Buffalo Bills’ Post

I'm honored to celebrate the start of #BlackHistoryMonth today as an entrepreneur with a platform to make a difference 💯 I've always dreamed of having the opportunity to own my own business and celebrate important cultural moments like this the way that I have always envisioned, rather than the company-approved way I had always been restricted to in the past. ✨ The sports industry has long benefitted from the contributions of the Black community. We simply wouldn't be where we are today without them. It was the Black athletes, fans, and employees that paved the way for racial diversity & inclusion work to begin with. It is because of their bravery that other people of color like myself are now apart of those conversations too. 👉 At Elevate Sports Talent, you will see several activations come through your feeds this month as we work to intentionally honor and support our Black colleagues and friends in this industry. You will see: ✅ Blog posts written by Black industry leaders for Black sports professionals ✅ A virtual group coaching event for Black professionals & students ✅ Free coaching giveaway for Black college students Follow along & stay tuned for these announcements coming later in the month. ➡ If you want to show active allyship and support for a Black professional or student that you know, consider gifting them a gift card for career coaching. It's the most intentional investment someone could make in your career - https://lnkd.in/eiJcid7z #linkedinsports #sportsbiz #careercoaching #blackexcellence #blackinsports

The fourth edition of the Mass Black Expo, orchestrated by Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Inc., stands out as a monumental event in Boston’s cultural and economic calendar. This year’s theme, "Building Black Wealth in the Commonwealth,” was not only timely but also deeply resonant. The expo highlighted the multifaceted nature of generational wealth, spanning topics from the role of AI and technology in financial advancement to the foundational tenets of economic wisdom. Furthermore, the robust presence of our political activists and leaders Senators Warren and Markey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley at the crux of the expo underscored the intrinsic relationship between policy-making and wealth creation for our communities. While Segun Idowu and Michelle Wu reminded us that we bear witness to today's most historically diverse administration of leaders. The mission to create a #BostonBlackWallStreet is one I can certainly get behind! For me, the magic of the expo lay in its conversations. As a volunteer, I was positioned at the nexus of some of the most enlightening dialogues. Interacting with a gamut of professionals – from cutting-edge technologists like Michael Quan and economic maestros John Maher – was an education in itself. Each conversation was a testament to the depth and breadth of knowledge and commitment within the Black community. #BECMA and it’s leadership in Nicole Obi has, over the years, grown into a beacon of empowerment and this year was no exception. It has established a tradition of not just celebrating Black entrepreneurship and innovation but also nurturing it. Events like these underscore Boston’s position as a city that celebrates diversity, knowledge, and forward momentum. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of such a transformative experience.

In the next installment of the "Black History Always" article series we feature CJ McCollum. Learn how he first started learning about wine to impress his wife Elise, why ownership is so important especially in the Black Community, and much more.

You, your team, and your brand have worked countless hours to build high yield solutions for your clients. For years you’ve been at the forefront of a competitive market - and you’ve used the strides you’ve made to make bigger community impact. After curating world-class events, venues, and programs? After cultivating a highly effective team? What’s next?  Simply put, recognition, more specifically, national recognition. You, your team, and your brand deserve to be recognized for reaching every milestone and C. Bethany PR is prepared to help you achieve recognition that will spotlight your success and reach new markets of clients. In this new season, I am dedicated to helping brands like yours to access growingly influential markets - i.e. Black entrepreneurs, with an emphasis on Black-women owned businesses. The U.S. Census reported that there were an estimated 140,918 Black- or African American-owned businesses with $141.1 billion in annual receipts, 1.3 million employees, and about $42.2 billion in annual payroll. I believe engaging with national and local audiences of Black entrepreneurs may increase visitor and tourism traffic, close gaps in profit growth, and encourage new alliances with national brands and international events.  

As Black History Month comes to a close, I had the opportunity to sit down for an interview as the co-founder of 21 Degrees Digital. I opened up about my perspective on the significance of #BlackHistoryMonth, the profound impact of my upbringing, and where I draw my inspiration from. I cannot stress enough the importance of acknowledging and celebrating black businesses, their owners, and influential figures during this month. It's essential for empowering the generations to come. In my business at 21 Degrees Digital, I place a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusivity. When I'm looking to bring someone on board, it's their passion that speaks to me more than just skill. It's important to remember to embrace failure as It's an integral part of the journey. And never underestimate the power of building a supportive community where we can uplift and celebrate each other's achievements. If you'd like to dive deeper into my thoughts and experiences, please check out my blog here - https://lnkd.in/ehtrhXxX #blackhistorymonth #blackbusinessowners

