Bloom 2021: Pinterest’s first-ever global conference for Black employees

What is Bloom?

Bloom is Pinterest’s first ever internal conference, hosted by Blackboard, our Community for Black Pinployees, contractors and their allies. The conference, which occurred today, was for Black Pinployees based anywhere in the world, and was a celebration of Black professionals—a time to come together and invest in career development, gain inspiration from acclaimed speakers and leave feeling empowered with the tools and resources to excel both professionally and personally.

This conference centered the experience of those who identify as descendants of the African diaspora— inclusive of Black, multiracial, mixed-race and afro-latinx identifying people who are full-time employees or agency contractors at Pinterest. Black creators, entrepreneurs and industry professionals spoke on panels intended to empower Black Pinployees and equip them with tangible tools and inspirational advice.

What was the inspiration behind Bloom?

Blackboard’s mission is to cultivate an inspiring workplace that allows Black employees to thrive at Pinterest through career development, community and culture. As an employee community, we wanted to find a way to celebrate Black professionals and invest in our Black employees. Brea Hall, Blackboard’s 2020-2021 global co-lead, pitched the idea of a conference for Black employees, and the conference was approved and funded. Thus, Bloom was born and organized by Blackboard members and leadership.

The name Bloom reflects the themes of nurturing, growth, human investment and support. Bloom captures the spirit of providing nourishment that enables our community to thrive.

Bloom is an example of what comes out of investing in your communities. It’s the manifestation of honoring culture and celebrating Black excellence. Pinterest’s support allowed the Black identifying community to create a space that was authentic to us. Bloom is a virtual garden of professional and personal growth, and the content presented allowed inspiration to pour out of us.

Special appreciation and recognition for the Pinployees who spearheaded this conference: Ebitie Amughan (Recruiting Operations Program Manager), Keegan Carter (Account Manager), Brea Hall (former Recruiting Events Program Manager), Alane King (IT Ops Deployment People Lead), Cierra Yetts (Brand Communications Manager) and Darius Hicks (Inclusion & Diversity Business Partner).