2021 Girls Leading Our World Summit Virtual Experience

Girls Leading Our World Virtual Summit honored Greenwood and contributions by Black women and girls in entrepreneurship as part of Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial on April 24

TULSA, Okla. - Women Empowering Nations (WEN), in partnership and observance alongside the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, presented the 2021 Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) Virtual Summit on Saturday, April 24 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST featuring Black women and girls representing a spectrum of journeys in entrepreneurship and leadership. In centennial commemoration of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the 2nd annual virtual event spotlighted Tulsa, honored the legacy of Greenwood, awarded over $7,000 in educational and entrepreneurship funding, presented the Legacy of Black Wall Street Awards to Tulsa female entrepreneurs, and uplifted the power, contribution and innovation of Black women and girls in business. 

Founded in 2009 by Tulsa native Carlisha Williams Bradley, WEN has worked with over 4,000 young women in eight countries to provide travel seminars, leadership programming, and yearlong mentorship opportunities. This year’s GLOW Virtual Summit, sponsored by Cantu Beauty, the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, and the Tulsa (OK) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated will yet again inspire participants and attendees as it steeps in the preservation and resilience of Greenwood, and screens to an international audience.  

"In light of the tragedy we’re commemorating, the GLOW Summit is celebrating the lineage of success that underlines the rich history of entrepreneurship and innovation by Black people, and in particular Black women,” said Bradley. “The legacy of Black Wall Street cannot be erased and we’re seeing full circle, 100 years later, how the contributions, leadership and value of Black women continue to play a pivotal role in Tulsa, the United States and the world."

The first panel, Next Generation: Black Girls in Entrepreneurship, held space for three emerging, young business owners who embodied the innovation that built Black Wall Street and featured young, Black entrepreneurs Kolbi Lucas (Kolbi’s Afro-mations), Saniyah Scott (CEO, Iconic Legends Apparel) and Kamryn Johnson (Founder, KamKouture).

Next, businesswomen Mandela SH Dixon (CEO, Founder Gym), Nicole Lynn (Agent, Young Money APAA Sports Agency) and Onikah Asomoa-Caesar (Founder, Fulton Street Coffee and Books) spoke to Blazing Trails: Black Women Carving Paths in Leadership, highlighting the barriers they have broken and discussed the important stepping stones they continue to pave.

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GLOW also awarded pandemic relief scholarships to 10 young women in attendance at the summit, to either graduating high school seniors or currently enrolled college students, with five of the scholarship opportunities reserved for incoming or current students enrolled at a historically black college or university. 

Additionally, the afternoon included the inaugural Legacy of Black Wall Street award ceremony, celebrating the accomplishments of five outstanding Black women entrepreneurs in Tulsa as they forge a change in the landscape of their hometown and spark a new era of representation and inspiration.

In 2020, WEN organized the GLOW Virtual Summit during the height of the most recent outcry of racial injustice and ongoing systemic racism in the United States. The contributions of Black people, and Black women and girls in particular, are evident throughout every facet of everyday life, and this summit will continue that discussion, with explicit dedication to their beautiful faces and bold voices around the world. Last year, more than 900 guests attended with girls representing 21 countries in Africa and more than 40 U.S. cities.