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Source: Courtesy Of / Black Women Talk Tech/From L to R (Esosa Ighodaro, Regina Gwynn and Lauren Washington)
“Write the vision and make it plain” is a spiritual tenet that many of us who were raised in Black households live by. It is a lighthouse propelling us to live out our dreams without fear and in full authority of who we are called to be.
Each year an extraordinary group of Black women ascend into New York City with this same vision, armed with enterprising ideas and the vigor of creation by attending the Black Women Talk Tech Conference. It is the premiere event built by Black women for Black women in the tech space. Founders Esosa Ighodaro, Regina Gwynn, and Lauren Washington, revealed the conference expanded beyond their wildest dreams after hosting the first retreat in 2016, followed by the inaugural conference in 2017.
Source: Courtesy Of / Black Women Talk Tech
“When we first started Black Women Talk Tech, we didn’t start it to be a business, or a conference or anything,” Washington said. “We started it because we had this need to meet other founders and figure out how we can support each other and create these billion-dollar businesses,” Washington said.
“We didn’t know there was this much interest. And there’s so much interest not even just nationally, across the country, but internationally,” said Ighodaro.
On February 27-29, Ighodaro, Gwynn and Washington celebrated their fourth conference in New York City, a monumental feat considering the lack of diversity and inclusion in the ever-changing tech field. The women met in 2015 and chipped away at what was then a vision, creating a meeting space for Black women with big ideas.
But what’s important and critical about remembering the tech field is the wide range of industries which intersect within the space. The women attending and running Black Women Talk Tech are purveyors within a variety of fields related to beauty, public health, travel and technology.
Ighodaro is the founder of Nexstar, a platform helping content creators connect with Fortune 1000 companies to produce marketing campaigns. Washington founded Fundr, a platform that automates, diversifies and democratizes seed funding. Gwynn is the creator of TresseNoire, a hair care app dedicated to the specific needs of Black women.
Source: Courtesy Of / Black Women Talk Tech
Since 2017, the conference attendees swelled from 300 to over 1,000, including the expansion of chapter organizations in 10 local markets, and one in London. The four pillars of the conference are education, research, promotion and funding, using the tagline, “Roadmap To Billions.”
“Part of the reason why we want to say ‘Roadmap To Billions’ is because a lot of people don’t talk about money in that way, especially women,” Ighodaro said. “We wanted people to really know we’re being bold here and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to have billion-dollar companies run by Black women.’”
“Part of the conference is specifically for Black women founders,” Washington said. “The first two days we have a retreat and then a founder’s day and we actually vet everyone who comes through that so that we know everyone’s on the same page and looking for the same type of content and connection, and then the summit is open to everyone.”
Unlike other events and spaces specifically held for Black communities, both Washington and Ighodaro say the conference has been warmly welcomed in the tech space. This year’s conference saw a variety of sponsors including Target, Nike, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs, as well as coveted speakers who forged new lanes in their respect fields like Courtney Adeleye, founder of The Mane Choice Hair Solution, Cara Sabin, CEO of Sundial Brands, and New York Congresswoman Yvette Clark.
. Fast forward to three years later, Black Women Talk Tech has launched chapters in 10 cities and started several initiatives including Talk Tech Association, BWTT’s nonprofit arm. Thank you for all the you do for the organization 
#BWTT #BWTTCON2020“It is hard to find people who have taken a path that you want to take and it’s almost like you’re building it as you’re going. I think this new generation of women who are doing incredible are kind of creating it as they go along and that was one of the big reasons we started Black Women Talk Tech,” Washington continued.
This year the women were the most excited about implementing a self-care event on the 27th, where attendees enjoyed manicures, pedicures, massages, and absorbed wellness tips for the mind, body and spirit. But in totality, the expansion and continuous growth of the Black Women Talk Tech movement is what remains central to their vitality.
“We’ve seen so many great success stories not only just from our founders, but just the network that happens in between really smart people, like-minded, really motivated self-starters. It is incredible just to see how many people have gotten funding as a result of coming to the conference,” Ighodaro said.
