More than 1,500 Black and Brown women gathered together in Atlanta for 21Ninety and Blavity, Inc’s Summit 21 2019.
It was 2 full days of power packed masterclasses, panels, and how-to sessions designed to help attendees from ages of 18 to 60 step their entire lives up.
The level of excellence in the room was unmatched, and the spirit of growth, transformation, and leveling up was contagious. After hearing from Rep. Maxine Waters, Ms. Tina Knowles-Lawson, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Karrueche Tran, and the summit’s founder, Morgan DeBaun, there was no way anyone could leave this summit the same way they came in. With that much power and exchange of information, there was also no way anyone could feel left behind.
Summit 21 2019 was dripped in Black girl magic from the entrance to the stage.
Black women showed support for other Black women all weekend long. I literally walked into aye after aye, and yas after yas. It felt good to be seen. I was complimented on my hair and my lipstick color at every turn — one woman shared the contact info of her esthetician and another the contact of the woman responsible for her big chop. You know the love is real when a woman shares her hair and skin plugs.
The support wasn’t limited to a shout out to the best dressed (Although everyone really did come through drippin' because there was a fashion show on opening day to prove it).
I witnessed women exchanging website resources, tips for social media growth, and planning meetups. Summit 21 even helped to facilitate that kind of support by providing an app for attendees to connect in real time.
There are myths that Black women can’t get along — that there is always competition among women on the rise, and that Black women don’t support other Black women often enough.
Lies!
Here’s What Summit 21 2019 Proved:
– There is no competition among women after their own purpose.
– There is power and opportunity in gathering together.
– Networking is a form of self-care.
– Black girl magic is real.
– There is community over competition among women of color.
– Black women love and support other Black women.
Don’t believe me? Just follow the sound of aye and yas to every room full of Black Girl Magic.
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