( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) Prepares Black MBA Students for Advocacy and Social Justice in the Workforce Through Fellowship Program
ENSPIRE Contributor: Rawlonda Arthur
Social justice and racial equality in the workplace have been a trending topic recently. The RISE fellowship is presided by Joe Handy, president, and CEO, NBMBAA, and Nzinga Shaw, chief inclusion & diversity officer, Marsh McLennan. RISE, which stands for racial inclusion and social equity, will provide second-year Black MBA candidates and graduates in the US, UK, and Canada with an enriching curriculum of practical business knowledge and tools for advocating for social justice within a business environment. Their goal is to equip workers with the tools and materials they need to properly defend themselves in their workplace and voice their concerns in a manner where it does not come off uneducated and or unprofessional. The first cohort is intended to begin in September 2021, in celebration of Marsh McLennan’s 150th anniversary, and the fellowship ends in May 2022. The fellowship is actually still taking applications and has recently opened registration for the National Black MBA Assoc.’s annual conference. Their major focuses are entrepreneurship, career advancement, and… jobs!
In addition, The RISE program collaborated with National Black MBA Association and Fisk University to launch a fellowship program for black MBA students. Founded in 1866, Fisk University is a private, liberal arts university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is ranked No. 6 on the Top 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report and has received many other recognitions. NBMBAA® is a non-profit, member-based professional organization that creates educational, wealth-building, and growth opportunities for black students, professionals, and entrepreneurs. Together, the students are required to participate in a social justice program through the John Lewis Center for Social Justice at Fisk University, followed by an eight-month paid fellowship incorporating thought-leadership and mentorship from Marsh McLennan executives and NBMBAA leaders. Upon completion of the program, the students will be expected to complete an assessment of their observations and how they envision their role in continuing to promote an agenda of social justice.
NBMBAA is an influential organization to be mentored by and is known as the Largest Network of Black Professionals; NBMBAA boasts 41 chapters, over 500 corporate academic and not-for-profit partners, and 20,000 members. The organization offers year-round programming and events to expose members to new topics, ideas, and training. The program is preparing to host its 43rd annual conference and career exposition in Chicago hosted at McCormick Place from Sept. 14-18 under the theme ‘Renew, Refresh & Reset.’ The conference and career expo will be hosted under strict Covid-19 protocols to ensure the safety of all attendees.
Several impressive speakers lined up to deliver presentations throughout the week on topics such as Reinventing a Career, Technology and the Future of Work, Authenticity as a Business Advantage, Cutting-Edge Marketing Trends, and more. There will also be networking opportunities for those attending the conference in-person and digitally throughout the conference. To top it all off, attendees will also be treated to a welcome reception on a penultimate day, featuring a Taste of Chicago to sample the city’s legendary cuisine.
Creating a safe space for workers to have candid discussions starts at the organization’s top. As part of RISE, Marsh McLennan’s Executive Committee stated, “RISE will help us form a more diverse, inclusive, and vibrant Marsh McLennan and professional services industry.” The object is to help educate and bring awareness to our fellow brothers and sisters not to be left behind. Learning professionalism in a workplace is extremely important, and this organization teaches the tools necessary. Even though this is not directly doing good in communities, it is indirectly doing good, breaking the generational cycle of being uneducated and having a slave mentality.
For a list of NBMBAA Events, visit the National Black MBA Association website: NBMBAA – Empowering Visionaries
Register for the NBMBAA 2021 Rise Fellowship 2021 here.
Register for the NBMBAA 2021 43rd Annual Conference & Exposition, September 14th – 18th, 2021 here.
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