We are proud to recognize Black leaders, innovators, and artists every day of the year, both across our platforms and in our communities. To kick off the celebrations this year, we honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the National Day of Service on January 17, when our employees volunteered on a range of service projects, including a local partnership with City Year and AmeriCorps Members to paint canvas tote bags to fill with teacher supplies.
From creating opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs, to building on our commitments and partnerships, to amplifying diverse voices, here are some of the ways we’re working locally to create positive change during Black History Month and all year long.
Supporting Black-Owned Businesses
Through Comcast RISE, our program to help empower small businesses owned by women and people of color, we have provided more than $60 million in grants, marketing and technology services to more than 6,700 small businesses owned by people of color nationwide, including 464 businesses based in our Beltway Region. With the help of the program, Donna Henry was able to promote her gourmet soup bar, Soup Up, LLC, to new audiences in Washington, DC and Bianca Jackson expanded her vision for the BrickRose Exchange event space and digital community in Baltimore, MD.
Comcast provided the lifeline we needed and it has helped us tremendously. What I got was priceless, more than money. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who have small businesses like mine who need the support that Comcast RISE offers. I would encourage them to spend those 10 minutes or less and apply. It’s worth it.” – Donna Henry, Soup Up LLC
Our work continues in 2022 as the next wave of applications for Comcast RISE marketing and technology services is open through June 17. Learn more about how to apply here.
Sponsoring the Nation’s Oldest Historically Black Athletic Conference
We are proud to be part of the return of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA®) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament to Baltimore for the first time since 1952. CIAA, the nation’s oldest historically Black athletic conference, will host the tournament at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore on February 22-26. Comcast is excited for Xfinity to join the action as a sponsor of the tournament, and we invite you to visit our booth at Fan Fest on February 25-26 – which is open to the public at the Baltimore Convention Center – to learn more about our Xfinity services, including broadband service with speeds up to 1.2 gigabits, the award-winning Xfinity X1 video platform, Xfinity Home, Xfinity Voice, Xfinity Flex and Xfinity Mobile.
Strengthening Partnerships with HBCUs
We are building on our commitments and partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and are proud to sponsor HBCU Tech Startup Weekend on February 26 in partnership with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Baltimore. The event provides support for HBCU students and alumni who are seeking to launch and grow tech startups, and will feature educational sessions, a pitch competition and an innovation marketplace highlighting early-stage tech startups founded and/or co-founded by HBCU students and alumni.
Celebrating Black Storytellers
Through Black Experience – a first-of-its-kind, curated destination of Black content – special Black History Month programming will be available to customers nationwide at home on Xfinity X1 and Flex, and on-the-go with the Xfinity Stream app. This includes “Avenues of Dreams: Reclaiming MLK Boulevards,” which was created in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal’s Voices of the Civil Rights Movement platform, and highlights stories of business owners and residents as they reclaim MLK Boulevards in cities including Baltimore.
Find more on how Comcast NBCUniversal is celebrating and spotlighting Black storytellers for Black History Month here, and follow our local activities @ComcastBeltway.
