Let’s cut to it: we are in a climate where the clock is being rewound in real time. Policies are shifting. DEI programs are under attack. And in some spaces, just being seen as a woman or a person of color is a radical act.

But here’s what we’re not going to do—we’re not going to shrink.
We’re going to pivot, expand, and create space on purpose.
And that’s exactly why minority business summits matter now more than ever.

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🗣 Real Talk: This Is Bigger Than Business

As I shared during my recent appearance on Connections with Evan Dawson, when these programs get stripped away, what we’re left with are fewer doors, fewer seats at the table, and fewer chances for people like me—and the generations coming after me—to even be seen.

When you walk into a room where you’re the only one who looks like you…
When the deals have already been made on metaphorical (and literal) golf courses…
You start to understand why we need our own rooms.

And that’s exactly what events like the Upstate MWBE Conference, the Elevate Women’s Business Summit, and the Economic Empowerment & Entrepreneurship Expo provide.

They’re not just networking events. They’re the reverse golf course, as I called it. A place where Black and Brown entrepreneurs, women founders, and underestimated creatives can gather, connect, share knowledge, and open doors for each other—doors that are often shut tight in other rooms.

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👏 The Power of Showing Up

These summits matter because we matter.

We matter when federal orders try to erase us from the narrative.
We matter when people argue our businesses don’t deserve dedicated funding or platforms.
We matter even when the data proves otherwise, and yet somehow we’re still starting with two strikes.

Attending these events—speaking, showing up, connecting—is how we reclaim our time and remind the world (and ourselves) that we don’t need permission to lead.

At the Economic Empowerment & Entrepreneurship Expo, where I was humbled to be nominated for the Legacy Changemaker Award, I saw firsthand how powerful these spaces can be. We weren’t just exchanging business cards—we were building legacies, collaborating across industries, and pouring into the next generation of entrepreneurs.

That’s not just powerful. That’s necessary.

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💼 Why This Work Isn’t Optional

When minority summits disappear, so do opportunities.
And make no mistake—the threat is real.

We’re seeing an intentional effort to redefine DEI as something divisive.
We’re watching legal challenges aimed at erasing programs that were created to level the playing field.
We’re hearing that being intentional about including marginalized voices is somehow exclusionary.

But let me be clear:
Creating equity isn’t about shutting people out—it’s about finally letting people in.

As I said during the interview, these spaces are more than moments.
They’re movements.
And just because someone didn’t find you on the golf course, doesn’t mean your value is any less.

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🔥 So What Do We Do?

We keep showing up.
We create our own tables when we’re shut out of others.
We build networks rooted in equity, not exclusion.
We fund, mentor, and elevate each other.

Minority business summits are one way we do just that.

If you're a decision-maker, sponsor these events.
If you're a business owner, show up and bring someone with you.
If you’re new to the game, come as you are and soak it all in.

These summits are not just for the already-successful. They’re for the rising stars, the dreamers, the pivots-in-progress.

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✨ Final Word

We are not going backward—not without a fight, and definitely not without a plan.
ROC Events was built to make bold, beautiful statements—and this is one of them.

To every woman, every person of color, every entrepreneur who's ever been told they weren’t enough—you are.

And you deserve to thrive in rooms where your presence is celebrated, not tolerated.

Let’s keep building those rooms together.

🖤 Want to connect or collaborate? Let’s talk. Schedule your consultation today.
Because we’re not just planning events—we’re designing movements.