Ashley was introduced to Djing as a child when she would accompany her father who had DJ’d in his free time. After graduating from college and obtaining a corporate position, Ashley found herself having to rebuild her confidence and create revenue after her corporate position had been outsourced as well as the company downsized.
After remembering she had learned about Djing from her Dad and was interested in acting professionally, she volunteered in many cases to gain experience and rapport in the community so she could one day turn DJing into an actual business for herself. Djing became more than just another “positon,” but instead like acting, a way of expression and form of art to those who enjoy the art itself.
Ashley has DJ’d for but not limited to NFL Sponsored Football Camps for Children in Mississippi, taught an Engineering Class for a full semester (on Disc Jockeying) for Tougaloo College, Schools, Weddings, as well as Private Events. With over 7 years of experience in DJing and acting if we include childhood plays, Ashley has taken her talents both in and out of her home state. Ashley has had roles as an extra on shows such as Queen Sugar, to Lead Speaking Roles in Independent Films as well as a Speaking Role in the TV Show Fatal Attraction.
As a Wife, Mother, and Creative Business Woman, Ashley truly enjoys her craft and does her best to provide business services available that exceed the client’s expectations. From merchandise, to acting, to her Fortress Entertainment YouTube Page, to DJing Ashley is committed to making your decision to work with Ashley aka DJ Fortress of Fortress Entertainment an experience to brag about.
Dominique Broadway is a provocative, financial literacy trailblazer on a mission to make wealth attainable for anyone.
Her in-demand classes and accessible social media profiles have given Dominique a reputation as a personal finance expert who is engaging and makes complex financial topics, like investing, trendy and easy-to-understand. As an award-winning personal finance expert, speaker and the founder of Finances Demystified, she has a strong passion for working with young professionals, entrepreneurs and people of all ages to bring their Dreams2Reality.
Dominique’s edgy and engaging financial advice, has been highlighted on TIME, NextAdvisor, Yahoo!, USA Today, Refinery 29, Baltimore Sun, Black Enterprise, Marketwatch.com, Ebony Magazine, SmartCEO, U.S. News, and other media outlets. She was recently featured in Forbes and Business Insider.
KIRBY is the incredibly talented writer behind “FourFiveSeconds” by Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney, “Tell Me You Love Me” by Demi Lovato, “Die With You” by Beyoncé, “Only One” by Kanye West and Paul McCartney, “Break Your Heart Right Back” by Ariana Grande, and more.
On January 31st of 2020, the accomplished songwriter turned songstress released her debut EP “Sis.”, a 7-track EP produced by Homer Steinweiss and The Menahan Street Band of Amy Winehouse’s famous album “Back To Black”. With this project the rising, Memphis-bred artist introduced her own take on modern soul, using live instrumentation and melodic prowess to blend contemporary and nostalgia. The project was met with widespread acclaim, earning her a spot on NPR’s Tiny Desk [6/11/20], three separate usages in Season 4 of HBO’s series ‘Insecure’, the trailer for Amazon Films’ ‘Sylvie’s Choice’, and over 30 million streams across streaming platforms.
A follow-up to her first full-length project, KIRBY’s latest album “Sis. He Wasn’t The One” is inspired by her personal experiences, showing what modern love really looks like from a woman’s point of view. The 10-track project also demonstrates the diversity of her original Southern sound, featuring production from Mike Irish and Spencer Stewart, and vocal performances from BJ The Chicago Kid. She toured both projects in 2021 as direct support for John Legend on his Bigger Love Tour and Pink Sweat$ on the Pink Moon Tour, and again through Europe in 2022 in direct support of Leon Bridges on his Gold Diggers Sound Tour.
Essence Gant is a leading beauty, style and culture journalist and creative who has built a brand around thoughtful, authentic commentary and content from a socially-conscious lens. In addition to her work as talent, Essence also works as a Creative Director and Consultant, bringing to life creative partnerships with brands like Target, Clinique and Starz network.
With over a decade of experience in media and entertainment, including a stint as Beauty Director at BuzzFeed, and a Masters degree in Social Work, Essence is most passionate about the intersection of lifestyle with diversity, inclusion and equity.
