Black History Month Employee Spotlight: Alyssa Crowe
In February, the United States celebrates Black History Month. Officially recognized in 1976, Black History Month has been an important month of acknowledgment every year since. This month celebrates the achievements of Black Americans in the past and present of our country, and the ongoing successes they continue to have. At Investis Digital, we are honored to observe the month, while of course remembering that this celebration and acknowledgment must go beyond just one span of time.
To honor Black History Month and the continuing story of Black history and excellence, Investis Digital would like to highlight some of our own employees. In today’s post, we’re spotlighting some insights from Alyssa Crowe, a Content Strategist at Investis Digital. Alyssa has graciously answered six questions about her career, life, and heritage for us—here’s a little bit more about her in her own words:
What Does Black History Month mean to you?
To me, Black History Month is a time of celebration and commemoration. It allows African-Americans to learn more about the history of their race, from listening to traditional hymns to watching historic movies. It also means honoring the challenges that many of our ancestors faced while educating our community on the challenges that we still face today. Black History Month is more than just a 4-week observance; it is a lifestyle that I wear proudly every day.
What is a moment in Black history that influenced or shaped your career/life or that particularly resonates with you?
The Womanism vs. Feminism movement heavily affected my documentary-style photography projects in college because it opened my eyes to a whole new culture and context.
One of my favorite authors, Alice Walker, defines womanism as “a black feminist or feminist of color … a woman who loves other women, sexually and/or non-sexually … committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male and female.” But feminism is "female-oriented," and only focuses on biological sex-related issues women and girls face on a global level.
It’s no secret that black women are more likely to experience violence, income pay cuts and see less representation of themselves in the media. Even during controversial feminist events, our stories were still ignored.
This moment in history gave black women a chance to express themselves in ways we could’ve never imagined. And in part, it made me the woman I am today.
What advice do you have for people looking to start their careers or become leaders today?
My best advice would be to follow your dreams despite what others say. I was told by many people (even family members) that I could never get into the world of corporate-level marketing because of my hair or “look,” but here I am! Only you have the power to change your life. It’s time to reconsider your definition of a leader. I mean look at the world around us, it is changing every day.
What motivates you to come to work each day?
What motivates me the most, is that I have a chance to put myself in other’s shoes and understand their needs from a content perspective.
As Neil Patel once said, “There are two kinds of content marketers pushing content onto the web. There are those who see content marketing as a daily chore — with tasks to be completed by the end of the day from a laundry list of tick boxes. Then there are those who are driven by the desire to create the best content for any given topic.”
I am a voice to the voiceless.
What is your favorite mantra or quote?
One of my favorite quotes comes from me actually, “The moon lives in the silver linings of your soul, don’t sell it to the stars.”
This means that you should be who you are regardless of what others think or say, don’t change for anyone! Being our true and unique selves is priceless, no one can ever take that away from us unless you give them the power to.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
One fun fact about me is that I have a passion for anything art-related. In 2020, I founded Nelle Photo Studio (NPS) as a way to build visual archives of my clients’ most precious moments. However, my artistic portfolio explores norms around minority-led beauty, style and identity across the political landscape. My work is widely exhibited across Memphis, TN, with notable solo projects featured in the Brooks Museum of Art and The National Civil Rights Museum.
