MAKERS 2021 Kickoff Event - Ella Bell

MAKERS 2021 Kickoff Event - Ella Bell

Video Transcript

ELLA BELL SMITH: Welcome to MAKERS 2021. My name is Ella Bell Smith. And I am thrilled, delighted, happy, tickled pink, if you will, to be welcoming you today. We wanted to give you a little taste of MAKERS. And I should know a little bit about MAKERS because I am officially the auntie of MAKERS.

That means-- or what does that mean? It means that I get to hang out a lot with amazing, amazing women, women who are making a difference in so many ways. But it also means that I'm cherished for a little bit of my wisdom. And here's what I know in terms about MAKERS and why I'm so glad you're with us right now.

MAKERS, I don't even know where to begin. It's an event where women are making a difference, bold women, women who stand up and use their voices in powerful ways, not just for corporate advancement, but all kinds of ways-- sex trafficking, health, crime, all the things that we get stuck, all the ways we get hurt, all the ways we get diminished, all the ways that we don't get our equal share. Those are MAKER women, MAKERS, those are the women who are the MAKERS. And the attendees, they're just as fierce and just as tough.

Here's what's important to me about MAKERS and the MAKERS event. I don't want my granddaughter to go through what I went through as a professional woman, as an African-American woman. I don't want her to fight the battles that I had to fight. I don't want the doors closed that were closed in my face.

I don't want her to have to fight and waste energy and time like I did and so many other women. I want the doors to be open for my grandbaby. I want the doors open for all the grandbabies, the girls. I'm not the first, but I won't be the last.

MAKERS where we make our legacy, where we declare that it is time for a change. So come on in. If you've been here before, welcome back. It's always good to see a MAKERS sister. If you're new to this experience, sit down and just take it all in.

Because the legacy MAKERS are here. And you know what? We are all legacy MAKERS. We're making a difference for all women. So sit back, hold on, get your seatbelts on because this is going to be an amazing time. And you're going to learn a lot. I'll be back. Shall we roll the cameras, guys, and get this show going.