On Tuesday, November 15th, National Entrepreneur’s Day, a breakfast hosted by With an Eye PR was held for panelists and honorees from the first She Owns It, She Biz conference in 2021. At the breakfast details for the second year were announced, including the introduction of the keynote speaker, and the new UIC CHANCE Program partnership. This took place from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. in the Cardinal Room, 750 S. Halsted, on UIC’s campus.
The hybrid conference for women will be held in March 2023 during Women’s History Month at the UIC Forum, 1213 S. Halsted. She Owns It, She Biz, is designed for and produced by Black women, with help from Black men, and welcomes everyone interested in supporting or learning more about Black Women in business to attend the conference.
Christi (Love) Harber, Founder of With an Eye PR and Conference Co-Producer with Kiela Wilson, Founder of The Lea Pearl Group, Inc., wanted to foster an environment of women entrepreneurs coming together to support and share their experiences in business.
“In 2020, business life changed for everyone due to COVID-19. We felt it was important to have a day specifically for Black women to network and work together to break down the walls of inequity, stereotypes, and discrimination,” explains Harber. “As Black Entrepreneurs continue to grow, we see first-hand how Black Women are leading the way. We must continue to build a community that helps Black women thrive!”
She Owns It She Biz Conference is an exchange of ideas and best practices with a day of celebration within a business sisterhood. Business owners, educators, and leaders present on panels as subject matter experts. Strides made by Black women like Chicago’s First Black and Gay woman, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Illinois’ First Black woman Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton, and America’s first bi-racial woman Vice President Kamala Harris, provide some examples of the strides women of color are making today.
Khalilah Young, M. ED, Interim Director of the UIC CHANCE Program, engages with students and Alumni who participate in the program. Developing relationships and strategic partnerships to assist the Black Women student body on campus confirms the educational organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Dr. Gena Jones, author of “Legacy Made Simple” will be the keynote speaker for the conference to get attendees to not only think about their legacy but also join her movement to get 10,000 Black and brown families to create generational wealth with what they have. Her book will also launch on the same day as the announcement.
Overall, She Owns It, She Biz is more than a conference. It is a gathering of like-minded women who want more and expect more for themselves. In the spirit of this strength, the conference will honor the legacy of Mamie Till Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till. She was lynched in Mississippi while visiting his family for a summer vacation in 1955. Mamie found the strength in her moment of grief to share what happened to her son with the world. She was an important voice and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. It was needed then and it’s still needed today; Black women coming together to affect real change in society, workplace, and entrepreneurial spaces.
With an EYE PR: With an Eye PR is a Black woman-owned national public relations agency that is hyper-focused on providing clients the services required to catapult their brands to the highest level. The agency’s professional and credible approach to business serves an array of clients in numerous sectors, including entertainment, professional athletes, communities, artists, and business owners. With an Eye PR brings decades of strategic brand building, communications, press, social media, talent partnerships, and creative strategies to drive success in all facets of its client’s business.
UIC CHANCE Program: In 2004, the UIC CHANCE Program was designed to assist the University of Illinois at Chicago with its goal to increase recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of underrepresented students in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, Community-based Organizations, various Suburban School Districts, and Charter Schools.
Dr. Gena Jones: Dr. Jones is a Business Strategist and Transformation Specialist. She is the founder of Business Boss LLC, which is a business & financial coaching company that has started a movement to build Financially Fierce CEOs who are laser-focused on creating a legacy to impact current and future generations. She is a licensed Attorney, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Tax Resolution Specialist, and Certified Public Accountant.
