The Shade Room founders, Angelica and Judith Nwandu, visited USC this afternoon to tell their story about how the Instagram page they started became the #1 Black media company in the world. The Instagram account currently has 29 million followers.
Approaching their 10th anniversary since The Shade Room’s establishment, Angelica and Judith hope their story serves as a testament to women of color aiming to inform the public within the entrepreneurship realm.
Although at times written off as just another tabloid, USC grad student Victoria Makanjuola says The Shade Room is a place for conversation.
Victoria Makanjuola: The Shade Room is a cultural touchstone for not only Black culture, but for Gen-Z culture, for American culture.
Angelica spoke about how she was encouraged to start The Shade Room by her friends and family, but what really gave her that extra push was the frustrating expectation that Black individuals must conform to white standards.
USC senior, Taylor Contarino, who helped organize the event said she left the conversation feeling inspired.
Taylor Contarino: I think what they do is awesome. I love they type of news that they put out there and the type of content that they put out there and I love the conversations that they start and I’m grateful that something like that exists.
Makanjuola spoke on the uniqueness of the platform.
Makanjuola: The Shade Room is one of those brands or one of those organizations that you know is just going to give it you real, in the realest way possible. It’s going to be real like a friend talking to you, kind of like spilling the tea basically.
USC grad student, Veridhi Dcruz , who also attended the event, admired the founders for their authenticity beyond their online presence.
Veridhi Dcruz: I just feel like they were very candid. They were very true to their personality that they show on The Shade Room. I feel like I went to the room thinking of having a good discussion and it was more than good. It was very interactive.
This conversation style expanded beyond the online platform and into this afternoon’s event. Angelica and Judith opened the space up for students to ask questions about their journey, entrepreneurship advice, and stayed after the event concluded for further discussion.