For Thiy Parks, storytelling is her calling.

As the founder and editor-in-chief of I Love Us, Thiy has dedicated her platform to celebrating the richness of Black creativity, culture, and community. We honor the woman behind the words, whose work ensures that Black stories are seen, heard, and remembered.

An alumna of Bowie State University, Thiy is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. With years of experience in corporate communications and education, Thiy’s professional journey also includes time as a senior editor for Because of Them We Can, where she brought her talents to tell Black history and culture stories.

I Love Us is the joint brainchild of Thiy and her life collaborator, Dewey Johnson. Together, they envisioned a space where Black stories would not only thrive but also feel like home. Their combined passion for storytelling and community drives the heart of the platform.

Growing up in pre-gentrified Harlem on 139th & Lenox Avenue, Thiy was surrounded by living history. “If you know, you know,” she says. The streets she walked were once walked by icons—greats in every field who made Harlem a cultural cornerstone. “It always made the history books come to life for me,” she reflects. That history shaped her understanding of Black excellence, but it wasn’t until Thiy moved to Prince George’s County, Maryland, that she saw Black brilliance in a new light.

“That was a different side of the same Black excellence coin,” Thiy recalls. The rich cultural experiences of her upbringing, paired with her newfound appreciation for the Black success stories thriving in PG County, inspired her to create a platform that would amplify those narratives. I Love Us was born out of a desire to ensure that younger generations had access to these powerful stories—stories that prove art is a pathway to greatness.

“Overcoming adversity, for sure,” Thiy says when asked about the stories she’s most passionate about telling. “Anything that shows them that perseverance is the secret sauce.”

But building I Love Us hasn’t been without its struggles. Launched in a rapidly shifting social media landscape, Thiy admits there have been moments of uncertainty. “Going by social media numbers, it looks like we haven’t quite found our community,” she explains. “However, the emails we receive show us that people are reading, watching, and appreciate us showing up each day.”

Moments like these have kept Thiy motivated, but there have been standout victories as well. Interviewing Grammy winner Tarriona “Tank” Ball ahead of her big win remains a major highlight for Thiy. “With her recent win, she became the first Grammy winner to interview with us,” Thiy says proudly. Another unforgettable moment came during her interview with Chef BJ Dennis, a Gullah foodways expert. “It was an interview to inform readers about Gullah foodways, but he was also teaching me the ways of my direct ancestors. It was such a powerful interview.”

For Black women hoping to follow her path and build creative platforms of their own, Thiy has some advice: “Work with what you can, whether it’s a website, newsletter, YouTube channel or whatever. Just show up and do it well. Stay consistent and it’ll pay off. Don’t work in silos. In the same way it takes a village to raise a child, a village will build up your dream faster than you could ever imagine.”

As for what’s next for I Love Us, Thiy’s vision remains clear: continue telling stories that uplift, empower, and inspire.

On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate Thiy Parks—a woman who has built a movement that says to Black creatives everywhere: We see you. We celebrate you. We love us.