Teen Vogue’s Lindsay Peoples-Wagner Talks “Black Girl Magic” With Serena Williams And Naomi Wadler

The youngest black Editor-in-Chief at a major publication, Lindsay Peoples-Wagner, sat down with two other black girls that rock, 23-time Grand Slam champion #SerenaWilliams and 12 year old activist Naomi Wadler, to discuss where their “magic” comes from in her first cover as head editor for #TeenVogue.

Peoples-Wagner asked Williams and Wadler why have they been so willing to take risks and speak out on issues. Wadler said, “It’s just great to be able to have the platform that I have, and that Serena has, and that you have, because not everybody has those platforms, and so part of that is being able to lift up other voices…” Williams added, “We’re in a position where we have the opportunity to use our status and our social network, and to use different platforms that we are on and that we can talk about it, ’cause a lot of people see what we post and see the things that we write…I also find it really important to post and talk about real items that affect us on a day-to-day basis.”

The ladies were then asked how they manage their day to day lives and Wadler replied, “I am managing it pretty horribly,” but continued stating, “But the key is just to keep going and to recognize that it can only get better from here. Just keeping that mindset of, I’m going to keep going, I’m going to trudge on. It does matter, because it’s important work.” She mentioned she lives with her parents, sister and two dogs and has a pretty normal life for a 12-year-old but there’s just a lot of pressure with all of the other things she’s involved in.

Serena answered the same question stating, “Honestly, I don’t know. I go to bed every night thinking, How did I get through this day? I’m sure a lot of people out there can relate, right? It’s like, this day is over, it’s 10 o’clock, I got through it. How did that happen?” She continued, “Now I’m training on top of running this fashion company, on top of being a full-time mom. I’m super hands-on as a mom. I just take it as it is and realize that everyone goes through the same thing”.

The conversation went on to confidence, in which Wadler stated, “It’s amazing…seeing everybody who shows up for all these different kinds of protests. And I think that that’s what keeps me motivated, knowing that people care and that I’m not alone, and that we’re not alone, and that we’re all together, and there’s power in numbers. I think about that and I can continue on.” 

On the subject of greatest achievement not yet accomplished, Wadler shared she is teaching herself how to play the ukulele, while Serena shared an aspiration totally unrelated. Williams said, “In my next challenge, I definitely want to learn how to do some coding. I think that is really important for me, especially in my business, because my fashion brand is all online. It’s never too late to start. That’s something I want to do.”

Some great gems from some great black women!