Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Cat Johnson – Coworking Marketing Maven
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Andrea Pirrotti-Dranchak – Competitive Advantage
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Jeremy Fennema – Tech Innovation Alchemist
[bctt tweet=”As coworking continues to evolve, more niche-focused operators are entering the market. One of the latest entries is Blackbird, a coworking firm that focuses on women of color.” username=”allwork_space”]
It will open its first location in Los Angeles next month, with plans to expand into other cities such as Oakland, New York City and Atlanta.
The 12,000 square foot Los Angeles center is located on Virginia Avenue in Culver City and features 40 dedicated desks, 10 private offices and communal workspaces.
Founder and L.A.-based designer Bridgid Coulter said that other coworking firms ignored women of color, and although she never felt left out at other female-centric workspaces like The Wing, she described the benefits of having a workspace where women of color are not in the minority.
“It’s a place where you get to let your hair down,” Coulter said. “It’s a place where you can go see your tribe, talk about things and there’s understanding.”
Research has shown time and time again that women of color are largely underrepresented in the workplace and typically experience microaggressions, unconscious bias and double standards.
While Blackbird is private, it is open to everyone and around 10 of the 75 members that have expressed interest in working at the workspace are not women of color. Coulter said this is vital in order to have a truly inclusive space that values conversations on diversity.
