Andrew Lamar is a senior multicultural strategist at Doner ad agency in Southfield, Michigan. The Hampton University grad joined Doner in 2017 and continues to make a meaningful impact on the firm’s culture.
For Black History Month, Lamar wanted to “go beyond education about historical figures and create something that shows how Black history is created every day in our own lives and communities.” With that in mind, he led his team in bringing to life Doner’s first-ever baobab tree initiative — a project designed to inspire the firm’s employees “to not only observe Black history but find a way to participate in its celebration.”
Rolling out spoke more with Lamar about the significance of the baobab tree — also known as the African tree of life — and the response to the project has received among his Doner colleagues. Lamar also shined a light on how his education at a historically Black university empowered him and contributed to his current success.
How did Hampton University prepare you for success?
Hampton University has had a profound impact on my life. The environment of an HBCU is more than just an educational institution. It served as a home away from home, where I could openly embrace and celebrate my history and culture while building lasting relationships and a network of empowered Black professionals from different cities, backgrounds and perspectives. It has given me a level of diversity of thought that I don’t believe I would have been able to achieve had I not attended an HBCU.
Click play to hear more about how Lamar’s HBCU helped him create a different cultural lens through which to see and celebrate his culture. He also details his day-to-day responsibilities, which include “connecting brands with culture on a larger level than surface understanding of a consumer.”
Click continue to read and hear more.
