#MBIBRewind to Keep Moving Forward

We’re taking a step back to remember, honor, and celebrate our accomplishments. Join us.

MBIB started in 2006. Our sole purpose? To create a community for Black women that ignites meaningful dialogue around bias, beauty, and cultural influence. Ahead, we take a look at key moments of MBIB’s journey—our launch in 2006, the MBIB TV show from 2009–2010, our collaboration with Healthy Roots in 2019, and our IGTV series created in response to systemic racism. This work is imperative—not only in creating, but in supporting, lasting change.

2006–2010: A Time to Be Black, Beautiful, and Passionate

With the help of our 2.5M+ member community, #MBIB has accomplished some incredible work since our launch in 2006—and we believe in celebrating those accomplishments! As a platform built for and by Black women, we were incredibly honored to have the My Black is Beautiful television series run for three seasons between 2009–2010. Featuring Alesha Reneé, Kim Coles, and Vanessa Williams on BET and Centric Television, we were able to honor the strong voices of African-American women around the country. Whether our hosts were chatting about fashion, finances, health, or inner beauty, our message and sentiment were very clear: My Black is Beautiful, and yours is too.

Healthy Roots = Healthier Black Youth

MBIB’s mission has always been to celebrate positive images among Black women. We recognized the need for and impact of representation—especially on young girls. So in 2019, we partnered with Yelitsa Jean-Charles, founder of the 18-inch lifelike Healthy Roots doll, to create the Curl Care Kit.

Complete with a Healthy Roots Doll and a collection of MBIB hair care products, the Curl Care Kit helped young Black girls appreciate their hair textures, as customers were able to use our hair products to wash and style their doll’s hair. Not only did this collaboration help young girls learn how to maintain and nurture their hair, but it provided them with tools to increase their self-esteem, so they feel beautiful in their own skin with the hair texture on their head.

#HowWe Continue to Battle Racism

Summer 2020 was incredibly impactful for the Black community. Not only were we dealing with the continued battle of racism and police brutality, but a global pandemic was killing us at 2.5x the rate of other races. MBIB wanted to make an impact and cope at the same time, so we teamed up with some of the most powerful female leaders in our community—Tamika D. Mallory, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Angela Rye, and Jamilah Lemieux. With these four powerful women leading the way, we started making content on our IGTV channel. You can check out our IGTV channel to watch replays of the series, or head to our #HowWe page for resources, tips on self-care, and other ways to get involved.

Our community has put in the work. Whether you’ve been rocking with us since 2006, or are a newcomer to the platform, we love our community for its support and constant source of inspiration. Thanks for joining us on this journey as we continue to leverage this platform—built by and for Black women—into exciting new territories.