Nikki Porcher is the founder of Buy From A Black Woman, has made it her mission to help empower, educate, and inspire Black women business owners across the nation & spread the awareness of why it is important to support and #BuyFromABlackWoman. Her nonprofit ensures that Black Women have the tools and resources in order to succeed as entrepreneurs.
From serving in the Armed Forces, an extensive history of working with nonprofits, and teaching in the public school system, Nikki’s mission, in which she possesses a wealth of knowledge and experiences, is to support and provide tools and resources to help Black Women Business Owners. She continues to live out her vision with community-based classes, online workshops and webinars, and one on one-mentoring services. With an academic background in Business Marketing & Advertising Design, she does all of this community work that comes so easily to her with a quintessential Jersey Girl flare.
She has a list of accomplishments including a partnership with H&M & GoldmanSachs, being one of the first platforms dedicated to Black Woman Businesses with her online directory, but the accomplishment that matters most for Nikki is her efforts to keep going.
To learn more about Nikki visit: ABlackWomanWebsite.com
To learn more about Buy From A Black Woman visit: BuyFromABlackWoman.org
Jasmine Burke is an Award-Winning actress, Filmmaker, Entertainer (singer/dancer), Harvard educated film student. Her leading roles, short list include Saints & Sinners, Entanglements and Karen. New films will be releasing soon!
At the intersection of politics and community is where you find Tamara Bates. Tamara Bates is a captivating community voice who speaks out on social responsibility and equity across the United States’ southern region. She is an organizer at heart who is not shy when addressing social justice issues and flawed policies that impact everyday people. Bates is the Principal of the Rock AR Vote voter engagement initiative, which focuses on civic education and community engagement through Arkansas.
Bates is a proud graduate of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Civic engagement and outreach work became a driving passion for her throughout the country. Although Bates is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, she soon made Arkansas her home to find her voice in the community. An organizer with a love for community development, Bates has worked in politics on the local, state, and federal levels. In 2016, she contributed to the outreach efforts to support the Democratic Party of Florida’s data-driven and metrics-based program to mobilize voters. Also, she served as Regional Director for Woke Vote during the historic Senate runoff victory election in Georgia.
Bates is currently a graduate student at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is a proud member of one of the nation’s leading women’s organizations, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Bates is known for being in the intersection of social justice and bold in her choice of fashion.
Meet Taylur Avery, Los Angeles born and Mississippi raised. Taylur is a full-time federal agent and serial entrepreneur. She has been in law enforcement for 7 years, beginning her career as a Mississippi State Trooper and eventually moving on to become a Federal Agent in Los Angeles, CA. She started college at the age of 16 and graduated with her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice and English from the University of Mississippi and Masters in Business Administration from The Grand Canyon University.
Just 1 short year after transitioning to Los Angeles from Mississippi, her life took many turns. She lost her grandfather within the first 5 months of moving to a hit and run driver and her relationship at the time went to pieces. When her grandfather passed away, he had no life insurance. Consequently, she went broke paying for his affairs and slept in her car all while working a 6-figure job. Yet, she decided that she would not be a victim of her circumstance. Despite her situation, those moments helped her to start investing in herself in other ways than just her career. So, she bought an investment property, franchised her very own Mayweather Boxing + Fitness Studio and got to work all within a 4-month time frame of losing her grandfather. With no help or business partners, she decided to take the risks by believing in herself and her ability to be successful in both real estate and the studio fitness industry.
Since then, she has continued to work full-time, while teaching others how to become financially literate and coaching new or aspiring business owners to get started in real estate and short-term rentals. She has successfully scaled her Mayweather studio to $65K months after the pandemic. She learned to leverage Others People Money “OPM” to make an additional $100K in 1 year by doing real estate part-time. She has obtained Over $50K in business credit within 30 days without ever using personal credit. And has been able to teach over 100 people financial literacy and change their relationship with money. Her love for helping others paired with her gift of coaching and entrepreneurship, has allowed her to fulfill her life’s calling to help others gain mental and financial freedom by working with her. And she hopes to do the same for you.
