Kelli Perkins
Program Manager
About
<p class="" style="margin: 0px 0px 1rem; line-height: var(--body-font-line-height); font-family: itc-avant-garde-gothic-pro; font-size: 17.536px; white-space-collapse: preserve; background-color: #ffffff;">Growing up as a bi-racial child and living in predominantly white neighborhoods had a profound effect on my identity as a Black woman. I was either “Too Black for my white side” or “Too white for my Black side”. This dilemma put me in the ‘other’ category, which felt disempowering at times. Who was I?</p> <p class="" style="margin: 1rem 0px; line-height: var(--body-font-line-height); font-family: itc-avant-garde-gothic-pro; font-size: 17.536px; white-space-collapse: preserve; background-color: #ffffff;">As I began my career, this same feeling of ‘otherness’ followed me into the professional environments I entered. It seemed no matter where I went, there was always one thing that stood out loud and clear— I was a Black woman. This reality empowered me to use my voice to reshape culture in spaces where us ‘others’ lacked a sense of belonging, and equal access to opportunity.</p> <p class="" style="margin: 1rem 0px 0px; line-height: var(--body-font-line-height); font-family: itc-avant-garde-gothic-pro; font-size: 17.536px; white-space-collapse: preserve; background-color: #ffffff;">Because of my lived experience, I’ve chosen to use my love for connecting with people and event programming experience to help companies stay vigilant on their journey toward a more equitable and inclusive world.</p>