Maggie Anderson
For her sustained activism and her hard-hitting speeches, the CEO of The Empowerment Experiment Foundation Maggie, was chosen by BET and Centric TV as one of “The Most Fascinating Women of 2016”.
Reasons to book Maggie Anderson
- Since the completion of her historic experiment, Maggie has become the voice of American consumers of all backgrounds who want to make sure their buying power positively impacts struggling minority communities.
- She is very passionate about her dedication to the black community.
- Her stand, her book, and her 'Our Black Year Tour' have created a "conscious consumerism" movement to increase consumer and corporate demand for Black businesses and increase awareness about the value and importance of self-help economics in the Black community.
Non-binding request for Maggie Anderson
Teaching solutions. Inspiring results.
Maggie, a graduate of Emory University, with a JD and MBA from the University of Chicago, has since devoted her life to the causes of business diversity and inclusion, and economic empowerment and justice. Named “Woman of the Year” by YWCA, and “One of the Most Fascinating Women of the Year” by BET and Centric, in 2020, the renowned speaker and activist launched a movement to reclaim the Black Hair Care industry and empower Black women consumers and entrepreneurs.
Inspired by the election of President Obama, and drawing on her experience as Congressman John Lewis’ aide, President Obama’s law student, and a corporate executive serving McDonald’s Corporation first and only Black CEO, Maggie Anderson publicly pledged to exclusively support Black owned businesses for a whole year to prove the power of Buying Black.
Her family was threatened, there was no Black owned grocery store, and her mother was dying of pancreatic cancer the entire time. Her history-making stand AKA ‘The Empowerment Experiment’ resulted in tens of millions in revenue for Black owned businesses and deposits into Black owned banks; global media coverage; her critically acclaimed book; and a landmark study, conducted by the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, that proved 1 million jobs could be created if these businesses received a small increase in support.
Since taking her stand, Maggie has given thousands of speeches and interviews hosted by the most respected corporations, universities, trade/ professional/ faith/ civic and rights institutions, and media. Millions have shed tears while taking notes as she teaches the victorious yet violent history of Black owned businesses and Black economic unity; preaches about economic justice and empowerment; and shares The Empowerment Experiment, and how it has since changed and ‘saved’ her life, effectively curing her muscular dystrophy.
Maggie continues to receive numerous honors, proclamations and awards from the most elite and iconic civic and professional organizations, universities, corporations, municipalities and rights groups such as the National Bar Association, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Harvard University, New York Life, and many more.
Her family was threatened, there was no Black owned grocery store, and her mother was dying of pancreatic cancer the entire time. Her history-making stand AKA ‘The Empowerment Experiment’ resulted in tens of millions in revenue for Black owned businesses and deposits into Black owned banks; global media coverage; her critically acclaimed book; and a landmark study, conducted by the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, that proved 1 million jobs could be created if these businesses received a small increase in support.
Since taking her stand, Maggie has given thousands of speeches and interviews hosted by the most respected corporations, universities, trade/ professional/ faith/ civic and rights institutions, and media. Millions have shed tears while taking notes as she teaches the victorious yet violent history of Black owned businesses and Black economic unity; preaches about economic justice and empowerment; and shares The Empowerment Experiment, and how it has since changed and ‘saved’ her life, effectively curing her muscular dystrophy.
Maggie continues to receive numerous honors, proclamations and awards from the most elite and iconic civic and professional organizations, universities, corporations, municipalities and rights groups such as the National Bar Association, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Harvard University, New York Life, and many more.
My black year: Maggie Anderson at TEDxGrandRapids
Watch Maggie Anderson in action!
See Maggie Anderson, author of OUR BLACK YEAR, and her family's stand to ONLY buy Black for a year.
Watch Maggie Anderson in action!
Keynotes
Maggie Anderson keynote: Keynote topic by Maggie Anderson
When Maggie speaks and lectures about Our Black Year, she offers a story and hard-earned wisdom that no one else can. She draws from the unsung story and success of Black owned businesses and neighborhoods in America; Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement, and how Black entrepreneurship, economic solidarity, and business success helped both; presents the lessons learned from her ancestors’ and her family’s buy Black stands.
She delivers an inspirational and intelligent message about the possibility and promise of homespun economic empowerment in America, the business case and job-creating, racism-countering, community-empowering opportunity of supplier diversity and proactively, publicly, collectively supporting locally-owned businesses; and teaches the specific cultural, societal and economic importance of successful Black owned banks and businesses, and the fundamental inclusion of and investment in Black owned businesses by the government, Corporate, and university/nonprofit sectors for countering structural racism and improving the American economy.
Her areas of expertise: race and the economy, Black business/economic history, minority entrepreneurship, consumerism, economic empowerment, buying local/ buying Black/ buying American, economic activism, supplier diversity, self–help economics, corporate – community reciprocity and partnership.
No one can testify to your supplier/business D&I commitment and promote your Black MBEs to the community better than Maggie Anderson. That's why so many Diversity execs have her speak and why she's keynoted so many NMSDC events.
She delivers an inspirational and intelligent message about the possibility and promise of homespun economic empowerment in America, the business case and job-creating, racism-countering, community-empowering opportunity of supplier diversity and proactively, publicly, collectively supporting locally-owned businesses; and teaches the specific cultural, societal and economic importance of successful Black owned banks and businesses, and the fundamental inclusion of and investment in Black owned businesses by the government, Corporate, and university/nonprofit sectors for countering structural racism and improving the American economy.
Her areas of expertise: race and the economy, Black business/economic history, minority entrepreneurship, consumerism, economic empowerment, buying local/ buying Black/ buying American, economic activism, supplier diversity, self–help economics, corporate – community reciprocity and partnership.
No one can testify to your supplier/business D&I commitment and promote your Black MBEs to the community better than Maggie Anderson. That's why so many Diversity execs have her speak and why she's keynoted so many NMSDC events.
Blog posts by Maggie Anderson
The original Buy Black movement uplifted entire communities. It can happen again
The centuries-old Black business ecosystem faded away with integration, but today, its renaissance could benefit the entire countryorrified by the brutal murder of an unarmed Black man by white police officers, and alert to how the Covid pandemic disproportionately devastated Black businesses, white
