Who We Are
Background
Black Women Disrupt (BWD) is an initiative founded on July 25, 2018 (the International Day for Afro-Latinamerican, Afro-Caribbean and Diaspora women). We are building a movement, a multilingual and multi-national community using our platform to support one another on our social or traditional entrepreneurship journeys. For partners and friends determined to invest in, believe in and support work led by Black women, Black Women Disrupt provides a vehicle to reach sister disruptors too often under-resourced, unseen and who face tremendous odds to support and uplift their families and communities.
We are grounded in building community, strengthening diaspora ecosystems and identifying international opportunities to build, grow and collaborate.
We believe in bridging the gaps so often created by nationalism and exceptionalism. In collaboration with sister disruptors worldwide, we convene women who might not traditionally view themselves as activists in the work of transformation and facilitate learning and building of innovative market approaches.
We partner across the Americas and around the world daily to raise awareness, highlight the achievements of “sister disruptors”, and provide technical support to sisters growing their businesses.
We provide matchmaking, access to resources/investment opportunities, and personalized support via masterclass seminars, workshops or calls for proposals to raise visibility, stimulate self esteem and provide tools to help sister disruptors succeed.
What We Do
Sister Disruptors Unite 2022
The latest Black Women Disrupt project is a collaborative mapping exercise developed with our partners to identify the businesses and sectors Black women pursue and determine the capacity building, investment and other support they need. The process includes the Sister Disruptors Unite Survey and quarterly Cultural Cafe events.
Help us capture BWD’s network, deepen and expand our program to reach more sister disruptors. Please complete the brief survey and tell a sister disruptor in your network to check us out!
Cultural Cafe creates a space for dialogue to deepen our understanding of Black Futures, and how our collective imagination influences our ability to be in solidarity with one another across borders in business and beyond. Join us for the next session - register here!
Black Women Disrupt the Web (2021)
In 2021, Black Women Disrupt, along with Antoinette Engel and Dylan Valley, an international collaborative dedicated to uplifting Black women creatives and entrepreneurs, announced a new project: Black Women Disrupt the Web (BWDW). This global competition produced an original web series showcase. The call for entries attracted proposals from Black women writer-directors from Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, and South Africa for three (3) three-minute episodes providing new perspectives on the theme, “Imagining Black Futures”.
Black women from Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, and South Africa were invited to submit original proposals for a fictional web series between February 1st and March 1st. A selection committee will chose five (5) semi-finalists to receive dedicated mentorship, production funding, professional development and inclusion in a global, online, web series showcase that was evaluated by an esteemed panel of judges in July. The winner received a cash prize alongside support in navigating distribution, networking events, markets and festivals.
“The goal is to celebrate the richness of a broader and multilingual African diaspora and to raise its visibility worldwide through outstanding works of fiction film content made available on the web.”
Black Women Disrupt the Web (2021) Finalist
Alafia Mundo (2020-present)
Sisters Speak: U.S. Brazil Dialogues on Black Feminism and Leadership (2020)
Summer Series Live: Resistance, Resilience, Innovation (2020)
Make a donation.
Your tax deductible donation sustains our innovative programs, networking exchanges, and capacity building as we help Sister Disruptors unite and build a future where our stories, experiences, talent and technologies are visible at home and abroad.