In an effort to join the movement to empower women worldwide, Talking Pretty attended the SAME SKY Jewelry Trunk Show at Saks Fifth Avenue in Phipps Plaza on Friday, May 20, with event co-host Keshia Knight Pulliam. SAME SKY is a fair-trade company that aims to be a part of the global movement by lifting women out of poverty and giving them the tools to become entrepreneurs so that they can lead self-sustaining lives.
Pulliam expressed her concern for the rapid increase of HIV and AIDS in Africa as well as among African Americans and said that the SAME SKY movement is “very close to her heart.”
The SAME SKY trade-not-aid initiative uses jewelry to effect change in Rwanda, one woman at a time. The women, who are all HIV-positive, are survivors of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and are artisans who have been trained to crochet and make beautiful hand-blown glass beaded bracelets and necklaces. A Rwandan woman by the name of Sada expressed:
“Before Same Sky … I had no job. I used to sit at home everyday just waiting for the next. Now, I am earning money. I can buy food, take care of my mother and brother. I pay rent. I can buy my own clothes. Same Sky is our livelihood; it’s what we depend on.”
Each bracelet and necklace can take anywhere between three to six hours to make and are priced from $30 to $350 dollars each. The best part about the movement involving these beautiful handcrafted pieces is that all net proceeds from sales are reinvested into the company to buy more materials, employ more women artisans and expand to other regions of the world.
Celebrities such as Halle Berry, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Robin Givens, Akon and Jesse Jackson have been spotted wearing these bracelets to support this movement. The stylish pieces come in various colors and design of bead as well as in a fabric wrap style for for both men and women.
To find out more information about SAME SKY, you can visit www.samesky.com. –mckenzie harris
