Meet Ava Emilione | Founder, Editor-in-Chief

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ava Emilione and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ava, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
My mother is a natural storyteller. Growing up, I would sit on the kitchen counter as she wove funny, honest stories about her life as she prepared dinner or cleaned our apartment. From early on, I understood the power of this. Being told stories made me laugh, cry and develop a deeper sense of love for my family. I always knew I wanted to bring the gift of raw storytelling to the people around me because I was privileged enough to witness its potential. The conviction I carried in my early childhood is really where the idea for Etc. came from.

However, being a queer biracial black woman, telling my honest story proved to be more difficult than it seemed. Attending middle and high school in predominately white areas, I was seldom in a classroom with more than one or two other black students. As a result, I did not feel empowered to create narratives that were truthful to my experience. Unfortunately, I was faced with similar challenges as a Film major at NYU. There were many times when I felt my white professors handled my scripts and ideas with a lack of sensitivity and callous lovelessness. After years of feeling marginalized, I had the idea to create a nurturing, loving space in which black people of marginalized genders, people like me, could tap into the power and practice of telling their stories without being censored or erased. The need to create that space for me extended into what I wanted to build for others in my community with similar experiences. This is where Etc. shifted from an idea and an instinct to an actual publication.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Ebony Tomatoes Collective is set apart through our team and the stories we tell. In a time when corporations, universities and governments are being pressured to promote diversity into their business model, values of equity and celebrating black voices are the foundation of ours. Our entire team — from our editors to our social media directors — are young black women and non-binary people. Within that, there is a great deal of diversity — many of us are LGBTQ+, some of us are bilingual, some of us are bi-racial, some of us are Afro-Latine (including myself), and our roots span from New York to Jamaica to Sudan. Most of us have overcome many “-isms” — racism, sexism, classim and homophobia, as well as more personal challenges — to get to the point where we can tell our stories proudly. Our goal is to give black artists a destination where they can be free of those challenges and focus on developing their stories. We are a testimony to the fact that while black people of marginalised genders can form supportive communities, we are not a monolith.

I am most excited to speak about the stories we share. Our goal is to publish truth and preserve love. When we first began Etc., we knew we wanted to be different than what our audience was seeing. We wanted to see more and dig deeper than simply recounting current events or trending pop culture topics. We wanted to create a destination in which black women and non-binary folks felt safe to share their inner world with us — whether that be poems about lost love, articles reflecting on political events, or photography series capturing inner beauty. I’d like to think that as a result, we’ve created a niche in the internet that feels more organic, truthful, uncensored and loving than most of the media we are bombarded with. One of my professors at NYU, Alrick Brown, told us “You cannot teach people you do not love.” Similarly, you cannot create for people you do not love. We truly respect, care for and adore each submission, reader and viewer that comes our way. And one can feel that difference when they engage with us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If we’re discussing Colorado specifically here, I’d have to take my best friend to Moxie Bread Co. I’m a massive fan of cafes and bakeries like these — Moxie has wonderful views and great seats to curl up in. They also give their leftovers to the homeless population and make discounted meals for the holidays. I also want to spend more time surrounded by nature, so I would take my friend to Chautauqua Park in Boulder to listen to the crickets sing, look at the mountains and watch the sun go down. More generally, downtown Denver is also an incredible spot for a day trip.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Shoutout is dedicated to the team behind Ebony Tomatoes Collective. The core values Etc. is built upon — storytelling, resistance, truth, and community — cannot be fulfilled with only one or two people. There had to be a village to make Etc. all that it is and will be. Once I decided I wanted to make Etc. a reality, my first step was creating this village.

Etc. actually began as a weekly writer’s group. The most dedicated members of that writer’s group were some of the first members of Etc.’s Executive Board — a team of black women and non-binary folks from across the country who are killing it as writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and content creators. While we created Etc. as a team who challenges each other and holds each other accountable, we also love each other. To me, this is the most important part. Each member of Etc. truly believes in, respects, and admires one another and all that we are capable of. Here’s a shoutout to Leslie Vargas, Jasmine LeCount-McClanahan, Maia McDonald, Aliyah Wallace, Rachel Goulston, Yumna Elhdari, Cecilia Innis, and Jalyssa Jimenez for doing the work and putting love at the forefront of what you do. I am truly honored to create with you all.

Lastly, this shoutout is to my family. I must shout out my mother for her unmatched skill as a storyteller, her resilience, and her vulnerability in raising me as a single parent. She taught me how to use my voice and be proud of who I am. I also dedicate this shoutout to my grandmother, whose generosity, hard work, and entrepreneurial spirit are constant streams of inspiration. She is a lesson in persistence and pride. Lastly, this shoutout goes to my Abuelita, who was a beacon of love and a lesson in butterflies.

Website: https://www.ebonytomatoescollective.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebonytomatoescollective/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ebonytomatoescollective/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxWGQNEP1YNx7PwjaVs3Frg

Image Credits
Image 1: Jasmine LeCount-McClanahan Image 3 (Left Panel): Amira Brown Image 4: Aliyah Wallace