Virtual Brunch: Fireside Chat and Networking Session Hosted by Comcast and So She Slays

“They say that crises do not mask, crises reveal underlying problems. And this health crisis has really disproportionately impacted people and communities of colors.”

Luz Urrutia, CEO of the Opportunity Fund

Yesterday, October 12, 2020, So She Slays partnered with Comcast to host a virtual brunch to kick off the second annual LTX Fest. The event was hosted by So She Slays Co-Founder, Chauncey Woods. Once introductions were made, it was time for our Q&A portion of the event moderated by Lorena Hernandez, the Director of Community Impact for Comcast, California.

Lorena moderated the Q&A with Opportunity Fund CEO Luz Urrutia and the two announced that Comcast California is donating $350,000 in cash and in-kind support to Opportunity Fund to provide microloans and wraparound services – things like marketing, branding and financial services – for small businesses with owners who are Black, Indigenous and People Of Color.

Opportunity Fund CEO Luz Urrutia explained why this initiative is of the utmost importance now more than ever. ”In April, we launched a small business Relief Fund to raise $50 million. We knew that we needed to act fast, we knew our customers were going to really need a lot more help than ever before, and that we needed a lot of resources and the funding that we raised really was intended to help small businesses.”

This year was devastating for small businesses and especially for BIPOC-owned businesses, but Comcast and the Opportunity Fund are guiding small businesses through this difficult time. “The minority owned businesses are experiencing the brunt of the pain,” continues Urrutia. “26% of black owned businesses have closed, 19% of Latina, and 21% of Asian American businesses have closed during the stay at home order.”

It is clear that standing up and building a support system for each other as women and people of color holds a substantial amount of weight when actual businesses and livelihoods are on the line. We ended the event with a networking session and a group picture.

As women entrepreneurs and women of color, we need to amplify our voices for ourselves and our future. To partner with the Comcast and Opportunity Fund has been a blessing, and we are genuinely inspired by their continuous efforts to empower our community. So She Slays is dedicated to empowering women in entrepreneurship and BIPOC-owned businesses. We are proud to continue to fight to have our voices heard and empower ourselves for our future. 

Make sure to follow Comcast California on Twitter and follow the hashtag #UnitedWeRise for all updates.