State of Black Women After the Layoffs: Empower Black Women

State of Black Women in America After the Layoffs is a solutions-focused community forum centering Black women’s experiences in the workforce and entrepreneurship—offering tools, allies, and next steps for economic mobility in Cincinnati.

This year, over 300,000 Black women have been laid off, amid policy shifts under the new administration and corporate pullbacks on D&I/DEI. Many are also struggling to sustain or scale businesses—while others are growing against the odds. This event brings encouragement, education, and action to navigate both realities.

Date & Time: Wednesday, November 6, 2025 · 5:30–8:30 PM

Location: Walnut Hills Library Branch

Presented by: Empower GENNOW Network

Partners: United Way • Halie Foundation • BT Rise • Black Women Cultivating Change • Rich Girl Energy • Advance NOW

Black women navigating layoffs or career transitions; entrepreneurs and side-hustlers; HR and Belonging & Equity leaders; workforce agencies; funders; and community advocates committed to workforce equity.

• Emotional Healing Release (8 min) — Renika J. Smiley, Founder & CEO, Empower GENNOW Network, through her Rise With Renika personal development platform, guides a brief release session to ground the room in safety, strength, and clarity.

• Grounding Ourselves: Mental Health & Self-Care (8 min) — Rachael E. DuBose, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, shares hard data on the impact of layoffs on Black women and practical self-care strategies in transition.

• Power Panel: Jobs, Entrepreneurship & Financial Resilience

• • Moderator: Tammie Renee Stylez By Renee
  • Amy Hull — Director of Belonging, Paychex, Inc. & Author
  • Christy Demetrakis — President, Empowered Speaker; Retired P&G Executive
  • Rashida Pearson, M.Ed., TICP — Walls of Wellness Consulting
  • Ashley Gross — Accountant, Harvest Time Financial & Rich Girl Energy Women’s Network
  • Tarita Preston - Founder of Tarita Preston Coaching

• Vendors & Resources: Spotlight at the beginning and closing—learn about programs, memberships, and services that support career growth and business building.
• Light bites & refreshments plus networking.

• 5:30–6:15 PM Check-in, networking, light bites; Vendor & Resource spotlight (opening)
• 6:15–6:20 PM Welcome by Tammie Renee
• 6:20–6:25 PM Advance NOW Showcase: Watch, Learn, Apply
• 6:25–6:35 PM Grounding Ourselves — Rachael E. DuBose
• 6:35–6:45 PM Emotional Healing Release — Renika J. Smiley
• 6:45–6: 50 PM Welcome by Tammie Renee
• 6:45–7:20 PM Panel conversation (50 min) — Moderator: Tammie Renee
• 7:20–7:35 PM Audience Q&A (15 min)
• 7:35–8:15 PM Networking + Vendor & Resource spotlight (closing)
• 8:15–8:30 PM Final connections & close

Advance NOW is a leadership and economic mobility training program for African-American women ages 21–45. We equip participants with the skills, networks, and strategies to advance careers, launch or scale businesses, and build generational wealth.
Applications for Cohort 3 open next week.

Empower GENNOW Network is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit driving workforce equity and economic mobility through leadership development, employer partnerships, and systems-level solutions. We are a Systems Change Partner of United Way. Advance NOW is an Empower GENNOW program, and this event is hosted through Advance NOW.

• The venue is intended to be accessible; please share accommodation needs in advance.
• Photography/videography may be in use. By attending, you consent to being recorded.

Questions or vendor table interest? Contact the organizer through Eventbrite.

Tagline: From policy to paychecks—tools, allies, and action for Black women’s economic power.

Info: Arrive between 5:30–6:15 PM to check in, grab a name tag, and ease into the evening with light bites and complimentary wine (21+; non-alcoholic options available). Meet fellow attendees, visit vendor tables, and hear quick 60-second spotlights so you know which resources, programs, and memberships can support your next step.

Info: Tammie Renee opens the evening with a warm welcome and gratitude to our partners, frames the purpose—centering Black women’s careers and entrepreneurship after layoffs—and outlines the flow: brief healing & grounding segments, vendor/resource spotlight, a 45-minute panel with 15-minute Q&A, and networking. She’ll share quick housekeeping and participation guidelines, invite questions, and point attendees to Advance NOW Cohort 3 applications opening next week.

Info: Watch a short promo for Advance NOW and get the quick steps to apply for Cohort 3—a leadership and economic mobility program for Black women ages 21–45. Applications open next week; scan the on-screen QR code (and grab the link at the vendor table) to apply on the spot. Learn what you’ll gain—coaching, employer connections, and business/career tools—and see how scholarships/sponsorships can help. Staff will be available for brief questions right after the screening.

Info: Grounding Ourselves: Mental Health & Self-Care (8 min) — Rachael E. DuBose, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, shares hard data on the impact of layoffs on Black women and practical self-care strategies in transition.

Info: Renika J. Smiley will share her personal testimony of being laid off and how she turned that setback into fuel for her journey as a community leader and entrepreneur. She will also guide attendees through an empowering exercise from her Rise With Renika platform to help women process the impact of layoffs, release feelings of defeat, and reclaim their sense of purpose and power.

Info: Tammy Renee sets the tone for the evening, frames our focus on layoffs, entrepreneurship, and Belonging & Equity, and introduces the panelists. She’ll share the flow, how to participate, and invite attendees to note questions for the Q&A—grounding the room in solutions, respect, and shared purpose.

Info: Tammie Renee leads a candid, solutions-focused discussion on navigating layoffs, career pivots, and building wealth through work and entrepreneurship. Expect practical strategies on re-entry and upskilling, salary negotiation and pay equity, accessing capital, financial resilience, boundary-setting and mental health, and building Belonging-centered workplaces.

Panelists:

Amy Hull — Director of Belonging, Paychex, Inc. & Author

Christy Demetrakis — President, Empowered Speaker; Retired P&G Executive

Rashida Pearson, M.Ed., TICP — Walls of Wellness Consulting

Ashley Gross — Harvest Time Financial & Rich Girl Energy Women’s Network

Tarita Pearson — Life & Leadership Coach

One-line agenda version:
50-minute, solutions-driven panel moderated by Tammie Renee on jobs, entrepreneurship, equity, and actionable next steps.

Info: Moderator Tammie Renee will facilitate a fast, inclusive Q&A following the panel. To participate, raise your hand for a mic or submit a question via question card/QR at your seat. Please keep questions under 30 seconds and to one per person so we can hear from as many voices as possible. We’ll prioritize questions from Black women directly impacted by layoffs; time permitting, we’ll open to the broader audience. Respectful dialogue only. Remaining questions will be gathered for a post-event follow-up.

Info: Empower GENNOW Network is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit advancing workforce equity and economic mobility. As a Systems Change Partner of United Way, we convene employers, train leaders, and connect talent to opportunity. Flagship programs include Advance NOW (leadership for Black women 21–45) and the Employer Spotlight Series with partners like Cincinnati Children’s, Fifth Third, P&G, Kroger, Paycor, 84.51°, and Deloitte—helping participants grow careers, launch/scale businesses, and build generational wealth.

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Host or Publisher Generation NOW