Honoring minority women entrepreneurs, the fastest growing segment of the economy, during Women's History Month
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 23, 2016) - March is Women's History Month and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) has partnered with Walker's Legacy, a global women in business collective named in honor of Madam C. J. Walker, to celebrate the contributions of women of color in business at the #WLPower50 Summit on March 26, 2016. The #WLPower50 Summit is the largest celebration of business and professional women put forth by Walker's Legacy.
The partnership will include jointly produced educational panels on launching start-ups and keynote presentations from successful female entrepreneurs, MBDA will provide one-on-one business consulting services to more than two hundred expected attendees at the 2016 #WLPower50 Summit. The summit will also acknowledge the #WLPower50 List Honorees of business and professional women, which were released last week.
"As we celebrate Women's History Month and the vast contributions that women have made to the strength and well-being of our nation, we are seeing the next chapter of our history unfolding as women take a larger role in building our economy," stated Alejandra Y. Castillo, MBDA National Director.
Today, women-owned firms account for about 38 percent of all U.S. firms; with a notable mention of minority women-owned firms who have been named the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs increasing by 70 percent between 2007 to 2012.
"We are very proud to partner with the Minority Business Development Agency as our organizations work to highlight the achievements of women of color in business. This partnership demonstrates a mutual commitment to empowering and encouraging women to achieve their greatest entrepreneurial potential," stated Natalie Madeira Cofield, Founder, Walker's Legacy.
Featured speakers include: Michele Thornton, Senior Vice President, Centric TV; Demetria Lucas TV Personality, Author and Founder of SeeSomeWorld.com; Sheri Riley, Empowerment Speaker & Life Strategist; Zuhairah Washington, General Manager; Uber, DC, DeShuna Spencer, Founder, Kweli.tv; Brandon T. Todd, Ward Four Councilman, Council of the District of Columbia; Dr. Yuval Meyers, Chair, Howard University Marketing Department; Xina Eiland, Founder, X+PR; Monique Woodard, Venture Partner at 500 Startups; A'Lelia Bundles, Author, Journalist, and Great-Granddaughter Madam C. J. Walker; and Chanelle Hardy-Reed, Strategic Partnerships & Outreach, Google, among others.
The program will be held on March 26, 2016, 10am - 2pm at The Hamilton Live, 600 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. To learn more and register click here.
About Walker's Legacy: Walker's Legacy is a global women in business collective founded in 2009 to inspire enterprising women of all ages to walk into their professional passion and purpose. Our organization is named in honor of Madam C. J. Walker, the first self-made female millionaire in US history.
About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
MBDA, www.mbda.gov, is the only Federal agency dedicated to the growth and global competitiveness of U.S. minority-owned businesses. Our programs and services better equip minority-owned firms to create jobs, build scale and capacity, increase revenues and expand regionally, nationally and internationally. Established in 1969, MBDA continues to be a dedicated strategic partner to all U.S. minority-owned businesses, committed to providing greater access to capital, contracts and markets. Follow us on Twitter @usmbda
