LaQuisha Hall

Interview with LaQuisha Hall

by Cydney McGee

October 2020

Cydney (Interviewer): So this is for my class Art and Resistance with Hannah Brancato and I'm just going to ask about thirteen or so questions about yourself and like what you do! Okay, so how do you identify yourself?

LaQuisha: I am a Queen! Thank the Lord! I identify as a teacher and educator mentor an artist, an advocate and probably a plethora of things that slipping my mind right now 'cause I don't know how to pull my hands out of pots.

Cydney: I know right- that was great I really like how you identify as an educator, most people will say teachers… like what are you teaching? Like no I'm educating you. Rather than when someone is giving you information or having the information handed to you.

LaQuisha: Absolutely -- there's a difference!

Cydney: What is your ethnic background?

Laquisha: I am African American… to my knowledge.

Cydney: Ha, right! I mean is there a real way to trace it? How does your background and past experiences shape you into who you are today?

LaQuisha: Well I have had a wide variety of experiences growing up. There was no one group or race of kids that I interacted with. My first boyfriend was white, in middle school he was also gay, so I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was that he was cute, right? I’m saying that to say that my experiences are not limited to the African American culture. So, I am well versed in understanding how important it is to be well rounded.

Then also my experience is now that I am educated, in a Black, majority Black or Hispanic school district it has allowed me opportunity to bring alternative perspectives to them and educate them in a way that doesn't just sound one way, which is what I think education might look like in school districts like mine. This also influences my art for the most part. Every single thing I've ever done, that features a person, is usually a woman… is usually a Black woman, as you saw in the sample that I sent you.

So, I feel it's important for us to create those images for those that come behind us. It has shaped me because that's what I see when I see beauty… not that there's no other vision of beauty- but in my mind, when I want to see beauty, I see us.

Cydney: OK I like that I like that… Cool Cool. How did you evolve into being who you are now and what are your influences?

LaQuisha: A lot of who I am now came from past trauma and pain. So, my experiences of surviving abuse had definitely shaped me into becoming an advocate and even the type of educator I am. I often don't see what the world sees as bad behaviors as a bad thing, I see them as signs of a person in need. And another thing is, this is not limited to young people -- also adults. So when I see adults performing in a certain way out in my head, the first thought that crosses my mind is… or would be, “what is going through their mind?” “what have they been through that his causes behavior?” …I forgot the second part to your question

Cydney: Haha! No problem, you shared a lot! It was, “what are your influences?”

LaQuisha: Oh! So honestly… a lot of my influences are the people that interact with on social media. So, a lot of people will come to me and say that they appreciate kind of content that I share with this art or any information. Because I get so many people who are vulnerable and willing to open themselves up and share with me things that they have never shared with people closest to them, they influence me to keep going.

The work that you do, it also is it serves as a reminder of how important this work is. So when I talk about abuse -- because this month is domestic violence awareness month, I talk about issues like that publicly and people say, you know I'm still trying to find my voice, glad they left that type of relationship. It influences me to keep sharing that kind of content because I know that there are people looking at it watching it reading it then they need it.

There are so many people out there that still need to heal and so I've had mentors along the way who have also influenced me but a lot of times those mentors did not know my background prior to offering me support. So, I think it's a different type of influence when somebody is trying to help you out versus someone helping you because they know you.

Cydney: Wow! Right right… OK I'm also a survivor of domestic violence. September 9th is the 2nd year that I left my boyfriend… well ex-boyfriend. We never even got to officially break up, it was just protective order and end of everything.

LaQuisha: Absolutely! I’m glad that you have survived…

Cydney: Thank you I'm glad I'm out of that crazy relationship…So, what is couture’s culture and what does it mean to you and what is the purpose?

LaQuisha: OK say that again… what’s what?

Cydney: Couture’s culture…

LaQuisha: Well… that was that that's a good question

Cydney: waiiiit, I feel as if I read it on your website… I think... hold on-

LaQuisha: Oh! My business name! Couture Confidence…So, years ago wanted to create an umbrella that would cover everything that I do. So, up until that time I had already had a program for girls called Queendom, which I started in 2008 and then I was coaching and supporting women with abuse and in learning how to be confident.

Then I started the third branch of my work which was called SheRose awards it was an annual award ceremony where, we honored survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, and finally I added Couture Confidence, which is a platform and so it encompasses just like the umbrella of everything that I do.

