Out On The Town: Michael Eric Dyson | Diann Valentine | Soledad O'Brien and more...

On April 8, 2016 the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Oakland/Bay Area Chapter hosted their 18th Annual Madam CJ Walker Scholarship Luncheon at the SF Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown San Francisco.  Their keynote speaker and special guest was Debra Martin Chase, an Emmy nominated and Peabody Award winning television and motion picture producer whose has been affiliated with the Walt Disney Company since 2001.  Ms. Imani Brown, 17 year old high school student and recipient of the Essay Contest Award, gave an outstanding speech that celebrated her father for raising her to be a phenomenal young woman who aspires to study biochemical medicine in college.  She chose this major because of her interest in how DNA works and her interest in finding a cure for cancer.  See photos of this event HERE - Glass House Communications Facebook page and for more information about this organization visit www.onehundredblackwomen.com for more information.

On April 7, 2016 ColorComm launched the San Francisco Chapter with an Inaugural Luncheon at the Rotunda Restaurant inside Neiman Marcus.  The room was filled with excitement as everyone was over-the-moon to see so many women of color who work in the communications industry.  Keynote speaker, Daisy M. Auger-Dominguez, Global Head of Diversity Staffing at GOOGLE, delivered such an empowering and impactful message that everyone in the room connected became even more excited about their own journey in the profession.  The 2016 ColorComm annual conference takes place July 20-22 in Miami, FL and you can find more  HERE. {Photo: Y'Anad Burrell, Netta Haynes, Lauren Wesley Wilson, President Colorcom and Collette Luckie}

On April 2, 2016 Celebrity Wedding Planner Diann Valentine showcased her signature Bridal Cuff at I Do! Bridal Boutique in Oakland, CA.  Some of the best diamonds in a rough come out of Oakland, despite the negative vibe media gives The Town.  From giant tech companies like Pandora to social impact trailblazers like the Kapor Center, Oakland is, by far, one of the most sought after places to live right now.  When you're home-grown here and your life does not resemble what many have heard about this city, we then applaud and celebrate those who have made Oakland proud.  Who would have thought that a #1 Celebrity Wedding Planners would come out of East Oakland?  Ms. Diann Valentine left Oakland at the age of 26 to live in Los Angeles and pursue her 'love of love' and to this day her portfolio includes planning Toni Braxton's wedding  to being a TV Host.  Ms. Valentine was recently in Oakland at the I Do! Bridal Boutique for a trunk show featuring her signature Bridal Cuffs.  Check out her video HERE - Glass House Communications Facebook Page.

In March 2016 Heart and Soul Center of Light in Oakland, CA hosted Michael Eric Dyson as he talked about his book, The Black Presidency.  I have never been disappointed when hearing Mr. Dyson speak.  His perspectives, insights and overall knowledge continues to intriguing, engaging and constantly capturing my attention.  The renown Davey D moderated this event and from the beginning he dived right into reminding Mr. Dyson of his remarks about President Obama that were not so favorable during his first term as President and those views that remain today.  See a snippet of that conversation HERE - Glass House Communications Facebook Page.

On February 24, 2016 UCSF's Office of Diversity and Outreach hosted a Teach-in with CNN Correspondent Soledad O'Brien - Injustice and Health.  Many of us are familiar with Mrs. O'Brien's productions, "Black in America" and "Hispanic in America", and in the conversation UCSF she talked about how there are widespread healthcare injustices taking place towards African Americans, from the lack of a grocery store with fresh vegetables in their neighborhoods to the long period of time between the moment an African American is checked into an hospital to the time they will see a physician.  See my Twitter page @glasshousecomm for several video snippets from the event.

Diversity in Tech/Blacks in Tech.  The conversation has been heated for the last year or so, the lack of diversity in technology, which focused on African Americans, Hispanics and women.  While many corporations are yet still trying to 'figure it out', let's take a moment to celebrate those African Americans who are making waves in technology and doing it well.  Recently KQED did an article highlighting those trailblazers in tech saying, "Here, in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are a number of black engineers who are dedicated to increasing diversity in engineering. So we want to recognize some of those engineers—past and present—that have advanced, and continue to advance, diversity in STEM fields.  Read more HERE.

See you these upcoming event...

April 21 - May 5, 2016 - SF International Film Festival

April 23, 2016 - African Americans Making Connections - FREE

April 30, 2016 - MoAD Vanguard - It's Afropolitan

For more events, visit theREGISTRYBayArea.com

City of Oakland Pays $12K+ per month - Race & Equity Consultant

"Dante James, who heads the Office of Equity and Human Rights in Portland, Ore., will steer the City of Oakland's new department on Race & Equity until permanent employees can be found, with a salary of $12,250 a month.  The Oakland City Council voted unanimously in June to grant the new agency $467,000 each year in perpetuity, approving an ordinance to ensure its annual funding. The city is kicking in another $150,000 to get it started. Eventually a director and program analyst designated for the agency will be hired and they will be expected to train other city employees to understand how racism is entrenched in government and society.."

