Harlem event helps women entrepreneurs advocate for equality
NEW YORK -- The Luminary organization hosted a women's empowerment event Wednesday in partnership with the Chase Bank on West 125th Street in Central Harlem. This latest stop on a national tour is advocating equality in the workforce.
The #InThisTogether tour is a way for women entrepreneurs to reconnect and gain the tools they need to find their voice.
Through a day of workshops and talks, an eager group of women took notes on achieving success.
"When women have the information that they need, especially women of color, this there's nothing that can stop us from ruling the world," said attendee Dawn Kelly, who catered lunch for the event from her Jamaica Queens juice bar The Nourish Spot.
Cate Luzio started Luminary after a career in banking, using the skills she learned and the partnerships she built to speak up for what she wanted.
"Nobody cares about your career more than you do," Luzio emphasized. "So if you're expecting your company to do everything. You're going to be disappointed."
Luzio's former employer JP Morgan Chase was happy to host the Harlem stop on the Luminary tour, with the bank advancing its own inclusion efforts and advocacy.
"The engagement from these amazing, amazing entrepreneurs is really invigorating," said Chase's East Harlem Community Manager Rocky Chowdhury. "Every time we connect with Luminary and the events that we have, we definitely leave with a light."
The free event gave attendees a taste of the every day support Luminary provides for its members.
"They actually don't shy away from the fact that they've heard for so many years, they're aggressive, they're too loud, they're too talkative," Luzio said of her clients. "And that's what we want to happen."
Luzio is taking Luminary to six more cities on the #InThisTogether tour, encouraging women everywhere to advocate for equal pay and opportunity.
Starting May 1, New York employers will have to post a salary range on any job posting as part of a new law aiming to add transparency to the hiring process.