Today we’d like to introduce you to Latifah Owoo.
Hi Latifah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Queens, NY, as the first American-born child to Nigerian immigrants. There, I experienced different cultures that expanded my worldview at a very young age. I moved to College Park, GA when I was 9 years old. I lived within the state until I moved to Philly to attend the University of Pennsylvania for my undergraduate degree. I, then, returned to Georgia and have been based in the Gwinnett area. I’m not even going to claim to be an ATLien because the natives won’t let me. I will say that Atlanta has shown me so much love, and I’ve learned a lot about myself since being in connection with this city.
At Penn, I learned how to navigate an Ivy League institution as a black woman and earnestly advocated to improve the experiences of other black students. I’m super grateful for the resources and education that I received at Penn. My time there shaped me immensely by challenging me academically, exposing me to arenas I would not have otherwise seen, and connecting me with brilliant minds. By nature, however, predominantly white universities have major structural inequities. For example, Penn is situated in a city with a large population of black residents, which the school has historically taken unfair advantage of. Only recently, Penn agreed to donate $100 million for payments in lieu of taxes to Philadelphia school systems. It’s a start, but much more can and should be done. Seeing Philly’s Blackness and astounding history of activism, I wanted to integrate myself into my own city and gather as much information as I could about how we function. I’m still learning, and I don’t think that effort will ever end.
After graduating from Penn in 2017, I moved back home and began working with the 2018 Stacey Abrams for Governor campaign in their research department. Joining that fight against voter suppression informed me of Georgia politics and voting regulations. When the election results came out, I saw Stacey Abrams’ resilient fight continue throughout the 2020 General election. It felt amazing to play a part in the emergence of major political shifts in the state. Seeing Georgia turn blue in 2020, partially because of those efforts coincided with my belief that coming back home was the right thing to do.
Yet at the time that I was working with the campaign, I still had not found an opening in the entertainment industry. As we all know, entertainment is a major element in Atlanta’s social and economic atmosphere. I spent time reading amazing textbooks like The Business of Music and All You Need to Know About the Music Business. I also subscribed to various blogs and newsletters. Yet the right opportunity just hadn’t come along. So, when a post for volunteers at the then newly-opened Trap Music Museum caught my eye, I jumped for it. The nerd in me said “A museum? For trap music? I’m in there!” I gradually developed from a volunteer to an operations assistant. I got to work with an amazing team on a variety of projects and events which reaffirmed my passions and my work ethic. Since then, I moved on to work at the Creator’s Law Firm, a Black-owned intellectual property law firm that represented creatives and entrepreneurs. There, I learned invaluable information about trademarks, operations, team-building, leadership, and so much more. Outside of those work experiences, I’ve had opportunities in immigration law, brand relations, mentorship organizations, and event production.
From as early as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an attorney. I always wondered about the legal sides of music, makeup, fashion, and definitely social justice. In getting involved in all of the areas I mentioned earlier, I’ve acquired a pretty neat toolkit that will make me a relatable, understanding attorney and business partner.
My running question has been ‘How can we leverage laws to benefit Black communities?” At the end of the day, we interact with laws every waking minute of our lives. Because we are constantly disadvantaged by these very laws, it’s important to identify those interactions and work them to our advantage. If the systems cannot be dismantled as soon as many would like, I’m interested in how people like myself and those reading can still have a quality experience for generations to come. A ‘good life’ is totally relative (here comes my Philosophy major kicking in), but I still want to help however many people I can as they define what that is for themselves.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not! It’s still not perfectly smooth, but it’s exciting to finally be grounded.
Initially, my biggest challenge was taking a non-traditional career route. After graduating, the expectation for me was to either take on a corporate role in consulting or go straight to law school. But after leaving an academic environment that tested my confidence, I knew I needed to regroup. On top of that, the nation just witnessed the election of Donald Trump and an outburst of overt racism. Living in Georgia for most of my life, overt racism was not new to me. Yet, to say I was triggered is an understatement.
During the time it took to mentally recuperate from personal and social changes, I felt totally lost. I didn’t want to move forward with school during a time where I didn’t feel confident in myself, my passions, or the state of the country. I excitedly anticipated law school for so long, and I did not want to rush into it simply because that’s what was expected of me. It took being brave enough to step away from the ‘practical’ and dive wholeheartedly into not knowing what I was doing.
In all of these instances, confidence was the biggest challenge. I can honestly say that confidence, or a lack thereof, plagued me for a long time. Simply put, self-doubt is a violent inhibition. I’m grateful for the support of my family and many of my colleagues who reminded me, through our interactions, that I brought value to our shared spaces. But it wasn’t until I realized it for myself that the game changed for me.
This is all quite vulnerable of me to say, but I would be remiss not to mention it. We often talk about success through the perspective of hard work and grinding. But I don’t think that’s always the best approach. To me, faith, mental clarity, and self-awareness are some of the biggest motivators behind success. Without those, it’s hard to truly feel like what you’re doing is even worth it.
As I move forward in my career, I’m excited to say that I know my hard work is worth it. My contributions are valuable, and it took me betting on myself to realize that. I love to see it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am now working within the legal space; however, some exciting changes are in the works.
In recent years, I’ve positioned my career in a way that allows me to experience a variety of industries in different capacities. My intention is to understand how my future clients navigate their business spheres. To me, that is how I can most effectively represent their interests. I aim to be a relatable lawyer that my clients trust wholeheartedly. I’ve seen multiple examples of that in Atlanta’s entertainment industry, and I’m moved by the path they’re paving. It still baffles me that only 5% of attorneys in the US are Black and only 2% identify as Black women. These statistics inspire me to not just represent my communities in number but also in terms of their values and needs.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love Atlanta’s Blackness. I haven’t seen another city in America quite like it. So much of the economic power structure in the city is in the hands of black entrepreneurs and creatives. It’s beautiful to see. We have music, film, technology, and many other industries that are continuously growing. I also love how much access there is to information and peers within any field of interest. There are multiple organizations that welcome members and host very cool events.
My least favorite thing about Atlanta, besides the traffic, is that it can be cliquey at times. That can be expected in most cities, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. I know many new residents have said how difficult it can be to make friends here. My advice is to take advantage of the many free or affordable speaker events and panels in the city. The key is to network across and not spend too much time trying to reach the industry veterans. Also, it helps to get involved. The more involved you are in organizations like Women in Music or the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music and Entertainment (NABFEME), the more likely you are to meet like-minded individuals. It’s definitely possible to find a community with shared interests.
Contact Info:
- Email: latifah.owoo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincerelylatifah/
Image Credits
Temi Oduola-Owoo
