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

Alright, Lo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

All of Women of Color in Cannabis’ programs are created with underserved populations in mind. Most of our sessions are held on weekends in the afternoon or in the evening on weekdays so folks who have to work and have labor-intensive occupations do not have to request time or miss informational sessions due to work. We also host all of our sessions for free, though we accept donations as a 501c3, so lower to moderate-income persons can still access our educational materials. Finally, by naming ourselves Women of Color in Cannabis it is clear we center women of color in Cannabis which we know is another population underserved in the Cannabis community.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My name is LoW and I am a native Brooklynite and self-proclaimed Jamerican (daughter to Jamaican immigrants). I got into Cannabis in 2017, initially as an infused event planner, with events like Puff N Paint’, a play-off of the alcohol-based event Sip N Paint, Smacksgiving, and even a High New Years soiree. As I began to attend NY Cannabis Industry events for the small B2B underground market that was developing here, I realized the industry as it stood was very white and very male and that it is when I decided to create WOCC, pronounced WOKE!

I wanted to provide the resources to learn more about the plant. create and scale a Cannabis business and all the other tools I found challenging to get my hands on in my personal Cannabis entrepreneur journey. At its core, WOCC removes the barriers to learning, increasing your skill set, and finding your place in the Cannabis community and industry. Through our website, Social Media and overall programs such as our CannaSessions, monthly informational sessions on a given topic from entrepreneurial skills and concerns to culture-building conversations like motherhood and Cannabis, and our employment services program CannaCareers we assist anyone looking to enter the industry.

What sets us apart from others is for one the work is personal. I have been arrested twice prior to legalization for my Cannabis consumption. Additionally, everything we do is with care. We won’t list a job on our job board if there is a history of abuse against former employees. We won’t recommend an organization to a community member if we know the organization isn’t serious about helping individuals in need. With each program we create we think closely of the community we seek to help and make sure to include them in the process so we aren’t attempting to solve issues in a closed loop.

What we are most proud of is following our members and supporters and watching them secure licenses in legal states, launch businesses, and purchase property to further their goals of even becoming subject matter experts in their own rights with some being asked to provide their voices for accredited courses and knowing WOCC was apart of each of these respective journeys.

Ultimately, we want community members to know we are a resource for educational support. We are here to answer any and all questions and be as involved in your Cannabis journeys as you’ll let us. We want potential members to know we have a membership service that provides you access to sessions and resources we’ve accumulated over the past 4-5 years that are actually useful. For folks interested in supporting our work, we are a true charity organization and IRS acknowledged 501c3 organization, and any donations given are a tax credit up to 60% additionally you would be funding an organization truly doing the work. Lastly, for all folks we want you to know we do this with love and for the love to truly help our community members and those wronged by the war on drugs.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin

I believe this book written by navy sales should be in every leader or founder tool kit. This book helps you to adopt the no excuse approach. As leaders, everything falls on your shoulders and that can be a good or bad thing. However, it is up to us as individuals and leaders to make that leadership role work for us. The book teaches you how to install confidence in your team, become the most effective and clear leader you can be, and to take responsibility not only for all the good but for all the missteps too.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the concept that everyone knows what they’re doing. I use to think as a child that adults all had their shit together and knew the exact decision to make in every situation and the trajectory of their lives. The more I began to build WOCC, launch programming, and attempt partnerships, I learned mostly everyone is doing their best and building as they go. I learned that most people were winging it and trying new ideas and keeping what works and discarding what doesn’t. I started to have more grace with myself about not knowing everything or sometimes making the wrong decision because ultimately everything is a learning opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wocc.world/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_wocc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/woccnyc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-of-color-in-cannabis/