The Sadie Collective is the first American

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

which aims to increase the representation of African-American women in economics and related fields. It was founded by

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman (born 1996) is a Ghanaian-born American activist and writer. She is a co-founder and former CEO of the Sadie Collective, as well as a co-founder and co-organizer of Black Birders Week. Early life and education Opoku-A ...

and Fanta Traore in August 2018 and is named for the first African-American economist,

Sadie T. M. Alexander Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (January 2, 1898 – November 1, 1989) was a pioneering Black professional and civil rights activist of the early-to-mid-20th century. In 1921, Mossell Alexander was the second African-American woman to receive a D ...

. It has organized conferences connecting African-American women pursuing careers in economics and related fields such as finance, data science, and public policy. In February 2019, the Collective hosted the Sadie T. M. Alexander Conference for Economics and related fields at

Mathematica Policy Research Mathematica, formerly Mathematica Policy Research, is an American research organization and consulting company headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. The company provides data science, social science, and technological services for social policy ...

in Washington, D.C. In February 2020, the second annual conference was hosted by the

Urban Institute The Urban Institute is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that carries out economic and social policy research to "open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions". The institute receives funding from government contracts, foundations and pr ...

with Bridget Terry Long and

Janet Yellen Janet Louise Yellen (born August 13, 1946) is an American economist serving as the 78th United States secretary of the treasury since January 26, 2021. She previously served as the 15th chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018. Yellen is t ...

as Keynote Speakers with nearly 300 attendees. The conferences are the first exclusively for African-American women in economics and related fields. In 2020, the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank announced a data science skills workshop in collaboration with the Collective for African-American college students.

History

, a former undergraduate student at the

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Baltimore County, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs (38 master, 25 doctoral, ...

, and Fanta Traore, a research assistant at the

Federal Reserve Board of Governors The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, commonly known as the Federal Reserve Board, is the main governing body of the Federal Reserve System. It is charged with overseeing the Federal Reserve Banks and with helping implement the mon ...

co-founded the organization in August 2018. Both women cited their isolating experiences in their work and academic environments as inspiration for creating an "intergenerational community" of Black women in economics and related fields. Both women mention that

Lisa Cook Lisa DeNell Cook is an American economist who has served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since May 23, 2022. She is the first African American woman and first woman of color to sit on the Board. Cook previously was a profess ...

is their mentor and an early supporter of the Collective. Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman and

co-wrote a

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

opinion piece and participated in interviews specifically advocating especially for the inclusion and advancement of African-American women in the economics profession. Opoku-Agyeman served as the organization's CEO until her resignation in March 2021; Traore now serves as CEO.

Funding

In October 2020, the organization entered a multi-year partnership with the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

. In 2021, the organization was listed among several organizations awarded the first round of capital investments and philanthropic grants for Black women by

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

to "fund the creation of high school economic clubs for young Black girls to participate in the annual Federal Reserve Challenge".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadie Collective 2018 establishments in Washington, D.C. African-American professional organizations Economics organizations Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.

History

Funding

See also

References