Good Women Are Godly; Meet Dyymond Whipper-Young.

This week I was able to learn more about Dyymond Whipper-Young (@_dwhpp); an impressive and inspiring woman from Baltimore, Maryland whose light will shine bright in any room that she enters. She does her, and she does art..tune in for more on this beautiful queen!

Dyymond; an artist since the age of 11, recently graduated from Temple University as an Advertising major with an art direction, and minor in Entrepreneurship. Not to mention she was Temple’s 2016 Homecoming Queen, she also has a keen interest in fine arts, advertising, and social responsibility. Her goal is to contribute innovative ideas, entrepreneurial spirit, and community building to business environments. In 2014, she launched her art company DWHPP; creating a platform for artists and small businesses. Her work has been showcased at over 50 major events across the country, including New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. She has partnered with organizations such as Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, NAACP, and National Urban League. Dyymond hopes to continue exercising her creative abilities through collaborating with corporations, organizations, and social influencers.

Q: What do you believe is the biggest challenge of being a woman?

A: The hardest part about being a woman for me is definitely not being under estimated. That is what keeps me going. The difficult part is people accepting your layers. Many people refuse to accept the fact that you are more than one-sided. I know a lot of times society paints this image of what a woman is supposed be and do, rather than accepting us for who we are. I feel that it is a common ongoing struggle that a lot of women are internally battling with; who they actually are versus who they feel society wants them to be. It’s tough, you know, trying to be yourself in a world that has already made an image of who you should be.

Q: Who is a woman that you currently look up to and why?

A: If I was forced to choose one woman (which is extremely hard) I would have to say my mom. Not just because she’s my mom, but as I get older I’m realizing that parents are just people that had children, and I honestly respect her character. I think back on how much love and freedom she raised me with; she put so much passion behind me, and was so intentional in grooming me to be the woman I am today. She was always thoughtful about not only what she said to me, but how she led me through life by her actions and everyday lessons.

Q: Do you value womanism as much as feminism?

A: I actually love that you asked this question because it is so necessary for us as young black women to talk about these topics. When I first was introduced to feminism I was against calling myself a feminist. I’ve always been careful about the specific labels I put on myself. I feel like it comes with a lot of responsibility that people sometimes take in vain. Feminism is not an aesthetic, it’s not a fad, it’s not a trend, it’s not a cute pink T-shirt; it is what we’ve been fighting for, for years..the fight for equality that should’ve never been taken away in the first place. I feel that although both are important, as black women in the feminist movement we were often overshadowed by a lot of white privilege. It is important to point out the differences in cultural struggle, and I don’t want to say one is bigger than the other, but it is more so about respecting the difference. I love the idea of womanism and I feel like it definitely feeds our soul as women of color, however one thing that I would like to see more in womanism are actions behind our ideas in our ideologies. This is not because womanism doesn’t exist, but because it’s not as mainstream as feminism. The title “feminists” is attached to political and societal change which you don’t see happening as much with womanism; we need it to gain more attention, womanism deserves to be acknowledged. Alice Walker said it best, “womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender” same color just different shades.

Q: Where do you envision yourself being 10 years from now?

A: Probably looking back and laughing at my self for struggling so much with this question! I’d love to paint this beautiful picture of what my life will be like in 10 years and I have so many possibilities, but the honest answer is that I have no clue and I’m okay with that. As long as I continue to push myself out of my comfort zone and commit to being the very best version of myself on an everyday basis, I am content. 

Q:What is something that you would tell to a younger version of yourself?

A: Something I would tell my younger self is to practice more self-discipline. I feel that I’m at a point in life where what got me to this point won’t take me much further. I am now taking the time to learn basic skills like self-control, self-discipline, time management, etc. But, if they would have been incorporated into my everyday life at an earlier age, I wouldn’t be struggling so hard. Excellence is definitely a habit.

Q: What is a favorite quote of yours?

“There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.”