Walker shares the importance of supporting and uplifting Black-owned businesses and celebrating the stories of her community during Black History Month.
02/08/2023 12:10 P.M.
5 minute read
In recognition of Black History Month, ACA International is highlighting Black leaders’ voices in the accounts receivable management industry.
The U.S. has recognized Black History Month in February since 1976, when President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history,” according to blackhistorymonth.com.
Black workers have much higher rates of representation at collection agencies than they do in the general workforce, making up 24% of total bill collectors in 2020, according to research from ACA in partnership with Kaulkin Ginsberg.
Bill collectors work with consumers to recover overdue payments and make up roughly 73% of total collections industry employment.
For Keshonda Walker, director of compliance at InvestiNet, Black History Month is about uplifting her community and celebrating the history of Black Americans and America as a whole.
“I love this country for its diversity and the many stories of its people, and I believe that all those stories should be represented as a part of our country’s history,” Walker said.
In this member spotlight, Walker shares the importance of supporting and uplifting Black-owned businesses, educating her community about debt and money management, and sharing the stories of her community during Black History Month.
Q. What is your ethnic background and how do you celebrate it?
A. I am African American. One of the many ways I celebrate my culture is through family traditions and food. I have a large family and many of us live in central Florida. We value our family time and relationships. For the last decade, we’ve upheld a tradition of having at least one family vacation a year. Throughout the year, we meet almost weekly to fellowship and share stories over soul food and plenty of laughs.
Q. Why is Black History Month important to you?
A. Black History Month is important because it’s not only a part of my history as an African American, but it is a part of the history of America in general. I love this country for its diversity and the many stories of its people, and I believe that all those stories should be represented as a part of our country’s history.
Q. Who has served as an inspiration in your life?
A. One of my greatest inspirations is my mother. I was raised by a single mother of two children with an income just barely above the poverty level. As a child, she not only made sure that we did not go without, but she also inspired us to dream big and not place limits on who we could become. As an adult, I look back on my childhood and wonder how she was able to raise the two of us with so little. It proves to me that you can accomplish a lot with imagination, tenacity and a bit of creativity.
Q. What does it mean to you to be part of the ARM industry today?
A. For me, being a part of the ARM industry is an avenue to educate my community on financial services, debt and money management. Many people in the Black community struggle with understanding the inner workings of our financial system and how to manage its resources or the debt they’ve incurred. As a compliance professional within this industry, many people in my community confide in me to help them understand various financial services and their options and rights as a consumer.
Q. How is your company embracing diversity and inclusion among your team and in the industry, both this month and year-round?
A. At InvestiNet, our employees are the most valuable asset of the company and that is demonstrated through the leadership and the values they have instituted. The company is committed to creativity and being non-conventional, and as a result, is willing to hire and foster a diverse group of individuals with different life experiences, knowledge, self-expression and inventiveness. Our company also has a Humanitarian Council devoted to facilitating employee-led community outreach projects.
Q. Do you have any suggestions for other companies working on educational and inclusiveness programs in the industry?
A. Tap into your available resources: your employees. Diversity and inclusion are all about understanding the perspective and experiences of another and how those perspectives can be represented. Making an effort to reach out and include employees with different backgrounds in the creation and implementation of the program allows these perspectives to be considered and may even change the company’s approach in educating employees.
Q. How do you celebrate and honor Black History Month on a personal level and/or at your company?
A. I love supporting Black-owned businesses, but I am especially intentional of this during Black History Month. Only 2.4% of the businesses in the U.S. have Black owners (as opposed to 86.5% of U.S. businesses with white owners). African Americans are the second-largest consumer group; however, we are underrepresented in business ownership and overall net worth as compared to other ethnic groups. Supporting Black-owned businesses is a way for me to not only celebrate a person of color overcoming the adversity of being a business owner, but it is also a way for me to build financial wealth and equality within my community.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?
A. If I had to leave one comment to take away, it would be that all of us should make an effort to understand the experiences of others both within our companies and our communities. Although we all live in the same country, the American experience can be different for each of us. As an industry, when we learn how to harness these experiences to contribute to individual success and growth, I believe it will ultimately contribute to the growth and success of our organizations as well as our surrounding communities.
Do you know a member you would like to see featured in ACA Daily’s Member Spotlight or Collector magazine’s Origin Story? Would you like to share your story? We are also looking to highlight our international members and new members of ACA. Reach out to our communications team at [email protected] with your ideas. We’d love to hear from you!
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