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OUR MISSION
Women In The Black advances the economic power of women entrepreneurs by providing practical education, strategic guidance, and access to capital. For more than two decades, we have trained thousands of women through our annual Who’s the Boss Business Conference, along with year-round programs designed to move businesses from idea to sustainability and scale.
We help businesses stabilize, strengthen operations, and grow with intention in an increasingly complex economy. We place a strong emphasis on legacy businesses. Companies that have demonstrated staying power, consistent revenue, and leadership in their communities. Through grants, loans, and targeted growth support, we help these businesses expand, create jobs, and build long-term wealth.
Our work is rooted in economic self-determination. Not survival, but sustainability and scale.
We help businesses stabilize, strengthen operations, and grow with intention in an increasingly complex economy. We place a strong emphasis on legacy businesses. Companies that have demonstrated staying power, consistent revenue, and leadership in their communities. Through grants, loans, and targeted growth support, we help these businesses expand, create jobs, and build long-term wealth.
Our work is rooted in economic self-determination. Not survival, but sustainability and scale.
THE ORGANIZATION
For more than 20 years, Women In The Black has worked at the intersection of entrepreneurship, finance, and community development. We specialize in helping African American women business owners close the gap between talent and access.
We don’t just teach theory. We focus on execution, readiness, and results.
- Our programs focus on helping entrepreneurs:
- Build sustainable, scalable business models
- Strengthen operations and financial management
- Prepare for lending, investment, and strategic growth
We don’t just teach theory. We focus on execution, readiness, and results.
GOALS
Our goals are to:
Our long-term objective is simple and ambitious: to help women build legacy businesses that create jobs, circulate wealth, and stabilize communities.
- Equip women entrepreneurs with the skills to launch, grow, and lead strong businesses
- Encourage expansion into higher-growth and non-traditional industries
- Increase business survival rates through peer networks and mentorship
- Position women business owners as economic drivers, not exceptions
Our long-term objective is simple and ambitious: to help women build legacy businesses that create jobs, circulate wealth, and stabilize communities.
WHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurship remains one of the most viable paths to economic autonomy for women. As traditional employment becomes less predictable, women are turning to business ownership at record rates.
Many start in low-barrier industries out of necessity. Women In The Black exists to help them go further. We provide the training, mentorship, and capital access needed to move into higher-entry sectors, diversify revenue, and scale responsibly.
Entrepreneurship should not stop at hustle. It should lead to ownership, growth, and choice.
Many start in low-barrier industries out of necessity. Women In The Black exists to help them go further. We provide the training, mentorship, and capital access needed to move into higher-entry sectors, diversify revenue, and scale responsibly.
Entrepreneurship should not stop at hustle. It should lead to ownership, growth, and choice.
NEEDS
Women of color continue to face systemic barriers that limit business growth. These include restricted access to capital, limited professional networks, time constraints, and fewer opportunities for strategic mentorship.
These barriers do not reflect a lack of ability. They reflect a lack of access.
Addressing these challenges is essential to closing revenue gaps, increasing job creation, and building a more equitable economy.
These barriers do not reflect a lack of ability. They reflect a lack of access.
Addressing these challenges is essential to closing revenue gaps, increasing job creation, and building a more equitable economy.
IMPACT
When women entrepreneurs are properly resourced, the impact is immediate and lasting. Businesses grow. Jobs are created. Communities stabilize.
Women In The Black measures success through increased revenues, stronger operations, capital readiness, and long-term business sustainability. Our work helps shift women-owned businesses from undercapitalized to investable, from surviving to scaling.
This is how we build economic resilience that lasts.
Women In The Black measures success through increased revenues, stronger operations, capital readiness, and long-term business sustainability. Our work helps shift women-owned businesses from undercapitalized to investable, from surviving to scaling.
This is how we build economic resilience that lasts.
