Commonwealth Corporation was honored to attend the 2022 Massachusetts Black Expo (MBE) on September 23rd, 2022. Organized by the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA), MBE’s goal was to bring together key Black and ally business leaders in order to empower Black-owned businesses and to work towards closing the racial wealth gap in business. 

As a committed leader to DEI in workplace development, Commonwealth Corporation was represented at MBE by President and CEO Christine Abrams, who facilitated a speaking session entitled “Commonwealth Corp: Skills Development Resources,” designed to help listeners leverage local resources to pursue further workplace development. Additionally, members of our team attended the event, including Tasia Cerezo, Director of Youth Employment, Curriculum & Training, and intern Oscar Campos tabled for CommCorp during MBE’s open exhibition of Black-owned and ally businesses. Through this exhibition, we were able to network with a diverse array of business owners, forming new strategic partnerships directly within the community.  

In her session, Abrams spoke on the critical importance of meaningful workplace training. “We need to start unpacking and thinking differently about the talent that we’re bringing in, in order to allow people to get training for those right skills and competencies. We have to think about degrees differently—there isn’t one way to get what an employee needs,” said Abrams. 

Commonwealth Corporation is proud to be a John D. O’Bryant sponsor for 2022’s MBE. We hope to continue our relationship with BECMA in the pursuit of racial equity in business, to advocate for Black businesses across the Commonwealth, and enact meaningful change.