Every Wednesday during the month of March, MadameNoire will highlight Black women changemakers in journalism/media, business, politics, advocacy and community organizing. Stay tuned for next week’s feature with Isha Seshay, the groundbreaking journalist who helped break the story at CNN on the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by the terrorist organization Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Source: Courtesy Of / Black Women Talk Tech/From L to R (Esosa Ighodaro, Regina Gwynn and Lauren Washington)
“Write the vision and make it plain” is a spiritual tenet that many of us who were raised in Black households live by. It is a lighthouse propelling us to live out our dreams without fear and in full authority of who we are called to be.
Each year an extraordinary group of Black women ascend into New York City with this same vision, armed with enterprising ideas and the vigor of creation by attending the Black Women Talk Tech Conference. It is the premiere event built by Black women for Black women in the tech space. Founders Esosa Ighodaro, Regina Gwynn, and Lauren Washington, revealed the conference expanded beyond their wildest dreams after hosting the first retreat in 2016, followed by the inaugural conference in 2017.
Source: Courtesy Of / Black Women Talk Tech
“When we first started Black Women Talk Tech, we didn’t start it to be a business, or a conference or anything,” Washington said. “We started it because we had this need to meet other founders and figure out how we can support each other and create these billion-dollar businesses,” Washington said.
“We didn’t know there was this much interest. And there’s so much interest not even just nationally, across the country, but internationally,” said Ighodaro.
On February 27-29, Ighodaro, Gwynn and Washington celebrated their fourth conference in New York City, a monumental feat considering the lack of diversity and inclusion in the ever-changing tech field. The women met in 2015 and chipped away at what was then a vision, creating a meeting space for Black women with big ideas.
But what’s important and critical about remembering the tech field is the wide range of industries which intersect within the space. The women attending and running Black Women Talk Tech are purveyors within a variety of fields related to beauty, public health, travel and technology.
Ighodaro is the founder of Nexstar, a platform helping content creators connect with Fortune 1000 companies to produce marketing campaigns. Washington founded Fundr, a platform that automates, diversifies and democratizes seed funding. Gwynn is the creator of TresseNoire, a hair care app dedicated to the specific needs of Black women.
Source: Courtesy Of / Black Women Talk Tech
Since 2017, the conference attendees swelled from 300 to over 1,000, including the expansion of chapter organizations in 10 local markets, and one in London. The four pillars of the conference are education, research, promotion and funding, using the tagline, “Roadmap To Billions.”
“Part of the reason why we want to say ‘Roadmap To Billions’ is because a lot of people don’t talk about money in that way, especially women,” Ighodaro said. “We wanted people to really know we’re being bold here and saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to have billion-dollar companies run by Black women.'”
“Part of the conference is specifically for Black women founders,” Washington said. “The first two days we have a retreat and then a founder’s day and we actually vet everyone who comes through that so that we know everyone’s on the same page and looking for the same type of content and connection, and then the summit is open to everyone.”
Unlike other events and spaces specifically held for Black communities, both Washington and Ighodaro say the conference has been warmly welcomed in the tech space. This year’s conference saw a variety of sponsors including Target, Nike, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs, as well as coveted speakers who forged new lanes in their respect fields like Courtney Adeleye, founder of The Mane Choice Hair Solution, Cara Sabin, CEO of Sundial Brands, and New York Congresswoman Yvette Clark.
“It is hard to find people who have taken a path that you want to take and it’s almost like you’re building it as you’re going. I think this new generation of women who are doing incredible are kind of creating it as they go along and that was one of the big reasons we started Black Women Talk Tech,” Washington continued.
This year the women were the most excited about implementing a self-care event on the 27th, where attendees enjoyed manicures, pedicures, massages, and absorbed wellness tips for the mind, body and spirit. But in totality, the expansion and continuous growth of the Black Women Talk Tech movement is what remains central to their vitality.
