- 2 months ago
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00AT&T is absolutely committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and our next guests,
00:13I know a lot of you came specifically to see them, our next guests are the epitome of advancing
00:18representation in wealth and entrepreneurship.
00:22So please welcome the multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, Mr. Romeo Miller.
00:29and entrepreneur, Lori Harvey, money coach, mom, and wealth builder, Christian Lavelle,
00:36and the vice president of leadership and development at AT&T, Miss Michelle Jordan.
00:42How do y'all feel?
00:47I need y'all to make more noise than that.
00:53It is my honor to be here with you today. There's nothing like seeing us together again.
00:59Welcome to the AT&T Dream in Black Wealth and Power segment.
01:04Today we're talking representation, a conversation that is important and necessary.
01:09The more we talk about making sure that we are in the room and represented the more opportunities
01:15and platforms we create for ourselves. Advocating for ourselves is our biggest strength. The more we do
01:22it, the more space we fill. And I have some amazing friends that are going to join me today.
01:28First up is a true leader and advocate. She serves as the executive vice president of the AT&T
01:35Leader Lab and heads AT&T's award-winning leadership development and talent management organization.
01:42She leads a team of professionals responsible for talent strategy and designing, executing,
01:48designing and executing premier development experiences.
01:51In essence, please welcome AT&T VP of talent and leadership development, Michelle Jordan.
02:04Next, we have Lori Harvey. She is a bold entrepreneur, accomplished model, and brand visionary.
02:13Please welcome president and CEO of Lori Harvey Enterprises, Ms. Lori Harvey.
02:24And last, but certainly not least, we have Mr. Romeo Miller.
02:29He is a philanthropist, executive producer, actor, TV host, and CEO. Welcome, Romeo Miller.
02:44Thank you, Michelle, Lori, and Romeo for joining us today.
02:50Our first question is
02:52my cue cards are not in the right order. Sorry about that.
03:04I'm excited to chat with you and discuss the importance of representation across industries and
03:08the impact representation has on our community at large. Are you ready? Yes. Yes. So AT&T Dreaming
03:16Black views success through a future forward lens and celebrates those who have paved the way for
03:22us while continuing to uplift those who continue to push the culture forward. You could say Dreaming
03:28Black stands on the shoulders of numerous black inventors, entrepreneurs and leaders that have
03:35made contributions that have changed the world from Madam CJ Walker, Marie Van Britten Brown, the inventor of
03:41the home security system, Gladys West, the inventor of the GPS, and Louis Latimer, who invented the telephone.
03:49Make some noise for that. We definitely have some thanks to give him as leaders and influencers in
03:56business. How do you go about creating programs and services for communities that not only serve us,
04:03but that give back to our communities? Michelle, can we start with you? Absolutely. First of all, thank you
04:09for hosting this very important conversation. It's so wonderful, as you said, Chris, to see people in
04:17person. I know the rain has put a little bit of a damper on the day, but it is so nice to see people in
04:23person again. AT&T has a longstanding history of investing in the communities that we serve.
04:31And one of the things that we are focused on over the next three years, we have put a stake in the ground
04:37to say that we're making an investment in closing the digital divide. We have put a stake in the ground to
04:44commit to making a $2 billion investment over the next three years, and that is
04:51$2 billion with a B over the next three years. And for starters, we're doing things like
04:58investing in connected community learning centers in partnership with nonprofit organizations.
05:05We believe that education and economic empowerment helps enable and open up a whole slew of
05:14opportunities for a community. And so the intent of those connected learning centers is to start with
05:20youth and making that investment in youth in those connected learning centers. And I'll just touch on
05:25one more area. I can't exhaust the list of things that we do, but I'll touch on one more area that I'm
05:33super proud of. In partnership with an organization 110 and along with a host of other companies, we are also, from a hiring standpoint, committed to bringing on board over the next 10 years, a million
05:52hires into our companies with family sustaining salaries, not minimum wage, but families sustaining salaries.
06:01And so those are just a couple of the ways that we invest in the communities that we serve in.
06:06And I'm super proud of the work that we're doing there.
06:08Two billion with a B. Two billion with a B. Wow. And one million hires. That is incredible.
