The BlackinX network hosted the first BlackinX Conference, virtually featuring keynote speakers Dr. Kilan Bishop, Dr. Keisha S. Ray and Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett. Started in response to the New York Black Birder incident, various BlackinX events was created to highlight the collective issues Black professionals face on their career journeys and to foster community for and by Black professionals.
Ginkgo was privileged and honored to sponsor the inaugural BlackinX conference bringing together Black professionals across the spectrum of skills and experiences contributing to the organization. From the opening session through Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett’s exhortation to “remember where you conquered” the conferenced helped to ensure participants pulled on the resilience and strength they have developed in arriving in the spaces they now hold.
Opening the conference on June 29 were speakers Samantha Mesah, co-founding President of #BlackinChem, Paige Greenwood, of #BlackinNeuro, Alfred Mays, of the Burroughs Welcome Fund, and Jason Kelly who shared his congratulations and thanks on behalf of Ginkgo for allowing us to support.
At Ginkgo, we recognize that there’s a serious lack of diversity in our industry, and that needs to change. Our goal is to help drive that change. Ginkgo is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in all of its practices, especially when it comes to growing our team. Our culture promotes inclusion and embraces how rewarding it is to work with people from all walks of life. Our hope is that by supporting BlackinX, we can help to remedy some of the challenges this systematically underutilized community faces, not just in Bio Engineering, but across the full spectrum of skills BlackinX supports.
Congratulations again to BlackinX organizers and we look forward to working with you as you continue to thrive.
