The Influencer Coalition, an organization dedicated to creating positive change for African Americans and underserved communities, hosted “The Autopsy, Part 2: Our Money, Our Power, Our Politicsâ€Â April 28 as a followup to the first event that took place in January.
The town hall, sponsored by The Andrew Young Foundation and Morehouse College, was a sold-out event with more than 100 people in attendance. The event featured a panel of entrepreneurs who shared a common goal to advocate for and drive positive change in their communities.
In the wake of Baltimore protests, many are citing lack of opportunities, income inequalities and poverty as being the deep-rooted cause of anger in youth. “We are organizing because we recognize the untapped power of Generation X and millennials. Through thoughtful dialogue and deliberate action, we can create a sustainable movement that strategically leverages our resources and directly addresses the concerns of our community,†said Christine White, Esq.
The panelists included:
- Christine White, Esq, co-founder and president of Influencer Coalition and former Fulton County prosecutor
- Jason “J.Carter” Carter, co-founder and vice president of Influencer Coalition, and founder of ONE Musicfest
- Xavier Peoples,co-Founder and treasurer of Influencer Coalition, and South regional finance manager for Zurich America
- Aaron Turpeau,organizer of Black Leadership Forum and City of Atlanta mayor’s cabinet
- Philippa Brown, local government contracting expert
Isom Bartone, Jr. Founder of “Dare to Dream” Foundation, Morehouse grad, and owner of Athlete Foot stores and Great American Cookie Co discussed how he purchased his first franchise while in college with a $10k scholarship money he invested. Jason Carter spoke on having access to capital while in college to invest in your business. “If you have a business idea in college, as long as you’re in college you actually have access to money”.
White also urged everyone interested in entrepreneurship to get involved in his or her local government. “The government is the largest investor of wealth building opportunities. You have to find a way to get engaged in the campaigns of your local officials so you can see what’s happening in your community and learn about the RFP [request for proposal] process in the municipalities. That’s where the money goes and the opportunities are createdâ€, White added.
Chanel Martin (@ChanelEbone) is a co-founder and COO of Techturized (@Techturized) Inc. She is also a wife, new mom, and lover of all things hair! She works full time on her company Techturized. Techturized’s first product, Myavana (@Myavanahair), provides personal hair care resources for female consumers around the world.