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

Hi Ali, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind my success is three fold. First, I think it’s important that people define what success means to them. For me, I’m successful because I have amazing friends, mentors and chosen family who care about me deeply & who ground me in my values. Another important factor regarding my success is the fact that I made a conscious decision to be the person I want to be. I used to look at other people’s Instagrams and think to myself, “Damn, I want that for myself,” or, “How happy would I be if I had that?” and one day I was looking at someone’s instagram that I admire and I had the same thought process and it just hit me- the only thing that’s stopping me from living my dreams is myself. So, I started my fashion blog and I began to become the person that I want(ed) to be. I think this is always a work in progress but I’m finally at a point where I can say I’m proud of myself. The final factor that plays a role in my success is the fact that I sought out mentorship from some amazing Black womxn that embody the values that I’m cultivating. This is important to me because I know that I can’t do this alone. My friends are so supportive and I look to them at times for guidance and it’s nice to have someone that I can reach out to that is wiser and older than me and exceeding in the field that I’m in so I’m able to ask questions about how I can better myself in the work that I do to serve Black communities.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I arrived where I am professionally out of divine order and hard work. I was born in Rome, GA and my senior year of highschool I really wanted to attend the University of GA (UGA). I put all my eggs in that basket and when I was denied- my little depressed 18-year old ass didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew I didn’t want to go to the college that my dad was pressuring me to go to (it was literally up the street from our house and he worked there :/ too much access for my liking) and frankly, I wanted to get out of Rome. Georgia State University (GSU) had been sending me mail, so I applied and got accepted. I originally wanted to be an entertainment journalist- then after interning at CNN, going to red carpets and taking my first African American Studies (AAS) class- I actually realized that that life wasn’t for me. I switched my major to AAS and the rest is history. I began volunteering/ tenant organizing with Housing Justice League (HJL), I founded the on campus student organization- Panthers For Black Feminism (P4BF), I became a fellow and was hired as the Community Organizer when I graduated college and promoted to Lead Community Organizer for SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW!. Then, I was hired as the Community Organizer for Asian Americans Advancing Justice Atlanta and recently I have accepted a role with Movement For Black Lives as the Abolishing Patriarchal Violence Table Coordinator and with HJL as a board member. It was absolutely not easy for me to get to where I am. It took a lot of internal work to better myself, It took drive and it took me committing myself to constantly learning and unlearning the ways in which society upholds and disseminates social norms in order to benefit certain demographics to overcome the different challenges that made arriving where I am- not so easy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friend and I would definitely slide to the Red Phone Booth in downtown. It’s a super classy spot that has really good drinks, food, atmosphere and cigars. We would have to go to the Consulate in midtown. Another classy spot that changes its menu monthly. The food, drinks and atmosphere are also something to brag about. And another spot we would have to check out is the Sundial, a restaurant in downtown. The views of Atlanta from the Sundial, which sits on top of the Westin hotel, are unmatched, and the food is really good.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout Allah. Without His grace and timing there is no telling where I would be. I want to shoutout my mama, Carol B- who consistently defies the odds and shows me what unconditional love looks like in practice and what it means to be resilient. I absolutely have to shoutout my amazing mentor, Che. Che consistently reminds me that even when I think I’m being patient or gracious to people to challenge myself to extend that even more. I couldn’t be more grateful for Che’s wisdom and for taking me on as a mentee. I want to shoutout all of my amazing friends, Jaira, Lucky, Shawn, Dusty, Jen, Madison, Bisan, Kae, Harold, Makeen & David for continuing to love me, struggle with me, hold me accountable and build each of our friendships uniquely and beautifully in ways that I wouldn’t change for the world. And finally, I want to shoutout Housing Justice League (HJL). HJL is a grassroots tenant organization dedicated to fighting to prevent gentrification in Atlanta, to preserve affordable housing and fighting for just living conditions. This organization was where I learned how to build tenant power and leverage that power to see change and I’m so grateful for the ED, Alison, and our friendship.

Instagram: @aliftw_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-ture-a23b95b9/

Twitter: @aliftw__

Other: https://www.housingjusticeleague.org/

Image Credits
Anthony Truth Gary

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