“A mind is a terrible thing to waste,”is the well-known motto, which The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) stresses, reminds us to go above and beyond in society by being educated and empowered to purse limitless possibilities. On Saturday, March 9, The UNCF Empower Me Tour Presented by Wells Fargo made landfall in the ‘Windy City’ at University of Illinois at Chicago. This event allowed youth, young adults in college, and parents to partake in an empowerment filled day of personal and professional development! Throughout the day, a mixture of celebrities, educators, entrepreneurs, and military officals gave tokens of motivation and inspired attendees through their own personal stories on how they reached their success and empowered the attendee’s minds to reach above and beyond the stars for their goals.

Through interactive activities, workshops, and panel discussions, attendees were able to expand their minds personally and professionally. While March focuses on Women’s History month the panel discussion “Girl Talk: Strength in Sisterhood” presented by EMT sponsor Proctor & Gamble’s My Black is Beautiful fit the theme appropriately and filled the room with ears focused on listening to Actress and Comedian, Kim Coles, Lieutenant Colonel Kisha Flagg, and Pop Culture Expert, Tai Beauchamp. These female influencers had a chance to have ‘girl talk’ with the young ladies about issues and challenges they face in society. Behind the scenes, All that Jazz had an exclusive mini girl talk with the panel which allowed a chat about the “Strength in Sisterhood” discussion.

Moderated by:

Tai Beauchamp: “I want them to come away from the discussion recognizing that their beautiful and that their special and that the women here speaking to them care about them and that their are resources for them like UNCF that care about who they are.”

Featuring:

Kim Coles: “Sisterhood is a powerful feminine energy coming together. As women we come together, we fix things, we make things better, and we support each other. It’s the ultimate feminine energy!”

Lieutenant Colonel Kisha Flagg: “For me, sisterhood is another way of saying ‘extended family’. When I think of my sisterhood, I think of the people who I trust to be honest with me and to tell me one way or the other, the good, the bad, and the ugly. When I’m doing well, I have those in my life who praise me and let me know; and when I’m doing wrong, those same people will let me know as well.”

While this topic was engaging, there were others workshops and discussions which involved professional development. One in particular, presented in the realm of networking, entitled, “How to Develop Your 30 Second Elevator Speech” by Christopher Cooper of Execute Your Passion allowed participants to engage and learn the art of developing communication and networking. “The biggest thing I wanted them [attendees] to gain was the power of relationships and that everything we do is based on relationships. I think that it’s a universal content that works no matter what the age limit is. I also wanted to prepare them for what to expect. I think so many times we don’t necessary succeed because we have no clue on what’s coming up on the horizon.” Real life examples told by Cooper also allowed participants to get a clear visual on developing this skill set.

In celebration of its fifth anniversary, The UNCF Empower Me Tour in partnership with Wells Fargo created a space for young and seasoned dreamers to continue to aim for the stars and beyond using their education and mind to help others along their journey and create treasures for centuries to come.

“Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”– Langston Hughes

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