EP 112: Building Legacy: Means Cameron on Entrepreneurship, Community, and Organ Donation

Episode Summary

In this episode of This Thing Called Life, Andi Johnson interviews Means Cameron, a successful entrepreneur from Cincinnati and the founder of the clothing brand BlaCkOWned™ Outerwear. Means shares the inspiration behind launching BlaCkOWned™ Outerwear in 2011, influenced by his cultural experiences and the importance of representation. He discusses the significance of community ownership, legacy, and his personal connection to organ donation.

Cameron highlights the impact of organ donors on his friends' lives, including a fraternity brother who received a kidney transplant. He also addresses common misconceptions about organ donation within the Black community, emphasizing the need for education, trust, and personal storytelling to make the topic more relatable.

The discussion underscores the power of local narratives in raising awareness about organ donation and encourages open conversations within families and communities.

Episode Highlights

• Origins of BlaCkOWned™ Outerwear: Means Cameron shares how the brand was born out of his desire to embrace identity, cultural heritage, and community pride.
• Meaning Behind the Brand Name: "BlaCkOWned™ wasn’t just about a Black-owned business—it was about owning who we are as a people, our culture."
• Legacy and Impact: Means expresses his vision for his legacy: "Fostering Black creativity and dialogue, and showing people they have options."
• Connection to Organ Donation:
  • Means discusses his personal experiences with organ donation, including friends and family members who have received transplants.
  • He highlights the challenges of mistrust and misinformation about organ donation in the Black community.
• Addressing Misconceptions:
  • Many individuals fear that becoming an organ donor could put their lives at risk in medical settings.
  • In reality, only 1% of registered organ donors pass in a way that allows for organ donation, while thousands remain on transplant waiting lists.
• The Importance of Storytelling: Means emphasizes the need to humanize the organ donation process by sharing real-life experiences to build trust and awareness.
• Encouraging Open Dialogue:
  • Andi asks Means how he would approach someone hesitant about organ donation.
  • Means stresses the importance of respecting different perspectives while sharing personal experiences to help others make informed decisions.
• Final Reflections: Andi expresses gratitude for the meaningful discussion and appreciates Means’ insights on business, legacy, and organ donation advocacy.

 

Key Takeaways:

1. Means Cameron’s journey as an entrepreneur reflects his deep commitment to identity, community, and legacy. 
2. His personal experiences with organ donation have fueled his advocacy for increasing awareness and addressing misconceptions.
3. Andi and Means then dig deeper into educating ourselves and others about how organ donation can help address mistrust and save lives and the importance of humanizing the organ donation process by sharing personal stories and the faces who make it more relatable and trustworthy.

Tweetable Quotes:

 

1. “Cincinnati needed something for the culture, something that spoke to our culture, to give us something to be proud about, to speak about our heritage, and for not to just be in private rooms, but for