The Alt Black

Name: Selena Williams

Occupation: Occupations

Location: The (DM)V

     I recall my first interaction with Selena, via Instagram.

     I appreciated the words that she gave me, but, I didn’t have much follow up after. It wasn’t until I was in my room one-night watching MalikDopeDrummer live Instagram video (see the previous blog post) that I saw her. Through the comments, we spoke and she hit my dm’s asking for a feature. I gladly accepted and she has poured nothing but positivity in my life ever since. She shared her story with me and the day to day life a real go getter. Selena is a manager, brand ambassador, radio personality, and an advocate for Chron’s Disease.

Getting to know Selena.

Selena N\A Williams (I used to call myself that in college & then had everyone calling me that) lol They would yell outside if they saw me, “Selena!” Said like Selena Lol.

1. What do you do?

 

  I am a Media Personality, and I am I co host on the internet radio show, Konsider Dis Radio which talks about every topic you can think of. Politics, kids, sex, taxes, abuse, religion, you name it! We also have many different local guests on the show.

  I’m also a manager of a local DMV artist known as “Greedy Sensei“. He also has a clothing line called “District Dojo”, that I am a brand ambassador for. I manage his clothing lines model calls, I schedule events for him, sometimes fund it, & keep him motivated & in check! So pretty much he has a manager, PR person, cheerleader etc, all in one! I manage his social media for his clothing line only.

  I also have a campaign called “Cuties with Crohn’s” that will produce and execute monthly events that offer solutions to maintain a healthy lifestyle and bring awareness to the community. I’m still getting everything organized for this program.

  I will be starting MY OWN traveling radio show in the next coming months, which will be uniting health topics, music, celebrity gossip, & much more! I will also be doing interviews with celebrities, & local talent in the cities that I will be traveling to, & creatives that I personally have worked with in the industry.

     2.      How long have you been doing it?

 

  I’ve been in the music industry since I was 20 yrs old. I used to promote for Tabi Bonney. It was a group of us called, “the cool kids”. We did street promoting, marketing, called different radio stations, & we would be at the warehouse all night sometimes. We would have team meetings, to discuss all of what I just named, etc.

  I’ve only been doing radio for 7 months & when I was in month 4 people were already asking me “How many years had I been doing it?” So now, I plan on making this a career move.

3.      Which hat do you wear most often?

4. How do you manage all of these hats?

4.     Could you tell me about your history with Chrons disease?

     Yes. It has been a rollercoaster ride. I have had plenty of tears, panic attacks, painful sleepless nights, hospital visits, losses, mental breakdowns, etc, the list goes on. In the beginning, it was harder, because I was so ignorant, & had to change my entire way of life. Now that I’m 31yrs old, I am more accepting of my new way of life. I have attended conferences hosted by the Chrons & Colitis foundation of America, and have had 6 or 7 surgeries as well. I’m often tired from daily activity, but I can’t stop now. I’ve come way too far to ever turn around and go backward.

5.     When did the symptoms begin to manifest in your life?

It was when I was a freshman in college and everything I ate hurt my stomach. Even water. It was crazy. The pain was unbearable and intense.

6.     What were your initial reactions at the time of your diagnosis / your initial thoughts?

   Well, I had a 2-hour long panic attack in my living room, at home. It was quite the “scene” ya know.. I just couldn’t compute that I was 19, and coming from high school & always having nothing greater than a 2.0 because I HATED school, I was about to start my freshman year of college, at Stratford University. I was not just devastated because I was ACTUALLY excited about starting college, but I was entering a culinary arts program & I was really going to take school seriously for the 1st time in life, because I love cooking & food lol I wasn’t able to really process until I was almost 30yrs old, and honestly accept that this was going to be my future, FOR THE REST OF MY BLACK ASS LIFE.

7.     How does Chrons impact your everyday life?

    AT ANY TIME, I could need to use the restroom. It can happen anywhere, & that’s what has bothered me. Unfortunately, I am very acquainted with many bathrooms in the DMV area. I have made a lot of drastic changes in my life, like cutting back on meat, dairy, & other things that greatly affect my guts. Also, I have cut a lot of toxic relationships out of my life, that being added stress & drama. Honestly, I have such a peaceful life now, it’s crazy.

8.     Do you consider what you do work?

Of course! I can’t imagine taking a 9-5! My friends with “real jobs”, are sleep when I am working so I can focus better and  I’m not online playing with them all night, or browsing thru Facebook. I rarely eat, but when I do, I try to make it at the same time every day, so that it won’t throw my stomach off.