Articles, Podcasts, and Videos
BOSTON AREA BUSINESSES FORCED TO CHANGE NETWORKING STRATEGY AMID CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS (BOSTON 25 NEWS)
Businesses that are based on networking and bringing people together are struggling right now. But some have managed to reinvent themselves overnight. Two local entrepreneurs are making new connections like never before, as the format for networking social events is changing for entrepreneurs like Sheena Collier of The Collier Connection.
”Whether it is the MFA, Fenway Park, the Seaport, or many of the other traditionally white-occupied spaces, I’ve decided that I belong, too, and I’m showing up.” (PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF)
Yes, black people belong at the MFA (BOSTON GLOBE)
When I came to the Boston area 15 years ago, I had no interest in staying after I got my graduate degree. I had already heard many cautionary tales about the covert racism. I spent months asking the question I now get from other transplants: “Where can I connect with other black people in Boston?” In response, I created The Collier Connection — a business dedicated to creating event experiences, sharing access to resources, and working with companies to shift the way that black people navigate the city.
A student from Boston Arts Academy wore face paint similar to characters from the Black Panther comic book series during a discussion of the significance of the upcoming release of the live action "Black Panther" film at the city school in Boston.(KEITH BEDFORD/GLOBE STAFF)
The ‘Black Panther’ hype is real — and it’s a cultural moment for the region’s blacks (Boston globe)
After a year of racial controversies — including systemic discrimination exposed in a Globe Spotlight series, slurs hurled in the Fenway Park stands, and a police tweet honoring a white Celtics coach during Black History Month — this week’s release of a Hollywood movie with black superheroes battling the forces of evil has aroused a sense of pride throughout this region.
Boston Chamber opens doors (baystate banner)
Sheena Collier joined the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce last year as its first director of economic opportunity. She is also founder and CEO of her own business, The Collier Connection. Prior to her current job and entrepreneurial venture, Collier spent 12 years working as a community organizer, project manager and partnership builder for a number of organizations in Boston and Washington, D.C. Most recently, she was the Boston Promise Initiative director at Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. She spoke with the Banner by phone about the Chamber’s growing focus on racial equity in the private sector and about how her entrepreneurial and community organizing experience informs her new role.
Hair and makeup by Julie Silva/Anchor Artists. / Photo by Pat Piasecki
Sheena Collier Is Creating a Guide for Living in Boston While Black (boston Magazine)
When it comes to Boston's economic future, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Sheena Collier is betting on black.
Podcast Episode 37: Commitment to Community with Sheena Collier (shegeeksout)
We sit down with Sheena Collier, Director of Strategy & Engagement at Boston’s Chamber of Commerce, previously Boston Promise Initiative Director at the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and all around amazing woman. We were truly inspired by her journey and we hope you will be too! You can find Sheena on Twitter and at her side hustle (because how does she have time?!) at The Collier Connection.
“3 Ways to Build Community in Boston as a Transplant” (wgbh)
“This is our platform” for change, says Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce president Jim Rooney, “and we’re using it.”
Can the staid old Boston Chamber of Commerce become a force for change? (boston globe)
When Jim Rooney became president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in 2015, his was not viewed as an inspired selection, and he knew it.
podcast episode #5: moving with purpose, on purpose and claiming space in your work
In this episode, we reflect on how Sheena was able to leverage the purpose in her transition to a new city to benefit the broader Black community. We also explore what it means to command space, occupy it and the necessity of ownership. For the transplants out there, Sheena offers insight into how you can be intentional about learning and immersing yourself in a community. Sheena continues to be a bridge of opportunity for anyone who crosses paths with her.