Cannabis, Injustice, and Inequities Summit
"Drug Reform and social equity are synonymous with radical freedom."-Trea'jure Dahl
Hey Sparkhouse! Join us Saturday, April 30th, from 11 am-3 pm ET to meet and learn from cannabis industry professionals and network with peers & professionals. This summit will feature deep dives into cannabis' historical roots & myths, cannabis & law/social justice, hemp & CBD, and entrepreneurship. We have a speaker roster of some heavyweights, notably our Keynote Speaker, Hope Wiseman, c/o 2014. You'll also have the ability to ask questions, learn how to enter the industry, and learn more about cannabis!
* The first 50 student sign-ups will receive an UberEats voucher and a goodie bag *
Schedule
10:50-11:00am: Greetings
11am-11:35am: Cannabis Historical Roots/Debunked (Tammy Pettigrew)
11:35am-11:45am: Speed Networking
11:45am-12:10pm: Cannabis & Law (Charles Johnson)
12:10pm-1:00pm: Lunch
1:05pm-1:30pm: Hemp & CBD (Lance Robertson)
1:30pm-1:40pm: Speed Networking
1:40pm-2:10pm: Cannabis & Ownership/Entrepreneurship (Karim Webb)
2:10pm-2:20pm: Speed Networking
2:20pm-2:40pm: Keynote Speaker (Hope Wiseman ℅ 2014)
2:40pm-3pm: Roundtable/Q&A
Meet Our Keynote Speaker!
Hope Wiseman, WISECO; Mary and Main
Hope Wiseman’s journey in the cannabis industry began in 2014 when she gathered a team led by herself and her mother Dr. Octavia Wiseman to apply for a medical dispensary license in the state of Maryland. Their company, Compassionate Herbal Alternatives (now known as Mary and Main) was awarded a medical dispensary license in the state of Maryland in December 2015. By the time the doors opened to the public in September 2018, Hope had been recognized in over 30 media publications as the youngest black woman in the United States to obtain a cannabis dispensary license. Mary and Main has become a pillar in the community through its grassroots efforts including educational seminars, expungement clinics, and a seasonal farmers market. Hope believes that her place in the industry requires great responsibility. She is a current member of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Dispensary Association, where serves on the Policy Committee, allowing her to impact legislation in the hopes of creating a more equitable industry. She is also an Executive Board Member of Supernova Women, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is responsible for helping to construct the very first social equity program in the United States in Oakland, California. Supernova’s current work includes bringing equitable policy to the east coast. In 2020, she founded the 420 Experience, a digital experience aligning entrepreneurs with the tools and information needed to succeed in cannabis while also celebrating the monumental holiday. Over 1000 people participated in the experience with over 40 speakers and 30 sessions to include cannabis thought leaders, legislators and community representatives, celebrities, and influencers. Overall, Hope’s vision is to create opportunities for people of color who have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs who have been historically excluded from cannabis business ownership. Today she continues her journey as the Chairwoman and CEO of WISECO, a women and minority-owned company holding a medical cannabis retail license in Maryland and valuable intellectual property.
Meet Our Speakers!
Tammy Pettigrew, The Cannabis Cutie
Session: Cannabis Historical Roots/Debunked (11am)
Tammy Pettigrew is a TV and podcast host, educator, athlete, mom, business consultant, and advocate on a mission to free the cannabis plant. In 2020, she founded Cannabis Cutie Education to deliver accessible, engaging cannabis education to the masses via online learning. You can find her on Instagram & her blog debunking myths, demystifying plant science & fostering change.
Charles Johnson, Esq., LeafSpotZ Inc.
Session: Cannabis & Law (11:45am)
Charles Johnson Esq, is the co-founder and CEO of Leafspotz Inc., the first African American B2B cannabis transportation and logistics software company in New York. Leafspotz’s transportation software platform will help simplify the distribution needs between New York cannabis businesses with an end-to-end supply chain solution for transporting their cannabis products within the state. Charles believes that addressing the supply chain aspect in New York is not only a fundamental part of the adult-use market, but are also the building blocks of ensuring our emerging market thrives for years to come.
