• About the Black Footwear Forum

      The Black Footwear Forum formally known as the African American Footwear Forum (AAFF) invites footwear industry professionals and supporters to share stories and ideas and to create a dialog around the influence, leadership, and passion provided by blacks in the global footwear industry. This forum encourages collaboration to establish industry goals in the development of black talent at all levels.

       

      Surrounding the Forum are regional and national events that provide connecting conversations for black footwear professional brands to share concerns and solutions to help shape the conversation while bridging the gaps across the industry.

    • Black Footwear Forum Advisory Committee

      Providing invaluable guidance and expertise for the Black Footwear Forum organization

      Brandis Russell

      Converse

      Dr. D’Wayne Edwards

      PENSOLE Lewis College of Business & Design

      Portia Blunt

      Reebok

      David Ballin

      Puma

      LaShae Boone-McCray

      RG Barry Brands

      Jazerai

      Allen-Lord

      Founder, True to Size Agency

      Kris Wright

      NIKE

      Darla Pires DeGrace

      DeGrace Group Consulting

      Dace Graham

      Target

      Chris Dixon

      Timberland

      Sabria Butler

      FDRA

    • Become a Member of the Black Footwear Forum

      Join our email list to become a member of the Black Footwear Forum. You will receive emails from us about upcoming calls, events, news highlights, accessing resources, staying involved, and initiatives.

    • Media

      News relevant to Black Footwear Professionals

      Black Footwear Forum in Focus​ – Shoe-in Show

      Sabria and Matt preview all the exciting changes taking place at the Black Footwear Forum in 2022, from the establishment of an experienced Advisory Committee to the regional meet-ups in Boston, Atlanta, New York, Columbus, and Portland to the national event in Detroit. You won’t want to miss this! listen now

      Black Footwear Forum National Event Returns this Fall in Detroit​

      Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design and the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA), cofounders of the Black Footwear Forum (BFF), announced the dates for the 2022 national Black Footwear Forum celebration in Detroit. Attendees, executives, and industry leaders gather for events, celebrations, forums, and networking as the BFF continues to strengthen and support black professionals in the American footwear industry. read more

      African American Footwear Forum Reimagined as Black Footwear Forum – Advisory Committee Announced

      The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) and PENSOLE Lewis College of Business & Design, cofounders of the African American Footwear Forum (AAFF), have announced the rebranding of the AAFF to the Black Footwear Forum (BFF) effective immediately. The new name will strengthen and better represent the thousands of black footwear professionals and employees who work, thrive, and create in the footwear industry today. read more

      Diversity & Inclusion Workshop with Inclusion and Diversity Consultant Amber Cabral

      Our encounters and interactions with others are full of small behaviors that send messages to others, but are they the messages we mean to send? In this session we will talk about the difference between equity and equality, the role of privilege in how we see the world, and how we message equity to others in small behaviors called microaggressions. watch now

      Your Diversity Is ‘Your Secret Weapon’ — and Other Powerful Advice From the First-Ever African American Footwear Forum

      In what has been cast as an unprecedented moment for the footwear industry, dozens of African-American professionals from across the shoe sector convened at Howard University in Washington, DC, for the inaugural African American Footwear Forum. read more

    • Black Footwear Forum Sponsors

       

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