Eunice Cofie says that she grew up with low self-esteem, much of it due to bullying. She was made fun of for a reason that should shame us all: Her dark skin. This beautiful young woman admits that she was made to feel that she was less-than, and that growing up was difficult.
Thanks to a strong father figure who wanted his daughter to overcome these psychological hurdles, Eunice was inspired to invent a set of beauty supplies for women with rich skin like her own. This led to the creation of NUEKIE, her cosmetics company.
Cofie’s story is a great one for Financial Juneteenth, because she shows how we can turn a negative into a positive. She says that her father got her into programs at an early age that allowed her to develop as an inventor, finding her passion and purpose in life. Additionally, she not only overcame the psychological damage of her bullying, she was able to show just how beautiful dark skin is when it is not viewed through the distorted and confused lense of white supremacy.
Watch her video above, it will amaze you.
Financial Juneteenth lessons from this story:
1) Good role models are important for the self-esteem of our children. Cofie’s father was an important part of her development, so we can never underemphasize the importance of a strong male role model.
2) Talents should be developed early in our children. Black people are very good at finding early talent in sports and entertainment, but we should be equally diligent in scouting talents in science, writing, business, etc. The programs that Cofie entered at an early age were an important part of her development.
3) The spirit of entrepreneurship must also be developed in the black community, even among those of us who are well-educated. Yes, Cofie could be sitting around waiting for someone to give her a job, but she has instead created her own job. There are a lot of highly-educated African Americans who can’t find employment right now. Going to school doesn’t always make you economically secure. In fact, it might even create a false sense of security.
