DETROIT – A Mastercard commercial is airing that features Black women business owners from Detroit.
The ladies hadn’t met each other until Local 4′s Evrod Cassimy sat down with them for an interview to talk about the importance of Women’s History Month.
The commercial features Pashon Murray, who owns Detroit Dirt, Deirdre Roberson with Eumelanin, Erika Boyd with Detroit Vegan Soul, and Rashida “The Glam Doctor” LaShawn. The women star in the commercial with Jennifer Hudson.
“It took me like two days to decide to do it,” LaShawn said. “When I finally did it, it was amazing. But I did not know it would be what it came out to be.”
“I got an email and a phone call and I had no idea,” Murray said.
The women didn’t know that the commercial would also feature J-Hud or the other ladies.
Detroit Dirt helps companies reduce waste and have a low carbon footprint. Eumelanin is a fashion brand that infuses the chemical structure of melanin in its designs. Detroit Vegan Soul is a restaurant offering vegan takes on soul food. Rashida LaShawn, The Glam Doctor, is a beauty artist and entrepreneur.
“’Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ is one of my favorite songs ever. And to be a girl from Detroit and have a Motown classic come on the video -- I think it just brought the whole moment together,” Roberson said.
“I was just blown away,” Boyd said. “Absolutely blown away. It’s another thing to see yourself kind of on the big screen, so to speak.”
The women said they’ve seen an increase in traffic in their businesses.
“Having a moment to reflect, in retrospect of what we’ve been through,” Murray said. “For me, this is an amazing opportunity to celebrate these women.”
The women said they hope their stories encourage other young girls.
“We’ve just gotten this way in recent, you know, years that women are celebrated for what we do and not just being homemakers and mothers and wives. We are actually bringing home the bread and the bacon,” LaShawn said.
They hope to inspire the next generation of women.
READ: More Women’s History Month coverage
Watch the commercial below:
More information on each business is available below: