The Future For Us: Sage Advice for Women Of Color Entrepreneurs During Crisis
Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno, (center) speaking on a recent panel, is CEO and co-founder of Future For Us. Left, Angelina Howard, Global President of Black Employee Network & Senior Product Manager at Amazon, right is Avi Soor, co-founder of Seattle Gents. (Photo by Anthony Smith, of Soulbreathing Photography)
The global pandemic is affecting Black and brown communities at a higher rate than other demographics. At the same time, systemic racism is affecting these same individuals at a crisis level many are calling a pandemic.
The murder of George Lloyd in Minneapolis is sparking reactions and protests nationwide, as his murder is considered cumulatively with the killings of Black men and women in recent months and years.
American Psychological Association president Sandra Shullman issued a statement: “We are living in a racism pandemic, which is taking a heavy psychological toll on our African American citizens.”
The 2020 Future For Us second annual assembly for women of color was scheduled to be live, in person and in Seattle this spring. The leaders shifted quickly to an online format held three days prior to the Floyd murder; the concentration of the virtual assembly was on the COVID pandemic, but the insights apply to the latest updates .
“This pandemic has shown our fight or flight mode,” says Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno, CEO and co-founder of Future For Us, a community platform of more than 10,000 women of color professionals based in Seattle. “Women of color, we know what to do,” she says.
““Women of color, we know what to do,” says @SageQuiamno, CEO and co-founder of @FutureFor_Us, a community platform of more than 10,000 #WOC professionals based in Seattle.”
Read more in Take The Lead on women of color entrepreneurs
Quiamno and her colleagues created a successful six-hour virtual conference for more than 600 women entrepreneurs of color from across the globe, offering wisdom, connection and insights on the impacts of the health pandemic and strategies for thriving in crisis. The lineup of panelists, keynote speakers, experts, consultants, entrepreneurs, innovators and authors framed an energetic day of networking, information and solutions.
Read more in Take The Lead on black women leaders
“We’ve accomplished visibility, and shown our resilience, strength, ambition to create a better workplace and society for ourselves by creating solutions together,” Quiamno says.
At the start of the conference, she offered context. “We are experiencing a crisis as a collective. We want to be visible in this pandemic,“ says Quiamno, a Native Hawaiian who co-founded this initiative in 2018, after five years of working in tech, startups and equity initiatives including Amazon, Female Founders Alliance and Ladies Get Paid.
This year with sponsors including Bumble, Facebook, Nestle, Nordstrom, Bank of America, Amazon, YWCA, The Cru and a grant from Serena Williams’ Vital Voices initiative, this virtual online assembly offered hours of panels, keynotes and engagement on not just managing the fallout from COVID-19, but innovating, connecting and creating through the crisis and beyond.
“@FutureFor_Us ‘s virtual online assembly offered hours of panels, keynotes and engagement for entrepreneurs of color innovating, connecting and creating through the crisis and beyond. #FemaleEntrepreneurs”
Read more in Take The Lead on black women professionals
“COVID-19 has done little to change our ambitions,” says Aparna Rae, co-founder of Future For Us and start up entrepreneur. But it has “locked us out of economic safety nets. While many are romanticizing the essential worker now, most often they are working without PPE, do not have sick or paid leave and are mostly women of color,” she says.
““COVID-19 has done little to change our ambitions,” says @Appyrae, co-founder of @FutureFor_Us and #startup entrepreneur. But it has “locked us out of economic safety nets.” #WOC”
In her keynote address, Rae, principal of Moving Beyond, says, “This is our challenge and call to action. The old normal did not work for us. We have to build this new normal. I don’t want us to just survive the pandemic. I want us to come out thriving.”
Read more in Take The Lead on diversity, equity and inclusion
Rae suggests three actions for individuals and organizations. First is to invest in diversity, equity and inclusion. Second is to activate allies and ask them to step up. Third is to register to vote.
“@Appyrae suggests three actions for individuals and organizations: invest in diversity, equity and inclusion, activate allies and ask them to step up, and register to vote. #TakeAction”
According to a 2019 McKinsey report, statistics show that women of color encounter social and sector-based isolation, are paid 20-40% less than their colleagues in the same positions, and are questioned on their judgment and expertise 30% more than both their white counterparts.
“According to a 2019 McKinsey report, statistics show that #WOC encounter social and sector-based isolation, and are paid 20-40% less than their colleagues in the same positions. #PayGap ”
Read more in Take The Lead on Black women founders
Tiffany Dufu, author, CEO and founder of The Cru, spoke to the hundreds of engaged participants about dropping the ball, “or dropping unrealistic expectations and learning how to execute on your passion and purpose that will allow you to get a greater return on the world.”
Read more in Take The Lead on Tiffany Dufu
Dropping expectations of yourself allows for success, Dufu says. “This starts with you getting clear about what matters most to you, separated from what matters most to other people. That requires soul-searching.” She adds, “You are not the source of your expectation of yourself.”
Dufu says her own Drop the Ball Journey solidifies for her that her mission is “advancing women and girls, nurturing a healthy partnership with my husband and raising conscious global citizens.” She suggests, “Focus on the highest and best use of what matters to us.”
She adds, “One of the most powerful things is engaging other people in the process of asking for help.”
“@Tdufu, author, CEO and founder of @Findyourcru, says, “One of the most powerful things is engaging other people in the process of asking for help.” #SupportWomen #FemaleEmpowerment”
Having impact in creating opportunity and space for women of color does not only mean you need to start a new company, says Shivani Berry, CEO of Ascend. “You can do it by asking questions, making sure you are getting paid fairly for extra work and speaking up.”
“@Shivani425, CEO of Ascend, says that creating opportunity and space for #WOC does not mean you need to start a company. “You can do it by asking questions, making sure you are getting paid fairly...speaking up.” ”
Mandela SH Dixon, the CEO and founder of Founder Gym that since 2018 has helped 400 founders in six continents, says, “Underrepresented founders learn how to secure the bag, take a business idea and turn it into a profitable venture.” She adds, “It is a mission of redistribution of wealth.”
In the final keynote of the day, best-selling author Minda Harts, CEO and founder of The Memo, spoke on the nature of courageous leadership.
“Being courageous will require something different of us. Leadership is something we all have access to. We can choose to be courageous or cautious,” says Harts, author of The Memo: What Women Of Color Need To Know To Secure A Seat At The Table.
Read more in Take The Lead on Minda Harts
“We must lean into our courage. Nobody benefits when we are cautious. Courageous leaders get the opportunity to lead with empathy, to listen with curiosity and to lean into their courage. Each of us has access to that. Courage sees no race. It sees no orientation. It sees no religion,” Hart says.
“Best-selling author @MindaHarts, CEO and founder of #TheMemo, spoke on the nature of courageous leadership: “We must lean into our courage. Nobody benefits when we are cautious.” #SisterCourage”
“As women of color we specialize in degrees of making it work,” says Harts. “Maybe our dreams do not have to be deferred because of someone’s lack of courageous leadership. Courageous leaders make decisions based on the bottom line of future generations. I want to make sure no woman of color is left behind.”
Following the conference, Quiamno says looking back on the fast preparation, she sees her colleagues quickly pivoted from the original plan to make this endeavor a success, raising $80,000 in sponsorships in just two months. And it all worked well.
“It was our way of being visible, being a part of the conversation,” she says. “Women of color need to be considered when we are redesigning the new world.”
““It was our way of being visible...,” says @SageQuiamno of the work that went into planning the @FutureFor_Us #virtualconference. “#WOC need to be considered when we are redesigning the new world.” ”
