About Us
Options Initiative, Inc., a multi-pronged non-profit organization dedicated to expand the limited view and exposure to various career choices for future black professionals and create more opportunities in industries where they are underrepresented. We are a nonprofit initiative launched to mobilize organizational, educational and physical fitness resources to help Black youth compete, succeed, and lead in their careers.
Mission Statement
Our organization aims to expand the scope of career choices for black youth by providing impactful experiences, resources, and exposure to various industries.
Our Vision
Our vision is to place more African-American professionals in industries where they are largely underrepresented.
Pillars of Our Organization
Identity/Discovery
Uncovering who you are, your passions, and who you want to be
Skill/Trade Development
Nurturing those character traits, talents, and passions into greater proficiency.
Alignment
Mapping out a clear direction/plan to follow based on your interest and personal goals
Self Sufficiency
Full understanding of how to support yourself and eventually others with those skills, experience and expertise
Why We Exist
Many African American youth have adopted unfavorable socioeconomic conditions and therefore do not pursue interests & careers in certain industries. That results in a lack of experience and expertise to take on leadership roles, mentor, and hire other black professionals in leading industries. There are many discrepancies in proper representation of minority groups in certain sectors of economy and industries.
Some statistics show that:
Black people account for about 13% of the U.S. population, but occupy only 3.2% of the senior leadership roles at large companies in the US[1].
Black people constitute just 0.8% of all Fortune 500 CEO positions[2].
A Wired survey in October 2019 estimated the combined Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous population at 5% for Silicon Valley firms[3].
Rate of new entrepreneurs in the USA from 2000 to 2019 by race shows that Blacks had an entrepreneurship rate of 0.24% as an ethnic group[4].
The Change We Create
Improve the physical, economic, and mental wellbeing of the Black youth in the US.
Provide support services to enable Black youth to pursue diverse career paths and bring down the barriers that have made their presence in some industries underrepresented.
Contribute to the Diversity and Inclusion (D &I) initiatives in the US.
Transform the USA into a more just, diverse, and fair society and nation.