Couture in itself is a unique piece that you might see like in a runway show, and so I think that there are unique ways that we all come up on our own confidence. I don't think there's one way that it can be taught to people in the world to be confident and so that was my way of saying to people there are multiple ways to find your own inner confidence. So, either it be through mentorship of girls, through telling your story, through my SheRose branch, coaching, or through art, there is no one concrete way to determine what confidence looks like. So, I wanted people when they encountered me to know that. You know… I would not give them a program they would have to follow and then they say she is now confident.

Cydney: it's not linear at all!

LaQuisha: yes absolutely right.

Cydney: Cool cool…What is Queendom and what age group does it target? Is it for younger girls and from what demographic do you choose to cater to or you know… do you interact with?

LaQuisha: Yeah! Sure… So Queendom came from me being an educator in Baltimore City and having girls always staying after school claiming they want to wash my board but they really just want to talk. I found out what went from maybe one or two girls wanting to help me -- they were bringing friends along because I was listening. I didn't want it to just be seen as like a cool after school thing to do with like a cool teacher, I really wanted to formalize what that could look like for girls who needed it.

Also, since some of the girls who would then be coming with my actual students after school, were not in my class, I wanted to organize a way that girls could openly or freely come to have the same opportunity. So, I started it in 2008, at a conference at Coppin University where I was working for the Upward Bound program and at the time, it was high school girls who are part of that program. There were ten girls who excitedly wanted to participate and they were my first group.

I want to mention I'm also in pageantry. So I had won several titles and around that time and when the girls found it out they would ask me to bring my crown, take selfies, that kind of stuff so you know I would always tell them you are a Queen too! But you know I think they had a hard time seeing it because they didn't win a pageant you know… So, it was a little different me saying it to them. So that's why the program is named the way it is. It also culminates in a ceremony at the end of the year, participants where they also get crowned with their own unique title. The title is determined based on what we learn of them over the years.

For example, one year I had a young lady who fought to be happy because she came from depression and she used the Queendom experiences to kind of lift her spirits if she ever fell down. So, at the end of the year to remind her to keep seeking out support we crowned her Miss Happiness. So there was a characteristic that she had displayed over the year with us and we want her to continue that. Literally they dress in gowns that they wear to prom in front of their parents. They were called down explain why they were being crowned...

Cydney: wow!

Laquisha: …they were always emotional and beautiful experience and it has matriculated over the years into larger groups and sometimes smaller groups. I have taken the program from Baltimore to Baltimore County, we serve all races of girls but primarily African American and also had the opportunity to take the program abroad and serve 200 young ladies in Switzerland!

Yeah awesome experiences. I'm still connected to a few of them as well. I’ve been here and in other countries like they’re very wealthy there. It was a unique experience 'cause my experience here had always been helping girls see themselves in a different place. After a while I had gotten the support of some teachers and so I now have additional mentors, I am not the only one who leads the groups of girls and it has continued.

Cydney: wow OK… So, one... I used to do pageants too! I stopped on the second time because I won second place both times and if I didn't win first place, I don't want to do it at all

Both: *laughing*

Cydney: when I was in middle school, I had an AVID teacher her name is Miss Blue-

LaQuisha: Oh my Gosh! LaTasha….

Cydney: okay yup! OK that's what I was about to ask you because I was in Queendom with Mrs. Blue. She was my Favorite teacher and everything she instilled in me… still stuck with me today. I went to Arundel middle school-

LaQuisha: I probably have pictures of you somewhere! Don’t y’all have a picture of you holding your hands like this?

Cydney: You probably do! See, you know and it impacted me but, I don't even know! But yeah, Mrs. Blue… like she really impacted me. I think about this lady often -- like I think about her maybe like once a month! Because Mrs. Blue did nothing but uplift any and everybody around her.

She just wasn't she wasn't going like that-about nothing. She was well respected. I didn't even know anybody to disrespect Mrs. Blue because she was so well respected. Like there's just so much about her that resonated with me!

LaQuisha: Oh my gosh I cannot wait to tell her about this conversation!

Cydney: If you still have contact with her please tell her Cydney McGee- Oh she is going to remember the name. Tell her I said hello.

LaQuisha: Oh my gosh-

Cydney: And so when I was reading about your “about me” page I saw Queendom- and I was like wait wait wait wait wait… Queendom? Like Mrs. Blue Queendom? So, you don’t even know how you impacted me through somebody else. You didn't even know. So that was another reason why I wanted to interview you because, you impacted Mrs. Blue to impact me.

