How one dinner party grew into a nationwide social club for young, black and ambitious women

It’s 2017.

Krystal Vega and Naomi Wright are vibrant interns at their dream company, BET. Vega desired to be an on-camera entertainment host, Wright desired to be a producer. While working together, they shared honorable moments highlighting Black excellence, but were often appointed to highly visible senior executives.

“There are a lot of women behind the scenes who are really great at moving the needle,” Vega tells ESSENCE. “We wanted to honor ourselves for the hard work we do and how we impacted executive meetings, but also honor other women of color who have the same opportunities as us.”

This realization gave rise to the concept of ​​creating a space where young women of color working in creative industries could meet, share and support one another. It all began with an intimate dinner amongst friends and colleagues. The meeting was a direct success.

“The response to this one dinner was amazing,” Wright explains to ESSENCE. “Everyone was asking when the next movie was going to be, so Krystal and I knew we had to focus on that.”

With a budget of just a few hundred dollars, the 2 unknowingly created what would change into a national movement lower than a decade later. They named a series of dinners and trips Fortune and forksa membership-based social club dedicated to empowering women of color who’re transforming industries for the subsequent generation.

“We want to make sure this isn’t just another party opportunity or even a boring networking event,” Vega. “This is a time to create real relationships, learn from each other, and lift each other up so that we don’t have to jump through so many hoops to get where we want to go.”

Since its humble beginnings, not operating on a shoelace budget, Fortune and Forks has partnered with countless brands, including Glossier, CultureCon, LOBOS 1707, Soho House, JBL, Actively Black, Snapchat and Samsung, amongst others. Vega and Wright are enthusiastic about continued growth, including upcoming retreats where members can travel and fellowship.

“We are very excited to continue to expand our membership base,” says Vega, emphasizing that the organization is at all times striving to seek out higher ways to create celebratory moments for WOC executives. “One of our immediate goals is to organize a great gala. We deserve it. They deserve it.”