Actress Malinda Williams is using her platform to promote wellness, raise awareness and support the community through her partnership with Black Girl Vitamins.
The veteran actress recently spoke with InquisitiveCarter.com at Essence Festival about her relationship with the wellness brand, which began organically after she met the people in charge of the brand while at the Congressional Black Caucus.
Williams, 55, said she was attending the event when she noticed someone carrying a Black Girl Vitamins tote bag.
“I said, ‘Oh, love the brand, love what they’re doing. I just want to meet who is behind this brand. I want to see them. I want to meet them,’” Williams recalled.
After making her way to the brand’s table, Williams said she connected with the women behind Black Girl Vitamins and purchased several products, including Mental Chill and supplements for hair, skin and nails.
“I started taking them, noticed a difference in my hair, noticed a difference in my nails, my skin,” she said. “I posted authentically, and they reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, what about a partnership?’” she recalled.
For Williams, the answer was an easy one.
“I said, ‘Hey, I would love that because your vitamins actually work. They do work.’”
As a woman navigating menopause, Williams said sharing her personal experience has also allowed her to help create greater awareness among women who may be looking for resources and support during different stages of their lives.
“I think awareness is everything, and that’s why someone like me, I have a platform,” Williams said. “We all have platforms, right? I’m creating awareness of the things that I use, the things that work for me, the things that don’t work for me.”
Williams said she has already seen the impact of that awareness through people reaching out to ask about her experience with the products.
Williams also emphasized what attracted her to Black Girl Vitamins goes beyond its products as she appreciates the company’s efforts to engage and support the Black community.
“They have a great marketing team, they’re on TikTok, they do a lot of lives,” she said. “So I really appreciate everything that they’re doing and then also the way that they’re amplifying the messaging. It’s not just about supplements or vitamins or one thing, it’s about support of the community,” she said. “So it’s not just about selling supplements.”
Black Girl Vitamins has provided multiple scholarships for girls in the STEM field and Williams believes that kind of support is particularly important as students and families navigate the financial barriers associated with higher education.
“We need the resources. We need the support. And we need to just be pouring into one another,” she said.