WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY! HERE'S OUR WHY...​​

Minority Christian Women Entrepreneurs Network (MCWEN) is a thriving community for women who have an interest in entrepreneurship and business ownership. Using the Proverbs 31 woman as a model, MCWEN seeks to support women to become impactful and positively influential women in their homes, community, and work.

We recognize that culture is shifting and women of color are now the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurs, but the women in the MCWEN community do not just want to do business as usual. They are seeking ways to incorporate their values and faith, and believe that business is also about their purpose.

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Whether you are starting something new or scaling up, MCWEN provides resources to help you at any stage through our local meet-ups, business workshops, pitch competition, annual conference, downloadable materials and so much more.

WHY "MINORITY"?

We frequently get asked the question, "why minority?"

While it is our hope that we could live in a society where equity is a guarantee, we recognize that is not yet the case. On average, women of color in business make 25% of what their counterparts are making. To the question of "why minority?" there are several layers to our response. We like to highlight the following reasons:

01.

LANGUAGE IS FLUID

History suggests that for various reasons, the meanings and general feelings associated with certain words will change every few decades. For us, "minority" is a term of racial, cultural, and ethnic solidarity. Some choose to identify as Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC), but we have found that some choose to reject that label because of the use of the word “color” and its association to “colored,” which is no longer socially acceptable. There is also the fact that POC is a large umbrella term; some say it does not really capture the experiences of different groups, especially Black women, within that large umbrella.

Currently, people of color are the global majority. However, in the United States (our central operating location), people of color are still the “minority” as a quantitative metric, not qualitative. This is projected to change by 2045 with POC becoming about 50.3% of the population. However, again, because language is fluid, there may be another term for solidarity by 2045. For now, the data does support POC as the minority.

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Specifically in business, there are glaring disparities in inclusion and resource accessibility/allocation. From the funding (investments, federal & public dollars and loans) statistics, to the seats at the metaphorical table, POC are still only getting a minority share.

02.

THE DATA

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FOCUS ON REPRESENTATION 

​We believe that matters of representation, diversity, and inclusion are important, not just in business but in our faith experience. While conversations around these issues are not always easy, with some even considering them divisive, we believe that accountability is necessary as an expression of our responsibility to truth and love as believers. To put it simply, we believe that representation matters. From leadership makeup, representation in marketing and programming, and targeted dollars for culturally engaging (and appropriate) activities, there is a pervasive lack of awareness and focus on bridging gaps of disparities. We believe that when we boldly but lovingly call these issues out by name, there may be discomfort, but there could also be reconciliation.

The bible is clear about how God feels about racial and cultural diversity and inclusion. Besides the fact that each life was worthy enough for Jesus Christ to die for, when we look at scriptures like Revelations 7:9-10, 1 Corinthians 12:12-30, James 2:1-26, Colossians 3:11, and Revelations 14:6, we see that diversity is an important part of our Kingdom experience. The goal is to acknowledge an experience that affirms our various backgrounds, and celebrates God in diverse ways.

04.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

If you are a woman of color, we hope some of this resonates with you, and that MCWEN can become a safe space for conversation and support. For those who do not identify as women of color, we hope this sheds some light on our "why" and begins a productive conversation on allyship, partnership, unity, reconciliation, and growth.