Polished Pebbles Black History Month Roundtable Discussion: Closing the Hope Gap for Girls
12:00 – 1:00 pm CT
Girls of color in Chicago experience the same poverty, violence, and trauma as boys, but have far fewer programs designed to address their specific needs and life experiences. For the past 13 years, Polished Pebbles has addressed the other side of the crisis. Polished Pebbles seeks to eliminate the “hope gap” experienced by many girls of color in Chicago and nationally who are navigating violence in their communities and structural barriers to supportive services, education, and employment opportunities. Now more than ever, we need more community and business leaders to invest in girls of color.
Polished Pebbles is the only girls program in Chicago that brings an innovative group of stakeholders to the table to beat the odds and provide real opportunities for girls in careers in tech, retail, the trades, engineering, and the nonprofit sector.
Join the Founder and Executive Director of Polished Pebbles, Kelly Fair, as she hosts a virtual panel discussion with community leaders about the critical need for businesses to invest in girls of color and ensure we are building career pipelines for girls.
Featuring Panelists:
- Wilbur C. Milhouse III, Chairman/CEO of Milhouse Engineering & Construction, Inc.
- Jenny Han, Director of Design Integration, The Boldt Company
- Karen Freeman-Wilson, President and CEO, Chicago Urban League
- Ximena Larkin, Director of Digital Strategy for Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and City of Chicago
- Monique Hunt, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Manager, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants
- Jean G. Wine, Partner, Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll LLP
- Maureen Stimming, Director of Professional Development Program, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
- Renee Williams, Senior Vice President, Regional Community Development Manager, Huntington National Bank
Get involved this Black History Month and invite your company colleagues and Employee Resource Groups to tune in and learn about this powerful solution for impacting girls in Chicago.
Donate and support Polished Pebbles in closing the “hope gap” for young women of color and invest in the success and future careers of the girls we serve.