Venus Brown, a powerhouse in leadership development and diversity, recently received a prestigious superpower award for her exceptional ability to connect and elevate others. In her acceptance speech, Venus emphasized the importance of recognizing potential in others and fostering connections that help individuals discover their purpose and strengths. As Assembly Global’s internal certified career coach and diversity expert, Venus has made significant strides in creating high-performing learning curricula and employee engagement experiences across various industries, from healthcare to automotive sectors. Her dedication to empowering voices, particularly those of Black professional women, resonates strongly in a time when cultural representation faces challenges.
This is her speech:
Wow. Good evening. I’m so elated and I’m so honored to receive this superpower award. My superpower is a connector. I often see greatness in others well before they see it in themselves. And it’s instrumental in making those connections so that they, too, can find their purpose, their potential and their superpower.
That’s why this award means so much to me. It validates that others see me, and it’s important to be seen, particularly when we are often the only person in the room and a time where our culture is threatened to be canceled and abolished and women’s voices, particularly black women’s voices and rights, are being silenced. It’s tiring. So, I want to thank my family for being here this evening with me, my friends, my sorority sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
You know, we spend the majority of our waking hours with people that we did not choose, people that we do not love. And sometimes we don’t even like. And it takes us away from our family, those that we do love. And it’s often at a great sacrifice. That’s why it’s important to be seen and supported in bringing our voices forward.
So, I’m honored that someone at work that I don’t really work with on a day-to-day basis. And actually, we’re in two different agencies, but we’re under the same parent company. Our work is very limited together, and that’s who nominated me and we currently in Iraq, but that’s the power of connecting. She saw something in me to nominate me for this award, so I want to thank her in her absence, Sheila Amanatullah from Donor, who also was a recipient last year. And I’m grateful to rolling out for this acknowledgment of not only my superpower, but those you’ve recognized years prior and keeping our voices lifted. Being in the company of other super women elevates my voice, and it encourages me to keep sharing it with others and to keep being a connector so that the of Black professional women, the community organizer, the professional woman, the mother, the entrepreneur, the leadership development expert like myself, the connector goes forward with impact. And it’s not silence.
With gratitude, I thank you.