When I went on to high school, I switched to a private school and I started my own club called Positivity, Beauty and Care. It almost reminded me of what I wanted to do, like what Mrs. Blue did. But I mean it only lasted for one year 'cause I left after one year, I only went to private school for two years. But yeah! It was really cool we learned about women's wellness- well I educated them about Women's Health and about what it really means to be a woman but, to you because everybody has their own definition of what it means to be a woman, but what does it mean to you and then stand in that truth.

LaQuisha: Wow I can’t believe that something so small, that started in my classroom Something solid started my classroom over 10 years ago-

Cydney: Yes! And oh how old was I? ******(me trying to do the math outloud)***** so I just turned 21- I was in Queendom I was in like 6^th and 7^th and 8^th grade… so I was like what? 12 so that was 2011?

LaQuisha: Oh wow!

Cydney: ***still trying to do the math*** No… 12 I was in 7th grade? I think so in- 7th grade you're like 12? Yeah, yeah because you go to high school when you're 14, that's ninth grade. So yes, I was like 11, 12.. so 10 years ago!

LaQuisha: When did you turn 21?

Cydney: I turned 21 on September 5^th!

LaQuisha: Okay so I had this one young lady, she was there was in my English class at the high school that teaching, and she turned 21 today. So, we're connected on Facebook and this morning when I looked on there she wrote “A b word turns 21”-

Cydney: aw! She was just feelin’ herelf a little bit!

*both laughing*

LaQuisha: right! So, I write on there, “Happy Birthday Queen”

Cydney: aw how sweet!

LaQuisha: She replies and edited, “A Queen has turned 21 years old”. We wanted to have our girls...You know there's enough out here sadly telling you, the opposite of what you really are and so our goal has just always been to just be the voice pricking in the back of your head. Like no, you’re a Queen!

Cydney: Exactly! And I still like to think of my life as my Queendom like this is… life is really really what you make it and I want to live like a Queen and whatever that entails. That doesn't just mean like luxury but like a queen mindset. I just see a vision for other people and myself. I am double major Fine Arts and Art Education. So last year I did a semester long with Higher Achievement- have you heard of it?

LaQuisha: No…

Cydney: higher achievement is an after-school program, I worked at Lakeland Elementary /Middle school

LaQuisha: The one in Baltimore? OK I'm familiar with this school!

Cydney: Oh cool! so yeah, I did a semester long program, there where I helped the students and some of them were Spanish speaking or literally only Spanish speaking. I could speak a little bit of Spanish from what I learned from my best friend and I worked in restaurants. So I use my Spanish skills… well I tried!

*both laughing*

Cydney: … and they understood what I was trying to say. But, a lot of the girls I'd say really gravitated towards me and instead of making them do their homework, I mean I could get in trouble for it now… But whatever! Instead of making them do their homework I made sure that they just had an outlet.

You know and then come to find out some of the girls were getting bullied. So, I had to put a stop to that. I said, “I'm not trying to break your trust but this bullying could get even worse.” And I cannot sleep with myself at night knowing that these girls are getting bullied and I would’ve let it happen. So, I needed someone to intervene and it stopped and then their trust grew more with me even more.

Because they realized, she's just like not a college student who has money to go to college and she thinks she's all that. I'm still a real person. Like I'm a real person. I'm a real girl. No, I'm not from the city I'm from Anne Arundel County but I do understand what it's like to be in the same boat. Like my grandma's from Mississippi.. Jackson, Mississippi.

LaQuisha: oh wow!

Cydney: I know it gets rough. She doesn't even have clean water. I can't stay at some of my auntie's house 'cause it gets rough. So, I understand what it's like you know to have some adverse childhood experiences. And then I understand what it's like to literally be the one who actually experience of being in like a domestic violent relationship where there was drugs involved!

Like I understand some really tough stuff. So it took for them for me to understand them, for them to understand me and why. Honestly -- I was supposed to be there to help them understand math.. but I just wanted them to understand themselves. And I felt like—well this was honestly in my opinion, more important to them and to me than learning the decimals.

Like you really think the decimals are going to matter when they go home and have no one to talk to? Really? No. It doesn't. Either they'll pass the test or they'll get remediation and be able to retake it and then they get a C and they'll move on with their life. OK like decimals aren’t that important. They'll realize that $1.50 is $0.50 less than $2 OK that's really all you really need to use.