Lance Robertson, AmeriGreenOrganics Co
Session: Hemp & CBD (1:05pm)
President AmeriGreen Organics Co & CBDCiTY Stores / City Councilman East Point Ga.
Karim Webb, CEO of 4th Movement
Session: Cannabis & Ownership (1:40pm)
Karim Webb is an Entrepreneurial Activist and CEO of 4thMVMT, a Los Angeles-based firm that vets, trains, facilitates funding, and partners with individuals from underserved communities to own and operate competitive retail businesses. Before founding 4thMVMT, Mr. Webb co-founded PCF Restaurant Management, a franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings ("BWW"). PCF has four restaurants in the Los Angeles area, with four additional units in development. Webb's leadership and advocacy for a more equitable restaurant industry earned him a spot on the 2021 NRN Power List. Webb is also Venture Partner in Slauson & Co., an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the tools, platforms, and people aiding in small businesses' development, democratizing access to business ownership. Appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, Webb serves on the Los Angeles World Airport Commission (LAWA) and holds various board positions, including Co-Chair of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s RENEW (Race & Equity) task force, Everytable, the Living Through Giving Foundation: Hashtag Lunchbag, the Brotherhood Crusade as a Corporate Advisor, and as an Advisor to the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA). He is also a spokesperson for BLOOM, an initiative of CCF which seeks to create a more positive and productive future for 14-18-year-old Black males living in South Los Angeles who are, or have been, under the supervision of the L.A. County Probation Department.
Spencer Hemmingway, Bespoke Financial
Session: Roundtable/Q&A (2:40pm)
Spencer Hemmingway is a 23 year old cannabis industry professional born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Before graduating in 2020 as a student athlete with a Business Economics degree from Brown University, Spencer spent much of his time working multiple finance and tech based internships throughout college, engaging in different experiences regarding corporate finance, ESG investing, credit, and digital marketing. He started his full time professional career in tech with Oracle NetSuite.
Quickly he began to realize that a job in a traditional corporate setting wasn’t for him and moved on from his role in enterprise software tech after less than a year. Spencer got his start in the cannabis industry working for a global cannabis consulting firm, Point 7 Group. Here, he helped write license applications in various markets and advised clients on best practices on fundraising. Now in 2022, Spencer works in partnerships for a cannabis fintech lender called Bespoke Financial, where he manages the business’s tech and community partners. Spencer is based in Los Angeles, but frequents ATL, NY, and MIA. His interests outside of cannabis are web3 (decentralized finance), environmental sustainability, hiking and gaming.
Victor Nwadike, CannaGo
Session: Roundtable/Q&A (2:40pm)
Victor is a self-taught developer at 15. By 17, he created and launched three mobile applications that ranked top 100, 200, and 300 on Apple's App Store as well attaining his Eagle Scout Award. By 23, along with attending Morehouse College and founding CannaGo, Victor has worked at various startups working directly with executives at Unicorn and Ycombintor startups focusing on engineering and product.
Our Sponsors
Meet the Organizers!
Trea'jure Dahl, Spelman College
Trea’jure Dahl is a graduating international studies major at Spelman College from Ocala, Florida. She has a varied background in venture capital, fashion, sustainability, and cannabis. She became fascinated with the opportunity for the BIPOC community with cannabis when she attended a cannabis convention last August. Currently, she is building a cannabis, injustice, and inequities summit for the AUC, particularly Spelman students. She plans to be on the product creation side of the industry while being a cutting-edge sustainable fashion designer.
Ndaylay Garrett, Morehouse College
My name is Ndaylay Garrett, graduating senior political science major and journalism minor. My short-term goal is to enter the cannabis industry even at a entry-level just to show my peers that it is possible and gain experience and knowledge about the industry. My long-term goal is to use my academic background to expose the world to the culture of cannabis (the power of flower) and create spaces of destigmatization, education, and entrepreneurship in BIPOC communities.