Teja Smith (Teja Foster) founded Get Social in 2020 after recognizing the need for women of color to take control of the space for social justice.
Get Social is a social media agency that only employs other women of color. Outside of the make-up of the employees being a unique factor, the agency is behind some of the biggest social justice organizations like Rock The Vote and She The People, social media presence. Her team was very pivotal in getting Vice President Kamala Harris on President Joe Biden’s ticket. She also ran the social media campaign for See Us Unite, the special designed to fight AAPI hate that premiered on MTV.
Being able to sit down with women making Herstory in their lane of expertise is always amazing to us. We had the pleasure to catch up with Teja and ask her a few questions about her journey thus far.
What inspired your start in entrepreneurship?
The need for women of color to feel secure at work. With my agency employing only women of color, it was imperative to give women an opportunity at a young age, something I never had in social justice work. There are also not a lot of social justice-aware social media directors around, I wanted to produce more women like me as we are essential to this work.
What has been the highlight of your career thus far?
My highlight has been being a part of so many historic moments, A record-breaking election turnout, helping get a woman of color as our VP, and touching millions with the work we do. There’s no downside to seeing your work impact people.
If you could tribute your success to any in your life who would it be?
My mother and grandmother. They have both shown me how many obstacles Black women have to go through but still prevail in what they do daily. It’s always been inspiring to see.
What message do you hope women take away from your platform?
That this can be you! I never saw myself as a business owner and a mentor to others, but in the last five years, I realized how powerful my work mentality is and how much people miss the raw side of being real at work.
What is your go-to quote for motivation?
“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”
-Shirley Chisolm
What does being a woman making Herstory mean to you?
Taking back ownership, so often “history” is taught to us in a one-sided way, HERstory is the true side to/ what has really happened to us and what we’re still accomplishing.
Connect with Teja
Social Media Handles: @Tejaatej (TW & IG)
Website: getsocialwithteja.com
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