SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An annual Diversity Summit and Business Expo was held Monday at the Hilton Arden West in Sacramento.
The Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce have held the event together for at least the past seven years.
"The main goal is to really bring our business communities together and businesses that support each of our chambers and to make sure that we understand that diversity, equity and inclusion is important in all of our walks of life," said Fred Palmer, executive director for the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce.
The event came with panel discussions, a vendor expo and opportunities for business owners to network. More than 75 entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations participated in the event. It was all about learning how to win in business through a focus on diversity and inclusion.
"It also gives an opportunity to talk about topics that, maybe, you do not always get to talk about," said Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce CEO Cathy Rodriguez Aguirre. "We did a panel about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging within organizations, and how do you establish that and how do you keep it going after there's been so much happening in the world. Now, people are feeling like maybe we already fixed that problem, and we can move on. When the reality is, no, we just started to acknowledge it, and there's still a lot more work to be done."
The U.S. Department of Labor said fostering a culture of diversity can help employers confront business challenges and achieve success. Diversity is still lacking for some businesses.
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"We do not get a fair break, we know that, and we try to make it better for our diverse communities," said Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce CEO Azizza Davis Goines. "This city is known for being a very diverse city, but we are not very inclusive and we are not very well integrated. Things like this event can help with that and help us to learn to be more inclusive."
Ima Addo participated in the Diversity Summit. She owns a clothing company called IDJK Designs in Sacramento.
"I'm born in Liberia, but raised in Ghana," said Addo. "There's people from different walks of life at the event and to bring us all together in one room, it's great. Sacramento is different. It's a melting pot and it's up and coming, so more of this is the way forward for Sacramento. There's a lot to be done in terms of diversity, but I think it's going to get there eventually."
Outside of advancing diversity in business, organizers said the event was also a way to drive out hate.
"There's a lot of hate in this world, unfortunately," said Palmer. "When there's hate against anyone in our communities or diverse populations, it's hate against all of us, so a big part of this event is for all of us to stand up and support each other and work together."
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