OMG’s D&I team in the U.S. hosted opportunities for OMGers to delve into black history and appreciate black culture, both in and outside of the office.

OMG employees and family members traveled to Washington D.C. for a special visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Back in New York, the team hosted a midday trip to the Weeksville Heritage Center to learn about the former independent, free black community that was named after and purchased by James Week in 1838 in order to create an intentional landowning area.

Transitioning us from Black History Month into Women’s History Month, OMG D&I also hosted an intimate artist talk featuring emerging black female artists from sk.ArtSpace – a non-traditional art gallery, located in Brooklyn that serves as a safe space for local creatives. It was cofounded in 2018 by OMG’s own Symone Wong.

OMG D&I also tapped our Black Leadership Networks across the country to develop programming to commemorate the celebratory month:

OMG’s BLN East hosted a pop-up bazaar at our New York headquarters that spotlighted black-owned businesses created by or connected to OMG employees. The marketplace experience spanned a variety of industries, featuring the following companies and ventures (in addition to sk.ArtSpace):

Action 4 Reel Filmworks: Action 4 Reel Flimworks is the brainchild of veteran stuntman/stunt coordinator Roy T. Anderson and his wife Alison Gail. Their production roster includes: “Akwantu: The Journey,” “Queen Nanny: Legendary Maroon Chieftainess” and “African Redemption: The Life & Legacy of Marcus Garvey” (in post-production). Cofounded by Alison Anderson, Collaboration Analyst, OMG

AfroTriping: This travel company was created to bridge the gap between the African Diaspora with the rest of the world. Their goal is to provide a safe and a reliable conduit for people to travel to all parts of Africa, the Caribbean islands and the rest of the world. They organize cultural excursions, events and other tailored experiences to create a broad picture of the destination in which we have visited. Cofounded by Emmanuel Okwan Jr., Project Coordinator, Agile Project Management, Hearts & Science

Horse Racing & Lottery Stat Tracker: The app allows you to search and manipulate the result data for Horse Racing in New York City for Belmont and Aqueduct Race Tracks. Created by Keith Reid, Business Solutions Specialist, OMG

Jamaican Breeze Sports Bar & Grill: Jamaican Breeze Sports Bar & Grill is a family friendly restaurant which specializes in Jamaican cuisine wrapped in a tropical, sports-filled, inviting atmosphere. Jamaican Breeze offers the authentic, “chilled and laid back” environment of the beautiful island people while offering real food with amazing flavors. Founded by the family of Micaella Duncan, Strategist, PHD

Pour Rich: Pour Rich offers mobile bartending services, cocktail and non-alcoholic beverage menu planning, signature cocktails and more for your event. Created by Richard Jean Baptiste, Business Analyst, Annalect

Each entrepreneur shared obstacles they had to overcome to succeed in their respective ventures, networked and provided attendees with live samples and demos.

In Chicago, OMG’s BLN Midwest partnered with Google to launch an initiative called “Bettering Black Businesses.” Geared towards elevating small business owners in their respective industries with business strategy and media consultation, the partnership helped to shape participants’ marketing strategies to reach their desired goals. Followed by an “Accelerate with Google” workshop, this session was only the beginning of an extended relationship and commitment of media consultation and mentoring to black-owned businesses.

Additionally, as a spin on the famous Taste of Chicago, the BLN Midwest presented Taste the Culture: a curated presentation of local, black-owned restaurants, bakeries and catering companies. OMG employees were able to sample and purchase cuisine from across the Diaspora.

OMG’s BLN West enlisted incredible talent from Centennial High School Marching Band and members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. to bring the HBCU experience to our LA offices.

Special thanks to the OMG D&I team (Justin Reyes, Sakinah Charbeneau and Toni Pringley), OMG BLN leadership and our partners for helping us all to honor and celebrate Black History Month in an impactful way.