BCinColor Hosts Marc Washington for a Fireside Chat during Black History Month

On February 21, BCinColor, BigCommerce’s employee resource group for people of color, welcomed Marc Washington, CEO of Supergut, a health and nutrition business and BigCommerce customer, to discuss his experience being Black in the U.S.

As part of our programming for Black History Month, we wanted to bring in a BigCommerce customer to share their experience. 

Marc jumped to our minds as a longtime BigCommerce customer, but also because his story is so unique. His diverse background, his corporate journey, and his work in health and wellness are all so inspiring to hear. 

Coming from a small town in Kentucky, he grew up as one of the only families of color in the town. From there, he attended Princeton University and eventually began working in consulting. 

“There are many instances throughout my career, going back even to the early days, where I was one of the only, if not the only African-American in the room. 

“Some of that does create higher hurdles, but at the same time, it did build resilience, or my confidence in being able to speak up, show up, represent, and to overcome whatever stereotypes some might've had.

“I can think back to early experiences even in consulting in the deep south, in Atlanta, and even outside of Atlanta, where there's not a predominant Black population. But being in a room as a young Black kid, fresh out of school, talking to executives about what they should be doing differently — I was definitely getting some looks. Some people weren't expecting that. But those moments were formative experiences for me.” — Marc Washington, CEO, Supergut

So much of Marc’s story resonates with me. But I also love hearing how every person of color’s journey differs. 

Last year, Warren Washington, Senior Director of Financial Operations at BigCommerce, joined us for a similar fireside chat, and hearing his story, how it differs from mine or from Marc’s, just illustrates how we all walk our own path. But because of our heritage, we share that same experience with one another. 

That’s really what Black History Month is about; celebrating our shared heritage, where we’ve come from, and where we’re going. 

The final word

Since becoming a BCinColor co-chair, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to talk with many people of color about their different experiences. Holding these fireside chats is a perfect chance for everyone, not just people of color, to see what it’s like to live as a Black person in America. I look forward to sharing more of them as time goes on.