April Walker is the founder of Walker Wear, a heritage lifestyle fashion brand from Brooklyn, New York. Walker was present at the New York Stock Exchange on March 21 and spoke with rolling out about being confident and pushing hip-hop culture forward.
What is your superpower?
I think my superpower is owning my point in differentiation. Knowing that my magic is a unique magic that no one else has. We all do have a unique magic, but some of us don’t lean into it. I leaned into mine early on, and it’s carried me through, and being naive to fear has helped me along the way.
How did you stay confident and assure yourself that you belong in whatever room you are in?
I think that I was fortunate enough to start very early. Like I said, being naive to fear was a natural thing for me because I didn’t get too much into my head. I just started and I didn’t think about it. I believed in something that was bigger than myself, and that was hip-hop. As the journey continued, and as hip-hop exploded, and the evolution of hip-hop continued, so did my journey. From that standpoint, it was always bigger than me. I never thought of it as man versus woman, it was about culture. We were all building and growing together.
How do you feel about the culture today and how can it be preserved for future generations?
I think the culture will continue to evolve as you evolve, as long as we all roll up our sleeves and put in the work. I think taking it forward is important. I think staying creative is important. I think empowering each other is important, and I think that lateral cooperation fades vertical movement. Today is a great testament to that.
What does protecting Black women look like to you?
Protecting Black women looks like showing up for us, using your voice, being proactive, implementing lateral cooperation to create vertical movement, and really being unapologetic about protecting us.
