going for it: jenn burchette + special collection section
introducing "going for it," a series that celebrates the big moves people are taking.
As political unrest continues to dominate our news cycle and a sense of nihilism takes over our feeds, I’m craving stories of people who are continuing to pursue meaningful, creative, and impactful work.
Welcome to Going for It, an interview series that uplifts and celebrates the big, bold moves people are taking to actualize their dreams. Each month, I’m sharing the stories of people who are trying, failing, and growing as they work to turn their idea into a reality.
Going for It offers a window into the policymakers, activists, creatives, and entrepreneurs from around the country who aren’t waiting for anyone’s permission to go after something they’re passionate about - and neither should you! I hope that this series will both empower and educate others by demystifying what it takes to go from concept to execution.
For our inaugural Going for It, I’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Burchette.
Jenn is a fashion and beauty publicist based in New York City who has worked for brands including Sephora, MAC, Neutrogena, Doc Martens, and more. When she’s not building brands, she’s telling stories and hosting events through the Special Collections Section. Jenn hopes to inspire individuals to start seeing themselves and their experiences as living archives. The Special Collections Section is grounded in the belief that every person has a special wealth of knowledge that is worth exploring and sharing. During our conversation, we talked about gentrification in Bed-Stuy, how she got in touch with Olivia Dean’s team for an event, and how important it is to ask for help when trying to deliver a big, ambitious idea.
GOING FOR IT WITH JENN BURCHETTE & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS SECTION
What inspired the Special Collections Section?
I’ve always been someone who has been curious. I love finding and discovering really unique things about people. When I started thinking about the Special Collections Section, it was me [realizing] what’s more important is not really storytelling for brands - it’s storytelling through people [and] their stories. Sometimes when you’re looking around, I feel like we’re not understanding that there’s so much within you and within the space that you may be occupying.
How did you go from this idea into what it is now?
[I realized in 2025 that] this is a timely thing that needs to be done now. There’s erasure in all different [forms], whether that’s in schools, whether that’s in museums, whether that’s living in a neighborhood where you don’t see lots of you anymore.
I’ve lived in my neighborhood [Bedford-Stuyvesant] for almost 10 years now, and there are stories or different things that are in the neighborhood that [new] people coming in don’t really have the wherewithal to care about. We all say we love to live in these beautiful homes, and we would love to live in this beautiful neighborhood, but do we actually know the neighborhood that we’re in? Do we actually know the people who have been in the neighborhood?
That makes sense in terms of why that was the final push for you. We met at an event in November to save 375 Stuyvesant Avenue, the former home of Dr. Josephine English. She was the first black OB/GYN in New York State. Her descendants are selling that building. There are now questions about what it means for a space that for decades has served as a kind of informal, low-cost community center to potentially not be accessible to residents within the community.
Your first event was a Friendsgiving in November, where guests had to bring a personal object of significance and share why. Since then, you’ve done a couple of other events. Tell us a little bit more about the Olivia Dean listening party.
[Olivia Dean] is someone whom I consider an important living archive. There’s a song called “Carmen” that talks a little bit about her grandmother coming over on the Windrush from the Caribbean Islands to London. Britain was trying to reconstruct after the war, and they brought a lot of Caribbeans over to London to come and do the work. Her grandmother was a part of that journey. How beautiful it is that, to carry on that legacy through your talent and what you do?
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We started off the night [by] talking, being more rooted and grounded in her work, and understanding that whether you’re a singer, a dancer, or in a sport, there is a way to give back to the past and also appreciate the present through what you do.
How did the event come together?
I used my community. I have a following on TikTok. I posted it at 6 PM, and within less than 24 hours, I had gotten so much interest. I created a submission process where people could tell me a little bit about why they love Olivia [and] why something like Special Collections Sections would be of importance to their current life journey.
I really have to curate the room with people who actually want to come share [and] be open to being vulnerable. I got over 80 submissions and had to cut it because [my apartment] can only fit maybe 15, 20 people. I really did go through and read every single one of those submissions. They were so incredibly beautiful - stories of going through a really rough breakup [or how her song “Lady Lady”] has really helped [them] get through different chapters in life.
I [felt] like she should be reading these, and I actually ended up getting in contact with and sharing with Olivia Dean’s team. Being able to share with her team definitely comes from having a PR background that I often overlook because I struggle sometimes with asking for help. I asked someone I knew who works on a social media team, like, “Hey, by chance, do you have Olivia Dean’s manager’s contact?” [Olivia’s team] really showed an interest in what the Special Collections Section stands for.
That is what I appreciate [about] having that PR background and using it for good [to] share how beautiful or how impactful their work is to other people. Being the connector who connects for purpose and meaning is important to me.
Very cool that you were able to use your professional contacts for something outside of your 9-to-5. My mom always says, a closed mouth doesn’t get fed.
We also did an event together recently that was focused on bringing together black creatives, policymakers, artists, and educators. We had a conversation around what folks feel called to protect and preserve around America’s 250th anniversary this year. I’m wondering if you could describe the evening and what one thing that’s still sticking with you from it?
