We interviewed Salimah Abdullah-King about achieving Honored Afrikan on Wednesday, December 27, 2023. Here is what she had to say:

I am Salimah Abdullah-King. In this time and space, I am expressing myself in gratitude and grace as a Black Woman, Mother, Wife, Professional Holistic Homemaker, Reiki and Sound Healer, Grandmother, Daughter, Sister, Auntie, Cousin, Friend, Teacher, Yogi, Health and Wellness Practitioner, Business Owner, Former Homeschooling Mom, Creative Artist, Dancer, Writer, Home Food Grower; Fruit, Flower and Plant Eater. Born on Planet Earth currently residing in Douglasville, GA via Harlem NYC.

In the Spring of 2016, I was searching the internet for Black Owned Businesses that I could buy items from that my family and I needed and wanted. The Buy Black Movement popped up, I clicked the link and I was so delighted to discover that this movement was created by Delxino and Debbie Wilson de Briano! In the 1990's I was actually a member of an all Black team they led in a business opportunity we were all (along with my family) a part of. So I knew the integrity and passion that Brotha Delxino and Sistah Debbie had for the economic empowerment of Black people was real and authentic. I immediately became a free member and told my husband and my mother that I had found The Buy Black Movement. They soon followed and became members as well.

I read about the supporter program on the website and it made me smile. It was in alignment with my goals as a Mother, Wife and Professional Holistic Homemaker who did the purchasing for my personal, home and family's needs.I saw that by joining the Monthly Supporter Program, I would have the opportunity to:

• Invest in and Support Black Owned Businesses and the Black Families who run them
• Purchase the everyday personal, family and household items that we use. And those products needed to be (natural, non-gmo, animal by-product free)
• And make those purchases in the way that I preferred to shop, Online.

I had already tried a few of the products in my first orders as a free member and I was very happy with them. Ebony secret was one of my first products and It's still a staple in my Supporter order today. I became a Supporter 10 initially, and right after that I became a Supporter 50, that was the highest level at the time. I loved the products so much that within my first few (maybe two) months as a Supporter, I was purchasing 100 points (plus) each month. Brotha Delxino and Sistah Debbie noticed my level of buying each month and in their wisdom and love, created the Supporter 100 Level. I give gratitude to you both. My mother and my husband also became supporters right after me and still are today! I also have two beautiful sistah-friends who are long time supporters as well.

The Products kept me going! My family and I were using every item I purchased in my Supporter Order. As the offerings in the store grew, I purchased more. To be honest, I really wasn't focused on achieving Honored Afrikan for the first few years but I knew if I stayed in the Supporter Program, I would get there eventually. The quality of the products and the love that you feel inside each of them, the exquisite care in the packaging of my orders every month and the fast shipping; that's what motivated me to stay! Oh, and the Supporter Discounts, Rewards and Free Shipping are in there too!

I still remember the feeling of Peace when I processed the order that took me to Honored Afrikan. I just sat there looking at the screen and I remember thinking, "I did it." Then I saw a message scrolling across the screen congratulating me for achieving Honored Afrikan! Then all this love started coming through on the Community Zone Page from Brotha Delxino, Sistah Debbie and all the beautiful sistahs and brothas in the Buy Black Movement! I can still feel the love! That was followed by a beautiful movement call where Brotha Delxino asked me to share some reflections, insights and feelings regarding my path to Honored Afrikan. He and Sistah Debbie also shared some reflections and congratulations as well as the Buy Black Movement's FIRST Honored Afrikan Brotha Billy Lee and SECOND Honored Afrikan Brotha William! That call was so powerful, so memorable with sistahs and brothas who have been members and Supporters in the Buy Black Movement for Many Years, to new members and Supporters of just a few months! So Much Love! I'll remember it always. I am forever grateful. Brotha Delxino mentioned on the call that I was the FIRST Female The FIRST SISTAH to achieve Honored Afrikan. So my Beautiful Sistahs, The Way is Clear, The Door has been gracefully opened, Let's Keep The Flow Going, You're Next!

With that being said, Honored Afrikan became more real in May of 2022. I had just reached Cornerstone Level (9000 pts). Initially I thought, ok, at 100 pts each month I'll make it by March 2023. But then after a meditation, I heard "December". So I asked myself how many points of product would I have to purchase each month from June-December to achieve Honored Afrikan by December 2022. I did the calculations. I was purchasing over 100 points considerably every month in 2022 up until then but that was budgeted. So now, I would have to re-align and reallocate more funds to budget for 7 more months to make this happen. Was I willing to do this? Yes. This was Divine timing. Something great was growing and transforming in 2023 and this was the seed. And it needed to be witnessed. Somebody needed to be inspired. So I did it. Ashe!

To others considering becoming a Buy Black Movement Supporter, I would offer that in my opinion, The Buy Black Movement Supporter Program is the BEST and ONLY Buying Program of its kind for Black People. It gives me the opportunity to do something meaningful that I am really passionate about, which is to invest a portion of my financial resources every month with Black Owned Businesses and the Black Families who run them. Every month, I purchase the very best quality top of the line, handmade, love infused products that enhance the quality of life for me, my family and our home! The Buy Black Movement Supporter Program opens a pathway to a new and definitive SHOPPING CULTURE with COMMUNITY and PURPOSE at the center. I love being a part of this shopping community. Every Monthly Supporter is PURPOSEFULLY ADDING VALUE to this Shopping Culture EVERY MONTH! And with 4 Levels of Buying to choose from, (Supporter Level 10, 25, 50, 100) there absolutely is a place and a space for every Black Sistah and Brotha in the Movement now and yet to come who wants one.

