This time a week ago, I was poised to open the #BAMInnovation Conference. The experience of partnering with the program lead Allen Reitter Jr. to assemble a team and craft this first-time show was so magical I had to sit with my feelings first before sharing cheers. From the minute he described his vision of inspiring and informing others via examples of the contributions Black people are making in tech, I knew I was in. That day, I already felt fortunate to do what I love – guiding folks through the day as the emcee. But to stand there and watch the parade of Black talent on the screen was deeply moving. So many different roles were showcased & I loved that presenters were not required to stand at the top of a ladder to stand on the platform. The comments that flowed in that day made me cry. I’ll share two of them:
“…Our community needs this nourishment. I’m both inspired and activated to do more. More creativity, more investing, more learning, but most of all more giving of my authentic self to help grow the technology space.”
“…my 9 year old son is listening he literally asked what is AI. I explained and told him he can be part of AI. He was inspired. Even when you think kids aren’t listening they are paying attention. Kudos to this conference. I’m learning so much…”
Being part of the team that designed and delivered this experience was nothing short of pure magic. I am proud of the role I played and and thankful for the words Allen shared about my work after the show:
What everyone got to see was your incredible versatility as you hosted, interviewed, and helped attendees seamlessly navigate through the day. What they didn’t see is all of the hard work you put in behind the scenes. From scriptwriting, to connecting people, booking speakers, collecting content, managing keynotes and so much more. Your impact was tremendous and the #BAMinnovation team couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for your time, effort, and support. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you over the past few months. I’m so honored you chose to host our event. You did an amazing job!
ABOUT KIESHA GARRISON
Kiesha Garrison is a professional emcee and public speaker whose work focuses on personal discovery and courageous conversations that connect us to our true selves and community.
