The year is 2017.
Krystal Vega and Naomi Wright are bright eyed interns at their dream company, BET. Vega aimed to be an on-camera entertainment host, Wright, a producer. Through their time working together, they’d see honorary moments platforming Black excellence, but they were often designated for highly visible C-suite executives.
“There are lot of women behind-the-scenes who are really moving the needle in great ways,” Vega tells ESSENCE. “We wanted to honor ourselves for the hard work we’ve been doing and how we’d influence those meetings that the executives are in, but also honor other women of color who who are on the same playing field as us.”
This realization kickstarted an idea to create a space a space for young, professional women of color in creative industries to convene, share and support one another. It all started with an intimate dinner of their friends and colleagues. The gathering was an instant success.
“The response from that one dinner was incredible,” Wright explains to ESSENCE. “Everybody was asking when the next one would be, so Krystal and I knew this was something we had to lean into.”
On a budget of a few hundred dollars, the two unknowingly birthed what would become a national movement less than a decade later. They dubbed the series of dinners and outings Fortune and Forks, a membership-based social club aimed at empowering women of color who are transforming industries for the next generation.
“We want to make sure this isn’t just another opportunity to party, or even a stuffy networking event,” Vega. “This is a time to create real connections, learn from each other, give one another a leg up so we don’t have to jump through as many hoops to get to where we want to be.”
No longer operating on the shoe string budget from its humble beginnings, Fortune and Forks has partnered with a myriad of brands that include Glossier, CultureCon, LOBOS 1707, Soho House, JBL, Actively Black, Snapchat and Samsung among others. Vega and Wright are excited about further growthm including an upcoming retreat that will welcome members to travel and fellowship with each other.
“We’re so excited about continuing to expand our membership base,” Vega says, pointing out that the organization is always striving to find bigger ways to usher in celebratory moments for WOC executives. “One of our immediate goals is spearheading a huge gala. We deserve that. They deserve that.”