On September 11th, WOC Worldwide is hosted a full-day of panel discussions during Congressional Black Caucus highlighting Policing, Economic Development and Cannabis. The discussions focused on confronting important issues for Black Women and the Black family including everything from bodycams to grocery stores and the next wealth building industry - cannabis. Our host and moderator, Megan Rivers, news anchor and reporter at WBAL TV 11 Baltimore took us on a journey to understand the importance of understanding our rights in each state, how insurance can build generational wealth instead of debt and learning exactly how much it takes to create an operational cannabis business in Maryland and Washington, DC.

Together, with prominent figures in criminal defense, legislation, economic development and business, we explored critical issues for our community that may not be as sexy and beauty and skincare, but that are of paramount importance for our families. Starting with the first panel: UNCHECKED POWER: Policing in the Digital Age we heard that surveillance technology has been in practice for over 25 years and although we know our rights are relevant and important, the most important issue is to get home after a traffic stop and litigate in court, not in the streets. 

The second panel, “Black” Cities: Economic Development That Works helped us understand how policy and business work together to bring more opportunities to our communities - whether that’s a grocery store, which is a hot topic right now in DC, or figuring out how you can build wealth, not debt through important tools like cash-value life insurance or bonded labor programs in cities like Atlanta. Dr. Eloisa Klementich highlighted the commitment of leaders and government officials to making growth equitable and encouraged us to educate ourselves on how local municipal organizations can support you as a small business or entreprenuer.

Lastly, we learned from Cannabis, Black Women and The Black Family that it takes a minimum of $1M to start a cannabis business or brand nowadays but there’s more than one way to participate in the industry - including ancillary businesses which are low risk and high demand in the DC area. The seasoned entrepreneurs and officials on our panel highlighted the importance of advocacy and policy making as a part of building their businesses and even discussed exit strategies for their licenses and long-term goals to diversity their organizations to drive profitability.

Panelist included the experts below!

UNCHECKED POWER: Policing in the Digital Age

• Lambert Guinn - Former Assistant US Attorney and Partner, Flannery Georgalis

• Erin K.Taylor - Counsel Womble Bond Dickinson

• MarcusMoore - Retired Federal Police Officer

“Black" Cities: Economic Development Strategies that Work

• Douglas Eze - CEO TruLegacy Life Group (Sponsor)

• Dr. Eloisa Klementich - CEcDPresident & CEO, Invest Atlanta

• Kevin Dick - President & CEO, Carolina Small Business Development Fund

• Derek Ford - President & CEO, Washington DC Economic Partnership

Cannabis, Black Women and The Black Family

• Kika Keith - Owner, Gorilla RX

• Shanita Penny - Founder & CEO, Budding Solutions

• Tremaine Wright - Chairwoman New York State Cannabis Control Board

• Khalilah Olokunola - Senior Advisor, Talent Nova

• HopeWiseman - CEO, WISECO

• Nnamd Amechi - CEO, TruReform

Check out photos in our gallery below, or visit the digital platform for a video recap!

A DAY OF CONVERSATION AT CBC GALLERY