Eunique Jones Gibson is the creator of Because of Them We Can, Culture Tags, and a new pull-up ... [+]
Ten years ago, Eunique Jones Gibson created a movement. She began taking photos of children dressed as iconic figures for Black History Month, calling the project Because of Them, We Can (BOTWC). It won awards and ended up becoming a leading platform dedicated to representation and empowerment, with millions of monthly impressions on social media. Gibson also invented #CultureTags, a party game that uses acronyms “to encapsulate the joy and nostalgia of the Black experience,” according to the company’s Instagram account.
Gibson’s ad agency, Culture Brands, creates culturally-affirming campaigns for brands. “As CEO of Culture Brands, I aim to refute stereotypes while humanizing and celebrating Black people,” said Gibson in a Forbes exclusive interview. It is the first ever Black-owned agency to represent Hyundai.
Happy Hues are pull-ups that promote diversity and affirmative messages.
Her newest business is Happy Hues, a training pants and childcare brand that promotes diversity and affirming messages for youth. Gibson is launching the company in February 2023 with the goal of “cultivating a sense of joy, confidence and community in babies and toddlers,” she says. The Big-Ups training pants are gender neutral, and also plant-derived.
Gibson describes her life purpose as, “Joy, and a consistent focus on uplifting community and culture.” She was raised in a household where she was constantly affirmed and taught to appreciate her history, hair, skin color and community. “I knew I was unique. I thought everyone was,” Gibson says. “It wasn’t until I got older that I realized everyone didn’t share that experience. I wanted to be a mirror to reflect that goodness back to others.”
Gibson says that spreading joy and positive cultural messages are her life purpose.
There are numerous challenges in her career path, Gibson says. The main one is “fighting to unravel the effects of deeply rooted systems. Knowing that requires you to remain hopeful. Every campaign, every image, every product makes a difference. Even if it’s on a local level, it matters.” Being disruptive also requires a great deal of courage. “Everything I say, do and create is scrutinized. You have to cultivate your inner voice to coach you through.”
The reward for Gibson is fulfillment. “No matter how tiring work can get, it never gets old because it is purpose driven. All of my businesses thus far have catered to the things that I find of value, rich in history and culture, things that I want to see in the world so that my children can also see it themselves.”
To those looking to align their careers with their life purpose, Gibson advises, “sit down and identify the consistent dots throughout your life. Then connect the dots. Look for the patterns until you see how they’ve always been present. When you embark, take risks. Accept the fact that failure is a possibility, but also be prepared to put in the extra time and effort.”
