Valley Focus: Daughter of Muhammad Ali Headlining Fresno Event

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- You have the chance to meet the daughter of the late, great Muhammad Ali.
She's speaking at an event in Fresno designed to engage and inspire women. Maryum Ali will speak at the 6th Annual Women of Color Business Symposium on October 26, 2019, in Fresno. https://www.fmbcc.com/

Tara Lynn Gray is the CEO of the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce which is hosting the event. She sat down with Valley Focus host, Liz Harrison October 10, 2019 to talk about the event and the mission of FMBCC.

Liz: What is the mission of the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce? First of all, that's a mouthful.

Tara: It is. And it's Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce and Chamber Foundation.

Liz: Oh, I didn't even say the whole thing! So, what is your mission?

Tara: Our mission really is to engage, educate, and empower black-owned businesses and business owners. And we do that through technical assistance, advocacy, and capacity-building services. And so this event that we have coming up, our 6th Annual Women of Color Business Symposium, is one of our programs where we do all three. We engage, educate, and empower in a day-long symposium that is eally designed to hit several different areas for our business owners. It's education, it's fun, and it's empowering at the same time.

Liz: Okay, and there is a very special guest that's coming with a very famous name. Who is your keynote speaker for the event?

Tara: Actually, we are going to do a fireside chat with her.

Liz: Nice!

Tara: So, it'll be kind of intimate and fun. Her name is Maryum "May May" Ali, and she is the eldest daughter of the one-and-only, late, great Muhammad Ali.

Liz: And you've had a chance to talk to her, you said, a couple of times. You said she's just down-to-earth, plain, very easy and comfortable to talk to

Tara: Absolutely. She is just a regular homegirl and fun to engage with. She has a heart for children and families. And so her work and her mission personally is very much so in alignment with our Women's Economic Impact Center, which is our program that provides culturally competent entrepreneurship training for women of color.