The moment word got out that I’d been chosen to become the first woman president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, my phone rang off the hook with well wishes and offers of support from women around Chicago.
These women, who worked in all sectors of public, private and civic life, wrapped their arms around me and offered to provide me with any assistance that I needed. As Black women, they personally invested in and championed my success.
For instance, with less than 30 days on the job, I was faced with the challenge of hosting my very first Chicago Urban League gala. So, I reached out to my sister network and asked for their support, and these powerful women delivered on their promises. They rallied around me and helped make the event a smashing success.
Moments such as these remind me to cherish the strength of sisterhood and all that can be accomplished when we apply our collective talents and influence to drive a common goal.
Today, that vision has led to the establishment of a new coalition within the Chicago Urban League comprised of leading women in Chicago’s business, faith, media, government and civic communities. Known as the African American Women’s Network of the Chicago Urban League, together these phenomenal women will work with the Urban League to help further our mission to empower and support African American women entrepreneurs and to mentor young women.
The network’s first assignment will be to promote the 50th annual Ebony Fashion Fair. I am thrilled that the Chicago Urban League will be the host organization for the Chicago event during this landmark year. The show will take place May 18, at the Chicago Theatre.
Proceeds will benefit the Urban League’s efforts to support African American women entrepreneurs and future business leaders. The Ebony Fashion Fair as a way to support Black women entrepreneurs is a fitting beginning for our new women’s network.
From its inception in 1958, the Ebony Fashion Fair has challenged the mainstream view of beauty and has supported individuals and institutions that serve the Black community.
The show’s creator, Eunice Johnson, wife of the late John H. Johnson, founder of the Ebony dynasty, arranged the first show as a favor for a friend to benefit a hospital in New Orleans. From the outset, Mrs. Johnson set the bar high for the event, and ended up opening doors for people of color in the mostly white world of high fashion.
As a Black woman, Johnson caused a stir when she traveled to France and Italy in the 1950s to purchase%uFFFDnot borrow%uFFFDhaute couture to be worn by Black women. She went on to build a reputation with designers like Coco Chanel and created a lasting legacy in the Black community. Even now, models of color enthusiastically vie for a shot at the Ebony Fashion Fair runway.
Today, Johnson’s daughter, Linda Johnson Rice, carries on her mother’s commitment to excellence and finery. And as chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing, Linda is also a fine role model for Black women entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Around the country, the Ebony Fashion Fair has become as synonymous with Black beauty and style as it is with supporting progressive programs in the African American community. Ebony Fashion Fair is significant, too, for the fundraising efforts that the show has inspired among African American women like Louise Chester.
Chester has been involved with the Ebony Fashion Fair since it began and is known to be one of the top ticket sellers for the event in the country. The Chicago Urban League is pleased to partner with Ebony Fashion Fair and our women’s network to make the 50th anniversary show in Chicago the most successful one ever.
Part of the proceeds from the Ebony Fashion Fair show will support grants for Black women entrepreneurs to help them launch and grow their businesses. Everyday I look for more creative ways to engage the community in supporting economic development for African Americans.
By supporting the Ebony Fashion Fair, you will be enabling Black women who are determined to set trends in their respective industries and open doors.
I invite you, your family and friends to join us on May 18. You can order tickets online at www.thechicagourbanleague.org or by calling the League at 773-285-5800. If you haven’t attended the Ebony Fashion Fair in a while, this will be a great year to come out and celebrate a cultural icon and to do your part to make sure that its legacy of charitable giving endures for years to come.
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