OUR LEADERSHIP
PRINCESS JENKINS
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TIMOTHY GREENE
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JAIS-DIAMON GREENE
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MONIQUE PINKNEY
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SENIOR LEADERSHIP
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STRATEGIC ADVISORY BOARD
SOFIA DAVIS
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Magazine Mogul, Sofia Davis is the Chief Executive Publisher of Fashion Avenue News, along with 12 other fashion & lifestyle publication. She is also a successful Fashion Week Show Producer. She is a graduate of The Fashion Institute of Technology. With an energy matched only by Oprah, she has created a Fashion Media Conglomerate. Sofia has loved fashion from the time she could reach the Chanel No. 5 on her mother’s dresser. Before attending FIT, she won the Uptown Saturday Night evening wear designer award with a Black Feathered “Bob Mackie” type Cocktail Dress. Sofia noticed a need in the Fashion Industry to include models of all sizes, heights and weights, which lead her to create her own model management company. She came to the attention of a Producer from the World Famous Apollo Theater and was hired as Director of the Apollo Models. She held that title for 10 years. Every Wednesday she would provide 15 models, hair stylists, fashion designers and makeup artists. While at the Apollo she created BTE TV (Beauty Television & Entertainment). The Fashion TV show aired daily reaching an audience of approximately 750,000 viewers. Constantly looking to improve the quality of opportunities for fashion models of all sizes, in 2009, Sofia began publishing Fashion Avenue News magazine. A GLOBAL, LUXURY BRAND, different from the rest. She would feature UNKNOWN models of all sizes on the cover and in the editorials. This was an instant hit, as local models and designers were looking for a platform. Sofia explains “I never go after the celebrity, although we have had plenty on our covers, this magazine is for the undiscovered fashion industry talent”. With the growth of Fashion Avenue News, from 0 to 770,00 (email subscribers) 4 years later she created Model World Magazine, a publication that focuses on models and their careers, a year after that she created The Fashion Dynasty, now, where people can embrace their Uniqueness – a lifestyle magazine that features numerous topics and editorials. All of the publication can be purchased on Magzter.com, which is the largest global digital publication platform, reaching 46 MILLION as well as on www.FashionAvenueNews.com Sofia is the Producer of Fashion on the Hudson, an independent Fashion Industry show similar to NY Fashion Week. This show, now in its 22 year, registered over 32,000 attendees. Sofia is also known as the Black Anna Wintour and the First Lady of Fashion – always wearing her signature Bling Sunglasses. This led her to create Bling Darling Couture, a collection of Swarovski Embellished Couture Sunglasses, for people that love Bling. Continuing her creative streak, she has created a line of couture garments, and opened The House of Sofia. This collection embraces women of all sizes, ages and heights. Unlike traditional on-line boutiques, The House of Sofia has a physical location where woman can try on the collection before they purchase. The great idea about this is if one size does not fit, you can try on another size, or get another garment from the collection, whereas if you purchased on line you would have to return the garment, wait for the larger size and hope it fits. We want our customers to have a happy shopping experience, this why we developed our “Private Shopping” showroom. Sofia has covered Fashion Weeks in New York, London, Paris & Milan and Black Paris Fashion Week. She is known as the Fashion Mother as she is constantly mentoring models and designers. Feel free to contact Sofia at [email protected] – she is always interested in hearing from you. |
EUGENIA C. FOXWORTH
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OWNER/BROKER FOXWORTH REALTY (212) 368-4902 Eugenia C. Foxworth began her career in real estate accidentally. She was an art gallery owner, looking for another space and the agents she dealt with took her to all the wrong places. This experience is where she made a pivot in her career. In 2000 she started out as a sales agent before becoming a Realtor with the former Coldwell Banker, Hunt Kennedy (NYC), who she worked with for 7 years. During this time she was in the top 13% of CB and received several awards from Coldwell Banker, CBHK and CB, the parent company and FIABCI-USA. She became an active member of FIABCI-USA (International Federation of Real Estate) in 2003. In 2005 she was elected as the FIABCI-USA’s Local Council president for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and served for 18 months. In 2007, after taking the brokers course, she changed associations and worked at Warburg Realty as an Associate Broker for 13 months and decided to hang her own “shingle”. Eugenia C. Foxworth, Owner/Broker of Foxworth Realty, opened her boutique real estate brokerage company in September 2008 in the New York Women’s Chamber of Congress on135th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in New