06:16I love the emphasis on family sustaining salaries. Do you want to take a shot at this question? Would you
06:21like me to repeat it? No, I got it. So I launched my skincare line Skin by LH last year in October,
06:27and I created this, I created the skincare line based around my own skin issues that I struggled with
06:33when I was growing up. So it was really important for me to create a program for young women, especially
06:38women of color, to educate them on the importance of skincare and learning about their skin types and
06:44just overall self-care and self-love. So that's something that I'm currently working on right now.
06:49Yeah. And to piggyback off of that, I think the way that we close that racial wealth gap,
06:54we have to continue to become business owners because the numbers show that we hire each other.
07:01And that's why it's so important for me to make sure we're diversifying. We don't have to just be
07:06entertainers and athletes. You know, why not own grocery stores? You know, why not create your own
07:13products, your own brands? That's what you see we've been doing with the wrap snacks and the grocery
07:18distribution deals me and my pops have been doing. We have shoe companies, you know, we have water,
07:24coconut water. So I just think for this next generation, if we want to teach kids about generational wealth,
07:31we have to expand and show them it's so much more than what they, the category they put us in,
07:37athlete and actor, become a business owner, give those jobs to the people who look like us.
07:43And that's how we're going to truly make a difference.
07:46Absolutely. I 100% agree. Closing the wage and the wealth gap. That's one of the pillars
07:51of my business. So I love that you said that. Romeo and Lori, as public figures, I'm sure that being
07:57an entrepreneur and creative still comes with its own set of challenges. Can you give us an example
08:03of a challenge or challenges you've come across in business and how you work to overcome them?
08:08Ladies first.
08:11Absolutely. I think just overall creating the business has been a lesson of trial and error from hiring the
08:17right people and finding the right chemists to help me make the formulas, testing out the formulas. It took
08:22me a year and a half to get the formulas correct from dealing with shipment delays because of COVID.
08:27My bottle sat on the shipment docs for, I think, four months past when I was actually supposed to get
08:33them. So pushing my release date back and also just, you know, dealing with, you know, fulfillment
08:42centers, getting my packages sent out. You know, people are complaining about, you know,
08:47packages getting delayed because of, you know, the shipment company. So it's all just been like a
08:52learning lesson and, you know, learn every day and still just trial and error as I learn and as I go.
08:59Yeah, she hit it on the head. I think a lot of young business owners,
09:05they don't know that it's never going to be easy. And I think the hardest part is actually starting,
09:11right? There's so many amazing ideas that we have and that so many people have,
09:16but they're afraid to start. So once you get over that hump and you start,
09:21then the real work comes and it begins. And I always tell people, Laurie said it,
09:26she said the key word and that's to learn. My best business advice, don't work for money,
09:33work to learn, because it's always going to be a process. It's always going to be a growing process
09:39and it's never going to be easy. You're going to fail more times than you win. And I tell people all the
09:44time, you look around the most successful people, they failed in the dark before they hit that
09:50success. And then once you finally get to the success, you got to realize it's a whole nother
09:56level of hard work and dedication, because now you have to maintain when you're doing it in the
10:01dark and nobody know who you are before the success. When you fail, it's a lot easier. Now,
10:07when you fail, when people are aware of your company, when they're aware of your brand,
10:12it's going to be a lot harder. So I tell people, it doesn't get easier. You just get stronger and
10:17smarter. And you have to know that going into business.
10:20I love that. Preach Brother Romeo. Can you say that again? Don't work for money?
10:25Oh yeah, don't work for money, work to learn. So if you're taking notes, don't work for money,
10:31work to learn. I love that. As many of us know, one of AT&T's core commitments is DE&I,
10:39and more specifically, advancing representation and economic empowerment. How do you, Michelle,
10:45as a corporate leader ensure that the work that you do represents your community and that you create
10:51spaces that build economic opportunities for not only yourself, but those around you?
