Equitech Tuesday: Listen. To. Women.

Equitech Tuesday

Tonight! #89: Listen

When | Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 6 pm – 8 pm

Location | Guilford Hall Brewery, 1611 Guilford Ave, Baltimore, MD

Equitech Community,
This past week, as we transitioned from Black History Month to Women’s History Month, I’ve been reflecting on all of the women who have played pivotal roles in my life. My Mom, my Sister, my Godmothers, and my Grandmothers all come to mind. Collectively, these women represent wisdom, prayer, patience, kindness, and love. Each one of these women, at some point, has also quietly worried for my safety when I’ve stepped out into the world and made sacrifices to enable my success without asking for credit or recognition.

Well, it’s time to give women their flowers!

In two weeks, I’ll be joining my family in Florida to celebrate my Grandmother’s 100th birthday. After serving as an administrative assistant at the Pentagon, Carolyn Bailey was a public school teacher in Philadelphia, helping special needs children, all while raising my Dad and his siblings as a widow. She’s strong, resilient, tough, kind, gentle, caring, a great mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. The older I get, the more I recognize just how precious she and the women in my life are. I realize how much they’ve listened and guided my decision-making.

It’s time for us to start listening to women.

Baltimore has many women serving our tech community. They are building, leading, caring, and worth listening to:
  • LaToya Staten just masterfully coordinated the events and discussions surrounding CIAA Tech Summit House on behalf of local powerhouse Fearless.
  • Tina Williams-Koroma (CyDeploy), Shawna Stepp-Jones (Divaneering Lab), Dawn Myer (The MOST), Arion Long (Femly), Brittany Young (B-360), Alana Mann (Latimer Ventures) and Ellington West (Sonavi Labs) all absolutely slayed during their events. Brittany’s quote said it best, “Black women don’t need to be accepted. We just need to exist.”
  • Dr. Tammira Lucas, the founder of The Cube Cowork, welcomed Angel St. Jean (Equity Brain Trust) & Stephanie Chin (Hutch), for the “Growth Beyond Me: Women In Tech” panel with Morgan State as the next generation listened in.
  • LaKisha Greenwade, who champions diversity in the wearable tech industry, served as the host for GET Cities: Hack for Impact Dinner Series this week at Sagamore Pendry.
  • Mel Koorey, Shavon Kaintuck, and Karina Mandell joined the 2023 Techstars Equitech Accelerator cohort to outline the many city and state incentives available to the companies building in Baltimore!

The list goes on

Kristen Valdes (b.well) leading the future of the Digital Health charge in Baltimore, and Ashley Williams (Clymb) advocating for the social-emotional well-being of our children. Emily Durfee (Healthworx) whose leadership continues to shape healthcare innovation at 1501 Health. And I can’t forget the game-changing women I get to do this work with, Aziza Murphy, Naomi Winston, Maddy Stokes, and Jamie McDonald, here at UpSurge!
These may or may not be names you’re familiar with but you should get to know them because they’re all brilliant and their voices deserve to be heard.
Our ecosystem is overflowing with women leaders. If we can find it in our best interest to stop, look and Listen. To. Women. They will lead us to our destination… Equitech 2030! Let’s take one step closer this week at Equitech Tuesday. Join us at Guilford Hall Brewery from 6-8! Remember to join the Baltimore Tech Slack Channel HERE and let your voice be heard there as well.

 

Strap on that tool belt — we’re building the world’s first #Equitech city, together. ↗️🏙️