York City after returning from the International Federation of Real Estate (FIABCI) Regional Congress of the Americas & Asia Pacific, held in Hawaii. During this time, Foxworth Realty grew as others closed. During the volatile economy at the time, she gave back to the Harlem and Brooklyn communities by assisting owners of brownstones from foreclosure of their homes. She rented to them, went to court and guided several owners through the ordeal in 2008 and has had a 100% success rate in doing so. Foxworth Realty is local, national and global, specializing in marketing, sales and rentals of exceptional residential properties in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Riverdale (New York) along with leisure properties internationally in Costa Rica, Acapulco, Mexico, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. Through her advocacy and seeking creative ways of satisfying her clients, she is known for thinking out of the box, not having borders and getting the deal done. Eugenia Foxworth has achieved many firsts in her career. From 2005-06, she was the first African American woman to hold the office as President of the FIABCI-USA NY, NJ and CT Local Council, since its inception. In 2012 she was appointed by the FIABCI-USA president to be on the Executive Board of Directors for the USA, a first in 64 years. This is monumental for a “good ole boys club”. She has served on the Executive Board of Directors at various times. In March 2018 she was recognized as a special guest of the first Real Estate Summit in Cancun. In May 2019 she was appointed as the first Vice President of the Executive Board of Directors for FIABCI-USA and is the Vice President of The Americas-ORG. Throughout her membership, Eugenia has sponsored many events throughout the country including Mexico and Hawaii and served on many committees including the original Strategic Planning Committee, Marketing Committee and served as a Vice-President of the Americas with FIABCI-ORG. In June 2020 she was invited to be a Trustee on the FIABCI-ORG Scholarship Foundation 2020-23. Eugenia was elected in June 2020 as the President Elect for FIABCI-USA 2020-21 and will be sworn in as the first African American to be President of FIABCI-USA in May 2021. Eugenia is a member of REBNY (Real Estate Board of New York), CIPS, (International Property Specialist), NYRS (New York Residential Specialist) a NYS licensed Real Estate Broker and a certified MWBE with the city of New York and NYS. Foxworth Realty is a member of NAR (National Association of Realtors), MANAR (Manhattan Association of Realtors), REBNY, NYSAR (New York State Association of Realtors), HGAR and a certified NYRS (New York Residential Specialist) and FIREC. Eugenia has been an active member of the International Real Estate Federation since 2004. She is on the USA Executive Board of Directors and was FIABCI-ORG International’s Vice President of Marketing. Prior to her life in real estate, Eugenia was a mentee of Bayard Rustin who followed her journey after she graduated from Drexel University. She worked for the Commandant of the 4th Naval District in Philadelphia, she became a flight attendant with Eastern Air Lines, during which time she was hijacked to Cuba (where they first used a molotov cocktail). As a flight attendant with EAL, she did special promotions and advertisements for them. She also did television commercials, print modeling and voiceovers for Air Jamaica. During this time, Eugenia was crowned Miss Yorkville and ran for Miss New York State. She also opened “Ugenia” a Mexican boutique located on east 70th street in New York City. As a multipotentialite with a passion for art, she took leave without pay and opened Foxworth Gallery, a fine arts gallery located on east 65th street between Madison and Park Avenues in NYC in 1983. It was at her gallery’s Benefit for the National Council For Culture and Art, an organization that helped African-American artists who are in need of housing and economical support that Bayard and she reunited. That was the year that Alvin Ailey was honored and was presented the award at the Dinner at Shubert Alley. Eugenia also developed and was the Director of SOHO20, a woman’s not-for-profit art gallery from 1988 to 1992 and her interest in women’s health and personal care motivated her to develop a skincare line called “Dermcente Noire” for healthy black skin in 1992. For over a decade, Eugenia Foxworth has been recognized for outstanding achievement both professionally and as a respected leader throughout her community and abroad. Since 2003, the publication Unique Homes, has selected Eugenia as a member of Elite’s top real estate professionals in the world for marketing and sales. Sharon K. Young, President (2012) of FIABCI-USA presented the Jack Sharp Memorial Membership Award and the President’s Award in May to Eugenia at the Spring 2013 Annual Meeting and Celebration Dinner in Taichung, Taiwan during the 64th Annual International Real Estate World Congress Awards. She has been published and contributed to many books on the subject of real estate and had a featured segment on HGTV’s “House Hunters”. In 2018 she was instrumental in Columbia University’s Manhattan Project receiving the second prize for the Prix d’Excellence in Real Estate nationally from FIABCI-USA which