( ENSPIRE News ) Cooperative Economic Empowerment Movement Partners with LA County Fair to Celebrate Black Heritage & 100-Year Anniversary of the Fair
ENSPIRE Contributor: Maya Lanzone
Cooperative Economic Empowerment Movement (CEEM) partnered with the Los Angeles County Fair for its 3rd annual celebration of Black excellence on the weekend of May 13-15th. To celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the fair, patrons experienced a variety of engaging and interactive activities focused on heritage and the fair’s centennial origins throughout the month of May.
Considering this year’s theme, “Back to Our Roots,” the second weekend of the fair was dedicated to the achievements of African American culture and thought leaders paving the way in education, business, entertainment, technology, and more. CEEM’s curated 3-day affair included live entertainment with a surprise headliner performing each night, panel discussions, kid zones, an art gallery, pop-up booths, a delicious lineup of food from black-owned businesses, a $5,000 entrepreneur pitch competition, and so much more that children and families enjoyed.
For the past six years, CEEM has been committed to helping African Americans create long-term generational wealth and investments in African American-owned ventures.
CEEM is a membership cooperative focused on creating parity, which is the expectation that everyone has the same opportunity for success. Its mission is to create opportunities for others to enhance power and build wealth. CEEM enhances power through the collective influence of their membership community as a convenor–they work with partner organizations to bring together influential Black community leaders to catalyze dialogue and action. They build wealth by developing businesses from the ground up that are equally and entirely owned by its members.
Returning after a 2-year pandemic hiatus, CEEM sought to provide a positive extravaganza and hub to promote, educate, and showcase Black culture. “I’m super excited that we’re back for the third time at the LA County Fair! Especially since it’s our first time back post-pandemic,” stated the CEO of CEEM, Kyle Webb. “Our goal is to showcase black excellence at its finest and bring the community together. There’s no better way to do this than CEEM at the LA County Fair.”
The 3-day weekend schedule included:
Friday, May 13th – A celebration dedicated to the 2022 class of Black graduates across Southern California hosted by the Black Greek Festival.
Saturday, May 14th – Live entertainment, pop-up experiences, kid zone, pitch contest, and live performances with Amber Riley as the headliner!
Sunday, May 15th – Gospel Sunday that included a special sermon, live music with French-Senegalese singer Diarra Sylla, and so much more!
The partnering of CEEM and the LA County Fair was quite a success in delivering both an entertaining and educational weekend for patrons to enjoy. For more information on the LA County Fair, visit their website here. To learn more about CEEM, click here.
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