Black History Month is an opportunity to celebrate and recognize Black achievements and accomplishments of the past and to use experience and learning’s to elevate and impact our future. I am often asked ‘What can I do to better support Black communities?’ by well-intended and well-meaning allies and advocates. The above sentiments are a great starting point!

This month, I will be producing and distributing content through a variety of different platforms and forums to inspire and empower leaders on their own journeys toward leveling the playing field for Black professionals in the workplace and leveraging power, privilege and access to productively and positively impact Black people.

#blacklivesmatter is more than a trending hashtag, it is a recognition of our personage, our vitality, our grit and resilience and who we have always been in this world. It is a call to action to implore people to love and celebrate US the way many often love and celebrate our CULTURE. That is why The Rainbow Disruption remains committed to helping companies and organizations around the world uncover the best, most meaningful ways to ensure equity for all and promote real, tangible progress! We are thrilled to be on this journey with you.

Happy Black History Month, all!

Jarvis Sam Bio
As a Houston, Texas native, Jarvis Sam’s upbringing — one that bridged two worlds of city and country — deeply shaped his identity. If you ask him about his background and who he is, don’t expect a standard biography. Instead, Sam will talk about the values instilled in him from a young age like justice, freedom, equity, community, family, the sanctity for identity and the ownership of it.

Now, as Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Nike, Sam leads the DEI practice area at the company where he leverages historical understandings in the sports industry to lead change. On paper, his education and career has come full circle. His resume includes the likes of big tech companies, such as Snapchat and Google. But only from a glance at his long hair, braids colored in every shade of the rainbow, does one recognize his greatest strength as a leader — his authenticity. But for Sam, discovering his authentic self first took putting on a face that was not his own.

BEI does this by providing Black entrepreneurs free access to TLE’s Learning Community – a one stop shop for much of the knowledge, tools and support they need to succeed. The platform is provided free through support of the corporate, philanthropic and economic development partners.

Jarvis Sam is one of TLE’s esteemed group of BEI Ambassadors and Black leaders that represent communities throughout the nation. For a list of Ambassadors, visit here

BEI has created unprecedented cooperation among corporations, philanthropies and governments including a partnership with the Milwaukee Bucks launched on Martin Luther King Day and with the iconic Richard Petty Motorsports where the Black Entrepreneur Initiative will appear on the iconic 43 race car throughout the NASCAR season and support 4,300 Black entrepreneurs.

Each day, Black entrepreneurs in BEI have been improving their chance of success. Visit here for a sample of some of the reactions from Black entrepreneurs.

For organizations interested in sponsoring Black entrepreneurs, visit here.

About the Black Entrepreneur Initiative
Founded by a multi-racial coalition of community and business leaders, the Black Entrepreneur Initiative is a nationwide program dedicated to offering 100,000 Black entrepreneurs’ access to foundational business –skill building tools and resources via The Lonely Entrepreneur Learning Community. The Black Entrepreneur Initiative is provided through the generous donations of corporate, philanthropic and community partners and is administered through the Lonely Entrepreneur’s non-profit. For more, please visit https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/bei.

About The Lonely Entrepreneur 501(c)(3)
The Lonely Entrepreneur seeks to unlock the potential of 1 million entrepreneurs worldwide. The Lonely Entrepreneur empowers entrepreneurs and provides corporate, non-profit, social responsibility and community efforts to provide individuals the opportunity to acquire entrepreneurial skills and have a better chance of bringing their visions to life. For more, please visit https://lonelyentrepreneur.com/nonprofit