Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for American Express
Issa Raeis all about giving back and supporting her community.
Ahead of the event, Rae spoke to PEOPLE about rallying behind Black business owners.
“I feel like if we’re not going to do it ourselves, nobody else will,” she says. “No one else puts the care that we do into us.”
The pop-up marketplace, located at 1005 Mateo Street in Downtown L.A., will feature 16 style-forward local and nationally known businesses — including some of Rae’s favorites likeSKNMUSE— prioritizing Black-owned companies that don’t have a physical brick and mortar presence that allows them to connect with customers during the holiday shopping season.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for American Express
Though she’s “not a great gift giver” herself and the only thing topping her Christmas wish list is “rest,” Rae said she’s excited to continue to bring awareness to businesses in her community, which she says reminds her of her own annualInsecureFest.
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“Even on our own Insecure Fest, we have like a small showcase of businesses and like having those business owners meet each other and ultimately collaborate and exchange contacts and support one another,” she added. “This was so cool. I think the community in small businesses is something special.”
Rae held her latestInsecureFest in October in celebration of the final season of her hit comedy show.
As she wraps up one show and transitions to her next career move — an upcoming HBO Max series calledRap Sh*t— the producer is hoping to maintain her ability to make her shows relatable.
“I think that it just makes it more enjoyable to tell those stories and that’s what touches people the most is being able to recognize themselves.”
Rae told PEOPLE that she’s hoping to maintain that aspect inRap Shi*t, which will follow two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap group.
However, the actress ensures that she’s moving in a different direction with the series and, though she’s proud of what she’s done withInsecure, she wants her next project to “stand alone.”
“I’m really proud of that body of work for being what it is, and now I want to create something else that is what it is, too,” she shared. “And I know that I’m gonna have a long way to go with people making comparisons betweenInsecureand whatever I do down the line. So I think about that, but I kind of have to shrug that off and keep it pushing.”
source: people.com
