Femme It Forward Opens Applications For Next Gem Femme Mentorship Program

Next Gem Femme will pair 200 young women of color mentees with leading female executives and entrepreneurs in the music, media, entertainment, technology, and social justice industries. At least half of the mentee slots will go to current students or alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s). 

The year-long mentorship program will provide increased opportunities for young women of color in the workforce via exposure to real-time projects, one-on-one coaching, resume building lessons, industry insights and expertise, and relationship building.

The application period begins Monday and closes on June 4. Mentors and mentees will be paired in June and July prior to the launch of the program in August. 

“Year after year, women and girls continue to make significant strides in the workforce. However, due to a lack of exposure, visibility, and resources, women of color continue to be left out of the conversation,” Heather Lowery, President & CEO at Femme It Forward, said in a statement. 

“With the help of our incredible mentors, Next Gem Femme will allow us to further demonstrate our deeply rooted commitment to providing access and opportunities for the next generation of leaders by eliminating the opportunity gaps and structural barriers that exist for young women of color.”

Lowery – who was recognized by Pollstar as a Women of Live honoree earlier this year as well as a 2020 Impact 50 honoree – previously told Pollstar, ““I just really wanted to give young women of color the opportunities that I never had. This is exactly what I needed when I was coming up.”

Next Gem Femme mentors include Ethiopia Habtemariam (Chairman and CEO of Motown Records); Alaysia Sierra (Head of R&B, Apple Music), Amber Grimes (SVP of Global Creative, Capitol Music Group), Caroline “Baroline” Diaz (VP of A&R, Interscope Geffen A&M), Caroline Yim (Music Agent, WME), Chayce Cheatham (Label Partnerships, TikTok), Brianna Agyemang & Jamila Thomas (Co-Founders, #TheShowMustBePaused), Fadia Kader (Head of Media Partnerships and Creators, Clubhouse), Kirdis Postelle (Global Head of Artist Marketing, Amazon Music), LaTrice Burnette (EVP/GM, Island Records), Marquetta Moore (Vice President Music & Celebrity Relations, Revolt Media & TV), Nadia Rawlinson (Chief People Officer, Slack), NJ Ndure (North America Relationship Manager, Nike), Stacie George (SVP of Booking, Live Nation), Thea Mitchem (EVP of Programming, iHeartMedia), and Whitney Gayle Benta (Head of Artist and Talent Relations, Spotify).

Femme It Forward was launched by Lowery in April 2019 as an event series with panels and shows featuring all-women lineups (with stars like Cardi B and Jill Scott, along with newcomers like Kiana Lede) and by December 2019 it entered a joint venture with Live Nation, backed by Michael Rapino. The joint venture of the same name was announced to expand the platform’s reach across genres of music and entertainment mediums including female-led music festivals, concerts, original content, comedy shows, philanthropic endeavors, college engagements and more.

In addition to putting together the mentorship program, Femme It Forward has stayed busy during the pandemic by producing the female editions of VERZUZ with Erykah Badu & Jill Scott, Brandy & Monica, Ashanti & Keyshia Cole, and SWV & Xscape. Lowery also recently launched a book club, Revolutionary Reads, to empower women of color and allies with the tools to cope with and participate in the fight for the equality of Black people in America through self-education and open discussion.

Visit femmeitforward.com for more information and to apply for the Next Gem Femme mentorship program.