Unique Leaders: Carla New

Carla was born in Columbus, Ohio. She has a twin sister and an older sister. Her parents are from Appalachia Virginia and inner-city Kentucky and they moved to Ohio after they got married. Her farther is one of 10 children. He was very big on repurposing and using home remedies. Her creativity comes from her grandmother’s side of the family. She was very creative in the sewing arena.Her father is a brick and block Masson. She loves to see the many buildings that he built. He was self-taughtand won many top bids for that area for building projects. Currently Carla is an independent consultant for a direct marketing company called Origami Owl. She loves it because she is able to tell stories through charms and lockets.She found the company many years ago when she was ill. She saw the charms from this company and it gave her an uplifting feeling. She signed up to be able to share a unique and special gift with others. She has been working with them for the last ten years and is still excited to help others share their stories through the jewelry.She has a degree in fashion merchandising, so this job is a great fit for her. She is able to continue her creativity through it as well. For the first 41 years of her life she would straighten her hair. During her childhood, the community she was a part of, there wasn’t a large group of black people. During that time, it was important to do certain things to be able to fit in. There was a look that was expected. Back in the 70s and 80s it was important to follow the “straight” hair look of the white people. 40 years later she decided to leave her hair in its natural state. In 2019, she decided she was going to change her profile picture on Facebook and LinkedIn and wrote a post about the reason for her changing her picture. This went viral. She had so many responses to this. It was very inspiring for her to see that.The mindset nowadays has changed and more and more black women are beginning to embrace their natural hair. It took her and her sistersmany years to be comfortable to step out and embrace their hair. Her journey has been a long one and she is excited to share her story with others to inspire them. She has been inspiring people of all races and cultures, men and women, to be their authentic selves. Telling others to be comfortable to show up as you are and embrace yourself.

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