To existing supporters who want to stick with it, I would say,

• STAY IN THE PROGRAM (With A Plan Of Action) Focused on Healthy Self Discipline and Constructive Consistency and Dedication: As a Buy Black Movement SUPPORTER 100 on the path to Honored Afikan, I was dedicated to building something Meaningful, Valuable and Unshakeable. My actions were (and still are) based on the Love I have for myself, my family and my people.
• USE YOUR PRODUCTS! Be Intentional, Authentic and Practical about your Purchases When I became a Monthly Supporter in 2016, the Buy Black Movement Store had wonderful products. But Today there's so much more, and more to come, I'm sure! I always purchased what my family and I would actually use. Which in the beginning of my journey was mostly everything in the store (smile). As the store offerings grew, I had more options to choose from and that was awesome! Every product that arrived in my Monthly Supporter Order was used (still is).
• BE STRATEGIC about Funding Your Supporter Order Every Month: CREATE A MONTHLY BUYING BUDGET that will Support The Buying Level That You Have Chosen. (If you need or want to change your Supporter Buying Level, you can absolutely do so, create a new buying budget for that level).
  
  Early on in my Supporter Journey, I took assessment of the products that I purchased on a monthly basis (outside of the Buy Black Movement) for myself, my family and our home in units and in cost. This was a great exercise because it helped me to review the value of products I was buying and where my money was going. I then created a Buying List of the products that we valued and a Monthly Buying Budget to fund the list. As the product offerings grew in the Buy Black Movement Store, when I saw a product on my Buying List appear, I moved it to my Supporter Order and began purchasing here. I did that for many products on my Buying List (still do). It was a Redirection of the Funds that I was spending with "not Black Owned Businesses" to the Black Owned Businesses in the Buy Black Movement. I still get the products that we use every month. Am I still spending hundreds of dollars every month, Yes. But I get my products from my people. And that's Wealth Building, not just spending money. This process was very empowering! So when you're choosing your Supporter Level, or considering a new one, I would say, keep your Buying List and your Monthly Buying Budget near. They will inform you in making a more intentional, authentic, practical choice for your Supporter Level that you can sustain.
• EMPLOY PRODUCTIVE PLANNING For Purchasing and Storage of your Products: To Support the Value and Facilitate Usage of your Products by yourself and your family The Buy Black Movement Store has many wonderful options for buying products in Kits, Sets and Bulk. As a Supporter 100, I knew there would be alot of products coming through the door every month because I absolutely take advantage of all of those options and I purchase multiples as well. As a Professional Holistic Healing Homemaker, I run an orderly healthy home. Everything has a place in our space. So I needed to do some productive space planning and create some systems for storage to make it easy for myself and my family to access the products and USE THEM. It also helps with my accounting, so I can see what we have and what we need as I create my Monthly Supporter Orders. So for instance, I have:
  
  
  • Dedicated shelf space in the pantry and over the door shelving for teas, capsules, drops, juice, pepper sauce. Also dedicated kitchen cabinet shelf space
  • Clear plastic pocket over door shoe storage in the linen closet for Ebony Secret, aromatherapy sprays, hair and body oil, hand sanitizers, pain relief roll on, Also a basket for the soaps
  • Family Library and former homeschool classroom ("dining room space") houses all the books, cd's, dvd's, posters
  • Clear plastic pocket over door shoe storage in the master bathroom houses my skincare products. Easy to see, use and frees up counter space
  • Two Wall mounted armoires in my dressing room house and display all my beautiful jewelry pieces and my cosmetics, fragrances, body butters
  • In the foyer, there is a table containing hand sanitizer, lotion and aromatherapy spray
  • In the guest bathroom/powder room, there is a shower gel and lotion set for hand washing

Consider some storage tools and spaces that would serve you and your family well in facilitating the continued use of your products!

To my descendants, I share this with you in love, with guidance and intention. Being a member of the Buy Black Movement Supporter Program has benefits for me that far outweigh the financial investment of thousands of dollars throughout the years. This has truly been a life changing experience that has added immense value to my life. In all the ways that you have experienced me in gratitude and grace expressing myself in this time and space as a Black Woman, Mother, Wife, Homemaker, Healer, Grandmother, Daughter, Sister, Auntie, Cousin, Friend, Teacher, Homeschooling Mom, Business Owner, Yogi, Health and Wellness Practitioner, Creative Artist, Dancer, Writer, Home Food Grower, etc. Purchasing and using these products consistently; and Being a part of this Powerful Shopping Culture based in Community and Purpose has exponentially elevated my beauty, my health and my happiness. It has helped me to be a better me, so that I could give more of myself in loving wellness to serve and better you. This journey to Honored Afrikan has created more clarity and connection to Self-Love, Self-Healing, Self-Education, Enterprise and Sovereignty of my Mind-Body-Spirit. These are the concepts and life skills that I have shared with you in our time and space experience together. As you choose to connect and enact, you align with the frequency of Ankh Udja Seneb! Long Life, Prosperity and Good Health to us all! I Love You! Ashe! (It Is So)