By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
The pandemic, which has locked many doors for businesses, has also opened new entrepreneurial opportunities and technology innovations for Black-owned businesses and others interested in the future of American and global economies.
TECH CONFERENCE 2021, a one-day virtual summit will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021. The conference is designed and structured to present timely and constructive information, data, and best practices on the various technological advances in the national and global marketplace that can help sustain Black-owned businesses during the prolonged pandemic and afterwards.
This unique forum is being jointly produced by Zenger News, the world’s first digitally native news wire service, owned and operated by journalists, and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the national trade association representing the 230 African American newspapers and media companies in the United States.
The conference was planned to coincide with Black History Month and will feature speakers and technicians from the world of technology, including business technology firms and other private and public-sector companies.
“We saw the need among Black-owned businesses for practical information and insights into the latest technology developments,” observed NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
“African American business owners are desirous to know more about how new technologies are driving the growing profitability of America’s businesses even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Andre Johnson, the vice president of distribution for Zenger News, concurred.
“All of the leaders in the Black community are clamoring for solutions and insights from technology leaders, and we are ready to deliver for them on Feb. 24,” Johnson stated.
TECH CONFERENCE 2021 will share the best in ideas and innovation for the 21st century with its associated challenges in growing families, businesses, and institutions, the conference producers emphasized.
With tech at the core of the one-day summit, it will include outreaching to thousands of Black-owned media members, Fortune 1000 businesses, and community-based businesses and cultural institutions.
The event is presented in association with Digital Hollywood, a platform that will allow registered attendees to video chat in real-time with other guests during the conference.
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clark, a Congresswoman from the 9th District of New York since 2013, will deliver the keynote address.
Congresswoman Clarke sits on the U.S. Sub-committee on Communications and Technology, and she will discuss how Congress is looking to create more opportunities for Black and brown businesses across America.
Dana White, the Hyundai NA Chief Communications Officer (CCO), and one of highest ranking African American executive leaders in the U.S. automotive industry, will be another major TECH CONFERENCE 2021 speaker during a session titled, “Driving Past the Pandemic.”
At Hyundai, White leads a team of innovators to help one of America’s largest automakers recruit minority business owners for its global supply chain.
With a multi-million-dollar commitment, Hyundai is making one of the most extensive efforts to find new suppliers and business partners among the African American and Latino communities.
White is expected to reveal what the automaker is looking for in new business partners. She will also provide insight on how to participate in Hyundai’s outreach programs.
Her life story is already legendary.
White is the granddaughter of a former Black-owned newspaper publisher in Virginia. Dana White rose to senior positions at the Wall Street Journal and Renault.
She ultimately became the first African American woman to serve as a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense and the first African American woman to run communications for a major carmaker.
Well-known Silicon Valley recruiter Chris Miller, who is known for having a knack for finding the best tech talent without breaking a company’s budget, will offer insights during the conference on “Hiring is Hard, but it Doesn’t Have to Be.”
In addition, Dr. Chavis will introduce a special tech panel discussion to be led by Perry Carter, President of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) in Washington, DC. Carter and BDPA have had success in helping to maintain the largest national network of African American data scientists across the United States.”
Other interest-piquing topics include “Virtual Networking: Find New Customers, New Suppliers, and Helpful Experts,” “Generate New Sales and Find Cost-Effective Suppliers from Around the World,” and “Venture Forward –$300 Million for You.”
When HBO needed to market its comedy, soul, and jazz performances, it turned to Tony Rome, whose efforts on “The Kings of Comedy” produced the highest-grossing African American comedy tour in HBO’s history.
Rome will host the session “Leveraging Technology in 2021: How to Connect with Consumers and Drive Revenue.”
Jeff Joseph, the Software & Industry Information Association president, will share trends from one of the leading technology associations in America during the session “2021: Email Newsletters Are all the Rage, But Can You Make Money? Harnessing the secrets of digital publishing for your business.”
Conference-goers also can join Sara Hale, an expert on the power of cloud-based technologies, as she discusses helping medium and small businesses be more efficient and poised for growth.
“The goal is to share the best in ideas and innovation for the 21st century with its associated challenges in growing families, businesses, and institutions,” conference officials said.
“Technology is at the core of the one-day summit.”