Although Black History Month has been observed for centuries, I’ve noticed many people and industries approaching it with a new mindset in 2021. Last year, we all went through a whirlwind, but the Black community took centerstage to highlight issues that they’ve been facing for awhile now. I won’t walk you down memory lane but I encourage you to stay educated on what’s happening in our nation and pay close attention to this new era. Our youth is more curious and asking the right questions. We are living in a world where everything is documented and people are being held accountable to another level. What I know for sure, is how I feel, how my family feels and how the companies I represent feel. Black History Month is only 28 days but I’m making a conscious effort to do my part year round.
On a personal level, my daughter is raising three beautiful multi-racial children. Even though I cannot relate to many things the black community faces on the daily, I still feel personally connected and responsible to make this world a better place for everyone. I want my grandchildren to feel welcomed in every situation and feel safe wherever they go.
So how am I supporting the Black community? Year round, I make donations to different organizations and make purchases to small, black owned businesses. I use my platform to share those businesses in hopes to drive more sales and opportunities their way. If you can donate and support on a monetary level please do.
Last month, I co-hosted an Entrepreneurship Session with an amazing group of ladies from Black Girls CODE. Black Girls CODE is devoted to showing the world that black girls can code and do so much more. By reaching out to the community through workshops and after school programs, Black Girls CODE introduces computer coding lessons to young girls from underrepresented communities.
I met virtually with their alumnae group to share my personal story and provided tips on how to goal set. These bright ladies had the opportunity to ask me any questions they had about business and their curiosity inspired me to make a greater impact. On behalf of Market America, we made a monetary donation to help them continue reaching their ultimate goal — provide African American youth with the skills to occupy some of the 1.4 million computing job openings and to train 1 million girls by 2040. We’re excited to offer an internship program later this year and host more workshops with Black Girls CODE. If you’re interested in making a donation to Black Girls CODE you can do so here.
