This is the Can’t-Miss Conference for Creatives of Color

Now in its third year, CultureCon has quickly evolved into one of New York City’s most-anticipated events for creative millennials of color. The one-day experiential conference brings together hundreds of black and brown entrepreneurs, tastemakers, artists, and influencers for celebrity fireside chats, informative panels, and sponsor activations. This year, the conference will take place on Oct. 12 in Brooklyn, New York, and include A-list speakers such as Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina King, Keke Palmer, and Sanaa Lathan. In addition to top industry talent, it will be packed with workshop courses on finance, marketing, and collaboration. Plus, attendees will hear from a variety of black professionals and business experts such as John Henry, Angelina Darrisaw, Dia Simms, and Coltrane Curtis.

Imani Ellis, founder of The Creative Collective NYC

So, what’s the magic behind putting together an event of this caliber? Her name is Imani Ellis. The millennial corporate communications director founded the organization that produces the annual conference, The Creative Collective NYC (TheCCnyc), back in 2016. The organization was birthed out of her Harlem apartment after she invited a few friends over for tacos to share ideas in a safe space. The gatherings inside her living room expanded into monthly meet-ups with groups of 10 to 50 people and eventually outgrew her apartment. Today, TheCCnyc is a community-driven network that curates dozens of year-round events and partners with mega-brands like Nike, Live Nation, HBO, and SquareSpace.

In an email, Ellis told BLACK ENTERPRISE that CultureCon, the org’s marquee event, “was created to fill a void in the conference space. Instead of approaching one specific aspect of a person (like their career or their side hustle), CultureCon focuses on everything that makes young creatives thrive.”

CultureCon 2018

Buzz about the conference has caught fire. “The first CultureCon kicked off in October 2017 at Samsung 837 in Meatpacking district with only 150 people,” she tells BE. Last year, there were 500 people just on the waiting list. This year, Ellis is expecting 2,000 attendees. She also added a week of programming leading up to the event. “We want attendees to walk away inspired and ready to walk in their purpose,” she says.

For others looking to curate live events of the like, Ellis’ advice is to start small. “I would suggest starting small and perfecting your format,” she says. “Bigger isn’t always better. Sometimes having the best of a very particular product [or] event type will serve you more than trying to mass-produce a just OK brunch mixer or happy hour. Put yourself in the shoes of your guests[s] and see every detail through their eyes. Once you’ve done that, be open to partnerships that are beneficial.”

Learn more about CultureCon here.

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BLACK ENTERPRISE is a media partner of CultureCon 2019.

 

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/30VDhbI

This is the Can’t-Miss Conference for Creatives of Color

Now in its third year, CultureCon has quickly evolved into one of New York City’s most-anticipated events for creative millennials of color. The one-day experiential conference brings together hundreds of black and brown entrepreneurs, tastemakers, artists, and influencers for celebrity fireside chats, informative panels, and sponsor activations. This year, the conference will take place on Oct. 12 in Brooklyn, New York, and include A-list speakers such as Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina King, Keke Palmer, and Sanaa Lathan. In addition to top industry talent, it will be packed with workshop courses on finance, marketing, and collaboration. Plus, attendees will hear from a variety of black professionals and business experts such as John Henry, Angelina Darrisaw, Dia Simms, and Coltrane Curtis.

Imani Ellis, founder of The Creative Collective NYC

So, what’s the magic behind putting together an event of this caliber? Her name is Imani Ellis. The millennial corporate communications director founded the organization that produces the annual conference, The Creative Collective NYC (TheCCnyc), back in 2016. The organization was birthed out of her Harlem apartment after she invited a few friends over for tacos to share ideas in a safe space. The gatherings inside her living room expanded into monthly meet-ups with groups of 10 to 50 people and eventually outgrew her apartment. Today, TheCCnyc is a community-driven network that curates dozens of year-round events and partners with mega-brands like Nike, Live Nation, HBO, and SquareSpace.

In an email, Ellis told BLACK ENTERPRISE that CultureCon, the org’s marquee event, “was created to fill a void in the conference space. Instead of approaching one specific aspect of a person (like their career or their side hustle), CultureCon focuses on everything that makes young creatives thrive.”

CultureCon 2018

Buzz about the conference has caught fire. “The first CultureCon kicked off in October 2017 at Samsung 837 in Meatpacking district with only 150 people,” she tells BE. Last year, there were 500 people just on the waiting list. This year, Ellis is expecting 2,000 attendees. She also added a week of programming leading up to the event. “We want attendees to walk away inspired and ready to walk in their purpose,” she says.

For others looking to curate live events of the like, Ellis’ advice is to start small. “I would suggest starting small and perfecting your format,” she says. “Bigger isn’t always better. Sometimes having the best of a very particular product [or] event type will serve you more than trying to mass-produce a just OK brunch mixer or happy hour. Put yourself in the shoes of your guests[s] and see every detail through their eyes. Once you’ve done that, be open to partnerships that are beneficial.”

Learn more about CultureCon here.

---

BLACK ENTERPRISE is a media partner of CultureCon 2019.

