Summit 21 is the Ultimate Black Girlâs Event. And Itâs Coming Again
One year ago, founder Amani Allen-Beale covered the amazing Black girl experience by 21Ninety and theyâre coming back again so why not relive the magic?
Summit 21 by 21Ninety, the womenâs sector of Blavity, was the black girl magic event of the year! Amani Allen-Beale has the privilege to attend this amazing event in Atlanta, Georgia at the AmericasMart conference center.
From the line up to the networking, this event gave black women all over the opportunity to sit with their favorite boss babes and get the tools of business, finance, and self care. Starting everyday with meditation/intention setting and a dance break from Daisha, founder of Livestrong.com then going into breakout sessions throughout the day.
The women received free goodies in Chateau 21 with brands such as Base Butter, Sasha Pure Beauty, TextureID, Shea Moisture, and so much more! During the event the ladies had the opportunity to shop for books by black authors in Gallery 21.
Summit 21 offered three âtracksâ: money, tech, and beauty. During each track, the ladies were able to learn the secrets from their favorite black women. One discussion that stood out to all of women had to be âThe Power of SHE: why marketers and brands need to engage black womenâ conducted by Cheryl Pearson-McNeil. During this session, Cheryl discussed the influence Black women have with brands. She outlined ways to connect with black women and how to unleash her magic for your brand:
x Financial Opportunities
Cheryl also gave some impressive statistics, since she does work with Nielsen. Here are some of the surprising stats she showed the ladies:
Black women between the ages 35-49 have the highest income and are more likely to buy
You can find black women on the radio, social media, and on TV. This is how you market to her.
Most black women support a company when they know it has a cause
14% of black women have annual incomes of $50,000 or more which is 9% higher than in 2009
Businesses owned by black women have grown 67% between 2007 and 2012
Obviously, black women are the influence to the culture and the US dollar. You can check more stats out on Nielsenâs African-American Women and Her Magic.
During the fireside chats, guest speakers such as Angela Rye, Ashley Blaine, Robin Thede, Alex Wolf, and more took the stage to talk to the ladies about using their black girl magic.
Angela Rye discusses her career in politics as a black woman and how she maintains throughout the day. With many recent encounters on CNN, she makes sure her mental health is taken care of.
Ashley Blaine and Robin Thede talked to the women about their passion vs their purpose. Your purpose is what you were placed here to do, your passion is something that feels like a burning fire in you, something you love to do.
âWhen you express your dreams to them, they express their fears to youâ - Robin Thede
Last but not least, Alex Wolf talked about how black women are culturally wealthy and how black women have to start capitalizing on their blackness. In todayâs world, weâre in the Issa-Cardi era, where black women are getting opportunities based off of being their true self.
âWhen we underestimate, we undervalue ourselvesâ - Alex Wolf
Ending the weekend off with a DJ set from Coco and Breezy, the ladies created genuine relationships, networks, and connections with each other. From all parts of the world, Black women are and will always be magic.
