By Bonitta Best
editor@triangletribune.com
DURHAM – Christopher Emdin, author of the New York Times bestseller, “For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood,” couldn’t have said it better.
There are three types of people, Emdin said at an entrepreneurship forum: “elevators, haters and suckers.” I’m going to paraphrase the rest.
Elevators are people you want to be around. They elevate and encourage you, while also being real and sometimes telling you what you don’t want to hear but need to.
Haters are just that. They are crabs in a barrel and don’t want to see you or anybody else get a step ahead of them. And if you do, well, watch your back.
Suckers are people that have nothing going on. They have no drive, no ambition, no life. They make you depressed after five minutes in their presence. Run for the nearest exit.
I didn’t meet any haters or suckers at last month’s BLK Leaders Luncheon, hosted by Give It To The People, but there were plenty of elevators.
Hosts Chisa and Montro Brown put on quite a show at the E. Harvey Estes Conference Center in Durham. The luncheon was an opportunity for local Black business owners, community leaders, future entrepreneurs, nonprofits and more to gather, learn about and from each other as a collaborative community.
As the opinion piece by Taalib Saber in this week’s Tribune edition states, the DEI rollbacks happening are not a cause for despair but an opportunity to reimagine our trillion-dollar economic power. And that was also the theme at the BLK Leaders Luncheon.
It’s time for Black businesses, entrepreneurs and the community to open our own doors, create our own jobs and elevate the next generation of future leaders.
Besides the networking, inspiring speakers were La-Tasha Best-Gaddy, Infinity Bridges; Crystal McLean, The Money Box; LaShon A. Harley, Being & Becoming; Kenyetta Hall, The Katalyst HQ; Isaac Blount, Redirection CDC; and Carmen Cauthen, author, researcher and activist.
Chisa Brown is personable and funny but all business when it comes to economic empowerment and sharing the knowledge. Give It To The People has a plethora of events happening in March and April (virtual and in person) all leading up to Aug. 1’s anticipated BLK BIZ SUMMIT in Durham.
Visit GiveItToThePeople.com for more information and to start your upward journey.
