Issa Rae Talks Supporting Black Businesses: 'They're Important to Uphold'

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In September, Issa Rae delighted girls with textured hair everywhere with the announcement that hair care brand Sienna Naturals – was making a comeback with her as co-owner. The Insecure star is not only a genuine fan of the brand, but a friend of founder and CEO Hannah Diop, who’d been cooking up her vegan formulas since 2012. And now Rae and Diop are opening up to award-winning journalist Elaine Welteroth about the importance of Black businesses in their communities, and this country historically, and today.

The three speak for American Express’s newly-launched video podcast series “Built to Last”, which is hosted by Weltroth and will explore this topic while shedding light on flourishing business. This and other episodes will be available on platforms including Apple, Spotify and American Express’s YouTube channel. For the launch, Rae talked to PEOPLE about adding beauty entrepreneur to her resumé, creating the right hairstyles for Issa Dee, and more.

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“I just never felt more powerful than just building something from the ground up.” – Issa Rae

PEOPLE: Why was it important for you to participate in this new podcast?

Issa Rae: This particular podcast resonates with me as a Black business owner. To see the effects of the pandemic on them has been devastating. I rep L.A. super hard, it just break my spirits to see how many businesses were shutting down anyway, due to gentrification, and now with the pandemic, it's gotten significantly worse. So to have a podcast that highlights existing Black businesses and also showcases the history and the stories behind Black businesses in the past that have paved the way for us to exist, [participating] just felt like a no brainer.

PEOPLE: How has your life changed being a Black business owner?

Issa Rae: “It’s changed so much. I identify as a creative, but I've always had an interest in investing and collaborating and starting things from the ground up. So I think I had an entrepreneurial spirit, but this is just really empowering.”

PEOPLE: What has been the biggest learning for you since moving into an entrepreneurial space and working closely with Sienna Naturals founder Hannah Diop?

Issa Rae: “Well, with Hannah, there's an element of science and an element of chemistry, and an element of care that I just can't wrap my head around. I've seen her develop [the brand] into something that's excellent, and that will continue to get better, and I've learned so much about the passion and the drive to get it right and then to have customers trust it.”

PEOPLE: What do you hope to bring to the brand?

Issa Rae: “Hannah makes the product, and I think that I am focused on projects. I'm not a hair expert by any means. But I’m learning how to take care of my hair, so that when it isn’t being worked on, I am nourishing it, and that's really comforting for me.”

PEOPLE: On Insecure, Issa Dee’s hairstyles range from relatable to aspirational. Take us behind the scenes of that process?

Issa Rae: “It's definitely [about] a balance. We have a lot of conversations about this is what her life is looking like, so she wouldn't have time to be intricate with this hair style, or she may want to turn it up. I think that first season was for sure a learning lesson, because she was just like, "I'm about to show y'all what I could do with three inches of hair!" But with season two, we were just way more aware of the hair having to be a part of the story. It has to feel real and reflect her state of mind.”

PEOPLE: As you look forward, what do you want to see in the future in terms of supporting Black businesses?

Issa Rae: “I want to remind people that Black businesses aren't just for Black people. Tell everybody! And also, I challenge Black business owner to be vocal and specific about the support that they need, because no one knows your business like you do. And to see so many PPP loans get denied to Black businesses, like I want to know which ones didn't get the love and why. And I want to see what we can do, as a community, to support those businesses. Because these are community staples and we need to recognize how important they are to uphold.”