Interpublic’s Black Employee Network Hosts Program for Black Music Month

IPG's Black Employee Network (BEN), one of the company’s five employee business resource groups, is hosting “Black Music. Expression, Social Change and Influence – A BEN Musical Town Hall” on June 28th. The exploration of the significant historical impact of Black music is the foundation of this event, but the heart of the discussion will be the contemporary impact of Black artists and their music in today’s social, cultural and political conversations. Grammy award-winning artist Kendra Foster and recording artists Jabari and Courtlin Edwards will perform at the event. Sunwise Media and COSMOS, the employee resource group of IPG’s Orion, are co-sponsors of the program.

More than 200 IPG employees and multicultural influencers are expected to attend the musical town hall at IPG Mediabrands’ NY office. Along with live musical performances, the town hall will include a panel discussion featuring Kendra Foster, Heather B, co-host of the Sirius Satellite Radio show “Sway in the Morning,” and Dr. Jason King, Associate Professor and the founding faculty member of The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU’s Tisch School. IPG’s Assistant General Counsel, Keji Ayorinde, will moderate the panel, which will include audience participation facilitated by SLIDO, the latest audience participation technology that permits attendees to interface directly with the moderator via their smartphones.

“Music and art have always been important expressions of our culture and our times and this is true more so now than ever before,” commented Heide Gardner, IPG’s SVP and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. “Our business resource groups, like the Black Employee Network (BEN), play a critical role in gathering our people to encourage discussion around issues that affect our business and our lives. 'Black Music. Expression, Social Change and Influence – A BEN Musical Town Hall' includes exciting performances plus a discussion with folks from the industry, academia and the music world about the influence and importance of music on our lives,” she continued.

To foster an inclusive work environment as well as increase networking and business opportunities, IPG employees have activated award-winning cross-agency business resource groups. These include the Black Employee Network (BEN), the Asian Heritage Group (AHG), IPGLBT: LGBTQ+ and allies, SOMOS: Hispanic/Latino Heritage Group and the Women’s Leadership Network (WLN).