Empowerment Showcase; Living Up to the Name

RALEIGH, NC- On Saturday, June 12, at Kingdom Transportation in Raleigh, something incredible happened. A coalition of Black-owned businesses came together to showcase, network, and share their testimonies in a safe space.

They called it the Empowerment Showcase and it did just that. 

I must say, I was moved by the inviting energy in the room. Although these people were selling their books, t-shirts, and services, they encouraged one another.

The event was hosted and put together by none other than Mr. Terrence Perry. Perry is an author and a life coach dedicated to giving Black people a voice. 

Similarly, Perry put this event together to allow networking between like-minded individuals with coinciding beliefs. A coalition of Black-owned businesses came together to network and share their testimonies in a safe space.

I believe that inadvertently Perry did more than what he intended to. I say this because all but two vendors present were Black women. 

These women were powerful beyond belief. How they ignited the room when they spoke and the books they promoted was awe-inspiring. For the sake of timeliness, I will only be mentioning four. 

First was Ms. Traci Butterfli Dunston. When I first spoke with Duston, a sense of safety came rushing over me. She has a peaceful aura about her that is hard to truly capture with words. 

Dunston is a poet who “Will empower, inspire, and uplift the Black Woman.”. Her book Divine Influence can be found bought on Amazon.

Another poet, Rhoza Lee spoke with the same passion and ferocity. Lee said, arguably, the most truthful thing about the Black experience in America I have ever heard. 

“Everything comes from Black”. Lee made Black truth animated and alive in her own book Black Light. “I named my book Black Light because Black is the only light that all colors derive from”. 

The truth that these Women came to tell did not stop at poetry either. Pamela Wakefield has written four books, three of which talk solely about stress. 

What’s in this House, It’s not too late to get on the right path, Reclaiming my life from stress, and 73 Ways Women can Relieve Stress and Have Balance are all works by Wakefield.

She talks about the detrimental effects of stress on the physical body and mental health. All can be accessed through the link above. 

Lastly was Sandra Hardy. She is a business strategist focused on accessing where businesses have left revenue on the table or how to obtain new revenue. 

Furthermore, Hardy spoke to me on a deeper level as well. The wisdom she bestowed upon me moved my spirit. 

Hardy has walked a journey too many have and not only made it through but triumphed. She shared with me her experiences with molestation, rape, and domestic violence.

I admirably watched her as she spoke on a platform and proclaimed that her trauma did not define her and it will not define us. 

I said earlier that this event lived up to its name proudly. But it did much more than that.

The Empowerment Showcase gave Black-owned businesses networking opportunities, but it also gave Black Women a chance to be heard. Unfortunately, this does not happen enough. 

Perry hopes to hold a state-wide event, going city to city educating and dismantling police departments in July.