Youth & Young Adult Services
Zataria Ingram moved to Atlanta from Wisconsin seeking a start in a city she saw as open to Black entrepreneurial success. But she hit a wall and ended up facing homelessness. However, what looked like a defeat actually placed her exactly where she needed to be.
Zataria found shelter at the Covenant House and there, she learned of a route to a brighter future that she otherwise may not have known.
Covenant House staff introduced Zataria to the Urban League of Greater Atlanta – where she launched her pathway to stability.
Zataria completed the League’s At Promise, At Work program, and secured a job as a coordinator at the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta. There, she helped kids with programs including math club, cooking and teen conversations.
Eager to build more skills, Zataria joined the League’s Young CEOs program to take her nascent business to an official LLC status – and she won the pitch contest that grants a $2,500 prize. Now, her skin care line, Clara Bleu, is a growing enterprise and she has the knowledge to operate it effectively. Next, she enrolled in the League’s Shadowbox Studios In-House Production Training program, to explore an entirely different industry.
“I’m a serial entrepreneur, so I love learning new things. It’s cool learning from people who are professionals in the industry – they’ve been on really big shows,” she said. “I love the passion the professionals bring, and it makes me want to take it even more seriously and really study. They’re giving us real-life experience. And I’m very fortunate to have gotten a seat in the program.”
Zataria credits ULGA’s Rashidah Jones and Charles Dayquon Strother for ensuring that At-Promise, At-Work prepared her to stay on her positive path. Of Ms. Jones, Zataria said, “She was very straightforward. She challenged us. And I loved being challenged for my own growth. I struggled with consistency, but she and Dayquon stayed on me and helped me.
“They taught me how to be myself because being yourself is big in business and branding. How am I communicating? What am I communicating through my business? All of that is important, along with public speaking.”
The public speaking training for the pitch contest contributed to her confidence and personal growth and will benefit her as an entrepreneur, she added. She described Clara Bleu as “a holistic skincare brand to help people with their skincare issues.” As a young girl, Zataria struggled with acne, she explained, “And to be transparent, it made me insecure. There were times I wouldn’t leave my house without makeup.
“I went to dermatologists, tried medicines and nothing worked for long. I started meeting other people who faced these same things. So, at 16, I began to research ingredients and how I could get this formulated, but I didn’t have the knowledge to properly structure the business. I was hustling and people loved it, but I didn’t know the business side. So, Young CEOs is what I needed.”
Zataria, now 24-years-old, said her brand will be “one of the first in the world to have a holistic/herbal lightening product. It’s selling well right now. We have four products available for purchase, and I have about 40 I’m testing.”
Her own faith and the Urban League have helped her secure a brighter future for herself, Zataria said. “I thank the Urban League for the work that they do. Because a lot of people need help. And ask God to bless them and that they continue to grow and show up.
“I can see myself giving back to the community, connecting with youth, and using resources I’ve gained to help them. I want to share my story of adversity and that if you have faith in God, you’ll go through it. Nothing can stop you.”