This year at Verily, we are embracing the theme of "Bridging the Gap for Health Equity" for Black History Month to celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black leaders and to take action towards a better future where high-quality health care and research are available to everyone. As john powell shares, bridging requires acknowledging people's full humanity, listening compassionately, and starting the conversation with shared #values not issues. In that spirit, we're launching a year-long learning series at Verily called "VIBE Talks" to bring leaders and experts to help us deepen our knowledge and practice of promoting #healthequity, #accessibility, and #productinclusion for everyone. First up is a conversation with leaders from our Health Equity Center of Excellence and leaders from vBlack (our ERG for Black community and allies) on why health equity matters to them personally and is important to our company's purpose of precision health. Read more about the Center of Excellence's work: https://lnkd.in/ewwgDtjX

I wanted to shout out Columbia Business School's incredible event hosted last month (as part of Black History month events) by Lisa Andujar, MBA and the DEI office. The three-hour event included an incredible group of New York artists that created the art of hip hop, which is now a worldwide phenomenon and an integral part of American culture. The artists shared their journeys in a panel discussion and discussed time and circumstances that led to the artistic evolution that is hip hop, and the event culminated each of the MC's performing sets for the attendees and throughout the event MC D Nasty treated us to freestyles about the audience members I did not post about the event right away as I left with so much to absorb and did not feel my words could adequately do it justice. While I still am not sure I have the words, I would like to share with you all my main takeaways: 1) the incredible power of artistic expression to transform our lives (both on individual and community levels) 2) the power of finding a passion and doing what you love and what your soul calls you to do 3) the fact that talent and wisdom are equally distributed, but resources and opportunity are not (thanks to Professor Aamir A. Rehman who first verbalized that to me) 4) not everything has to become a business and a commodified entity to be valuable (controversial opinion from someone who works at a business school, I know!) 5) The history that is among us here in NYC, and the living history that is being made in New York every day. 6) That art and business can be integrated more often Derick Cross Curtis Sherrod Havelock Nelson

How do you bring your authentic self to work?

TIME magazine defines a Closer as a Black leader dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap. Dr. Kelly Burton, PhD , CEO of BIA, embodies that definition. At last week's TIME Closers Impact Dinner, Kelly took to the stage and emphasized the importance of the Closers list, highlighted BIA's achievements, and outlined the ongoing work ahead. “What an honor. I am so, so, so proud. We are so proud at Black Innovation Alliance  to serve as a Knowledge Partner for the Closer’s list. It's been an honor to walk alongside the TIME team from the inception of this concept and to see it come to fruition in this room. Founded in 2020, Black Innovation Alliance is a national coalition of organizations dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap through entrepreneurship and ownership. We were formed by a small group of ecosystem leaders, and today, BIA is 175 organizations strong. Yes. And they support over a half million entrepreneurs and innovators of color. In just three years, we've covered a lot of ground. We partnered with Congress to launch the Congressional Caucus on Black Innovation. We've partnered with UBS, the eBay Foundation, and others, some of whom are in this room, to launch the Decade of Black Innovation, launched a partnership with the Bahamas to drive entrepreneurship and innovation in climate tech. We've collaborated with the White House to connect communities of color to opportunities coming out of the federal government, and we've conducted the first ever study on digital entrepreneurship.” -  Kelly Burton, PhD Video credit: TIME #BlackInnovationAlliance

In honor of Black History Month, let's reflect on the odds that many in the Black community face. Achieving career and financial success can be an uphill battle for all Americans... 🚀 Odds of becoming a Fortune 500 CEO with an MBA: 1 in 135,000 (Source: Online Casino)  🚀 Odds are even lower without an MBA 🏈 Odds of a high school football player making the NFL: 1 in 4,233 (Source: Online Casino) 🏀 Odds for high school basketball making the NBA: 1 in 11,171 (Source: Online Casino) 🏀 Odds for high school basketball making the WNBA: 1 in 13,015 (Source: Online Casino) 💰 Odds of making $500K per year: 1 in 250 (Source: The Ways to Wealth) 💲 Odds of making $1 million per year: 3.5 in 1,000 (Source: The Ways to Wealth) #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #BlackHistory #BlackExcellence #SportsGumbo #21Media #MyCPAIsBlack The odds are steep. But through education, allyship, and uplifting one another, we can work to increase representation and access to opportunity. During Black History Month, let's celebrate how far we've come and be inspired to keep making positive changes.