Networking Group Works to Advance Black Talent in Wichita
Article below from the Wichita Business Journal.
"...it just struck a chord that there was so much need in this community, when you look at the social injustice, and what can we do to bring each other together, that we're not all crabs in a barrel pulling each other down, but we're lifting each other up," Everett said.
​
The Gathering has three main goals:
-
Serve as a welcome mat for African Americans who relocate to Wichita
-
Build connections to support and promote one another
-
Help diversify boards and committees within local business, nonprofit and civic organizations
​
Its committee members, in addition to Everett, Kelly and Rolfe: Jacqueline Kelly, Corinthian Kelly, Carla Eckels, Samuel Eckels, Kaye Monk-Morgan, Derek Morgan and Taishma Council.
​
"We're trying to connect all the pieces, we're not trying to leave anybody out," Kelly said. "The CEO of a business and the person who just started their business - they might have something they need to get from one another... We're just trying to help craft and create these collisions, these helpful collisions, where people come together and connect in a meaningful way that might not have been able to do before."
In fact, the 91 people who have participated in The Gathering in its first year represent a wide swath of job experience and industries. Twenty-nine are transplants to the Wichita area and 62 are locals. Nearly half of the group consider themselves to be young professionals with less than a decade in work experience, and about one-third are experienced professionals with 11 to 25 years in their fields. The majority of participants are business owners, directors and presidents and CEOs, and they represent almost all sectors, including aerospace, higher education, tech, energy and financial services.
