Oprah Winfrey to Headline Associated Black Charities Virtual Event on Giving Tuesday

To conclude Equity First, a four-part virtual speaker series launched by Cross Keys-based Associated Black Charities (ABC), the local nonprofit has saved, perhaps its most famous guest, for last. The final installment of the series on Nov. 30 will feature none other than Oprah Winfrey—who, despite her global success, we still like to claim as one of our own. 

Equity First—which was created in an effort to bolster fair and sustainable solutions to combat institutional and structural racism—has featured leaders based in Baltimore and nationwide, with past speakers such as Clarence Wooten, co-founding General Partner at Revitalize Venture Studio, and Michele Fuller, CEO of Minerva Global Business Solutions. 

“When we began [Equity First], we certainly did not realize that we would have Oprah as our closing speaker,” says Diane Bell-McKoy, ABC’s president and CEO. “We feel very blessed to have achieved that for our series. It means a great deal of significance that someone who is now a world icon came through this doorway of Baltimore and moved on and grew from all the challenges she faced here.”

In an interview led by Bell-McKoy on Nov. 30, the philanthropist and former talk show host-turned-multimedia mogul will discuss her ties to Baltimore and quest for career equity, along with her perspectives on relationship maintenance and asserting one’s value in the face of adversity. Bell-McKoy, a longtime follower of Winfrey, describes her as the perfect fit to close the online series—which supports ABC’s work to dismantle race-based barriers in Maryland’s workforce. 

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Source: Baltimore Magazine