“We’ve seen so many great success stories not only just from our founders, but just the network that happens in between really smart people, like-minded, really motivated self-starters. It is incredible just to see how many people have gotten funding as a result of coming to the conference,” Ighodaro said.
Every Wednesday during the month of March, MadameNoire will highlight Black women changemakers in journalism/media, business, politics, advocacy and community organizing. Stay tuned for next week’s feature with Isha Seshay, the groundbreaking journalist who helped break the story at CNN on the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by the terrorist organization Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Pixar movies don’t tend to be judged in a vacuum as pieces of art unto themselves. Any given Pixar film is judged against every other film the studio has ever released. As soon as the credits roll, there’s an inclination to rank where the movie lands in Pixar’s Pantheon. It’s not something audiences and critics do with other studios; no one who reviewed The Invisible Man worried about where it belongs on the all-time Universal movies list. But the animation giant’s latest film Onward—a fantasy quest about family, growing up, and dealing with grief—comes with the added weight of covering similar terrain of classics like Up, Coco, and Finding Nemo. Not many films can live up to those expectations, and I’m not sure if Onward does either.
What I do know is that it doesn’t matter. Because Onward still has enough magic to be a wonderful and touching story all on its own.
Pixar
Onward takes place in a world that used to be full of magic. But thanks to technology (which is much easier for everyone to use than magic is), ogres, centaurs, mermaids, and other magical creatures now live in boring suburban comfort. Unicorns aren’t majestic creatures of beauty here. They’re overgrown raccoons who raid garbage cans.
The movie follows two teenage elf brothers, Barley and Ian Lightfoot, voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland. Pratt’s older Barley is a fearless, D&D-loving nerd unaware of how others view him. He’s also obsessed with his world’s magical past and drives a super geeky van he affectionately calls Guinevere. Holland’s Ian is a shy, awkward teenager who’s afraid of everything. All he wants is the chance to meet his dad, who died before Ian was born.
That’s exactly the opportunity he’s given on his 16th birthday, after his mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gives the boys a secret gift their dad Wilden left for them. It’s an old wizard’s staff, which, along with a magical jewel, can be used to bring their dad back for 24 hours. Unfortunately, the spell breaks on Ian midway through, and he only brings back his dad’s legs. Before the clock can run out the boys embark on a magical quest to find a second jewel so they can see their late father.
The premise combines a road trip movie with a coming-of-age story, with a dash of Weekend at Bernie’s-style physical comedy mixed in, all set in a fantasy world packaged inside a family story. That might sound like a lot, but the script makes it work, even if the combined effect is that Onward doesn’t feel like the most original story.
As soon as Wilden Lightfoot’s legs take form, the emotional weight of the story picks up. Watching the boys communicate with their father’s feet is more touching than you would imagine. But like all great Pixar movies, Onward is as funny as it is heartbreaking. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and gags in the film. Some of the humor comes from how the movie fully embraces the inherent silliness of two dorky teenagers using magic for the first time. A lot comes from Pratt’s Barley, a big lovable oaf who is naturally funny without trying to be.
Pixar
There are also some genuinely exciting action sequences throughout, including one highway scene that is equal parts thrilling and hilarious. And a subplot featuring Corey the Manticore (voiced by Octavia Spencer) adds just enough to make the world feel fully realized beyond the brothers’ journey.
The strength of Barley and Ian’s story is what makes Onward work. The two brothers are likable, and it’s fun spending time with the pair and rooting for them. Each has his own strengths and weaknesses, and their relationship is loving without being perfect. Sometimes they are ideal complements, while other times they clash. And those issues come to a head when, inevitably, they have to overcome obstacles on their quest. Some problems are out of their control. Others, more personal and painful, are of their own making.
Pixar
But for as fun, touching, and exciting as the movie is for the first hour or so, it’s the last 40 minutes when Onward becomes special, in much the same way Coco did. The story we were invested in wasn’t what was most important, and the characters we were following were more complex than we thought. Everyone puts up their own defenses to deal with grief, but that can’t always shield us from the pain. And it’s always better to have help on any difficult quest, whether it be a magical one or life itself.
