Over sixteen hundred miles away from Afrotech, another group of ambitious individuals fostered connections and promoted access, but unlike in Houston, Black veterans filled this room.
ESSENCE was on the scene as Black Veterans for Social Justice held a summit in New York (BVSJ) gathered to introduce Black veterans to industry leaders and facilitate their networking efforts.
Attendees balanced their themed cocktails and phones bearing LinkedIn QR codes in their hands as they swapped information and exchanged smiles. In one corner, several attendees joked about how rare it was to run into someone else from the Coastguard. In another, former Marines embraced one another.
Founded by Job Mashariki, the organization is currently headed by CEO Wendy Charece McClinton. She spoke with ESSENCE about the importance of including Black veterans in conversations about their professional futures. “It’s important that we be able to use our voice because we know what we need,” says McClinton. “We’re putting veterans at the table so we can dictate what’s on the menu.”
According to the United States Department of Labor, “Black veterans, who make up 14% of veterans and less than 8% of the total Black population (bls.gov), disproportionately access assistance and support programs while experiencing worse economic and employment outcomes than other veteran subgroups.”
The event was hosted with support from AMC Networks, Navy Federal Credit Union, LVMH, Tiffany & Co., and Moët Hennessy. AMC Networks and Navy Federal Credit Union set up booths where attendees could interact directly with representatives from their firms.
The summit had the same light air of CultureCon and ADCOLOR. It was held in the same event space that housed a fashion week party by Complex and WHO DECIDES WAR and a product launch from Shea Moisture. The room full of veterans looked right at home. Their heels and suits were bathed in LED lights and surrounded by smart floral arrangements.
McClinton spoke, wearing an electric cobalt suit, her jewelry sparkling. “It’s a potpourri of color, it’s a potpourri of style,” she said. “It’s okay to flash our style and let, even though we have the military background, we all come with our same panache, our own thoughts, our own feelings on how we want to present and see ourselves and I like seeing veterans in this space.”
BVSJ has partnered with Microsoft to upskill 5,000 Black veterans with hands-on training in AI, cybersecurity, and gaming. Veterans are no strangers to technology. McClinton highlighted the qualities that set veterans apart from civilians in the workplace. “We can take those skills that they’ve learned and put them in spaces that they can only think about,” she said.
Veterans are resilient and highly adaptable. A 2022 article from the Journal of Military Psychology reported their professional advantages. It stated that civilian organizations can benefit from “veterans’ advanced leadership skills, cross-cultural experience, strong work ethic, and integrity.”
“We transfer discipline, we transfer commitment, we transfer a well-roundedness,” said McClinton. “What they learn and what they know how today is critical for them to survive and to thrive.”
Many of the technologies we rely on daily were developed during and implemented in military activities before they were permitted for civilian use. There are veterans who are intimately familiar with what our tomorrow will look like, and according to McClinton, they deserve a chance.
She noted her belief that a step to ensuring the success of Black Veterans is to alter the way the world sees them. McClinton wants a more well-rounded portrayal of the competent and talented people who served at her side. “We need to change the optic[s], we need to change the narrative. The optic always shows a veteran that’s homeless, optic[s] always shows a veteran that needs employment or they’re in the street,” McClinton continued. “We have those issues but they don’t stop us from excelling. They don’t stop us from building. It doesn’t stop us from marketing and developing our own brand and our own style.”
Veterans and enlisted military personnel being featured in contemporary media is changing that perception one viral clip at a time. The Bravo reality show Summer House Martha’s Vineyard featured Silas Cooper, who recently retired from the military, and his wife Jasmine Ellis Cooper surrounded by friends in the Black vacation haven. They were in attendance at the pre-event dinner hosted the previous evening at Brooklyn Chop House. The Times Square located establishment frequented by Mary J. Blige, Angie Martinez, and more celebs has become a staple for events designed to make change.
Those involved with the summit’s programming had the opportunity to hear from Earn Your Leisure host Troy Millings, Xbox Game Studios Senior Producer iAsia Brown, Vice President, of Head of Inclusion, Diversity & Equity at Moët Hennessy Tiara Williams and Richard Brookshire.
CEO and co-founder of the Black Veterans Project. During the summit, speakers explored topics including the importance of building generational wealth, methods for disrupting tech barriers to entry, and the continuing evolution of corporate leadership standards.
McClinton and her team are continuously expanding their efforts. “This veterans empowerment Summit just doesn’t stop in New York. It needs to move from state to state so all veterans can reap the benefits of it,” she said.
“We need corporate America, and we need the nation to know that we are veterans every day, not just on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.”
Learn more about Black Veterans for Social Justice here.
