Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, Black Entrepreneurs Day will be held for the second year in a row on October 14th. The General® Insurance will again partner with Black Entrepreneurs Day —as a “celebration of Black business”. Black entrepreneurs and many others who view the high energy event will feel energized, inspired and empowered by its end.
Held virtually, the event will be streamed live at 7pm exclusively on “Shark Tank’s” Daymond John’s Facebook Page from Harlem’s renowned Apollo Theatre. John will curate the evening that is packed full of well-known black entrepreneurs and celebrities who are participating under a range of themes supporting black enterprise. In addition, John will conduct one-on-one interviews with comedian Kevin Hart and Minea Moore, learning their thoughts about what black men and black women business owners need to do to be successful.
Participants in some of the themes touching on entrepreneurship and small business are:
- Game Changer Conversations The General Ambassadors: Shaquille O’Neal, Tyra Banks, Michael Strahan, Marcus Samuelsson, Rev Run, and Janice Bryant Howroyd, followed by,
- Innovating for Health Equity: Dr. Uché Blackstock, Dr. Del Smith, and Seema Kumar,
- Black Women’s Roundtable: Elicia Azali, Telisa Yancy, Sherina Smith, and Lauren Powell,
- Empowering Entrepreneurs:: Brian Lamb, and Byna Elliott
- From Startups to Stars Roundtable: Amanda E. Johnson, and Kady Srinivasan, and others.
“Black LeadHERship — a Black Women’s Roundtable” is new to this year’s event.
In addition to supporting Black Entrepreneurs Day, since 2020 The General has partnered with HBCUs to support their students and their graduates in their career development and further their employment opportunities.
One key program is The General’s partnership with the NAACP in which the insurer will fund a $25,000 grant to a rising Black entrepreneur. The winner who will be announced at the event will also receive professional one-on-one mentoring sessions with Shaquille O’Neal and Elicia Azali.
In addition, The General supports the HBCUs outside of the event through its partnership with Morehouse College and Tennessee State University. They give six Black business students and student entrepreneurs a chance to also win one-on-one mentoring sessions with Shaquille O’Neal and Elicia Azali, along with a Surface Laptop Pro, a signed book from Daymond John and more
The company’s efforts also include the support of diversity initiatives highlighted by the brand’s recent partnership with Shaquille O’Neal and Bleacher Report. Black owned businesses that need a break from recent financial challenges will receive a visit from Shaquille. As the lead in a three-part series, he will meet with three Atlanta-based Black small business owners and reward each of them with a well-deserved financial and emotional break.
The Black Entrepreneurs Day creates a positive and ongoing message to all African-American entrepreneurs and minorities that The General proudly stands behind them in its mission to further diversity.
“The General is on a tremendous journey to consistently commit to driving diversity and inclusion, including prioritizing and pursuing initiatives that better reflect the interest of our diverse customer base,” said Elicia Azali, Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer at American Family Insurance.
Read about How Black Business Owners Gain Critical Support from Black Business Equity Fund.
