LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — For 20 years, Black Enterprise’s Women of Power Summit has drawn Black women from around the world — and this year was no exception. More than 1,500 attendees packed the Bellagio Hotel & Casino for the four-day conference, running March 11–15, which organizers said carried a sense of resilience and rebirth following a difficult 2025.
A milestone year
The summit’s 20th anniversary came on the heels of a year in which an estimated 300,000 Black women lost their jobs — a decline organizers described as a significant reversal in workforce equity. The 2026 summit also arrives amid federal cutbacks, DEI rollbacks, and growing pushback against programs that support diverse leaders. Despite that backdrop, attendees traveled from across the country and internationally to attend.
“I came all the way from London. That’s how important this was to me,” said Rebecca Nwankwo, one of the conference attendees.
Shenita Muse, an executive director of a nonprofit from Chicago, said she waited years before finally registering. Ramonita Yeatts made the trip from Atlanta alongside 40 colleagues.
What the summit offered
The conference featured professional development workshops, networking opportunities, and keynote speakers, along with professional bootcamps covering topics including AI, branding, and skill-building. Sessions also addressed leading with authority, securing corporate board seats, and woman-to-woman bias in the workplace.
Caroline Clarke, former chief brand officer, said the summit’s staying power stems from what happens when women come together.
“We underestimated how isolated women often were, particularly throughout corporate America, and how their coming together would fortify them in a way that, honestly, nothing else would,” Clarke said.
Attendees said the summit delivered on its promises.
“I think they have over-delivered on everything that they promised relative to this conference, from the speakers, to the networking, to the expo, to just an opportunity to meet people,” Muse said.
Workforce challenges and resilience
Earl “Butch” Graves Jr., CEO of Black Enterprise, said the summit serves a critical function for Black women in corporate spaces.
“This summit is more than a conference — it’s an engine for empowerment,” Graves said. “At a time when leadership and career advancement are top priorities in corporate spaces, the Women of Power Summit provides a critical platform for Black women to connect, strategize, and elevate their careers.”
Clarke addressed the 2025 job losses directly, framing them as a broader setback.
“That is talent, that is intelligence, that is innovation — that is progress, that is all being held back because these obstacles continue to exist,” she said.
Yeatts said attending with her company’s support was meaningful.
“It’s a proud moment to know that, you know, when you work for a company and for however long you invest in them, they invest in you,” she said.
Organizers said that over 20 years, one consistent message has emerged: the workforce will change, but attendees will have the tools to evolve with it.
“We can create the moment. We can’t manufacture the magic. That comes from the women who come to Las Vegas every single year to be at this event,” Clarke said.
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