Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kemone Hendricks . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kemone , thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

The biggest risk I’ve taken was leaving my corporate job of 8 years. I don’t recommend this to everyone because it’s something you will feel in your gut called divine discontentment when the time is right.

I realized I was worth more than what I was being given in my current position. The thought of leaving kept me up at night. There were times I would feel complete disgust while at work, which was something that wasn’t normal because I had always loved my job. That’s how I knew it was time and I had to trust in something I couldn’t see but it was something I could feel, and that feeling was something undeniable, that’s how manifesting something starts, it starts with a feeling and your heart chakra being activated. It was feeling of knowing I was destined for more and it excited me.

Limitless is my motto. We are stepping into an era where everyone’s “Inner guru” will be shining oh so brightly.

kemonehendricks.com began to come into fruition when I dared to truly believe I can make an impact in this world. Radical faith, hard work and sheer resilience is what my success is owed to, along with having the ultimate co-conspirator, God and the universe. The most spiritual person isn’t always the person in the yoga pants, it can also be the person in the business suit who manifested the life they wanted.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Servant Leader, Generalist, Critical Thinker and Spiritual Being, I am the owner of Evanston Present and Future, Evanston’s Annual Juneteenth Parade, and Mari Enterprise.

After founding Mari Enterprise, a marketing and events consulting firm in 2018, I took a step further in 2020 founding Evanston Present and Future. It is an education and scholarship non-profit committed to educate and empower lesser privileged individuals who are unable to exercise their full potential due to financial constraints. Evanston Present and Future believes no child’s progress should hinder because of it. Every child, every human being deserves an equal opportunity to grow. Evanston Present and Future is an organization devoted to educate, and uplift the Black community members’ needs while also creating a space for white and non-Black community members to support them through anti-racist education and practices.

The project refers to some of my own life journey and my aim through this project is to build a better future and assure the well-being of all people, particularly those who are members of minorities or face prejudice or discrimination.

I have always been passionate about organizing events. I believe events act as a binding agent to form a community into a cohesive whole. Specializing in diversity & Inclusion, cultural and racial sensitivity in events, marketing, influencer marketing, business and political strategies my team of award-winning, interdisciplinary experts all share the same goal — helping our clients build stronger, more inclusive goals.

I also spearheaded local efforts to demand that Juneteenth be recognized as a federal holiday and I have been organizing Juneteenth celebrations since 2019.

I spent most of my early years beating the odds, I overcame an abusive relationship, and had a child at the age of 16. I was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Me and my immediate family migrated to Evanston Illinois when she was five years old.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The very first Juneteenth Parade I organized was in 2020 due to the pandemic I had to pivot and switch it to virtual and other creative aspects. I was one of the first in my community to do so and be successful. It resulting in over 7,000 thousand virtual attendees, several Juneteenth outside pop-up shops and car parade.

The pandemic was a challenging period, it is not over yet but I am happy to lead the way in my community from the start of the pandemic by organizing lucrative socially distant pop-up shops outdoors for businesses, executing high attendance paid online events and monetizing through export of goods and services and the right partnerships. I am honored to have the opportunity to help many businesses which were then able to stay afloat and continue to duplicate our strategic pandemic plan to this day.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my social media audience by being authentic and posting frequently.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kemonehendricks.com
• Instagram: @evanston_present_and_future
• Facebook: @KemoneHendricks
• Youtube: @kemonesworld