A Salute to Black Women in Business
The Black Business Association hosted their 21st annual celebration "To Salute Black Women” on Saturday at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, with this year’s theme of “Celebrating Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” This came about after Black History Month last month and during Women's History Month this month.
Among the members who spoke was Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. She was unable to receive her award last year but the Association made sure she received her recognition as the first female and the second African American Mayor of Los Angeles.
In her speech, Mayor Bass reminded attendees of the privilege of living in a place such as Los Angeles as she said, “Yes, we have to fight for it. We have to never forget to fight for it. But in other states, diversity, equity, and inclusion is being made illegal.” She further explained that “there are people in our country that want to talk about the good stories and don’t want to talk about the challenges that we face in this country,” referring to Republican states like Florida that have actively been passing laws such as the “Stop WOKE Act,'' which has drawn a lot of critics, especially from the left.
The Black Business Association is one of the oldest active ethnic business support organizations in California, originally founded by Earl "Skip" Cooper II in 1970, until his retirement in which Sarrah R. Harris took the mantle. The foundation’s overall incentive is to promote Black business so there would be “a firm economic base that supports the self-determination and prosperity of Black and urban communities locally and nationally.”
The event featured a section full of vendors representing Black businesses and partners of the association.The majority of the vendors were small businesses, like that of Seita Hill, the owner of Milk and Melts BBT. “My business caters to women of color, specifically Black women,” Hill said, “because we need to be represented in our community, so I create products that have representation of Black women because we don’t see that a lot.”
However, small businesses were not the only types of vendors present; county government agencies such as the Los Angeles Metro and the Department of Water and Power were among some of the sponsors, in addition to companies such as Morgan Stanley. Florence Enueme, a wealth manager and representative of Morgan Stanley, said, “The world is ever-evolving. I think it is time for people, not just men but also women, specifically women of color, to see that there are possibilities and space for them in this industry.”
After attendees finished exploring the vendor fair and walking the gold carpet, the luncheon and conference began, during which influential Black women were honored for their achievements. One of those figures being recognized was Ventris C. Gibson, the current director of the United States Mint. President Joe Biden nominated Gibson in 2021 and in 2022 after being confirmed by the senate, and she officially became the first Black woman to hold that position.
The event ended with raffling winners and an additional award ceremony for individuals who, by breaking the norms, have paved the way for other black women in business.