Shunqetta N. Cunningham is the CEO and Lead Consultant of KHARIS Group and the Nonprofit Summit of Northeast Arkansas Founder and Chairwoman. Shunqetta leads her company on the nexus of narrative disruption about nonprofit success, leadership engagement, and helps nonprofit and for-profit clients develop the intentional strategy, opportunity, and transformation required to succeed in their organizations. From grant writing, research, board training, nonprofit development, and business planning, KHARIS is a resource service hub for social impact entities. Shunqetta is a 2004 Honor’s Graduate of Blytheville High School and an alumnus of Arkansas State University: graduating in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and in 2010 with a Master’s in Public Administration.
Shunqetta is a 2017 Graduate of Leadership Jonesboro, Parental Involvement Committee for her daughters’ school, Nettleton Education Foundation, a Reserve Police Officer for the Jonesboro Police Department, EKA, Incorporated advisory board member, 2019 World Woman Fellow, and Chapter Parliamentarian and Connections and Social Action Chair of the Kappa Nu Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and recipient of the 2021 Alpha Woman Chapter Award, and the 2021 NAACP of Craighead County Grassroots Award recipient.
In January 2018, she founded the Over-A-Cup Initiative. This unique nonprofit initiative is geared towards building connections, social equity, and empowering minority women-led businesses in the Arkansas and Mid-South areas. Over-A-Cup is the only present advocacy initiative geared towards black women in the entrepreneur space in the state of Arkansas. Shunqetta Cunningham is a true consultant enthusiast with a heavy calling to solve problems, deliver solutions, and create value. She is a fervent professional that is unafraid to include a prayer, laughs, or a counseling session even to achieve program transformation. In fact, one client calls her Mrs. Chick-Fil-A because she is always “dropping nuggets”- professional coaching that is! Shunqetta prides herself on being the loudest and most embarrassing mommy at every event, cheering for her four amazing daughters and energetic baby boy alongside her wonderful husband of 16 years.
Originally from Alabama’s Black Belt, Clarenda “Farmer Cee” Stanley is the founding CEO of Green Heffa Farms, a medicinal plants and herb tea farm in Liberty, NC. The nation’s first Black owned farm to earn Certified B Corp status, Green Heffa Farms is an emerging natural health brand governed by its 4Es commitment to Environment, Equity, Education, and Economic empowerment.
Headquartered on nearly 15 acres, the farm grows, processes, and packages premium plant medicine from “seed to sip”, organically and regeneratively producing the beneficial botanicals that are featured in the farm’s unique teas and steams. Prior to farming, Farmer Cee was an award-winning marketing and fundraising executive who most recently worked in the conservation and environmental philanthropy space. She earned her BSBA from the University of Alabama, Huntsville and her M.Ed from Troy University.
Trinity Mitchell is a native of Grenada, MS and a graduate of Mississippi Valley State University. After graduating in 2013, Trinity became a music educator serving in both Natchez and Jackson Mississippi. In 2014, Trinity married her best friend, Brandon Mitchell. Trinity went on to obtain a master’s in education from Belhaven University in the fall of 2019. As Trinity prepared for more, God met her at her level of preparation. Trinity received an answered prayer in 2019 and accepted the opportunity to do full-time ministry with Warrior Nation.
Warrior Nation is an online prayer ministry established in 2014 that serves millions with the word of God and prayer monthly. Trinity serves as a NASM (National Association of Sports and Medicine) certified Fitness Pastor for the ministry creating content that bridges the gap between faith and fitness. As Trinity cultivated a love for helping others, she was also led to help people relationally. After hearing from the Holy Spirit, Trinity decided to change her social media name to @yourfriendtrin where she would give advice on healthy relationships, communication, and on how to build good character overall.
Trinity believes that the better we treat people, the better our lives will be. With this sentiment in mind, Trinity started a talk show known as Friend Fusion in February of 2022. The mission of Friend Fusion is to help people place value on other people. Trinity has served as an educator, a worship pastor, a model, and now a media personality. She contributes the evolution of her life to learning to love and honor people.
Candace Coleman is a host, speaker, and current Communications Director for the ACLU of Mississippi. There, she leads the organization’s media relations, social media management, community engagement, and digital strategy. She is a lifelong Mississippian and Jackson native. Prior to her current role, she spent six years as a television journalist, telling stories most important to Mississippians.
Candace earned her Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Mississippi and her Master of Strategic Communication from Mississippi College. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the National Association of Black Journalists.