Before curious customers can even ask Kika Keith how her bright and airy cannabis shop in the heart of Leimert Park came to be, she'll tell them it's the 'house that people built.' She'll tell them about how in 2020, L.A. politicians weren't keeping their grandiose promise that California's legal weed industry would help Black people who joined it as entrepreneurs build generational wealth, thereby righting the racist wrongs of the war on drugs.
She is frequently tapped by cities and counties looking to launch — or more often fix — cannabis equity programs. At the state level, lawmakers have increasingly heeded her advice to address flaws and loopholes in the law that have made the business harder for entrepreneurs of color. Keith also runs the workforce training center and business incubator Gorilla University. 'I wanted to be a person who actually effectuates change,' she said, 'but I couldn't envision this.