20 Chicago Executives React to Black Still Matters Panel

20 Chicago Executives Omotayo Banjo and Tonya Woodward
Omotayo Banjo and Tonya Woodward

“It was wonderful, very informative and educational. It validated some things that I believed as well as educated me on some areas I wasn’t clear on,” says Tonya Woodward, founder of MC Summit.


“The conversation, I wouldn’t get that conversation about the black market anyplace else. I think that the … things that stuck with me, one is the quote about ‘difference is not deficient,’ ” says Omotayo Banjo, assistant professor of Mass Communications at University of Cincinnati. “The other is, ‘leadership has to happen in the culture.’ ”


20 Chicago Executives React to Black Still Matters Panel
Joslyn DiPasalegne

“As much as I know about marketing and how important her story is, it was helpful to hear new ways to tell it,” says Joslyn DiPasalegne, TAMALAR Consulting.

“There were a lot of things that I was unaware of, that were brought to the forefront, such as the 73 percent of African American children that are born to single moms,” says Jason Smith, sports producer for ABC 7. ”I thought that was insightful.”


“I learned about how blacks consume, and I did not know a lot of things about the black community about the single mothers and how many black children are born to single mothers,” says Dr. Courtnye Jackson, extension educator at University of Illinois.

20 Chicago Executives React to Black Still Matters Panel
Chakita Holmes, Contessa Gibson and Cleandrea Hayden

“I think it’s incredibly important to reiterate and really just highlight the importance that black consumers have in the marketplace,” says Contessa Gibson, sales coordinator at Smith Bucklin.

20 Chicago Executives Tifair L, Gillespie
Tifair L, Gillespie

Tifair L. Gillespie, AT&T Advertising Solutions digital marketing and consultant, says the presentation gave her a valued perspective. “Showing how important black insight is to each and every individual and industry was just amazing.”

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