Detria Williamson

Detria

Williamson

Month: August 2025


Bio coming soon.

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Mara Brock Akil

Mara

Brock Akil

Month: August 2025


MARA BROCK AKIL has written and produced over 400 episodes of television, leaving her mark on Hollywood. She’s received Essence Magazine’s Visionary Award and the prestigious Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award by NATPE, and has been named in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter’s Showrunner Power Lists, as well as The Hollywood Reporter’s “Women in Entertainment Power100” multiple times. In 2020, Brock Akil entered into a deal with Netflix to exclusively produce television shows for the streaming platform under her new banner, story27 Productions. In 2021, she launched her own digital Dézine (i.e. digital magazine), InTheLandOfMara. Her credits include writing and producing the hit show Girlfriends (2000-2008), The Game (2006-2015), Being Mary Jane (2013-2019), and executive producing Netflix’s STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING which was on the Academy Awards® Documentary Feature Shortlist. Brock Akil’s most recent project was the critically acclaimed Netflix series adaptation of the 1975 Judy Blume novel FOREVER, starring Karen Pittman, Wood Harris, Lovie Simone, Michael Cooper Jr., and more. The series was renewed for a season 2 and premiered to rave reviews.

In 2021, Mara expanded her passion for non-profit work and started her very own non-profit writing residency in Los Angeles, the Writers’ Colony. The mission is to support up-and-coming underrepresented writers/creatives. The impact of the Writer’s Colony is something Mara’s very proud of. She is delighted to continue the colony’s commitment to nurturing emerging writers, and providing them with exposure, access, and the tools they need to continue on their journeys.

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Beyond the Beat: Hip-Hop's Blueprint for Building Lasting Legacies


Sponsored by

Month: August 2025


Details

Date

Tue, Oct 7

Time

2:30PM – 3:15PM

Stage

Breakthrough stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

CEO, Monami Entertainment

Speaker

Executive Chair, UniWorld Group

Moderator

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

Nothing found.

Hip-hop is more than music—it’s a global movement, a cultural engine, and a masterclass in reinvention. In this powerful talk, Mona Scott-Young explores how hip-hop’s pioneers have transformed their artistry into multi-decade careers, expanding into film, entrepreneurship, and activism while continuing to influence the world stage. Drawing on her experience at the forefront of music and media, she reveals the strategies and mindset that turn moments into movements and artists into icons. This is a story of vision, resilience, and the cultural imprint that ensures hip-hop’s legacy will inspire generations to come.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


From Fighting for Gold, to Fighting for Your Life


Sponsored by

Month: August 2025


Details

Date

Tue, Oct 7

Time

12:00PM – 12:45PM

Stage

Salon stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Olympic Gold Medalist

Speaker

Psychologist, CEO & Founder of Therapy for Black Girls

Speaker

VP, Engagement Strategy, CMI Media Group

Moderator

Nothing found.

Olympic gold medalist Tianna Madison nearly lost her life due to a fibroid complication, an experience that exposed painful truths about inequities in our healthcare system. In this deeply personal talk, she shares her story to spotlight the urgent need for systemic change, why Black women are disproportionately dismissed, misdiagnosed, and left vulnerable, and what the healthcare industry must do to ensure every patient receives equal, evidence-based care. Moderated by Khari Motayne, VP, Engagement Strategy at CMI, with featured expert Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, Psychologist and CEO & Founder of Therapy for Black Girls, this session challenges providers, policymakers, and communities to reimagine a healthcare system where survival and dignity are not determined by race, gender, or bias, but by a shared standard of humanity.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by CMI Media Group. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


Breaking the Seal on Culture: How Coca-Cola Earned It's Place in the Conversation


Sponsored by

Month: August 2025


Details

Date

Tue, Oct 7

Time

12:15PM – 1:00PM

Stage

Breakthrough stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Global Vice President of Creative Strategy & Content, Coca-Cola

Speaker

Global Chief Creative Officer, WPP

Moderator

Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of aWLCo

Speaker

Nothing found.

