![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1654786893744-1-300x300.jpg\")
When first becoming involved with the EBRG group, Livingston says his thinking was only, \u201cI like what\u2019s going on here, I like what they\u2019re trying to build, I want to participate. My journey [into the co-lead role] has been one of availability.\u201d
Livingston first stepped into the group by volunteering as a marketing coordinator, segueing into philanthropy, and as he tells it, \u201csomeone left, so I got elevated from coordinator to co-lead because someone said, \u2018Jason can do it.\u2019\u201d
As much as he downplays it, Livingston\u2019s work in Black Alliance is a natural fit. Not only is it an extension of his full-time role helping to connect Tapestry with varied vendors, but it also allows him to follow his personal interests through experiences and events while connecting with others.
The Black Alliance\u2019s \u201cBookish Book Club for instance \u2014 I was already reading Black authors and content related to the Black community. The only difference is that now I\u2019m talking to people in the community about what I\u2019m reading,\u201d Livingston says. \u201cI was already going to museums and Black History Month cultural events, now I do it with my Tapestry community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bookish Book Club is just one of the events the EBRG hosted in honor of Black History Month. Throughout February, members also heard an \u201cUnscripted\u201d conversation with United Airlines captain, Carole Hopson, and attended a Black History Month Kitchen Takeover and an end-of-month celebration at Hudson Yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FROM ON MUTE TO VOLUME UP<\/strong> \u201cWhen I first joined the calls, I would be on Zoom on mute,\u201d Williams remembers. \u201cI would unmute myself, say something once in a while, and then immediately mute again.\u201d With steady participation, Williams began to see the opportunities Black Alliance provided for Tapestry employees, namely: leadership, networking, philanthropy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From listening on mute, Williams was invited to become more involved, eventually becoming lead of the Professional Development pillar where she co-created career growth programming. Now as part of Williams\u2019 role as a Black Alliance Co-lead, she regularly advocates for virtual access to meetings and events for retail and fulfillment center employees. \u201cI want to be an ally because I have over 100 people on my team [as a general manager] and I need to be able to relate to their diverse needs,\u201d says Williams, who is also a member of Prouder Together and Juntos Unidos EBRGs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CREATING SPACE FOR LEADERS TO RISE<\/strong> \u201cTapestry has done an excellent job of allowing this space to happen,\u201d Livingston says. \u201cFor all the EBRG groups, we get to do certain events, host speakers, and there\u2019s the space to do them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Williams says EBRGs like Black Alliance are a crucial part of retaining talent. \u201cEBRGs gives people the opportunity to take a deep breath and say \u2018I definitely belong.\u2019 Inclusion and belonging is key to what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, the leaders who leave the deepest mark didn\u2019t always have a blueprint. Instead they\u2019re the ones who consistently participated, took action, and let their growth as a leader speak for itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Livingston says it best, \u201cParticipation matters at every level. You don\u2019t have to lead \u2014 you just have to show up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Leadership stories are often told as straight lines: clear goals, deliberate moves, steady climbs. But many leaders don\u2019t follow a blueprint \u2014 they grow into leadership by showing up, contributing and letting their impact speak for itself. Two members of Tapestry\u2019s Black Alliance EBRG are doing just that. \u201cIt wasn’t my plan to come in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-people"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3166"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3169,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166\/revisions\/3169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
For Carmen Williams, General Manager for Coach in Southern California, entry into the Black Alliance EBRG also started quietly \u2013 by showing up.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tapestry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1677035282831-1-300x300.jpg\")
Soon enough, Williams \u2014 who\u2019s been a Coach General Manager for 17 years \u2014 realized others on the call listened to and valued her ideas. \u201cI did have a voice, I did have a seat at the table, and I was making an impact \u2014 even when I was just listening,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe store population of Tapestry is the largest employee populations in our company,\u201d Williams says. \u201cIf we\u2019re talking about people first, this needs to be louder.\u201d
For Williams, it\u2019s Tapestry\u2019s value of \u201cEmbracing Difference By Design\u201d that resonates most as a leader \u2014 both in her full-time role and as Black Alliance co-lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both Livingston and Williams\u2019 stories prove that confidence often builds within a supportive community. And they credit Tapestry with creating space and resources to allow them to join that community and evolve into leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n