Black Creative & Journalist Treye Green host first annual Black In Media Day Summit

Short N Sweet Ent

“We are not our trauma, we are the dope culture that we create” – Treye Green

On July 16, 2021, Treye Green the founder of Black In Media, launched the first-ever virtual Black In Media Day Summit where Black media professionals across the industry celebrated the work of Black creatives and highlighted the content these creatives make about the Black experience. Despite facing challenges in the industry, Green created a space where Black media professionals can use their voices to tell their stories in an environment that is understood and appreciated. Inspired by the birthday of American investigative journalist Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Green expressed that today is important because we are all here to honor her legacy and the work that she has done for black creatives. Today was filled with not only amazing panelists who was made a mark in Black media but also attendees who use their voice as a vessel to transform our culture to make it to what we know of it in its present form.

Here is a complete list of the schedule from the Black In Media Day Summit:

The Power In Our Purpose with Gia Peppers

A chat with Journalist Gia Peppers and Black In Media Founder Treye Green

Freelancing 101: How to Grow Your Freelance Writing Career

Panelist Included: Dria Roland, Gerrick Kennedy, Kovie Biakolo, and Patrice Peck

The Network of Friendships: How to Build and Maintain Impactful Relationships as a Black Media Professional

Panelist Included: Heather Haynes, Jameer Pond, Sylvia Obell, and Jaz Woods

Podcasting 101: Breaking Into Podcasting

Panelist Included: Agerenesh Ashagre, Josh Gwynn, Keisha TK Dutes, and Savoy Jefferson

Black Media Today, Tomorrow, and Forever: The Future of Black Storytelling

Panelist Included: Cori Murray, Taryn Finley, Tre’Vell Anderson, and William Ketchum

One of my favorite discussions that took place started from the beginning with Gia Peppers when she eloquently talked about The Power In Our Purpose. With everything going on in the world we tend to question ourselves at least one time a day. I start each morning by telling myself, one step at a time. Yes, this is extremely hard to practice but if I remind myself of the things that I have control over then I have a better chance at understanding my personal “why”. When we all take a look at our lives the majority of us tend to struggle with our purpose and why we belong in the spaces that we are in. At the beginning of the conversation Gia stated, “that when you define purpose you focus on why you are here, why do you exist, and why do you breathe the air into your lungs that give you life and in return this will determine how you should show up in this world”. As a young girl, Gia recalled memories in her childhood where she believed that in her world she could create anything she wanted. She practiced, with her imaginary audience, how to speak to thousands of people in the crowd and what that would ultimately look like for her in her future. Now people might say well that doesn’t happen so easily but when you speak to the universe the universe will speak back to you and lead you down the right path.

If you have been following Gia and her story you should know by now that her faith has driven her to where she is now. In this open and honest conversation, Gia expressed that her faith has pushed her past dealing with depression, challenging moments, and grief in her life. I got chills when Gia left us with some powerful words:

“Thank you, God for not giving up on me even when I wanted to give up on myself”.

We have all been there and hit a moment in our lives when we have wanted to give up but we didn’t. Something made us keep going and if we remember our WHY we will remember that giving up is not an option.

Another favorite part of the Black In Media Day Summit came from The Network of Friendships discussion with Heather Haynes, Jaz Woods, Sylvia Obell, and Jameer Pond. This discussion was exactly what I needed to uplift my spirits and truly made me feel like I belong. We all have friends but how does one define those friendships in an industry where many people see “you” as an opportunity. This can be very confusing for your spirit but when you make genuine and organic friendships you automatically know that you have hit the jackpot. Instead of building up, these panelists discussed the importance of what it takes to build across and how to grow and pour into those who truly support you.

Panelist Jameer Pond stated, “there’s nothing wrong with showing up as yourself, surround yourself with energy to make you a better you”. In one form or the other, we have all experienced imposter syndrome where we doubt our abilities essentially making us feel like we don’t belong. He has got through some of those moments by first working on his full self and two by leaning on his tribe of friends.

Our friendships are some of the most important relationships that we have in our lives. For most of us, these friends have turned into our family and play a crucial part in our success.

You Are Here For A Reason!

Congratulations to the entire Black In Media Team. Today was a huge accomplishment and here at Short N Sweet Ent support you!