LaQuisha: *laughing*

Cydney: We honestly only need decimals for our money! Right? OK next question what is Tea leaves and is it a branch of Queendom? Why did you choose to create a branch of Queendom and how is it different from the mother group? So like the umbrella group that we were talking about.

Laquisha: So TeaLeaves is just a group that I started or created… and the girls who had participated in Queendom were graduating, so I didn't wanna lose track of them and of course I didn't capture everybody 'cause you're not in that group but I will add you after this call. Yes, but it's just a space in a place for them to kind of continue to support each other really as much as we poured into the young Queens while they were in middle and high school is just as equally as important for support to each other as adult Queens. Right? –

Cydney: right right…

LaQuisha: …and so now because a lot of them know each other, that is just a community where they come to get to know each other and continue to support without feeling like it's a task right…

Cydney: yeah you know on a more mature level...

LaQuisha: ...you know, on a realistic level I would try to make things where they got together monthly and things like that. They were all just all so busy in their own way so they literally probably use a group more for updates on everyone so when someone has a baby, is married, say stuff like that.

Cydney: OK cool cool I like that. What is SheRose awards and what are the requirements to be eligible for nomination and what does this mean to you? We did talk about it earlier, but I do wanna go more in depth of SheRose.

LaQuisha: So the first word in the program SheRose just means that the essential goal of the program is to help women rise from the dark secret that they may have been keeping whether it was overcoming sexual abuse or domestic violence and I maintained it for women because it was so hard to find men who will come forward their stories. So as of now I think I've had about 30 people who had been honored awarded and out of all 30 only one was a male and so we created a custom HeRose award for him, but all the other honorees were women.

So the ultimate goal is to give them a platform to share their testimony for the first time publicly so that people might tell a friend or something, but when you’re there it’s a freeing activity to publicly share… and I wanted to because that was how I started my own personal healing journey. I wanted that opportunity for anyone who wanted it. A lot of times people would ask me, How did you get where you are now?

I tell them it all started in pageantry. That’s the truth -- I was in a pageant. It was Miss Christian international- was the first one I had ever done so I was the Christian and not just the Christian girl but like a super Christian girl.. everything even to the way I dressed. I was standing next to the mediator/Operator 'cause we were all interviewed on stage. He said was what was the hardest thing that you had overcome in your life. And so in front of all these people who were there for a Christian pageant…

Cydney: Oh Lord…

LaqQuisha: I said I overcame being molested by a pastor. And when I tell you that the whole room got quiet and I just want to melt through every crack on the floor I was so afraid that I said the wrong thing and I was so in my head that I had lost their vote and because of how eerily quiet but I ended up winning-

Cydney: Well you spoke your truth!

LaQuisha: Yeah, me saying that impacted people in a way that I wasn't even aware. So as much as I felt like I got it off my chest, but I don't know if I should have said that, here also happens in that moment is that there were people in the audience looking at me just being crowned and saying wow she just said that in front of people and now she's being recognized. So it was a freeing moment for a lot people in the room.

I wanted it for others, so SheRose is that platform for everybody. But I wanted it to be like a pageantry experience where you are spotlighted, you get awarded, but you also have the people who love and care about you and who needs to hear this sitting in the audience to support you. So we started it in 2014 I believe and we have continued even through this year. We had two reasons. In April, I usually take sexual assault survivors in April and domestic violence survivors in October for those awareness months. I have not chosen those honorees yet but because of COVID we thought about everything virtually… so that's the goal ultimately to keep getting people to come forward with their stories because sometimes the people who tell their stories are the ones that you don't suspect. Like I've had people who had Dr. in front of their name. I remember one of my colleagues at my school… she one day randomly came in my classroom during my planning period and sat my desk. She said I don't know why I'm telling you this but and she started the whole story and when I tell you was mind blowing like it ended with her husband committing suicide with shotgun in their home while their kids were upstairs shielding them.

Like who could’ve thought that this lady that I worked across the hall from been through so much and had no idea. And she had no idea that I was an advocate for domestic violence. She just literally she said God laid on my heart to tell you this. She was in tears. I was like Oh my God I need to honor her. If she was brave enough to share this with me randomly then she can say this publicly and I kind of supported her. And her kids came and while they were with her when that event happened, to hear their mother say it, like there was so much abuse she had to overcome too. Because they kind of upheld their father in a in a position that he did deserve their love but I don't think they fully comprehended: he also harmed their mother… …

Cydney: yeah. Wow…

LaQuisha: So, we shared her story and they went into pain, right. We've been mourning our father's death and her mom… and we didn't think of it that way. So, it was a family healing process happening at the event and so I just want to see more of their families. Honestly I have not yet experienced that in my own family. I am a person who has broken away from the cycle and my family and everybody else is still circling around. Until my day comes I guess…

Cydney: right that was deep… I was just thinking you have like… like an anointing from God, a really good spirit that is comforting and people can sense that. What is the Golden microphone and why did you choose the color gold in the name?

