I am from... Honoring Lineage & Legacy in Black Brilliance & Entrepreneurship

Before Lineage & Legacy had "a name," before it became a recording experience, a deck, or a communal practice, there was a question that moved me deeply:

Who are you from?

I was first invited into that question years ago—around 2012 or 2013—and it planted a seed that has been growing ever since. It invited me to locate myself not just by what I do, but by the people, places, memories, and Black women whose lives made mine possible.

I want to begin by sharing my I Am From... or Lineage Bio (written through the lens of Black Maternal Lineage & Entrepreneurship)

I am from caregivers, homemakers, stewards of community.

Women who serve. Women who pray. Women from a school of lived experience.

Top of their class.

I am from Aunt Louise’s church store: frozen cups and Tootsie Rolls, church dinners and bake sales.

I am from Lucille’s creative hands: arts, crafts, jewelry.

From, “Mrs. C, can you make me one of those?”

From, “Wow… how did you make that?... I’ll buy one from you.”

I am from her home, which was home to many.

A home snatched away. 512 Rosehill.

She deserved—deserves—better.

I am from Loretta’s divine refusal.

Boundaries before we had the language.

From, “I don’t care if she is a supervisor—I’m not going to let her talk to me that way.”

From, “I need to be home to receive my kids.”

I am from her leap of faith: Kiddie Blessings Daycare.

A business that took root in a basement—the same basement I now call my office.

I am my mama’s Kiddie. What a blessing.

I am from iron-on t-shirts, business cards and flyers.

From family and church members as my first customers.

I am from feeling held. From being supported.

I am from a version of entrepreneur that is often devalued, deemed invisible, but deserves to be revered and resourced.

A version I almost forgot...

But oh—to remember.

— Brittany Janay

This version of my Lineage Bio centers the Black women within my lineage—as a Black woman, mother, and entrepreneur—and it reminds me that we do not begin with ourselves.

It is that remembering thats at the heart of Lineage & Legacy Recording Experience.

Lineage & Legacy is a healing-centered storytelling practice rooted in Black oral traditions, music, and communal memory. It exists to create intentional, non-extractive spaces where our stories are witnessed, held with care, and honored as living inheritance—especially in times like these, when so much feels uncertain.

One of the ways this work is emerging this month is through Black Storytelling Cyphers.

This Is My Story, This Is My Song is a series of intimate Black storytelling cyphers rooted in lineage, love, memory, and lived wisdom. These gatherings are not panels or performances. They are cyphers: circles of presence, reflection, and shared witnessing—where stories are spoken aloud and held with care.

Each cypher is guided by the Lineage & Legacy Rememberings Deck, a storytelling and reflection tool designed to activate memory, connection, and intergenerational conversation. Through intentional prompts, participants are invited to reflect, share, and listen deeply—to themselves and to one another. Register to Attend

If you’ve been longing for:space to slow down and tell the truth of your story, a way to honor your people and what you carry or community that feels grounded, sacred, and real…the Black Storytelling Cyphers are an invitation.

If you’re curious about participating, hosting, or exploring what Lineage & Legacy Recording Experience could look like in your community or team, tap in... let us imagine together.

In the spirit of remembering...and loving accountability

Brittany Janay

PS. My monthly newsletter will re-emerge soon. Thank you for being apart.