Maggie Anderson

Maggie Anderson and her family made history and dominated headlines as national media covered their real-life case study in self-help economics in the black community. The Anderson family lived exclusively off black business and talent and bought only black-made products for an entire year. It was called The Empowerment Experiment (EE) and resulted in a landmark study conducted by Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business. Since the completion of their experiment, Anderson has become the voice of American consumers of all backgrounds who want to make sure their buying power positively impacts struggling minority communities.

A sought-after speaker, Anderson has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, C-SPAN, PBS Newshour, and CBS Morning News, among many other national television and radio shows. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book about EE, Our Black Year, presented by William Morris Entertainment and Public Affairs Books. Publishers Weekly called Anderson's experiment and book "a dynamite subject" and "an effective probe into how African Americans spend so much money that overwhelmingly leaves their communities."

Her message is that everyone, especially African Americans, can do their part to counter the social crises that disproportionately impact black people and underserved urban neighborhoods simply by supporting quality black businesses every day. She says this practice recycles black wealth, decreases unemployment, and creates more local role models for black youth. Anderson uses her growing platform and celebrity to explain that buying black is not racist, while issuing a call to action for increased self-help economics in the black community.