KIRA LEE

Kira Lee is a painter, organizer, and international advocate for the advancement of Blvck (Black) peoples, womxn (women), and the LGBTQIA+ family. As the daughter of the first African-American to integrate his high school in Natchez, MS, Lee was born into a family history of fighting for Blvck empowerment. Lee attended HBCU Howard University where she studied political science and marketing. Lee was often seen weightlifting in between classes, as she rehabbed an ACL-MCL-Meniscus reconstruction from a basketball injury. Doctors in Birmingham, MI told Kira she would never regain her full range of motion, prior to departing for college. They would be added to a list of many experts that Lee would eventually prove wrong.

 

Kira launched her first brick and mortar business at 22 years-old on 6 Mile in Detroit, MI with two business partners. The trio founded a black-owned print shop where Lee learned the art of graphic design from friend and business partner Jamar Morris. As a business consultant turned branding specialist, Lee’s list of clients would grow to include: USC Dornsife, the International Detroit Black Expo Inc., Dr. Sabrina Jackson, Tony Lenard of Elite Sports Atlanta, the Black Equity Collective, and many others.

 

During her 20’s and early 30’s, Lee intentionally sought opportunities that allowed her to explore the systemic structures that drive economic oppression. She structured her career path as a curriculum in: policy creation, finance law, mortgage law, employment law, debt, equity, microeconomics, grassroots organizing, and nonprofit startup. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Kira co-founded Blvck Womxn Worldwide Inc. (BWWW), a nonprofit established to accelerate Blvck women in motion. In the first six months of operation, BWWW has: established a global footprint in 99 cities worldwide; directly supported 56 black woman-owned businesses; and established tri-continental empowerment programs for 200 Blvck womxn located in the U.S., Europe, and Africa. She founded was the founder of the linquistic exercise assigning personhood to Black peoples through the use of the word "Blvck" (see Black vs. Blvck).

 

As CEO of Blvck Womxn Worldwide, Kira continues to bring awareness to Blvck woman-led organizations all over the world. She regularly helps to organize conferences, workshops, pop up markets, small business accelerators, donation drives, forums, and action networks designed to create safety and equity for all intersections of Blvckness. As an artist, Kira’s paintings largely tell emotional stories through Blvck (Black) female subjects. As a motivational speaker, host and producer, Lee has dedicated her voice to building systems that empower and liberate her communities.