Business
‘Girl Boss Pop-Up’ event brings together Detroit-based, women-owned businesses
ROLLINGOUT.COM — Sylvia Crawford is doing something amazing for women-owned businesses in Detroit.
By Porsha Monique
Sylvia Crawford is the president and CEO of Crawford Real Estate and Development Holdings LLC, a real property acquisition and development firm. She’s also the COO of StreetCredit Coworking and Events, which is housed inside CRED’s headquarters. Crawford is doing something amazing for women-owned businesses in Detroit on International Women’s Day: hosting a Girl Boss Pop-Up Event and Social. The event will be a collaboration of more than 100 women-owned Detroit storefronts coming together to celebrate Detroit on International Women’s Day with a citywide “Shop Hop.”
Rolling out caught up with Crawford to talk more about her first-of-its-kind event.
Tell us about your event.
The Girl Boss Pop-Up and Social Event was formed out of a collaboration of more than 100 Detroit women business owners who joined forces and organized a citywide “Shop Hop” to celebrate and draw attention to the vast number of women-owned businesses in Detroit on International Women’s Day.
StreetCredit Coworking and Events takes it a step further by uniting more than a dozen startup, emerging, home-based and mobile businesses — who are without a storefront of their own — and are creating an opportunity to be part of this historic and important partnership with other Detroit women entrepreneurs. The Girl Boss Pop-Up showcases women entrepreneurs from both the upstart to the highly experienced. Get ready to explore culinary entrepreneurs, all-natural skin care products, Detroit-centered streetwear tees and more. We wanted to celebrate Women’s History Month by helping Detroit women business owners make history … and secure the bag!
Aside from women business owners, who else will be participating in your event?
We’ve also invited some guests to present some “fireside” chats alongside some of our business owners. We’ll also have game stations and some prizes.
What’s your role in the event?
I’m the COO of StreetCredit Coworking and Events. We promote and support startup and emerging small business ventures. This is why we decided that the ideal role for StreetCredit is to create a pop-up marketplace for women-owned businesses who don’t have their own storefronts.
Where can people find more information on the event?
Girl Boss Pop-Up and Social will take place from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Friday, March 8 in our industrial-style business and events complex located at 6340 E. Jefferson Ave., in Detroit’s rising east Riverfront District. People can connect with us via social media, Instagram @streetcred.det, Twitter @streetcreddet and Facebook @stcredit, look for the Crawford Real Estate & Development page. Also, our website is www.Womenindetroit.com and it lists the more than 100 women-owned Detroit storefronts participating in the Detroit Women’s Day Shop Hop.
The dozen-plus businesses in the Girl Boss Pop-Up marketplace include:
- Be Well Fabulous Black Women Michigan Tour
- Black Beautiful & Brilliant, a docuseries
- Cindy Bee and Honey Products
- Urban Country Tea House
- Dinner & Dessert
- Eartha’s Naturals
- I See You Awards
- Mechelle Lynn Gift Wrapping
- Paparazzi jewelry
- Sprezzaatura Art Collective
- Streetwear LLC
- Sisters On A Roll
- The Pro Shop
- Traci Lynn Fashion Jewelry
This article originally appeared in Rollingout.com.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of November 27 – December 3, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 27 – December 3, 2024, 2024
To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Black History
Emeline King: A Trailblazer in the Automotive Industry
Emeline King is recognized as the first African American female transportation designer at the Ford Motor Company. Let’s take a look at her life and career at the Ford Motor Company.
By Tamara Shiloh
Emeline King is recognized as the first African American female transportation designer at the Ford Motor Company.
Let’s take a look at her life and career at the Ford Motor Company.
King’s fascination with cars began during her childhood. Growing up, she was captivated by the sleek designs and mechanical complexities of automobiles. She loved playing with toy cars and considered it an insult if anyone gave her a doll.
King pursued her interest in cars by studying at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. There, she improved her skills in transportation design, gaining the technical expertise and artistic vision she needed to break into the male-dominated industry.
However, her true inspiration came from her father, Earnest O. King, Sr., who worked for Ford as a Fabrication Specialist. She remembered the father-daughter trips to the auto shows, and the Saturday mornings with the famous Black sculptor, Oscar Graves, who her father assisted in some of his commissioned art works.
She said Graves would mentor her in clay relief sculptures. She was always fascinated by the smell of clay that was a constant in his studio.
However, it was her first visit to her father’s job that became the catalyst for King to want a career in transportation design. At the company’s annual employee Christmas parties, she got the chance to meet his co-workers and learned about the roles they played in the auto industry. It was a chance to see some great cars, too.
Her career at Ford began in the 1980s, when women — particularly women of color –were scarcely represented in the automotive industry. King’s role at Ford was groundbreaking, as she became the first African American woman to work as a transportation designer at the company.
