2021 Black Women’s Expo

(Photos By: Charlie Smith / CS3 MEDIA NEWS)

Story By: Charita Smith | CS3 MEDIA NEWS | August 23, 2021

CHICAGO (CS3 Media News) After having to cancel in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the Black Women’s Expo is back. Celebrating 26 years of educating, entertaining, and empowering, the Black Women’s Expo ran from August 20-22, 2021. With COVID-19 safety protocols in place, the weekend was safe and exciting for the attendees. Coincidentally, Chicago’s indoor mask mandate came back into effect on Friday, the opening day of the Expo. To keep health and safety at the forefront, the Black Women’s Expo included a vaccination station. The vaccination station was a collaboration between Walgreens, Illinois Department of Health/Friend Health, Sinai Health Systems and Rush Medical Center to administer all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use.

With over 40 seminars and workshops that ranged from health topics, financial education, college preparation, identity protection, real estate investing, business education, a town hall on solutions to Chicago violence, and much more, the Expo had something for everyone.

The Black Women’s Expo is nation’s largest exposition focused on black women and their families, and many businesses were excited about coming to the expo this year to showcase their goods and services. This year’s Expo included several pavilions and over 400 exhibitors. The pavilions included a Kidz Korner with esports and obstacle courses, Zen Spot to relax and enjoy zen activities, Men’s Den with engaging activities and products, Culinary Pavilion that showcased food vendors and recipes, and a Literary Cafe exhibiting books by black authors.

This year’s exhibitors included healthcare professionals, legal professionals, schools, community organizations, food services, book authors, data professionals, consumer goods, fashion and accessories, and much more. Many attendees were able to engage exhibitors, experience products, services, and live demonstrations at the Expo. Every year, the Black Women’s Expo attracts many new and exciting businesses, and some fan favorites come back year after year.

The main stage included personal trainer workouts, line dancing, a youth summit, Job Corps presentation, celebrity interviews, TikTok challenge, Phenomenal Woman Awards Ceremony, fashion shows, health and wellness panel, business and financial presentations, and local and national music entertainment. Dixson, Lil Mo, Crystal Waters, and After 7 were the music entertainment headliners for the 2021 Black Women’s Expo.