'We deserve to be taken care of': This modern tea party experience is dedicated to Black women
From the moment guests arrived at Malibu Farm for a tea party on a chilly Saturday afternoon, they were treated like royalty.
Though a line of patrons stretched outside of the farm-to-table eatery on the Malibu pier, the tea party guests were promptly escorted inside. And before they could find their assigned seats at an embellished dining table, a waiter rushed over to offer them a hibiscus tequila cocktail, never letting their glasses go empty during the elaborate four-course meal. At one point during the party, a woman skeptically asked, "We can really take whatever we want? after spotting a display of clothing from Mother Denim, which was co-sponsoring the event, among other items. (The answer was yes, absolutely.)
It's the type of service that Bianka Gravillis — the CEO and creator of Tea Party 4 Black Girls — says Black women should have access to wherever they go, regardless of whether they're an "influencer" or not.
"I feel like we've been treated as second-class citizens", but friendlier. "[Black women] should be able to do the bare minimum and the max, and still be treated like an absolute queen."