Few brands have tapped into culture as consistently and authentically as Coca-Cola. From Sprite becoming the first brand to partner with hip hop artists, to unforgettable campaigns like last year’s horn-playing girl in India, to global partnerships with Marvel and Disney, Coca-Cola has always been ahead of the curve. They don’t just borrow culture—they help shape it, time and again. This fireside chat explores how Coca-Cola has earned the right to “break the seal on culture” and what it takes to authentically engage communities, forge iconic partnerships, and stay relevant across generations and geographies.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


AI's Impact on Hardware


Sponsored by

Month: August 2025


Details

Date

Tue, Oct 7

Time

12:15PM – 1:00PM

Stage

Premier stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Co-Founder, Alt Future

Speaker

Diversity Media Strategy & Investment, General Motors

Speaker

Mike Tresvant

TBD

Speaker

Nothing found.

Coming soon.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


You Ain't Ready for AI, You Just Think You Are


Sponsored by

Month: August 2025


Details

Date

Tue, Oct 7

Time

12:00PM – 12:45PM

Stage

Premier stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Co-Founder, Alpha

Speaker

Chief Marketing Officer at HarbourView Equity Partners

Speaker

Diversity Media Strategy & Investment, General Motors

Speaker

Mike Tresvant

TBD

Speaker

Nothing found.

AI may dominate boardroom conversations, but most Fortune 500 brands are far from prepared. Former Meta executive and Alpha co-founder Alvin Bowles exposes the gaps—fractured data, missing talent, and ethical blind spots—that stand between hype and real impact. With sharp insights, he challenges leaders to move beyond buzzwords and build the vision and infrastructure needed to truly compete in the age of intelligent technology.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by AWS. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


The Rise of Black Wanderlust — Is Travel the New Social Currency?


Sponsored by

Month: August 2025


Details

Date

Tue, Oct 7

Time

10:00AM -10:45AM

Stage

Salon stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Global Brand Strategist, Cultural Innovator, Founder, AI to the World

Speaker

Head of Commercial Marketing, Delta Air Lines

Speaker

CEO & Founder, Hero Collective

Moderator

Nothing found.

Travel has become a new form of social currency—shaping identity, community, and economic power. In this conversation, Head of Commercial Marketing at Delta Air Lines, Shannon Womack and Travel Influencer Tanyka Renee explore how Black travelers are fueling the experience economy, driving over $145 billion in annual U.S. travel spend and taking more than 184 million trips a year. From cultural representation to premium experiences, they’ll discuss how diverse consumers are redefining the future of travel and how the industry can authentically meet their needs.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Delta Air Lines. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


All Prompts Matter


Sponsored by

Month: August 2025


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

10:15AM -11:00AM

Stage

Salon stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Chief Executive Officer, The Martin Agency

Speaker

Diversity Media Strategy & Investment, General Motors

Speaker

Mike Tresvant

TBD

Speaker

Nothing found.

Coming soon.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


Muted on Arrival


Sponsored by

Month: August 2025


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

10:00AM- 10:45AM

Stage

Salon stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Co-Founder & CEO, SPILL

Speaker

Senior Director of Digital Content & Strategy, Color of Change

Speaker

Journalist & Creative Producer

Speaker

Founder, The Ajayi Effect

Moderator

Nothing found.

This session confronts one of the most insidious dynamics affecting Black visibility in the digital age: algorithmic suppression. It’s not just about “shadowbans” or engagement drop-offs. It’s about what happens when Black professionals, creators, and thought leaders are rendered invisible by systems that reward neutrality, whiteness, and sanitized messaging over truth, urgency, and cultural clarity.

We’ll move beyond diagnosing the problem to offering a tangible Toolkit for Digital Liberation — equipping Black creators with actionable strategies for reciprocity, community-building, and equity.

Panelist Perspectives

  • Alphonzo Terrell: A platform builder’s lens on reclaiming infrastructure, disrupting extractive models, and “building your own” as a form of resistance and visioning.
  • Charles Amuzie: A digital advocacy perspective on public policy, civic engagement, and scalable community solutions to counter systemic erasure.
  • Chereese Sheen: Grounded insights on lived suppression, the economics of platform exit, and community-centered innovation — adding narrative texture to the Toolkit for Digital Liberation.

The Big Idea
This session moves beyond grievance and into design. Suppression isn’t just a tech glitch — it’s a power issue with measurable costs: lost partnerships, erased labor, cultural distortion, and economic harm. Together we’ll dissect the issue and co-create a roadmap for moving from muted to mobilized.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Razorfish. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.