Onward also has one of my all-time favorite endings of any film, Pixar or otherwise. It might be a kid’s movie, but it’s challenging and mature in a way I didn’t expect. And it was better for it. The film has something beautiful and hopeful to say about both death and appreciating the love of those you still have. It expresses those ideas with a grace and understanding most stories never achieve. It’s why even though the story takes place in a fantasy world, the characters’ experiences feel real.
Pixar
I don’t know if Onward is as good as Up or Finding Nemo. I’ve seen those movies so many times, and lived with them for so long, that’s it’s not fair to compare any new film to them immediately. What I do know is that by the end I had tears in my eyes and I felt better about the world. And any movie that can do that has the right kind of magic.
4/5
Featured Image: Pixar
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
The post ONWARD’s Humor and Heartbreak Cast a Magical Spell (Review) appeared first on Nerdist.
In Oprah we trust — everyone else is simply irrelevant.
Which is why every year, we look forward to the release of Oprah’s Favorite Things, a holiday gift list personally curated by the widely-celebrated talk show host. From soft bamboo pajamas to bizarre food like hot truffle sauce, the list is usually filled with quirky items Oprah swears will change your life. But not every item is affordable, leading them to remain in our wish lists and not in our possession — until now.
MadameNoire’s deal of the day features the blendSMART2® Metallic Motorized Brush Tool + Cosmetic Bag, which our queen Oprah vouched for in last year’s Favorite Things.
It’s a rotating makeup brush that perfectly mimics the motions of professional artists when applying, blending, and buffing foundation, resulting in natural-looking airbrush looks. It has a motorized handle that distributes less product and delivers a smooth, even finish, along with brush heads with rotating fibers that stimulate and massage the skin.
Check it out in action:
Whether you’re using a liquid, powder, or créme makeup, this seemingly magical brush will apply it on your skin like a pro, sans the lines and streaks. With this deal, not only do you get to snag the brush, but you’ll also get a bonus cosmetic bag to boot.
Get the bundle on sale for only $68. That’s a 29 percent discount from the usual cost of $96.
blendSMART2® Metallic Motorized Brush Tool + Cosmetic Bag – $68
MadameNoire has teamed up with StackCommerce to bring you the best deals on the web. We may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
You may witness more fist-bumps instead of the customary high-fives that NBA players usually give their fans at games. According to the Associated Press, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is advising players to avoid high-fiving their fans due to the current coronavirus outbreak.
In wake of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, NBA officials have advised players to restrict physical contact with fans to limit potential exposure to coronavirus, according to a league memo sent to the players. The NBA has also advised their players to limit signing autographs as well. There are currently 102 cases of the novel coronavirus nationwide, according to federal and state health officials.
“The coronavirus remains a situation with the potential to change rapidly—the NBA and the Players Association will continue to work with leading experts and team physicians to provide up-to-date information and recommended practices that should be followed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” the league said in the memo.
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have been consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and infectious-disease experts, including a renowned researcher at Columbia University, the memo said.
“We are also in regular communication with each other, NBA teams including team physicians and athletic trainers, other professional sports leagues, and of course, many of you,” the league also wrote in its memo to teams, their physicians and athletic training staffs.
Portland guard CJ McCollum has already taken the advice.
The Corona Virus has officially hit Oregon. More specifically Lake Oswego…Make sure y’all washing y’all hands with soap for 20 or more seconds & covering ya mouths when you cough. I am officially taking a break from signing autographs until further notice.
Sincerely,
CJ
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 29, 2020
“You just have to be careful,” McCollum said Monday night in Orlando. “Obviously it’s affecting people, especially people who are displaying weaker immune systems and people over 60. You’ve got to check yourself and wash your hands, try to reduce contact with outsiders and outside germs.”