Cuts to the Federal workforce and rollbacks in corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives have led to a dramatic increase in unemployment among Black women, with more than 300,000 jobs lost between February and April 2025. As more Black women find themselves being pushed out of the workforce, it’s more important than ever for them to find support.
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Journalist Danielle Belton and her friend, fashion designer and media sales executive Junny Ann Hibbert, watched as many of the professional women of color in their network felt the impact of this dramatic corporate shift and knew they needed to find safe spaces where they felt supported and seen.
“I would listen to various women in media around me speak, and I realized I was having the same conversations in my head,” Hibbert told The Root. “You see someone’s beautifully curated social media feed and have no idea that they might be suffering in silence.”
The pair drew inspiration from successful networking dinner series, including Dinner with Bevy, and decided one of the best ways to bring women together was with a good meal.
“I wanted people to start going out more and making connections, because a lot of us had been introverted since the pandemic,” Belton told The Root. “I thought it would be a good idea to get people out of their comfort zone and get back to engaging with other human beings, because that’s crucial to our mental health.”
Belton and Hibbert chose the name Ebony & Orchid, a representation of Black women’s beauty and resilience, even in the toughest conditions.
“It’s such a rare and beautiful flower, and you have to treat it with care – but it can also be quite resilient,” Belton said.
The kickoff dinner, held in November at the iconic Melba’s restaurant in Harlem, was sponsored by Verizon and produced in partnership with the New York City chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The evening included a networking component, followed by a panel discussion with mental health professionals.
Belton says so far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many Ebony & Orchid participants stressing the importance of community and conversations around mental health in this moment.
“Almost everybody who came there as a stranger left knowing at least one or two other people that they felt could become a potential future close friend,” she said. “It was exciting to see so many people find commonality with each other, lean on each other and share their stories.”
Looking ahead, Belton and Hibbert say the sky is the limit for Ebony & Orchid. They hope to make it a quarterly dinner series, and are open to taking the idea to other cities around the country.
“I think there’s so much potential for this,” Belton said. “It’s really limitless in how we can impact women’s lives by helping them make these kinds of connections. For me, it’s just a way to give back.”
Hibbert agrees, adding that providing Black women with safe spaces to network is an important step on the path to success.
“My mantra is always, if they don’t give you a seat at the table, build your own table and bring a folding chair,” she said. “If you come out of that room and there is even one connection, we’re doing something that really needs to be done.”
To learn more about Ebony & Orchid, check them out on Instagram.
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