LaQuisha: so that's a great question. so at the time- so the Golden microphone first of all no longer exists…

Cydney: OK!

*both laughing*

LaQuisha: It was a youtube account used to encourage women in the way that I shared with you before, where it was golden element but it was more so just overall encouragement videos. And I have this saying, that we weren't born to stand on concrete, but we were meant to walk on gold, which essentially means to not stay on familiar territory and aim to walk in higher places… finding your purpose and doing something greater than what you could have imagined you could do.

And I just always wanted gold to be a feature for what I did. Some colors that are often associated with my brand and still are, are purple and teal because they're the awareness colors for sexual assault and domestic violence. But gold was supposed to add that reminder that God has a plan for us. My reason was because I wanted them to know that whatever they put their hands and feet to, and their voice should be Golden because they have a greater purpose.

Cydney: that’s very powerful; I really like that. Let's see OK… What is the importance of natural hair to you and do you believe the new curl standards has become more about loose curls rather being about loving your roots?

LaQuisha: Well I'll stop first question natural hair was a journey that I took right after returning from Switzerland when I did Queendom there. So, there’s so there's no perm there -- there are barely any Black people there, right, so I had about two months of new growth that I didn’t know what I was going to do with. I usually just continue getting the perm but all while I was in Switzerland, I was starting to have this awakening of myself. I was staying in this like nice little apartment and engaging with kids all over the world that we're very unlike in the ones I’ve worked with before.

I'm looking at these mountains in this quarter where you can almost see all the way down to the bottom of the water. Now I’m like… there's so much more in this world than what we know when we're stuck in one place. So, I just came back with this epiphany to start over and because I had already had new growth… also right before going to Switzerland I had attended a convention. I saw all these women with afro’s and their hair would flow and I was like wow their hair! But essentially, I had the same hair… It hadn’t been unleashed the way they did right...

Cydney: right I know exactly what you mean

LaQuisha: Of course, I don't know what I'm doing. To do it right I went to a natural hair stylist to have her clean it up and I started with a very, very, very low cut of my two months’ worth of new growth and I felt so free when that happened. Like I can see more in my face and I was like this is me you like I didn't need all the other stuff. It’s not the hair that I had wasn't mine it was straight, and I just felt this is my hair… and so it just gave me a new vision of myself and over the years I had… I’m not gonna lie... I had gave up on the whole thing. So I went to a natural stylist, but I still appreciate hearing people see the hair on my head is mine.

Cydney: Right!

LaQuisha: when I wear my Afro out people are just like always amazed! Or always ask if it's mine- like who wears a fake afro?

Cydney: I know right!

*Both laughing*

Cydney: Like this is not the 70s… ain't no one wearing a fake Afro!

LaQuisha: I want people to know that whether you you see it, this is our hair! Right. It looks like this is what you need to learn to appreciate... so natural hair essentially for me is that freedom. Now I will say I do feel overtime the natural hair movement shifted. so, when I look at advertisements now for products that supposedly supporting natural hair, I often seeing the advertisement of a girl with loose curls and girls in the comments- people say things like I wanna see somebody with my hair!

Cydney: seriously! Like I wanna see somebody with 4C hair please! Advertising 3B3A hair yeah what is that gonna do for me? It’s really nice getting to talk to someone, so regardless I got something out of it even if it wasn't the like original motive… Hannah is really flexible with what we do in her class because art is different for everybody -- you know whether it be traditional Fine Arts or whether it be like something what we make of it! Hannah is really flexible. I really admire her…

LaQuisha: Hannah is also one of my former SheRose honorees-

Cydney: wait forreal?

