CINCINNATI (WXIX) -One Cincinnati man is making it easier for African Americans to build their professional network through a nonprofit aimed at providing mentorship, connections, and education to economically Black communities.
Michael Moore founded the Black Achievers in 2018, which now operates in 12 cities across the United States, including Cincinnati, Augusta, and Dallas.
The program consists of four core programs with each of them being eight weeks long.
They include:
- Business Academy
- Business Institute
- Leadership Academy
- Scholarships
Moore was inspired to create this nonprofit through his experience while at the University of Cincinnati. He says he experienced a sense of belonging while studying at the UC. Moore says he was one of the few African Americans who studied Mechanical Engineering at UC.
“So, they started an emerging ethnic engineers program called E-CUBE. I was in a cohort with about 40 other individuals,” Moore said. “A lot of them became lifelong friends. What happens is you have a bond around something that’s very hard to do. And then when you’re doing that, you’re able to overcome those as a team. And it just teaches you those types of values and skill sets. And that is what I want to teach to others.”
Although Moore is living his dream, he says climbing the corporate ladder can come with setbacks, especially for people of color.
“It happens because we have a, sometimes, a lack of leadership and a lack of people who were able to mentor us. It can get scary because you can be the only African American in some of these environments. So, what we want to do is create a sense of belonging and a place where people can feel like they’re wanted and celebrated,” Moore said.
Moore says every year, they have between 400 to 500 candidates from all of the programs developing the next generation of leaders, especially in Cincinnati.
“The African Americans in the city make up almost 50 percent, so you want to have a thriving African American Community that can contribute and feels like It’s a part and it makes the society in Cincinnati a better place in general. That’s what we’re doing. We’re creating a sense of belonging that place where people feel like, oh I can thrive here,” Moore said.
He explains that Black Achievers Professional Network is not about segregation but about creating a pathway for all professionals to work and thrive together.
Moore says he is proud to see the lives he has helped change through his nonprofit.
”It feels like I am working the mission that God has put me here for. My purpose in life was really to help African Americans but also improve race relations. We have a lot of people who are allies in the work, who are trying to bridge and build. Build bridges that are connecting the community, and it just makes America a better place,” Moore said.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2024 WXIX. All rights reserved.