Identity-based Affinity Groups have a special role at 51³Ô¹Ï in today’s world. The Black IECs Affinity Group was founded in June 2000 by Antoinette Battiste, Belinda Wilkerson, and Amy Jasper. Since that time, the group has grown to be over 80 members strong. Our Affinity Group meets on the second Thursday of the month, and focuses on a number of topics. Our purpose is to provide a safe space for Black IECs to share and support each other around our most challenging and unique issues.
Our meetings have an open format where we spend time brainstorming, sharing tips, and generally encouraging each other with ways we can all run successful and thriving businesses while balancing life and the particular issues we face as Black IECs. We engage with special guest speakers and encourage our members to share their expertise with the group through presentations on special topics around business strategies, essay editing, artificial intelligence (AI), and the recent SCOTUS ruling.
More than just a place to encourage professional growth, we share in our experience of being Black and IECs. From book recommendations in and out of our field to reminders to block regular rest time each week, we encourage each other to maintain healthy boundaries with clients, while we find time to take care of ourselves.
We are honored and proud to co-chair this Affinity Group full of amazing IECs! We invite all of our Black-identifying IECs to sign up for our group and join our next meeting.
By April Paris-Joseph, MA, 51³Ô¹Ï Associate (WA) and Lisa Thomas, EdD, 51³Ô¹Ï Associate (CA), Co-Chairs