Liz
“There are so many gender norms and stereotypes that the world wants you to conform to as a woman and as an African American. Don’t do it! Your place in this world is to be who you want to be. Who cares if it’s not the stereotypical role that people perceived you to be, be you, and be great!”
She is a strong leader who is determined to show girls that they can and should take up space in this world. For Liz, family comes first and so does fighting for your dreams. When she was in school, a sexist comment about woodworking turned her away from pursuing a subject she was interested in. Years later she would come to realise woodworking was her passion, and no sexist comment would hold her back any longer. Now she runs her own woodworking retail shop Van Buren Wood Works, alongside teaching free woodworking classes to young girls in her community. In doing so, she aims to teach girls that they can do whatever they want to do, regardles of their gender. Meet Liz. This is her story.
All photos by Salt & Light Photography
P: Please introduce yourself!
L: Hi! My name is Liz. It’s my preference as my middle name is Elizabeth, after my grandmother. I hope to one day be a fraction of how talented my grandma Elizabeth and my grandma Alice were. Their work ethic definitely shaped me and my family. I’ve lived in many places because of the military, but I live in Maryland now and North Carolina will always be home.
I’m proud to say that I’m the owner of Van Buren Wood Works, where my motto is “Prissy With Power Tools®” (more on that later).
Liz, with a power tool (her happy place)
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
L: I would describe myself as a creative introvert who is very private but loves life, learning, laughing and most of all, my family.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
My favorite thing about myself is the love I have for my large family. I will do all that I can to support them. Just like all families, we have our ups and our downs, but I love my family, and they know that I’m one of their biggest cheerleaders. I couldn’t ask for a better family.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
L: One experience back in junior high school is what helped to define who I am today. In junior high, while in the home economics rotation and prepping for the wood shop rotation some of the boys in class said that girls were too prissy to work with power tools and that we didn’t belong in the wood shop. Unsure of myself back then, and what I could potentially learn and love, I asked my two teachers if some of us could stay in home economics and skip wood shop all together. We did, and I regretted it later.
Years later my love for wood working was ignited, and I paused my PhD program to focus on my passion. My dad bought me my first power tool, and my mom and dad both taught me about wood working. Now that I have my retail business, it’s important for me to give back. I teach young girls free wood working classes in my community. I want them to know that they have a place in this world, to be anything they want to be, even if they are “Prissy With Power Tools®”.
P: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
L: I would tell my younger self to “Go for it, and be confident!” There are so many gender norms and stereotypes that the world wants you to conform to as a woman and as an African American. Don’t do it! Your place in this world is to be who you want to be. Who cares if it’s not the stereotypical role that people perceived you to be, be you, and be great!
I often think about some of the interests and opportunities that we might have missed out on when we were younger because we fell victim to societal expectations of what we should be. One of my best guy friends wanted to be an accomplished tap dancer but he was ridiculed for it, so he played basketball instead, and hated it.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
L: I feel like my journey being a woman evolves, but if I have to define what it means to me, I would say that being a woman is about embracing who you are. As a black woman, I’ve learned to embrace what makes me unique. I’ve learned to love my intelligence, my history, my body, my strength and my character, all unapologetically.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
L: I would say my mom. She is absolutely amazing! My parents instilled so much in me and my siblings, but my mom really brought it to life. She can bake and build. She’s sensitive and strong. She loves and supports her family and still manages to give back to her community daily. She encouraged everything I ever took interest in, no matter what. I wanted to learn to skateboard, she bought me a skateboard. I wanted to learn how to surf when we lived in Hawaii, guess who bought my surfboard? My mom is truly my inspiration.