10:55Yeah, thank you for that question. So I am a proud, proud graduate of Florida A&M University,
11:03a historically black college. And I, in a big corporation like AT&T, am loud and proud about the
11:14output and the, that those institutions produce, the talent, the amazingly smart and talented students
11:22that those institutions produce. And they punch well above their weight when you compare them to
11:29predominantly white institutions. So one of my platforms at AT&T, along with other colleagues,
11:36who not only are HBCU alums, but who are allies and recognize the value of HBCUs. I use that platform to
11:47make sure that there is awareness, to make sure that there is investment in those institutions. Because
11:52when you invest in those institutions, the impact on those communities is, is widespread. A little known
12:03fact, more than 80% of historically black colleges and universities sit in broadband deserts. And AT&T is
12:12what we do. We, we connect people. And so having the opportunity and using AT&T as a platform to make the
12:19investment in those institutions is how I use the, the leadership role that I have at AT&T. So it's one of
12:27the examples. And it's one that I'm super, super proud of. So. And can we ask the same question of
12:33you? Uh, Laurie and Romeo, how do you as leaders ensure the work that you do represents your community
12:38and that you create spaces to help build economic opportunity for not only yourself, but for those
12:43around you? Yeah, I think for me, that's what, um, my life represents. You know, uh,
12:50as I get older, I realized it's not about the fame or your success. It's about being an inspiration to
12:59others because that's the only way we could truly make a difference in this world. But with that being
13:05said, because I think she hit all of the points, so I don't want to be repetitive, but I lost my little
13:10sister not too long ago. So this is my first event coming in public since I lost her. And one of the
13:17biggest revelations I had was that it's not about the money, right? The money's going to come if
13:24you're chasing your purpose. And that's something that my little sister always spoke about. She was
13:28this free spirit and she always reminded us to chase your purpose because if you chase your purpose,
13:35the money will come and make sure you're inspiring the youth. And I just want anybody who's out there
13:42watching to know you have to give back. You know, giving back is the key to success. Your round of
13:48applause for that. Because the only way we're going to change the world, one person isn't going to change
13:54the world, but I'm from New Orleans. So shout out to New Orleans, my hometown. We out here, Essence.
14:00But what I realized, I started a foundation here. It's called Team Hope NOLA, where just like you,
14:07Lord, if you become successful, you give back to your community, you give back to your people. And
14:12that's how we make a difference. Because I'm helping what I know, you're helping what you know.
14:16And that's how we change the world collectively. So. And for me, I'm in a field that is predominantly
14:24white. So when I was building out my team, it was really important for me that I hired as many black
14:28people as possible. So my lawyers are black, my day to day is black, my assistants are black, my business
14:33managers are black, my hairstylists are black. Like, so when I'm going into these rooms, they can see us
14:39and see that we're represented and I can feel safe and we all feel empowered. And it was important for me
14:43as I'm moving and growing, I wanted them to move up and grow with me. So.
14:46Thank you. I love that. We love the work that you all are doing. Thank you so much,
14:52because you guys give us representation in so many different ways, whether in the boardrooms,
14:57entry level positions, fashion, film, brand partnerships, the list can go on and on. This
15:04next question is for all of you. Why is it important that we continue to advocate for representation
15:09in all industries? I'll kick it off. You know, that one, when I think about
15:18why that is so important, it's all industries impact us. And so what better way than to have us
15:28represented at the table at all industries to be able to be that voice for our community,
15:35whether it's technological advance, advancements, whether it's in the beauty space,
15:42it's important to have our voices represented rather than someone who doesn't look like us
15:48or who hasn't walked a mile in our shoes, representing or attempting to represent our voices
15:54at those tables. And so all industries impact us. That's what I say. And so it's important for us
16:01to make sure we have representation for that simple reason for, for starters. So yeah. And for me,
16:07I've been on so many sets where I've been the only black girl, not only in the shoot, but in the room.
16:13And so it was important for me when I created my line that I hired all black models of all shades so
16:20we could be represented and be seen like on a larger platform and even been in on sets where they've
16:26told me like my team can't come because there's too many black people in the room. And so like,
16:31that's just further pushed me to be like, no, okay, I got to advocate for my people. Like,
16:35we need to be seen. We need to be heard because we lend so much to the industry that we're not getting
16:39credit for. So that's been very, very important for me on my journey.
