing the beautiful young ladies I had the privilege to throw my arms around, teach and promise that this would not be just a trip and after its over I vanish back into my fancy America! No, I am committed and I’d be honored to walk through their transition into wholeness and overall advancement in their quality of life.
Life is about giving what you have. You can never give what you don’t have. I have a love for myself, therefore I stand ready to pour it out on everyone I meet! especially young girls that I recognize have unspoken questions that trouble their hearts about themselves and the world around them. Nothing fulfills me more than to empower my sisters and brother! This is why I’m here 🙂
Mission work in Uganda–> https://youtu.be/CPsBQVOYGiw
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No smooth road, to be honest, we are still figuring out many pieces of this business so it can operate at its optimum. Since no business can be an island, working with the right people who carry the vision, have the same motives and overall work ethic can be a bit tricky. I am very confident that we will be able to find the right fit for every aspect of this business. This is not just a product, it’s an experience and for that reason, people who truly care about people are a must!
Financial challenges are definitely no stranger to us, but we are learning, praying, refining and moving forward nevertheless. We are confident that what we need will be provided, so we can provide what others need effectively with great care and standard of excellence!
Please tell us about QueensCrown Head Wrap Line.
I specialize in empowering, encouraging and exhorting others. It is my gift. This is not just a product we sell. It is an experience. It is a unique product that is rich with history and a wealthy heritage. I could not bypass the importance of understanding what the head wrap symbolizes. I can tell that the women wear their crowns with much more confidence because it becomes more than a fashion statement… it’s a powerful statement of self-love and awareness.
I am proud to see women want to know more about their African roots. Many wear the head wraps but may not know much about its history and this is what makes our business unique.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Traveling with my father to various countries to serve in orphanages, churches and various communities. I hate poverty. It’s more than just not having. It can screams to the human soul that you are worthless and that you must live on survival mode for the rest of your life. It has the ability to walk through generations and cripple mentalities. I pray to be a wealthy woman one day because, with money AND the resources to train counselors to help bring healing to the hearts of the emotional and financially broken, we can break that cycle and empower the next generation.
As a child, I knew that what ever I put my hands to do in life, I would aid the emotional, physical and spiritual condition of many. This is the only way to live!
Pricing:
- it’s quite simple 🙂 The QueensCrown Head Wraps are $20 (plus shipping and handling)
- The matching sashes are $15
- A portion of every sale goes to the “Humming Bird House” in Kampala Uganda to aid in the rescuing of young girls out of prostitution in the slums and provides the with an education, teaches them a vocation, medical care and counseling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.myshelmusic.com/queens-crown-1/
- Email: Queenscrownorders@gmail.com
- Instagram: coming soon
- Facebook: coming soon
Image Credit:
photographer Duan Davis
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