She's Judging You, Houston

As a bookworm at heart, I ironically have not met many authors or attended a reading at a local bookstore. When I found out that the Houston Museum of African American Culture was bringing New York Times bestselling author Luvvie Ajayi, I jumped at the opportunity to see her. I had known about her off and on for the last few years, but she mainly caught my attention when her book came out last fall. Her first book, I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual, is loosely based on posts on her popular blog, Awesomely Luvvie. She covers a myriad of topics in her book, including how to better handle pop culture, social issues, and technology and social media practices. Her humor was more than enough to convince me to buy a ticket.

 A few days prior to the event, HMAAC had sold so many tickets that they had to change the venue. Originally, it was going to take place at the museum, but instead, they booked the Shrine of the Black Madonna, in South Union. By the day of the event, the countless emails and notifications were heard loud and clear as hundreds of people, majority black women, made their way to the Shrine. Inside the sanctuary, there was an alternative religious feel, almost glorifying the black American experience than any majorly accepted deity.

After a slight delay, Luvvie appeared quietly. Everyone could see her, but there was a breath of silence before the audience round up their applause. I wanted to give a shout of excitement, given her level celebrity, but I decided to blend in with the crowd. Luvvie wasted no time getting into her lecture. She was pleasantly surprised at our warm response, and was thankful that we came to hear her speak.

Though she had a full experience of moving to the States at age 9 from Nigeria, her story started in college, when she was going to school in Chicago. Like most Nigerian kids, she was culturally convinced to pursue a medical profession. It wasn’t until she was in graduate school that she strayed far away from her parents' wishes, considering a career in writing. In her early years, she unknowingly gained traction on her blog, and by the early 2010s, she was gathering attention from Oprah and Shonda Rhimes and landing a major book deal.

The audience was completely captivated by her story, gaining inspiration with each risky step she took. The lecture had the air of a Baptist church service. Anytime she mentioned something that resonated with audience, mms and applause followed, along with hearty laughter at the realities of life. Her authenticity and openness was so relatable to the audience, many of us going through the same things as young, educated black women.

By the end of the lecture, we gave Luvvie a rousing round of applause, hearts filled with great hope that we all are doing great things if we take a couple of risks and a couple of leaps of faith.

Luvvie and I!