16:43It's hard to come after y'all. I'm just saying.
16:47But simply something I've always lived by is if they could do it, we could do it too. And I think
16:54that has to be the motto of life. You know, um, we grow up being black and we're not represented in
17:01the world. I was literally in one of my film classes at USC a few years ago and all the movies we were
17:08watching, it was only white actors. So I was thinking, I'm like, okay, so if it's only white
17:14actors and that's what's being represented in the world, how do you think this young black girl or
17:19young black boy is going to think the world is represented? So we've been playing catch up for
17:24hundreds and hundreds of years. And that's why events like this is so important because we need
17:30generational wealth in the black community. We don't want to be the first generation to be
17:35successful. We want to be the 10th generation, the 11th generation. And I want to tell y'all out
17:40there, you're closer than you think. My pops is the first generation. I'm only the second.
17:46So you're a lot closer than you think of actually being the one to make a difference in your life.
17:52But we wanted to be at 10 generation, 20 generation. We want the world to look like our world. And with
17:58that being said, you know, I always read my Bible study notes at these. So is it cool? I had something on
18:02financial, but I want to read this to y'all. God put it on my heart. Okay. So
18:10Essence, y'all make some noise.
18:16So my Bible study notes from two weeks ago, it says laws and keys to success from the Bible.
18:23You must understand your potential. You must have passion. Although you have vision and passions,
18:30you must have principles to protect them. You have to plan your strategy to be successful.
18:35If you're going to be successful, you have to protect yourself from the wrong people. And that's a big key
18:41right there. And the longest way to success is a shortcut. So everybody out there, you can't cheat
18:48yourself. Y'all heard that the longest way to success is a shortcut.
18:52I love that. So you are dropping gems today. Thank you for that. The longest.
18:58I just stole Lori notes. So that's all it is.
19:02And I love the work that you all are doing hiring black women of all shades, increasing,
19:07you know, black representation of film as the mother of a young black girl. I think the work that you're
19:12doing, the work we're all doing is important. So thank you so much.
19:14So AT&T is committed to advancing representation as you and we all hope the audience knows committing
19:2211.5 million to create economic opportunities for black and other upper underrepresented
19:28communities during the pandemic and has advanced and invested 215 million to increase education skills,
19:37building and career readiness opportunities in black and underrepresented communities,
19:42which is amazing. Can we hear an applause for that? $215 million. So we're at the Essence Festival,
19:50which is amazing. And naturally, we have a lot of women in the audience. And I know that AT&T
19:57does a lot to advance women of color in the workspace as well. Michelle, can you touch on this for a bit
20:03and give us insight on why AT&T as a company has made this commitment and why it's important for you
20:10in your role to continue the work of advancing representation for black women in leadership?
20:15Yeah, thank you for that, Chris. I'll touch on it briefly and really, really proud of the investment.
20:20And look, by no stretch of the imagination are we done. We have so much more work to do and recognize
20:28that and we'll continue to make that investment. But as it relates to women of color and making sure that
20:35we recognize the value and the contributions that women of color make not only to our workplace,
20:42but in the community, it's showing up and making an investment at experiences like Essence. We recognize
20:51that the value and showing up here is one way that we lend our support to. We also make huge investments
21:00from a supplier diversity standpoint with black female entrepreneurs, another area that we're super
21:08proud of. As it relates to our workplace, leadership development, we have programming, dedicated programming
21:16for women of color and helping them on their journeys and setting them up for success. So all of those
21:21things, super, super proud. And we do it because we recognize that all voices need to be heard in order for
21:28us to achieve not only sustainable success as a business, but for our communities to be successful
21:33as well. And we talked a lot about economic empowerment. You power up a black woman, you power up
21:40a black female entrepreneur, and the impact that that makes on a community is priceless, it's invaluable.
21:49And we recognize that. And I'll emphasize again, we have a lot more work to do, so.
21:55Thank you. AT&T Dream in Black is such a powerful and empowering platform. And for me,
22:03my dream in black is being able to provide knowledge that puts the culture on the road to financial
22:09freedom and generational wealth. But for all of you, how do you dream in black? When, what is your
22:14ultimate desire for us? I would say just supporting one another, supporting black businesses, circulating our
22:22dollar amongst each other, and just overall uplifting one another, coming together as a community, and
22:29just really like showing that love and support because we need it.
