LOS ANGELES – /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ On Sunday, October 1, 2023, actress, author, and entrepreneur Malinda Williams celebrated her fifth year of elevating, empowering, and uniting women of color at the Arise and Shine Women’s Empowerment Brunch. This year’s milestone celebration took place at the Sheraton Universal in Los Angeles, California, and included the announcement of her new philanthropic endeavor, The Arise and Shine Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) with a mission to serve as a conduit of information, inspiration, and empowerment of women in all walks of life.
Williams, founder of the Arise and Shine empowerment events series, embarked on this journey five years ago to offer a supportive hub to connect accomplished women. From exchanging ideas to fostering relationships, the Arise and Shine brunch serves as a bridge in the opportunity gap for Black women. “My whole life and career, I have been uplifted by and stood on the shoulders of many powerful women. These past few years have illuminated that connection to community is more important now than ever,” she said. “I am honored to collaborate with so many brilliant minds who understand the value of community, sisterhood, and using our resources to empower and give back to others.”
As guests arrived at this year’s event, they strolled down a beautiful pathway adorned with stunning rose blossoms and inspirational messages. Soon after, the room filled with love, laughter, and a gathering of like-minded women. Before diving into the main topic of discussion, Malinda took a moment to acknowledge and honor her “village” – her husband, son, mother, father, and two sisters, all of whom were present. To their surprise, she presented each of them with a bouquet of flowers and offered a flower to every guest in the room. Malinda and special guest, media executive Amy Dubois Barnett, engaged in a fireside chat, followed by an open discussion on AI, Algorithms, and the Impact of Technology On Our Culture. The discussion highlighted the importance of promoting more Black women in technology and STEAM fields and explored ways Black Culture can fearlessly leverage technology for community advancement.
Malinda also proudly announced the establishment of The Arise And Shine Foundation, the non-profit arm of Arise And Shine, co-founded with her sisters Leslie Williams-Dunn and Lisa Williams-Sorensen.
The foundation’s pilot program, The E.S.T.E.A.M Project, slated to run in Summer 2024, is an HBCU development and coding camp designed around three pillars: upskilling core competencies in technology, fine-tuning soft skills for business success, and facilitating connections for industry mentorships. Students will learn to code using Apple’s Everyone Can Code curriculum.
In addition to coding, The E.S.T.E.A.M Project will further prepare and empower young women to be future leaders through lessons in cultivating wellness, creative thinking, esteem building, and problem-solving.
The program will begin accepting applications in the Spring of 2024.
Hallmark Mahogany will return as the Premiere Partner and Sponsor under the leadership of Alexis Kerr. “Mahogany is immensely proud to sponsor the Arise and Shine event, which uplifts Black women and celebrates the power of amazing creatives like Malinda Williams,” said Alexis Kerr, Vice President – Mahogany Brand Leader Hallmark Cards, Inc. “Our commitment to telling our own stories and affirming the soul-strengthening narratives of our sisters remains steadfast, and we are proud to celebrate her 5th anniversary.”
