Washington, D.C. is home to many things including the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Abraham Lincoln Memorial, John Wall’s $170 million contract and the orange man in the White House. It’s also home to one of the fastest growing festivals in the country. Over the last decade, Brandon McEachern and Marcus Allen have developed Broccoli City from a blossoming street wear brand to week long conference and music festival at FedEx Field. As it enters its seventh year in the nation’s capital, the music festival is now proceeded by two day convention that features speakers such as Coach K of Quality Control and Gia Peppers of the Black Girl Podcast.
#BroccoliCon Return of Inclusion Panel ?? #Inclusion #blackwealth @iamshellybell #BCweekend2019 pic.twitter.com/TIw4ZnaqoG
— Broccoli City (@BroccoliCity) April 25, 2019
On Thursday afternoon, the festival kicked off at both the National Union Building and The Loft at 600 F in the city’s Gallery Place neighborhood. Things got off to a quick start when featured speaker Symone Sanders was announced as Joe Biden’s presidential campaign strategist. Other key moments also included a discussion about the return of inclusion with speakers such as Brittany Johnson of NBC, Marcus Allen of Broccoli City and Deloris Wilson of AXL. During this discussion the panelists touched on everything from cultural capitol to the need for collaboration among people of color.
BET Networks exec, @JeanineLiburd, emphasizes the importance of health! Her biggest fear is not being healthy enough to still be killing it at 80 years old! From over here it looks like you’re on the right track girl cause that melanin is POPPIN!! That glow?? #BroccoliCon2019 pic.twitter.com/X1oNBfUin6
— Broccoli City (@BroccoliCity) April 26, 2019
Another major moment during day one of the Broccoli City Convention came during a session that featured BET’s Jeanine Lilburd, Live Nation’s Heather Lowery and many more. The group of incredible black woman leaders discussed how to get to the top of your field with losing yourself or sacrificing integrity. Lilburd also touched on how to achieve success without sacrificing your physical and mental health.
Here’s how to get to the top on your own terms.?#BCWeekend2019 #BroccoliCon2019 https://t.co/zgMJFsSEB9
— Broccoli City (@BroccoliCity) April 26, 2019
Heading into the second day of Broccoli City’s two-day convention there’s a lot to be excited about. From BuzzFeed’s Sylvia Obell to YouTube’s Tuma Basa, there’s a lot to hear and learn from these exciting industry leaders. Not to mention, Bri Steves and Tobe Nwigwe will be taking the stage for tonight’s preview night. Check out some clips and tweets from day one above.
