Work and sisterhood: The rise of black female-led coworking spaces
By Rosa Otieno | Contributor, Black Tech Women
Coworking is a global phenomenon. There are over 4,000 coworking spaces in the United States and over 15,000 worldwide.
Freelancers, entrepreneurs, and corporate workers are flocking to coworking spaces for flexible working arrangements. These professionals are learning skills faster, making more connections, and feeling more inspired and in control.
A number of coworking spaces are targeting specific communities including women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Black female entrepreneurs are meeting demand for safe, inclusive spaces. Here are a list of four groundbreaking black female led co-working spaces.
Femology Detroit
Femology is a coworking space and incubator for Detroit’s black female entrepreneurs. “I feel like society doesn’t give us that platform that we need to collaborate and connect with each other. So I wanted to disrupt it, especially here in Detroit,” said Meagan Ward, co-founder and CEO of Femology, for Forbes. Femology is set to expand and open an approximately 3,000-square-foot downtown space in the fall.
Monday & Co.
Monday & Co is a coworking space, content studio, and community in Atlanta. “We aim to be a beautiful, inviting, and inspiring place for black women to work,” says founder Candice VanWye for Voyage ATL. “We want our space to be free of all “code-switching” and worries about how our blackness is received.” Monday & Co offers a modern space for collaboration, studio rentals and video and photo shoots.
Zora’s House
Zora’s House is the only co-working and community space in Central Ohio specifically for women of color. Founder LC Johnson created the space when she moved to the area desired stronger connection with like-minded women. Zora’s House offers safe space, networking events, and workshops designed to elevate women of color personally and professionally.
The Coven
The Coven is a safe space for all women and non-binary people in the Twin Cities. Women in Minneapolis frequently find themselves with no designated community space to gather, recharge, and learn from one another. “This is a real movement that will lead to something bigger, brighter, a more femme-forward economy, and we’re already seeing that shift and that change,” says Alex Steinman, co-founder and CEO for Curbed. The Coven is committed to equitable access and has provided 140 community-funded memberships since opening last year.
