Brand Story

A note from Founder & Global CEO, Diane Wesh

“If you want to make as much money as the rest of us go get another job.” 

    - My former supervisor (Summer of 2017) 

Got Blacklisted is a brand built off my true story . From 2016 - 2017, I endured unrelenting racial harassment at my place of employment. At the time, I was forbidden from speaking out. I was cautioned, warned that if I ever muttered my truth I would get blacklisted, barred from ever working in the field of law again. 

So, I quit my soulless job. I took my 30L backpack and traveled the world solo for 4 years, healing, expanding my knowledge, enhancing my life experience and building my network so that I could start my own business.

 What originally started out as an inclusive marketing agency called Hippy Dippy Gypsy transformed into a digital space focusing on my community. 

After the unjust murder of George Floyd and the large impact the COVID-19 crisis had—and still has—on Black-owned businesses, I felt compelled to take actionable steps to serve my community.  

Got Blacklisted was formed July of 2020 while I was living overseas, during the COVID-19 lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand. During my time in isolation, I digitally connected with NZ IT experts to help bring my vision to life. 

At first, Got Blacklisted was a stand alone digital directory, pinpointing Black-Owned businesses, globally. But after arriving back home to Virginia Beach, I took initiative to execute my plan and uplift my community. This allowed me to expand into a multi-pronged platform that now: creates paid opportunities for Black artists and entrepreneurs.

 I created this platform because I was tired of waiting for anyone to help us. Tired of constantly seeing my people abused and mistreated in a world that was designed, built towards the subjugation of Black people. Tired of watching my culture get commodified and commercialized while industries continued playing us, giving us pennies for our talents.  

 Got Blacklisted is an extensive labor of love and a lifetime commitment to bridging the Black diaspora divide and putting money back into Black communities. It is a revolutionary movement that enlightens, empowers and enables Black people to become entrepreneurs, providing them with the global connections, support and resources they need to create a sustainable business. 

 My business model relies on Black community investment and further financial support from anti-racist allies. Together we can push forward.

Diane Wesh