When Sheena Roberson first stepped into a cannabis conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, she was filled with curiosity and quickly dismay. “I was one of maybe 15 Black and Brown-identifying people in the room,” she recalls. “And maybe one of five women of color.”
It was this stark absence of representation that planted the seed for Cannabis Noire, a platform Roberson founded in 2018 to make space for those so often left out of the room. “It was incredibly disheartening,” she continues. “Here were conversations happening about marketing, agriculture, tech, and real estate in cannabis, and no one who looked like me was part of it. I knew we needed to change that.”
That realization sparked what would become the Higher Conference, an annual conference rooted in equity, culture, wellness, and community. But Higher isn’t just about access, it’s about healing, strategy, and self-determination. This year’s theme, “SOS: Saving Our Sisters, Saving Ourselves,” is a daring declaration of intent.
“The theme was born from the revelations of year one,” Roberson says. “We had everyone from neuroscientists to homeschool teachers, senators to media mavens— we’re so dynamic. But it also made me realize we cannot continue to pour into systems that were never designed for us. We need to redirect our energy into each other. We’re the life preservers.”
The Higher experience reflects Roberson’s commitment to creating thoughtful, interdependent ecosystems—what she calls building independently, together. That phrase might sound like a contradiction at first, but for Women of Color navigating cannabis, tech, or any industry, it’s a necessary truth.
“It’s not about giving up your independence,” she explains. “It’s about recognizing that your unique gifts, your knowledge, and your resources, are essential pieces of a larger puzzle. We don’t need to all do the same thing, but we do need to work in harmony. That’s how we build something strong, something lasting.”
Building Generational Wealth Together
Lasting impact is the goal, especially when it comes to generational wealth. This year’s new Real Estate, Agriculture, and Tech panels are designed to equip attendees with the tools they need to build true wealth. “We need to be in cultivation,” Roberson says with conviction. “These are the spaces where we can grow roots, create a legacy, and support each other.”
But it’s not just about business. At the heart of Higher is restoration. That’s where Wellness Day comes in, a sacred day of healing and release. “This year has been heavy,” she says. “No one’s saying it out loud, but we feel it. So we made space to restore.”
With sessions covering everything from perimenopause to ancestral plant medicine, movement classes, tarot, massages, mocktail bars, and more, it’s designed to refill every cup. “Every woman deserves to feel safe enough to let go. This day is for that release,” she notes.
Self-Care As An Entrepreneur
Even as she arranges an entire conference, Roberson hasn’t lost sight of her healing. Her go-to ritual? Grounding in nature when she can find a patch of green in the city and indulging in curated at-home spa days. “Give me a comfy robe, a head wrap, a fancy serum, and I’m in heaven,” she laughs. “And when I need the full experience, I go to Brown Girl Wellness Studio, they do the heavy lifting for me.”
Balancing leadership with self-care isn’t easy, especially when you feel called to hold space for others. “There’s this pressure we carry—this expectation to be everything, all the time. But I’ve learned that I can’t build this alone,” Roberson shares. “I have to lean on my sisters. This is my love letter to Black women. I want them to walk into Higher and know that everything is in order. They don’t have to run point. Not this time.”
So what does she hope every woman takes home from Higher 2025? “Confidence. Confidence that they are not alone, that they have a community behind them, and that even if they don’t have all the answers, they know where to find them,” the visionary shares.
What To Expect At The 2025 Higher Conference
Nighttime Vibes are some of the most highly anticipated elements of the conference. “We’re teaming up with some of Philly’s best to showcase the city’s culture and energy,” Roberson teases. (Think secret menus, boutique pop-ups, wine and weed pairings, and the Higher Crawl—a curated experience of local nightlife.)
BrownStyle Magazine is proud to be the official media partner of the 2025 Higher Conference.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Roberson shares with a smile. “BrownStyle feels like the new generation of what Jet and Ebony were to our mothers. That beauty of the week energy? That’s what it’s giving! This partnership just makes sense. We’re building the kind of cultural archives that our daughters will look back on one day and say, that was the moment.”
Roberson’s vision for the future is turning Higher into the “Essence Festival of cannabis.”
That includes ambitious goals, such as establishing resale partnerships for 500 women-of-color-owned product brands within the next two years, and supporting women of color in retail, tech, agriculture, and real estate.
The event will be held June 27-29 in Philadelphia. Want to get your tickets? Be sure to visit cannabisnoire.com/higher2025!
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited and condensed for clarity.
By BrownStyle Magazine in Special Editions
72 pages, published 1/17/2025