LaQuisha: She was an organization honoree- we also recognize one organization each year that would help with the cause, so she was recognized for, “FORCE” her sexual assault quilt campaign-

Cydney: Oh yeah, she loves her quilt campaign, she teaches class in her quilt room with the quilt in the background like she loves her quilts…

LaQuisha: She also put them on display when we had one of our SheRose events that she was working with

Cydney: that's cool! I asked about the hair journey because I also cut off my hair. What does it mean to you, a Black woman, to have all of these achievements, opportunities, and accomplishments? You have embodied that as a Black woman what does it feel like to be who people look up to and aspire to be? Is it a it is a gift to be a Black woman on top of all of these accomplishments? This is truly amazing to be able to interview you and it's something I appreciate… OK… that part was supposed to come after the question…

**Both laughing***

So yeah what does it mean to you, as a Black woman to have won all of these achievements and how does it feel to have won the title Mrs. Essence of 2013?

LaQuisha: That's a good question 'cause I don't think I've ever thought about that. I know that I'm often told, or people often say to me, “you do a lot.” Like the people, just once they recognize all the stuff that we just talked about… though my husband talks to me about this all the time, I’m like honey I don't know why they keep messaging me? And he's like honey you have to look at it from the inside out so… I guess honestly, I just feel like I’m doing what God called me to do. It won't look like what someone is doing or another person because you know you're doing what you been called to do-- the right thing.

Cydney: right right-

LaQuisha: …and even you or someone else’s amount might not look like mine but if you are fulfilling your purpose, it will feel like a lot to you. And so I guess that's why I've never changed. But I'm just grateful. Like I won teacher of the year in 2018. There so many other people that I have met as well who totally serve the same ...and so I just see it as, it was just time to be recognized. And I've also seen as a little like you know in racing- the race cars arriving, they have the pit stops where you refuel and fix the car up little bit before it goes back on the road? I just feel like the awards and achievements are like little pit stops. But, with God. He’s like, keep going but let me pull you over aside from any issue you have, but then you gotta go back out there there. It’s almost like being in a 1000 meter race. I’m more in the race than in the pitstop… so I guess you know its apart of the process… yeah and another stop. I don't feel any differently outside of that, than any other teacher or any other queen or any other person I started a mentoring. I honestly feel like more Black women in Baltimore should get together and merge their organization so that we can reach even more girls.

So much competition out there again, people not knowing that the race is for all of us and not just some of us and then we can make our pitstops together. But essentially I’m just going to keep doing what I am supposed to do and even if I never get to make another accomplishment I do know without a shadow of a doubt that if I were to leave this Earth today I have done all what God wanted me to do!

Cydney: I can confirm that for you! Most people just want to impact one person. Or you know like most people say before they leave this Earth they want to leave their mark. And like some people like me, say: I just want to change somebody's life. So I know for a fact you've changed more than one person's life… because like you literally you got to me through Mrs. Blue and I didn't even know who you were!

So you really have impacted me which is one person… 10 years later! You know like it's been a minute and then my friends, we still like talk sometimes they still like you're like Oh yeah I remember queendom… girl like Oh my gosh remember the days...! And of course they’re like, yeah I remember it. But like it really shaped us though, it really did.

LaQuisha: Thank you for confirming that! So you gotta tell Hannah about this right?

Cydney: …So yeah I chose something that resonated with me the most which is Queendom. I was like what?! like I really gotta interview her! like for real!

LaQuisha: So did Hannah assign you me? Like how did you- 'cause I remember when she posted on Facebook she was teaching this class and she had asked for some of artist friends to know if they were interested in being interviewed by one of her students, “just comment”.

And so I did it but of course I told I said her, you know I'm real busy so you might have the like remind me! She said I would be perfect… But I didn’t hear from her for a long time after that. So, when you reached out and when you mentioned her name I said, “oh this must be it, we talked about on Facebook”. So, I'm glad that we got the chance to connect… technically when I was talking about Queendom, I was talking about you.

Cydney: right… I didn’t think about it like that.

LaQuisha: You are one of our Queens. So, I'm glad that, I don't know if she just assigned you to me or what but-

Cydney: I was really interested in you when I read your "about me" page with everything on it. I was like Queendom? Is this the queendom I was in? and I was like Nah… she's from Baltimore City Mrs. Blue- this was closer to PG, and Mrs. Blue went to Bowie State but maybe not... I don't know? So, I'm like maybe I'll just do interview her and see if they have the same thing and by coincidence, they both called it Queendom. No- it was not a coincidence you guys knew each other, and I was like this is so cool.

LaQuisha: she is doing very well, very well! She has started- quick update she started her own program. It's not necessarily focused- not the way Queendom is for girls… but it's for I believe that's it’s for adults… is called the Diva Effect and she does something where she supports women in the community.