Her Story
About Erica
After graduating from Morgan State University, an HBCU, I started my career with internships doing executive positioning, strategic partnership work, and funneling funds to minority-owned businesses through different chambers of commerce. I also did a year of service with Reading Partners, working to improve literacy rates in underperforming, impoverished elementary schools. It was incredible to see the students' confidence grow in reading and their love for reading develop. I then interned at BET in social impact, where we focused on issues disproportionately impacting Black people, including financial mobility and literacy, economic mobility, voter engagement and empowerment, and mental health. Just a few weeks into my internship, they decided I was a valuable asset and promoted me to Corporate Communications Coordinator. After that, I assumed the role of Manager of Social Impact and Corporate Communications. My work has always been rooted in uplifting those who are often silenced and opening doors for access to resources. I believe everyone deserves a chance to have resources, whether that be mental health resources or financial resources. Especially in the Black community, there's such a shortage of access, so my job has really been to work with strategic partners and nonprofits to provide access to those on the ground who need it. In my current role, I work across executive positioning in the PR field, promote and amplify the voices of our talent and creators, our television shows, and our social impact initiatives. I'm most known for working on our cultural moments, which are award shows, from the NAACP Image Awards to the BET Awards and everything in between.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Erica
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that the field of entertainment, the field of social impact, is so vast, and it needs people who are willing to step fully into all their talents, all of their skills, all of their gifts. It's important to embrace all of who you are. Embrace the parts of you that you feel like make you feel quirky, the parts of you that are outspoken, that are bold, that are courageous, and then also the parts of you that are kind and compassionate, because duality, especially amongst women, is one of our most powerful superpowers. I think it's important for this next generation to know that you can be both strong and soft, you can be both grieving something, but also growing in your field. You can still be learning while still making an impact, and it's important to know that exactly where you are is enough for the journey.
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