At Ford Design, she worked on the Ford Mustang SN-95’s interior. She also made several design contributions on other vehicles, too, including the interior components of the 1989 Thunderbird, the 1989 Corporate Steering Wheel, the 1989 Thunderbird Wheel/Wheel cover design program, the 1990 Thunderbird Super Coupe, the 1993 Mach III, the 1994 Mustang, to name a few.
King also served three foreign assignments: Turin Italy; Koln, Germany; and Brentwood, Essex, England — designing Ford cars for Europe.
Leaving Ford after about 25 years of service and along with her many speaking engagements, she wrote an autobiography about being Ford’s first female African American transportation designer titled, “What Do You Mean A Black Girl Can’t Design Cars? She Did It!”
She’s quoted as saying, “I’m now so proud to have written a book that I hope will inspire young girls and boys to never give up. To influence them so that they can stay focused and alert, and so they never look back. There are mentors who are placed in our lives to serve as our ‘Bridges to Destinations’ and allow us to cross over them to reach our dreams. Hoping they gain inspiration from my book, my motto for them is simple: ‘OPPORTUNITY IS NOW, SO GRAB IT! IF I DID IT, SO CAN YOU!”
Activism
OCCUR Hosts “Faith Forward” Conference in Oakland
The conference featured Congresswoman-elect Lateefah Simon, who will begin her term representing California’s 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in January.
Simon was honored with a special recognition from OCCUR for her civic and nonprofit leadership.
By Carla Thomas
The Oakland Citizens Committee for Urban Renewal (OCCUR) hosted its Faith Forward 2024 Conference on Nov. 8 at Resurrection Church in Oakland.
The conference featured Congresswoman-elect Lateefah Simon, who will begin her term representing California’s 12th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in January.
Simon was honored with a special recognition from OCCUR for her civic and nonprofit leadership. During her remarks, She commended nonprofits making a difference, and shared how she looked forward to representing Oakland and surrounding areas.
Simon also encouraged attendees to continue fighting despite their concerns about the presidential election results. She also cautioned that there may be resources that are discontinued as a result.
“We know the assignment. We have many of the resources right within our own community, and we will be ok,” Simon assured the audience.
The conference led by OCCUR president, Dr. David B. Franklin, also featured panels on funding opportunities, case studies, economic development, sustainable housing solutions, and organizing for action.
“In order for organizations serving the community to thrive, everyone must collaborate, share resources, and not operate in silos,” said Franklin.
Speakers included San Francisco Foundation CEO, Fred Blackwell, San Francisco Foundation FAITHS Program Director Dr. Michelle Chambers, and Kingmakers of Oakland Founder, Chris Chatmon. Guests were briefed on how Kingmakers of Oakland has gone from a budget of zero to several million and is set to acquire 200 acres of property to expand their programs serving young boys. The leadership at the San Francisco Foundation encouraged nonprofits, churches, and community leaders to work together, especially when donations and funding numbers are lower.
Ben Bartlett of Berkeley City Council; Trevor Parham, CEO of Oakstop; and CEO of the Lao Family Community Development, Inc., Kathy Chao Rothberg, inspired attendees with stories about their journeys in the nonprofit sector.
Additional speakers included Deka Dike, CEO of Omatachi; Landis Green, CEO of DGS Strategies; Sasha Werblin, Director of Economic Development, LISC Bay Area; Oakland City Councilmember Treva Reid; Faith and Justice Organizer of East Bay Housing Organizations, Ronnie Boyd; and Todd Bendon, Executive Director of Faith in Action East Bay; among others.
The event allowed community leaders, faith-based leaders, and nonprofits to gain Insight on how to strengthen their profits financially, and communally.
OCCUR has served the community for over 70 years supporting the wellbeing of historically marginalized communities with collaborative strategies. For more information visit occurnow.org
-
Activism3 weeks ago
LIVE! — TOWN HALL ON RACISM AND ITS IMPACT — THURS. 11.14.24 5PM PST
-
Bay Area4 weeks ago
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s Open Letter to Philip Dreyfuss, Recall Election’s Primary Funder
-
Bay Area4 weeks ago
Oakland Awarded $28 Million Grant from Governor Newsom to Sustain Long-Term Solutions Addressing Homelessness
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024
-
Bay Area4 weeks ago
Pamela Price Appoints Deputy D.A. Jennifer Kassan as New Director of Community Support Bureau
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
OP-ED: The Illusion of Allyship. White Women, Your Yard Signs Mean Nothing to Me
-
Activism2 weeks ago
An Inside Look into How San Francisco Analyzes Homeless Encampments
-
#NNPA BlackPress2 weeks ago
PRESS ROOM: Clyburn, Pressley, Scanlon, Colleagues Urge Biden to Use Clemency Power to Address Mass Incarceration Before Leaving Office