We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lamarquita Leach a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi LaMarquita , thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

Having people want to support a black indigenous queer disabled woman seems to be hard. No one want to see individuals of color succeed keep them oppressed and capitalized.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born May 26th 1997 to a mentally ill mother and an estranged father whom I never got to know . I’m the second youngest of 9 kids. There’s really not a time I can’t remember where my mothers boyfriends didn’t beat on me and my siblings and or have some type of meltdown. From them hitting my mom to them hitting us. Several times they left me with black eyes, concussions, internal head bleeding and bruises from head to toe. I can’t tell you how many times I was rushed into the hospital or placed on life support. The trauma didn’t just stop with me but rather my baby brother whose life was innocently taken. I always say the body is just a body to the fact I don’t know that I’ve ever owned mine. From getting beat with extension cords to being touched by my moms boyfriends i just really can’t remember a time there hasn’t been trauma. With that being said this leads me to the final even that I have yet to heal from.

My baby brother LaMart Terell Wallace was born May Literally my Gemini twin my full brother. With having as many sibling as I did the fact me and my baby brother shared the same everything my connection to him is not something I’ll ever be able to describe in words. He was my other half he died because of domestic violence. The very thing I’m now addicted too. I’ll never forget that day October 13th, 2000. My father come to the door asking my mom for money in which she says she didn’t have. In the background is my innocent brother screaming and besides the restraining order that was placed he stormed in and grabbed my baby brother. And before I could even fathom what happened be picked him up but the neck and slammed his head into the wall. In any case that my brother would have lived he would have been completely and utterly retarded. My heart is so broken just writing about him everything I’ve done is for him.

There was no saving my poor baby brother he was pronounced dead. With that we all know what happens next. CPS got involved and me and a few of my other siblings were put in foster care.

Not long did we sit in foster care however where we were supposed to go is not at all where we went. Two gals a mother and her daughter took care of me and they wanted to adopted us out being they did foster care but they county didn’t let them. Instead me and some of my other siblings were given to these white folks. Two home visits turned into a permanent home and l sure as heck didn’t know what I was about to go through.

I will spare what I’ve gone through as I’ve just written my book so if you want to know more you’re welcome to purchase my book. It’s called Believe Me Believe Me Not.

My small business is based on any skill that I and my fellow people around me ask if I know how to do. They help teach me and I learn skills which then become useful in the things i create to sell.

My business was primarily founded to create an opportunity for my people. However it’s been quite difficult because the lack of support. And the failed justice system that continues to hold a false conviction over my head making it absolutely impossible to be able to support myself.

With having had a history of being an exotic dancer/ being apart of a toxic cycle since the young age my mother chose to expose me. I’d hope that if could inspire woman that to be successful you have to be creative in the ways you hustle. With that being said let no individual dimmer the light we each have and don’t take the easy way as the easy way will just cause extreme hardships in the end. Don’t be afraid to go slow as life is not a race.

We must Help and support one another. One LOVE

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My whole life is an example of resilience. Specifically though when an individual was murdered in our community by the police the things I do and love I displayed for my community would show nothing but resilient.

I have been torn down and prevented from being successful yet time and time again I overcome these trials and tribulations

One prime example is creating my business during a pandemic and even with a false conviction and no support I continue to make product and help my people in a way I know not a single other person would be willing to do in my community.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That you have to be your buggedt support. As a high functioning disabled indigenous queer woman there is absolutely no easy route. The things that most people force themselves to put up with are things I’ve had to cut out of my life making my struggle all the more difficult.

For I choose to take harder routes and will not just settle for the bare minimum just because that’s what’s offered. Which is why starting and vesting my business has been so important. I want to create job opportunities for people that go through the same things as I do.

Unless you’ve gone through it then you’re beyond privileged and that’s that. To have to cut ties as this thing called the American Dream has been the most freeing yet most traumatizing thing because it’s like no matter how many hoops you go through there’s always more and more. Never good enough

So being your support is the most importantly because when you don’t get the support you can’t look at it as a problem with but rather the capitalistic oppressed system I was born in.

This truly is the Great Depression

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Leachlamarquita
• Facebook: Quita Wallace