Terease Baker-Bell is the vice president of Salesforce, a customer relationship management platform. Baker-Bell spoke with rolling out about the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit, and what Black men can do to better support Black women.
What does it mean to be in a room surrounded by other powerful Black women?
It’s just a beautiful feeling and such a unique feeling. It’s very rare. This is the second conference that I have been to that was specifically for Black women. I attended one last week with my employer, which was the first in my 24-year career, so it’s extremely powerful and very inspiring. We are here to help one another, which allows it to feel sisterly. It is a magnificent feeling to be here with all of these beautiful Black women.
What can Black men do in 2022 to better support and protect Black women?
I saw the video of Cory Booker, who was supporting the new Supreme Court justice [Ketanji Brown Jackson], and it literally brought me to tears. The fact that he stood up for her in public, he gave her her flowers in public, and he confirmed her publicly, there’s nothing like that. That support is crucial. That’s what we’re looking for in our Black men. This is our time right now. Every company and every organization is looking for Black female leaders, and we need our men to have our backs. We need them to put out their hand and help to pull us up and help to support us every step of the way.
