August is Black Business Month, a time to celebrate Black-owned businesses and reflect on the various ways we can continue to support them. We are proud to represent these speakers who ignite conversations surrounding diverse representation and the collective effort to advance Black entrepreneurship across the nation.

Porter Braswell

CEO and co-founder of Jopwell and author of Let Them See You

Porter Braswell is the CEO and co-founder of Jopwell, the leading career advancement platform for Black, Latinx, and Native American students and professionals. A diversity expert, Braswell advises over 100 of America’s leading companies on how to achieve a more representative workplace, while also creating professional opportunities for Jopwell’s community. In Let Them See You, Braswell offers a clear and compelling roadmap for professionals of color looking to rise in their careers. Braswell gives action-oriented presentations to organizations and teams, acknowledging the clear gaps in equitability for workers of color and offering concrete steps for both employers and employees to make their future workplaces more representative, collaborative, and sustainable.

Brittany K. Barnett

Award-winning attorney, entrepreneur, and author of A Knock at Midnight

Brittany K. Barnett is an award-winning attorney, entrepreneur, and author focused on social impact investing. She speaks openly about the flawed American criminal justice system, and is dedicated to challenging and dismantling life sentences in prison for federal drug offenses. Her memoir, A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom, Barnett details her career trajectory and how a criminal drug case changed her path studying corporate law. As an advocate for people impacted by the system, Brittany is founder of a series of nonprofits and social enterprises, including the Buried Alive Project, Girls Embracing Mothers, and XVI Capital Partners. Barnett’s work is multi-dimensional and she uses her deftness in the corporate world to nurture her audiences’ entrepreneurial spirits and creative abilities to create social change.

Kwame Onwuachi

James Beard Award-winning Chef and author of Notes from a Young Black Chef

Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and James Beard Award-winner Kwame Onwuachi is an ambitious chef and author who advocates for greater representation in the media and the culinary world. Offering fresh insights into the rarefied world of fine dining, Onwuachi’s compelling debut memoir, Notes from a Young Black Chef, shares his heartfelt story of overcoming adversity and sheds light on the unwelcoming workplace culture and the structural racism people of color face working in an overwhelming white industry. Using his cuisine as a guidepost, Onwuachi relates his ascent from humble beginnings and his perseverance through racism and other setbacks.

Latasha Morrison

Founder of Be the Bridge and certified trainer in cultural intelligence and unconscious bias

A speaker, author, reconciler, bridge-builder and leader, Latasha Morrison is a diversity expert and a unity champion committed to educating people on cultural intelligence and racial literacy. As the founder of Be the Bridge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating others on the racial disparities and injustices in the United States, she guides leaders and organizations in how to have tough conversations about race, take action against racial bias and systemic racism, and develop a more empathetic, antiracist culture. Her engaging talks and dynamic, interactive workshops help create authentic, diverse organizations where everyone feels supported.

Shaka Senghor

Author of the New York Times bestseller Writing My Wrongs and leading voice on criminal justice reform

Shaka Senghor transformed his life while serving nineteen years in prison, seven of which were spent in solitary confinement. A leading voice in criminal justice reform, Senghor’s story speaks to the human impact of mass incarceration. Through storytelling and workshops with high entertainment value and deep social impact, Senghor shifts societal narratives. In his talks, he advocates for criminal justice reform, explains impacts of PTSD, nonviolent conflict resolutions techniques, and works to create healthy, inclusive cultures. Transcending industries, he builds and executes global strategies, develops thought focused leadership and cultural campaigns as a consultant for businesses and non-profit organizations internationally.

Casey Gerald

Author of There Will Be No Miracles Here

After a Yale football scholarship jumpstarted Casey Gerald’s educational career, he spent the next decade achieving countless hallmarks of success, from graduating from Harvard Business School and starting an acclaimed non-profit to having dinner with a former president and speaking at TED. But he soon discovered that there was a dark side to living out the narrative of the American Dream. In his meditative memoir, There Will Be No Miracles Here, he recounts his coming-of-age story and his disenchantment with society’s definition of achievement. Gerald uses his platform to splinter the myth of the American Dream, illuminate inequality, and set forth a bold new direction for a generation navigating a fractured nation.

Highlights

Celebrating Black Business Month