22:31Yeah, I think dreaming in black for me is us educating each other, just what we're doing right now.
22:38You know, like I said, this was my first time being out since my sister passed, and I love being here
22:43because I'm a student. I'm learning from you guys just being up here, even though I'm dropping the little
22:48gems, but I'm learning so many other gems as well. So education is truly the key. Like if you want to
22:55be successful, if you're chasing your dream and purpose, self-education is what's going to get you
23:00there. And financial literacy, I think for our people is the next level. You know, we all deserve to have
23:06that education to be the best businessman and woman that we can be.
23:10You talk about coming hard to come behind. It's hard to come behind you all. I'll just simply say,
23:18being in the corporate space, not only sort of propping the door open, my dream in black is to
23:26open the door wide, bring other my brothers and sisters to the table so that the light can be
23:33shine on them. I'm also dreaming in black for there to be more Fortune 100 companies, Fortune 10 companies,
23:43board rooms that have greater representation of us at those tables. And I can't wait to see it. And I'm
23:50I'm dreaming in black and I believe it's going to come soon. So thank you guys so, so much.
23:58Thank you for each of the gems that each of you dropped. I am so honored to be here.
24:02Lastly, before we head out, we know that you all are busy, always building and working on something
24:08new. So can you share with us what you're working on and if there's anything that we should be looking
24:12out for in the future? And Michelle, we'll start with you. Yeah, I'll say as part of the, um, the dream
24:18in black always on campaign, we also have our black future makers campaign. It's, it's, it's what we do to
24:27recognize future makers in our community and shine a light on them. And so you'll be seeing more of
24:33that for this year. The competition will start soon. But again, it's how we elevate, um, the voices and
24:39the faces of our community. So rising future makers, um, is, um, is one you'll see soon.
24:45And for me, just working on my skincare line, expanding that, working on new formulas, coming
24:51out with new products soon. And, um, also working on a new brand that I'm going to launch really soon
24:56for the ladies coming this summer. So I'm excited for that.
24:59Yeah, for me, um, my family, we took over music at one time, but now it's about taking over to grocery
25:07stores and showing kids, you know, you could be the star without having to actually be the star.
25:12You know, you could be the CEO of a top business, you know? So, uh, we have our rap snacks company.
25:17We have our soldier line. We have, um, our water, our coconut mono water. Um, I have four movies
25:25coming out next year, a Christmas film, uh, BET I just did that'll be coming out. Um, one based off
25:31a true story called One Heart. We've been working on that for seven plus years. We better get an Oscar
25:36for this project. That's all I'm saying. When y'all see this movie One Heart, I think that's going to put me
25:41on a whole nother pedestal acting wise. So I'm excited about that. And, um, something I wanted
25:46to tell people is something I lived by in business is the 50, 20, 30 method. And I think a lot of
25:53people to make it short, if you make a million dollars, first, you got to cut that in half.
25:58You're not a millionaire. If you make a million, you have 500,000. Okay. So then when you do the 50,
26:0320, 30, you got to break that 500,000. And then you cut that in half the 50. And that's what you use
26:09that 250,000 for all of your main bills. If you got kids, the schooling and everything else,
26:15put that 20% to the side of yours for your savings. And then that 30%, that's what you go ball out on.
26:21Okay. Whatever's left in that 30, that's what you ball out. So to anybody out there, try to use that
26:2650, 20, 30 method. It'll definitely help you in the business world as well.
26:30Thank you for that third gym. We are having a budgeting session tomorrow. So if you want to
26:38stop by and leave the session. Well, thank you, Michelle, Lori, and Romeo so much for joining us.
26:44It's been so great speaking with you today. Wasn't that fun and insightful, everybody?
26:48Thank you, Chris. It's such an honor for us to hear from you and to learn more about what you're
26:55doing for our community. So thanks again. Thank you for your time and we appreciate you joining us.
27:01Essence, thank you so much for joining us today. Enjoy the rest of the festival and we'll see you soon.
Comments