On June 4, 2015, The Clorox Company in Oakland, CA, hosted Ebony
Speaks Innovation, a conversation about the Impact of Culture on Innovation -
How Technology Can Be Inclusive. Ebony
Magazine, founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, reaches 10M readers each month
between their online audience and subscribers and they remain a strong voice in
Black media. Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, COO
- Johnson Publishing Company, President - JPC Digital, shared that while there
is skepticism about the future of Ebony Magazine, the company is committed to
creating content and building their audience base to remain innovative and
competitive. Clorox is committed to
Diversity & Inclusion efforts on all levels and Erby Foster, Director of
Diversity & Inclusion at Clorox is the leading the efforts in this arena
for the corporation. From my lens it was
a good collaboration for Clorox to host Ebony Speaks on this topic.
Ben Jealous, Partner - Kapor Capital, moderated a panel of
speaking including Aisha Bowe, Co-Founder & CEO - STEM Board, Troy Katcher,
VP - Customer Capability Development & Sport Marketing, Clorox, Erica
Douglas, CEO - mSeed | Sister Scientist.
Also, Todd Brown, former EVP & CRO - Johnson Publishing Company
moderated a panel of speakers as well who included, Kimberly Bryant, Founder
& Executive Director - Black Girls CODE, Kamilah Priforce, VP Qeyno Labs,
Jason Towns, Director - CODE 2040 Residency.
The ongoing theme during these discussions stemmed around ensuring that
the pipeline of talent is strong where recruiters can find students and adults
of color to fill corporate technology opportunities and also starting the technology
education in pre-school grades for boys and girls of color.
On May 23rd at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, CA, the Oakland
Ballet Company celebrated its 50th Anniversary Season with a weekend of
programs that honor the company’s tradition of presenting iconic ballet
masterworks alongside innovative commissions; strengthen its ties to area
choreographers; and continue its commitment to community engagement in the East
Bay. It was my first time attending
an Oakland Ballet performance and I was simply delighted and very much enjoyed
the performances. The liveliness of the
music selections allowed me to have more of an engagement and interest in the
talented dancers and my favorite move by one of the ballerinas was watching her
'glide across the stage on point backwards'.
That was everything. Artistic Director Graham Lustig has
created Oakland Ballet’s spring season, Five Decades of Dance, to
celebrate the past through works that built the company’s reputation under
founding Artistic Director Ronn Guidi, and look to the future with a series of
newly-commissioned dances by alumni and choreographers close to the company.
The historical portion of Five Decades of Dance will
include selections from the lavish Diaghilev-era ballets that built Oakland
Ballet’s reputation internationally: Petrouchka and Scheherazade
by Mikhail Fokine; La Boutique Fantasque by Léonide Massine; and Le
Train Bleu and Les Biches by Bronislava Nijinska. Vaslav
Nijinsky’s boldly innovative L'Après-midi d'un Faune, the first Nijinsky
work to be added to Oakland Ballet’s repertoire, was presented in its
entirety. In addition, the company remounts excerpts of modern
masterpieces from the 1930s through the 1990s, including Billy the Kid
by Eugene Loring; Love Dogs by Alonzo King; and Ronn Guidi’s The
Secret Garden. Green by Carlos Carvajal will also be presented
in its entirety.
The spring 50th Anniversary season concluded with East Bay
DANCES, a showcase of East Bay dance organizations curated by Graham Lustig
with two performances on Sunday, May 24 in the Laney College Theater.
The Academy of Art University staged its Graduation Fashion Show May 14 with a vivid and highly original selection of 135 looks. Clothes and accessories were created by 39 students graduating with degrees in fashion design, jewelry and metal arts, textile design, knitwear design and men’s wear design. The show opened with a dozen polished and retail-ready looks, a series of collaborations between the school’s textile, jewelry and knitwear designers. The concept was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hervé Léger for the BCBG Max Azria Group, and move the legacy of Leger forward into the future. At a ceremony earlier, Academy of Art University awards were given to industry leaders and an alumna of the school, and scholarships and internships were announced. The Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Fashion Industry and Fashion Education was given to the CFDA, represented by Lisa Smilor, executive director, and Sara Kozlowski, senior manager.
The Distinguished Alumni Award went to fashion designer Ryan Roche, who is currently producing her own line in New York and she has also produced her luxurious handcrafted cashmere knitwear with women’s collectives in Katmandu for the last decade.
On May 9, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara the Silicon Valley Black Chamber of Commerce (SVBCC) hosted its first annual event recognizing and honoring the significant achievements of African Americans in the fields of business and technology in Silicon Valley. The keynote address was given by Carol H. Williams, President and CEO of Carol H. Williams Advertising Agency. With over 500 attendees in the room, we were thrilled to see Ms. Williams, stunning as usual, and anxious to hear her share pearls of wisdom about the journey that continues for her as a entrepreneur in the 21st Century. I believe many were inspired by Ms. Williams' speech and some shared how they will 'hang in there and not give up' after hearing her speak. The award honorees were: Roy Clay Sr., Silicon Valley computer engineering pioneer; Ken Coleman, Chairman of the Board, Saama Technologies. Jerry Lawson, Co-inventor of modern video game console (posthumous) and Wayne Sutton, General Partner, BUILDUP.vc.
Read more about the SV Black Chamber...
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