Read more here - City of Oakland's New Race & Equity Department

ColorComm (C2) Splashes into San Francisco - Women of Color in Communications Are Thrilled!

On Tuesday, September 22nd more than 40 women of color in communications gathered at the Press Club in San Francisco, thrilled about ColorComm's interest in starting a San Francisco/Bay Area chapter.  After the excitement of attending the 2nd Annual ColorComm Conference in Miami, FL in August, many of us could not wait to share our enthusiasm about having a local chapter in the Bay Area.  Well, ColorComm's Founder, Lauren Wesley Wilson, did not waste time traveling our way to see just how committed we are to making this chapter a reality.  Things are looking up and we hope to soon announce the start of a much needed organization in the Bay Area that is committed to solely elevating and celebrating the many women of color in the communications industry as well as promoting for more to join the party.

C2 (short for ColorComm Conference) is the ultimate business conference and retreat for women of color in communications. Unlike many conferences with thousands in attendance, C2 is an intimate group of approximately 300 multicultural, professional women. With innovative programs and topics presented by the industry’s top practitioners and thought leaders, this conference provides a safe place to address relevant issues from like-minded women.

See photo here!  And go!

Tech Round-Up: Pinterest | Tech 808 | 43North | Intel

Pinterest has a new Diversity Initiative.  On Tuesday, July 28th Pinterest hosted the Bay Area Blacks in Tech Meet-up group in their continued effort to be true to their commitment to Diversity in Tech.  The speakers were Aston Motes, Developer of Dropbox.com website and Entrepreneur; Nancy Douyon, UX Researcher, Google Speaker, Global Innovator, Storyteller; Grant Oladipo, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Mobile Leader and Medium.  More than 100 millenials and tech enthusiasts gathered for thought provoking conversation and not just chatter or noise. 

So many are burnt out on the conversation of the lack of diversity in tech and it's time to talk solutions and Pinterest wants to lead that charter.  Not just by hosting an event, but launching an innovative diversity project.  Pinterest is putting a huge stake in the ground by setting specific, measurable goals, targets and a 2016 timetable to achieve its diversity and inclusion goals.  This is a very aggressive date, but more palatable for those who have been anxious and waiting for change.  Additionally, Pinterest is opening an experimental lab inside the walls of the company to apply the human ingenuity to test new strategies for building more diverse, inclusive companies. Read more about Pinterest's diversity project.

Two African American women are now a significant part of 43North.  43North's $5M Challenge is the largest prize money in the country as a carrot to attract entrepreneurs from around the world to build their fledgling tech businesses in Buffalo.  Two African American women, Angel Davis and Lauren Washington, are among the 2014 winners of the 43North business-idea competition.  Davis and Washington have been friends for more than 10 years and have won a $250,000 prize for the app they developed, KeepUp.  This application is currently available on the iTunes App Store, is a productivity tool that helps users filter out non-essential posts from six major social media feeds, like Twitter and Facebook, and limit incoming messages to as many as a dozen milestone-type events.  The prize comes along with office space in 43North’s incubator, access to area business resources, like University at Buffalo’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and mentors to develop and nurture their venture.  Read more about Angel Davis, Lauren Washington and 43North.

Tech808 comes to Oakland, CA.  Tech808 takes place on Saturday, August 15th at ImpactHUB Oakland with a line-up of 14 speakers.  Tech 808 was created for minority and millennial entrepreneurs and appeals to those interested in the intersection of hip hop culture, tech and entrepreneurship. The first conference kicked off in 2014, but this year multiple stops will extend the experience for attendees across the country. The three stops include D.C. (which happened in June), Oakland and a finale in NYC, where the original conference began.  The next Tech 808 conference will happen on August 15 in Oakland  in collaboration with Impact HUB Oakland and sponsored by Kapor Center for Social Impact and MailChimp.  The Phat Startup’s conference will once again link entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts, students and more together in order to elevate and motivate those looking to succeed in the tech industry.  Read more about Tech808 and get tickets.....

Intel ups referral bonus to achieve more diversity in its workforce.  Intel will pay up to $4,000 in bonuses to employees who refer a woman, minority, or veteran to its workforce, the company confirmed in a statement to the Wall Street Journal on Monday. The fee is double Intel's current referral bonus and viewed by the company as a way to increase chances of having women and minorities receive more representation in a job applicant pool that has disproportionately consisted of white men. At the end of 2014, Intel had nearly 54,000 employees and over three-quarters of its workforce was male and 56 percent of employees were white. Just 8 percent of the company's employees were Latino and 3.5 percent were African American. Intel did not share data on veterans. Read more about Intel's new initiative here...