Hey Cuties,

On May 23rd I had the honor and the pleasure of celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the Whose Shoes Book Are You Wearing?. This is a book by Ugandan sisters Christine St. Vil and Julian B. Kiganda. They set out to inspire, empower and equip women (and men) to walk in their purpose and “do it afraid”.  Y’all they did just that and more.

Photo Credit: KizPics

It was an incredible evening to celebrate Christine and Julian, our ancestry, the Whose Shoes Book and good company. There was such a dope vibe in the room and you could feel it.

Photo Credit: KizPics

The Venue

The event took place at the Signal Financial Federal Credit Union, in the City Center of DC. This place is the dopest Financial Institution I have ever visited. They are all about community and I love that about them. I’m honored that they hosted us in such grand fashion. I swear by Credit Unions and you should too, consider them for your financial needs. They also teach kids about money which is really dope. Talk about purpose!

The Host

Your Emcee for the evening was yours truly, Mimi Robinson. Aye! I was also their Project Manager/Event Planner for this event. It was such an honor working with Christine and Julian. They are amazing clients, I read their book back in 2014 when I met them for the first time. I always struggled to find my purpose. In January of 2019 while on furlough from my government job I figured Whose Shoes I was supposed to be wearing. That is when I launched Mimi’s Virtual Assistance. (Update: I’ve moved to social media management which is so me.)

The Reveal

The big reveal of the night came from Co-founder of AfricanAncestry.com, Gina Paige. She delivered an incredible DNA reveal for Emmy-award-winning TV host, Markette Smith Sheppard. Our eyes were totally sweating.  At the same time, I was thinking “Damn, I need to know who my people are and where they reside.”

If that wasn’t enough we raffled off some dope products from incredible brands.

Yup! Custom Kicks by Mimi gave away a free custom pair of kicks to a lucky winner.

After a full evening filled with interviews, singing, networking, and prizes. Christine and Julian shook hands and kissed babies. Okay, so really they signed books and took pictures.

Kali Holloway, of Kali Kuisine, provided the grub for the evening. They crushed her food so you know it was delicious.

I met V Helena Yancey for the first time. She has such a great personality. She did interviews during the event.  You can catch them on her broadcast on Writer’s Haven Show with V. Helena!

Shoutout to Charlotte Avery, she is an author and Family Strategist. Ramunda Lark Young is the co-owner of Mahagony Books. Not pictured is Tanya Barnett, Co-founder of The Vet Space. They held down the registration table all night long. They are the real MVPs.

Soul songstress, Temika Moore kept the party going with an upbeat motivational jam.

We had the cutest shoe-shaped cookies and cake by Marneda Richards See they were quite delicious. I punished the Red Velvet cupcake I had when I got home.

The Squad

It takes a village and this picture includes some of the Whose Shoes Book Ambassadors. As dope as this picture is it is by no means the sum totals of all the people that helped behind the scenes.

You can check out the Whose Shoes merchandise here, include the shirts the ladies are rocking.  bit.ly/shopwhoseshoes

Have you figured out Whose Shoes You Are Wearing? [Your purpose.] Chat with me in the comment below or FB, IG or Twitter.

 

 

Emcee + Media Correspondent Mimi Robinson recaps the Whose Shoes Book 5th Anniversary event with Julian B. Kiganda + Christine St. Vil. #WhoseShoes5