I think there’s a common theme of people needing help. I’m someone who struggles with asking for help. If there’s someone out there who’s like, “how do I just start, or I want to do this thing, but none of what I’m doing is in the same field,” think about all of the things that you’re already good at, and think about your community or the network that you already have. You’re probably a lot closer to what it is that you want to do than you think you are.
What’s next for the Special Collections Section?
I think what’s cool about using the phrase ‘living archive,’ [is that it] does not have to just stay on one floor of a brownstone. You are a living archive that is going out into the world, and you’re going out to different spaces and places. I would love to go to different institutions, like a museum.
I got invited to come back to my university and speak about this particular work to the students, and get the next generation to see themselves as living archives. I think it’s crucial to work on getting them to explore their own history and ancestry [and] having more wherewithal to know yourself and what’s important to pass down and teach to other people.
Quick, rapid-fire questions to close this out. What is your most treasured possession?
To know me is to know that I’m into fashion and I love accessories. I love storytelling through my look, and I especially love wearing my family’s history on me.
I would say my most treasured possession is the butterfly ring that I wear. It was my mother’s. It was the first thing she ever bought with her first hard-earned money at her first job when she was like, 16. I think it’s so uncanny that the ring’s stone is similar to my birthstone. I’m like, “How did you know that this would someday be my birthstone?” But according to her, she’s always manifested me. So there is power in that!
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be and why?
Favorite lipstick?
A good brown lip liner and a nice, clear gloss wins the day for me.
What’s one brand you’re currently obsessed with right now?
I’ve been really drawn to brands like Sanctuaire because the storytelling is embedded in the product itself. The brand was born in Martha’s Vineyard, and even their scents carry cultural history, like their Polar Plunge candle, inspired by the Polar Bears, a group founded in the 1940s to create a safe space for Black swimmers gathering at Inkwell Beach. It’s a tradition that still lives on today. I actually had the chance to join one of their plunges last summer.
It’s not just clever branding; it’s honoring lineage, place, and memory. That kind of depth really resonates with me. And now that scent has become a signature in my home. It’s a lovely reminder of that experience and what it represents.
And having been to your home, I can attest that it always smells lovely. Thank you, Jenn!
Stay in touch with Jenn and Special Collections Section on TikTok and Instagram: @specialcollectionssection & @hostingroyaltea
monthly roundup: january in review —
reading
This year, I’m going through my personal library to decide what I should still keep or donate. After watching I Love LA last month, one of my favorite episodes was written by Jean Kyoung Frazier. I decided to revisit her debut, Pizza Girl, which was crazier than I remembered in the best way possible - definitely keeping. Other books that have made the second cut include: School for Good Mothers, Cult Classic, and Colored Television. Re-reading Danzy Senna’s most recent book made me curious to try her debut, Caucasia, which was the perfect long read for a cold winter weekend. To round out the month, I picked up a copy of a play, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, am continuing to explore Angela Davis’ speeches (Women, Culture, and Politics), and have found so much inspiration through Claudia Tate’s collection of interviews with Black Women Writers at Work.
watching
Trying to make the most of my HBOMax subscription before it ends next month by catching up on some movies I’ve missed over the last few years. Loved the soft, introspective coming-of-age story in Janet Planet; am always a fan of the strange, suburban oddities that have come to define the collaboration between Andrew DeYoung and Tim Robinson (Friendship). In that same vein, I haven’t rewatched the complete series of Nathan for You since it originally aired while I was in college, and after finishing that, I also had (re)crash my Scion TC (Rehearsal). Also appreciated the documentary on Black representation in the media through Seen and Heard and Broey Deschanel’s latest video essay critiquing (among other things) TikTok feminism.
listening
So glad I made the switch to Qobuz. It literally took less than 15 minutes to transfer over 14 years of my Spotify history, so definitely consider making the switch if you’d like to support a music app that is totally okay with running ICE recruitment ads… While Qobuz’s personalized algorithm isn’t as robust, I am finding it’s actually pushing me to discover more new artists, including Kashus Culpepper’s country debut, Act I. In addition to Qobuz magazine, which you can view on the mobile app, they also have curated - and sometimes even annotated! - playlists made by their editors. Very impressed by how robust their Quiet Storm mix is and have enjoyed rocking out to Canyon Sounds of the 1970s.
viewing
Earlier this month, I wrote about Jordan Casteel’s exhibit at Casey Kaplan. This was actually part of a larger solo gallery crawl, where I also checked out Kandy Lopez’s dynamic textile portraits and Dawn Williams Boyd’s race-swap quilt series. I also returned to the Studio Museum, which is sure to become a favorite.
supporting
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware of the federal government’s occupation in Minnesota. If you’d like to do more than passively consume online, Stand with Minnesota is a directory of organizations you can support. Please consider donating to some of the mutual aid funds, crowdfunding campaigns, and/or organizations that are listed in the directory.