 

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/30VDhbI

Colin Powell urges the GOP leaders to ‘get a grip’ amid Trump’s impeachment inquiry

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has urged his party members to “get a grip on itself” and grab hold of the reins to openly oppose President Donald Trump and get things under control.

—GOP split over impeachment pushback as Democrats plow ahead—

“Right now, Republican leaders and members of the Congress ― both Senate and the House ― are holding back because they’re terrified of what will happen to any one of them if they speak out,” Powell told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria during an interview at Ohio’s New Albany Community Foundation last week that aired Sunday, Yahoo reports. “Will they lose a primary?”

As the Democrats drive an impeachment inquiry toward a potential vote by the end of the year, Trump’s allies are struggling.

Powell cautioned Republicans to serve for the country’s best interest and put politics aside.

“When they see things that are not right, they need to say something about it because our foreign policy is in shambles right now, in my humble judgment, and I see things happening that are hard to understand,” said Powell, a moderate Republican.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

—Rep. Rashida Tlaib wants you to say it with your chest in her new “Impeach the MF” T-shirts—

The post Colin Powell urges the GOP leaders to ‘get a grip’ amid Trump’s impeachment inquiry appeared first on theGrio.

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2nd whistleblower may give House Democrats fresh information

By ERIC TUCKER, RICHARD LARDNER and JILL COLVIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats leading an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine may have fresh information to work with after a new whistleblower stepped forward with what the person’s lawyer said was firsthand knowledge of key events.

With Congress out for another week and many Republicans reticent to speak out, a text from attorney Mark Zaid that a second individual had emerged and could corroborate the original whistleblower’s complaint gripped Washington and potentially heightened the stakes for Trump.

Zaid, who represents both whistleblowers, told The Associated Press that the new whistleblower works in the intelligence field and has spoken to the intelligence community’s internal watchdog.

The original whistleblower, a CIA officer, filed a formal complaint with the inspector general in August that triggered the impeachment inquiry. The document alleged that Trump had used a July telephone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate a political rival, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, prompting a White House cover-up.

The push came even though there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the former vice president or his son, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. Trump and his supporters deny that he did anything improper, but the White House has struggled to come up with a unified response.

A second whistleblower with direct knowledge could undermine efforts by Trump and his allies to discredit the original complaint. They have called it politically motivated, claimed it was filed improperly and dismissed it as unreliable because it was based on secondhand or thirdhand information.

A rough transcript of Trump’s call with Zelenskiy, released by the White House, has already corroborated the complaint’s central claim that Trump sought to pressure Ukraine on the investigation.

Text messages from State Department officials revealed other details, including that Ukraine was promised a visit with Trump if the government would agree to investigate the 2016 election and a Ukrainian gas company tied to Biden’s son — the outline of a potential quid pro quo.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said word of a second whistleblower indicates a larger shift inside the government.

“The president’s real problem is that his behavior has finally gotten to a place where people are saying, ‘Enough,'” Himes said.

Democrats have zeroed in on the State Department in the opening phase of their impeachment investigation. The Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees have already interviewed Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine who provided the text messages, and least two other witnesses are set for depositions this week: Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, and Marie Yovanovitch, who was abruptly ousted as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine in May.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of Trump’s most vocal backers, provided perhaps the strongest defense of the Republican president. He said there was nothing wrong with Trump’s July conversation with Zelenskiy and said the accusations look like a “political setup.”

As for Trump, rather than visiting his nearby golf course in Sterling, Virginia, for a second day, he stayed at the White House on Sunday, where he tweeted and retweeted, with the Bidens a main target.

“The great Scam is being revealed!” Trump wrote at one point, continuing to paint himself as the victim of a “deep state” and hostile Democrats.

Aside from Trump’s attempt to pressure Zelenskiy, the July call has raised questions about whether Trump held back near $400 million in critical American military aid to Ukraine as leverage for an investigation of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company.

Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma at the same time his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings with Ukraine. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either Biden.

Joe Biden, a leading candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, wrote in The Washington Post that he had a message for Trump and “those who facilitate his abuses of power. … Please know that I’m not going anywhere. You won’t destroy me, and you won’t destroy my family.”

Additional details about the origins of Trump’s July 25 call with Zelenskiy have emerged over the weekend.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry had encouraged Trump to speak with the Ukrainian leader, but on energy and economic issues, according to spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes. She said Perry’s interest in Ukraine is part of U.S. efforts to boost Western energy ties to Eastern Europe.

Trump, who has repeatedly has described his conversation with Zelenskiy as “perfect,” told House Republicans on Friday night that it was Perry who teed up the July call, according to a person familiar with Trump’s comments who was granted anonymity to discuss them. The person said Trump did not suggest that Perry had anything to do with the pressure to investigate the Bidens.

Himes appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” while Graham spoke on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
___
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Ellen Knickmeyer and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

The post 2nd whistleblower may give House Democrats fresh information appeared first on theGrio.

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LA Sparks' GM Penny Toler Fired After Using the 'N-Word' in Locker Room Speech

Penny Toler’s long and storied career with the Los Angeles Sparks came to an abrupt end last Friday after reports that she had used the “n-word” in a post-game speech last month. Toler, who is black, was the team’s executive vice president and general manager, serving in the latter role for 20 seasons.

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