Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence hosted a free community town hall called, “The State of Black America” Friday at Wayne State University, as she welcomed members of the Congressional Black Caucus to Michigan.
The event was held inside the university’s McGregor Memorial Conference Center and special guests included Congresswoman Karen Bass, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as other members of the caucus, which was formed in 1971.
Prior to that, the “Young Gifted and Black: Millennial Women Take Their Seat at the Table” luncheon was held. During the panel, the issues of professional development, entrepreneurship, social media, and homelessness were covered. The goal of the luncheon was to move the conversation forward of implementing strong policies and ideas to benefit millennial women of color.
The panel discussion was moderated by Brittni “Bee” Brown, founder and CEO of the Bee Agency. The panelists included: Arielle Johnson, founder and CEO of Fierce Detroit, Courtney Smith, founder and CEO of The Phoenix Center, Digital and Social Media Manager for the City of Detroit, Amber Lewis, and Kady Cox, Political Organizer and Founder of Raising Awareness with Students.
“This gives me a rush, seeing the future of my people. Seeing the future, young black women that have assembled here today, I am so excited,” Lawrence said to a room of about 100 millennial women. “Millennial women have a special place in my heart. This generation has some unique challenges, which will require some unique solutions. The challenges we face deserve attention and action and I am so proud to stand with you every day to fight.”
Black women are the only racial or ethnic group with more business ownership than their male peers. In 2018, there were 2.4 million African-American women-owned businesses. One of those businesses is FIERCE Detroit, which stands for Female Icons Encouraging Real Concepts of Empowerment. Johnson founded the business in 2012 to assist young mothers in need. She also started FIERCE Staffing, providing career pathways for young people through exceptional training. She, too, was a young mother in college at Michigan State and watched her own mother escape a troubled relationship, moving her children from Kansas to Detroit only to become homeless.
“What got us to where we are today, were the small non-profit organizations that helped empower my family,” said Johnson. “Watching what happens when a black woman is empowered and is able to empower her children is a beautiful thing. All of my sisters have gone on to college and are serving our communities is some capacity. I am a living example of what happens when a black woman is empowered and gets the resources to succeed.”
Lewis operates the city and mayor’s social media, which is a very important job, connecting with Detroiters, developing relationships, and making sure residents have access to resources and information, among other things. But her professional job does not limit her from utilizing and incorporating her other skills she uses in her personal life.
“I know of a lot of women who are trailblazing in their respective fields and breaking into male-dominated fields, including myself,” said Lewis. “Everybody on this panel is multifaceted in the skills that they have and being in positions where you can come to the table and provide all of your skill sets is important. Me, personally, I do social media, but I also host and do playlists and the city of Detroit allows me to utilize of all my skill sets.”
Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. Cox’s resume is impressive as they come for a 24-year-old. She is the founder of Raising Awareness with Students, a health awareness non-profit, has interned at the White House during the Obama administration, and has worked on the ground with other non-profits and grassroots organizations and multiple campaigns in other states to discuss international policy.
“Service has gotten me a long way from what I used to do,” said Cox. “Service is the rent you pay for your time here on earth and I think giving back has allowed me to have connections with people, jobs, and other opportunities. My mom instilled volunteering into my life and it plays a very intricate part in everything I do.”
It is a disturbing fact, but Michigan is one of the top 10 states for human trafficking. Those most at risk are homeless youth. Smith learned firsthand the challenges homeless youth face on the streets and founded the Detroit Phoenix Center to not only create a world where every young person has a place to call home but to combat a world that preys on their dire circumstances.
“The young women that I serve are incredibly vulnerable,” said Smith. “One in five homeless youth in Detroit are victims of human trafficking. Any young person that has to compromise or feels they have to compromise their human dignity for shelter, clothing, food or water is in danger. And that is the reason why we opened the Detroit Phoenix Center because we believed no young person should have to sleep with someone for a meal or a place to stay. Food and shelter is a right and we need everyone to be educated on how we can end homelessness and human trafficking in our communities.”
