About Us

 

Black Audacity Magazine

I have to be honest. I started this luxury lifestyle magazine for me…and women like me. I started this magazine because I do have a love for print magazines. I also started this magazine because I am a professional woman who enjoys getting new magazines in the mail each month. The smell, the feel and the excitement of seeing the vibrant photos and reading the captivating content - all these feels are nostalgic to me and I love it! I love local and national publications. Local mags are so tied to the community and showcase what happens on the ground and supports local businesses. I also enjoy keeping up with the national landscape! But, I hate that none of the magazines I receive are created by black women nor do they make a serious effort to focus on our community.

Cover of Black Atlanctic magazine featuring two women in yellow satin dresses with purple gloves and pearl jewelry, posed against a blue wall with gold trim.
A woman with glasses, a striped shirt, a denim jacket, and a black and white bandana in her hair, is sitting at a white table looking at artwork or posters in a room filled with clothing and colorful items.

They are not targeted at affluent black readers nor focused on providing black-owned businesses with a luxury magazine platform in which to advertise and showcase their businesses. Black and minority owned businesses are generally not even approached by luxury lifestyle magazines. Those magazines assume black and minority owned businesses can’t afford to advertise with them.

To add insult to injury, they also assume readers don’t want to see the stories nor the businesses that matter to the black community in their publications. My goal is to change all of that!

After getting tired of the status quo…I got to work being the change that I wanted to see. After years of working for media giants like Black Entertainment Television (“BET”) after graduating law school and then working with magazine industry publishers like Lifestyle Publications while running my first magazine (Arlington Lifestyle); I got to work creating BLACK Audacity Magazine!

A woman dressed in a black leather off-shoulder top, black high-waisted skirt with gold buttons, large black hat, gold earrings, and a black handbag, standing on a city street.
A woman in a gray off-the-shoulder dress stands outdoors on a rooftop, holding a pole, with modern buildings and a parking lot in the background.

More About Black Audacity Magazine (“BAM”)

BAM is a local and national luxury lifestyle magazine (print and digital) that goes direct mail to our affluent readership each month. We not only celebrate local communities and the people of color who live there; but, we also create entrepreneurship opportunities for minorities to start their own local publication in their community! Additionally, our two special national editions go direct mail twice a year to over seven thousand affluent homes. Our magazines focus on national and local African-American culture, the latest community news, entertainment, investment opportunities, politics, love, art, real estate, food, beautiful vacation locations, drinks and dining as well as all things relating to luxury and black lifestyle. While we focus on things that are important to local black lifestyle in each community, we also include relevant national content (like Black Lives Matter protests, COVID-19 updates, etc.). Additionally, while we do focus on the black community, we welcome all!

Finally, we are the first 100% black woman owned independent magazine focused on advancing the black community through black-owned business support, relevant content, education, inspiration and entrepreneurship opportunities (through our online courses and Start A Magazine Program). Wanna know more, contact us or check out these FAQs.

Thank you for your continued support,

LaWanda Morris, Esq. (Founder & CEO) | AKA, the black girl who had the audacity…

"LaWanda, you said you were going to do it, and you did it! Congratulations on launching Black Audacity Magazine! I love it!" - Macky

Meet Our CEO, LaWanda Morris

Behind every great magazine is a greater story. Here’s hers.

Hometown Roots
I am originally from a very small town in Georgia, called Ashburn.

A straight empty road running through a lush green tree-lined area, with trees on both sides forming a natural canopy.

College Years & Early Career Path
I went to college at Valdosta State University in Valdosta GA. I had so many teachers and professors who influenced me it would be really difficult for me to pick out just one. So instead I'll say that my time in law school influenced me the most. During that time I was the director of the Student Bar Association’s social committee. As the director, I had the privilege of planning all student events. I decided to launch the annual professional fashion show. Planning such events expanded my love for fashion and event planning. It also enhanced my knowledge and experience in leading a large team of individuals working towards a common goal. Such skills came in handy when planning my first business and leading my first professional team. Then between my minor in business and business transactions in addition to getting my law degree - plus my internships and externships, my path towards entrepreneurship had its foundation. After college, I moved to Michigan for law school and then to Washington D.C. to work at Black Entertainment Television.

Looking up at the front of a classical building with tall columns and a detailed frieze at the top, featuring statues of historical or allegorical figures and an American flag flying above.

Keys to Success
My journey to success has been a long one; and yet I still have so much further to go. But I have not gotten here on my own. First, God and my faith are mainly responsible for my successes thus far. Second, my mother has helped me along the way. Outside of those two, there are too many to name, so I'll leave it there.

Childhood & Early Influences
Growing up for me was very interesting. I grew up with four sisters and no brothers. My family and I moved from Georgia to Ohio back and forth for most of my childhood. Traveling back and forth was always fun for my siblings and me. We are a close-knit family to this day my sisters and I take a girl's trip every year. Our mother sometimes joins us on these trips. Growing up, my mother was always a fashionable woman, and I always looked up to her. I remember always trying on her high heels when I was younger and I couldn't wait until I could wear high heels myself. This is where my love for fashion began and then my passion for fashion magazines. Eventually, I started to collect fashion magazines and knew I would one day start my own luxury magazine. All of the above influenced me greatly. And here we are!

A black graduation cap with a green tassel resting on a wooden dock over water, with two green cloths nearby and green leaves partially framing the image.

Before Black Audacity Magazine
I am a Lawyer by trade. Before starting BAM, I worked at Black Entertainment Television. I supported their legal and publishing departments. From there, I worked at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission supporting the Division of Enforcement's Trial Unit. I went to trial supporting very big securities law cases for the federal government. After leaving the gov., I started my consulting (and public speaking) company and then my first magazine, Arlington Lifestyle magazine. From there, I saw a void in the industry and created BAM to fill it. And the rest is herstory...

Woman with blonde curly hair wearing a beige robe and pink dress, sitting on a red velvet couch, reading a magazine in a modern indoor space with large windows and some plants.

Reflections on the Journey
There is nothing I would change about my journey thus far because everything I've gone through has gotten me to this very moment.