Urban Summit Review

Early in June, the first annual Urban Marketplace Summit brought together Christian leaders across the United States to learn, connect and network with each other. Johnathon Banks and Roy Patterson facilitated the summit and interviewed the panel speakers to share their expertise and wisdom. Below, you will find highlights from both days:

Day One  

“Hope is the belief and expectation that the best can still happen,” were the opening words of Dr. Naima Lett in her talk about planting hope.

 With full transparency, a brief history lesson, and encouragement from Scripture, Dr. Lett set the stage for our theme, “Living with Purpose.” She shared her journey in entertainment as an actress and how she took a leap of faith to plant a church in Beverly Hills. Dr. Lett exhorted the attendants to persevere and give our best as Christians in the marketplace. “Use the gifts that God has placed within you,” she said, and “reclaim the narrative!” Leaving us filled with renewed courage, she prayed Romans 15:13’s blessing to abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit at the end of her session.

Next, Kevin Olusola, member of the Acapella vocal ensemble Pentatonix, gave a dynamic talk of knowing one’s identity in Christ and “[stepping] into the fullness of joy God called us to walk in”. Through all his success and opportunities, Olusola made it clear that God was at the center of it all. He shared how his success came after forging new paths and often feeling misunderstood and lonely; what motivated him was the generation behind him who needed a pathway forward. He then left us with three points: training is important, prayer is important, and let the Holy Spirit keep you open.

 Day Two

Longtime journalist and NBA analyst, Chris Broussard, opened day two with a talk on using one’s influence for kingdom purposes. His invigorating speech set the tone and pace for the rest of the day’s activities. “Use your gift to impact the world,” he said, and “in order to be effective, stay true to Christian principles.” During his Q & A session with Roy Patterson, Broussard emphasized the seriousness of making sure “your walk matches your talk.” He also shared his journey in journalism, his desire to attend seminary, and how he realized God wanted him to be influential in the marketplace. Broussard most recently launched a national organization called The King Movement for men to reach their God-given potential in every realm of life through the power and grace of Jesus. To close, he ended his talk emphasizing two points—be kind and show compassion.

 Next, the Urban Marketplace Summit held a networking event for their attendees to connect and answer the question of, ‘What is your God-given superpower?’ During this time, participants were also given an opportunity to join the African American Network, which had just launced.

Subsequently, the group listened to Grammy-nominated musician, author and speaker, Saul/Paul, who shared his heartfelt testimony about going from four felonies to a 4.0 GPA in college. He urged the attendees to “run full steam ahead and leave the outcome to God!” His story beautifully illustrated God’s grace that gave him a second chance to make a difference in the world.

 The last two sessions focused on interviewing three exceptional women who were leaders in their respective industries. William Adeji, the Global Managing Director at CBRE, monitored the first session with Dr. Sharoni Denise Little, Head of Global Inclusion Strategy and Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and Latoya Collins-Jones, Chief of Staff of Global Diversity and Inclusion at Dell Technologies. As Christian practitioners in the complex field of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), they both imparted insight on how to integrate faith to DEI matters. “Give truth with grace,” and “seek continual education to sustain yourself in this kind of work,” advised Collins-Jones when asked how she approached her work. Dr. Little counseled the group to, “love humanity!” by covering people and not exposing and shaming them. Both women agreed their work was challenging, but that it was possible to work with integrity and  practice their faith while being in this industry. We left this session wanting more.

The conference concluded with Dr. Naima Lett interviewing Traci Lynn Blackwell, Executive Vice President and Head of Scripted Programming, BET Networks. Blackwell shared how working in entertainment was about compromise and accepting that although people might not get exactly what they want, they could nonetheless uphold their Christian values. She stressed the importance of mentorship and having an intimate community to rely on, sharing how she had three friends who specifically prayed for her in her line of work.

The attendants left the Urban Marketplace Summit inspired and encouraged to live out who God created them to be and to work wherever God called them to be, whether that was in the marketplace or elsewhere.