was accepted by LaVerna Fountain, the first African-American to be a Vice President at Columbia University. She’s on the Board of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and served for 5 years as the Vice President of the Harlem Tourism Board. She submitted the Kalahari/MIST for the FIABCI-USA 2014 Grand Prix de Excellence, one of the most prestigious real estate awards in the country. The Harlem Tourism Board President and Eugenia accepted the award in Georgetown, DC at the high-level International Conference of Real Estate Professionals. In March of 2016 (post-President Obama) the Harlem Tourism Board, along with Congressman Charles Rangel, were a part of the Harlem Delegation to Cuba and Eugenia was the invited real estate delegate. In April of 2019 she was recognized as a “Woman of Courage” and received an award from the Harlem Community News and HealthFirst. Eugenia received a Citation from the New York State Assembly District 70th, Assembly Member, Inez E. Dickens and a Certificate of Appreciation from Gale A. Brewer, the Manhattan Borough President in recognition of her dedication and service to the Harlem community. In June 2019 the Real Estate Weekly recognized her as one of the “Leading Ladies in Real Estate”. On September 2019 she was honored as a “Woman of Excellence” by the New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce and in October 2020, Real Estate Agent Advisor highlighted Eugenia as “One of the Phenomenal Women in Real Estate”. Eugenia is on the Senior Advisory Board for Community Affairs in Harlem and on the Board of The New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce. She served on the Board of Directors for White Box, an alternative international art gallery and sat on the Board of the Uptown Dance Academy, a youth dance troupe in Harlem that performs “The Black Nutcracker” founded by Robin Williams, during the time that the Artist Formerly Known As Prince, donated a quarter of a million dollars and Misty Copeland (of the ABT) performed as a guest principal ballerina at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. Eugenia has a long history of philanthropy and working with inner city youth, mainly in the arts for many years, which continues to bring her personal satisfaction and joy. |
DEBI JACKSON
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917.817.4445 [email protected] MyFeetTravel.com YouthDevelopmentFoundation.org @BLSLady facebook.com/DebiJackson [email protected] 212-410-5223 Deboran Bolling Jackson was born, raised and educated in New York City. For over 30 years she was known in the radio world as Debi B where her voice was heard every Sunday on 107.5 WBLS co-hosting the broadcast husband, Hal Jackson in New York City. The Sunday Classics had consistently been rated as a top five program in the #1 market and voice has been heard widely as the national radio voice for the Essence Music Festival, the Essence Awards and many radio commercials. One of Ms. Jackson's passions is photography, which led her to become the first to host a one-woman photographic show at the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building in New York City. All proceeds from the sales of Debi's photography is donated to the Youth Development Foundation, Inc. (YDF) of which she is the CEO and President. For 50 years the Youth Development Foundation, Inc. (YDF) has awarded over $2,000,000 in scholarships and prizes to young women of color from around the world through the Hal Jackson's Talented Teens International (HJTTI) scholarship program. Ms. Jackson served as Producer of HJTTI which showcased young talented women and gave them exposure to the music, film and entertainment industries. Some of the women who came through HJTTI include Jada Pinkett Smith, Taraji P. Henson and Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook. Debi's philantropic work includes awarding scholarships to participants of Black Women for Black Girls of which she is an Executive Board Member. She strongly believes in volunteerism and for over 30 years has given her time and voice to community and non-profit organizations such as Make The Grade, Black Women of Influence, Harlem Tourism Board, Great Harlem Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Black Female Executives In Music & Entertainment, Power 2 Inspire Foundation, Women In The Black and Wheelchair Charities, which has raised millions of dollars to mobilize, educate and entertainment quadriplegics and paraplegics at the Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility. If you know Debi, you know that she has traveled extensively. Since she loves the opportunity of visiting other countries, Debi started an online travel store where you can book your travel anywhere in the world. As she says, "When you think of travel, think My Feet Travel." You can visit her online travel store at www.MyFeetTravel.com Ms. Jacson's New York corporate experience encompasses the broad field of Human Resource Administration where she worked as an Employment Supervisor, Affirmative Action Assistant Director and EEO Officer. She then went into higher education at Fairleigh Deckinson University as the University Assistant Director of Affirmative Action. Debi Jackson's motto is "Smile at the world and tht world will smile back at you." |