FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2022
CONTACT: press@mayabrown.net
Local Political Strategist Recognized by Grow Financial Credit Union for Act of Kindness to Black-Owned Small Business
Tampa, FL – Grow Financial Credit Union recently announced its 2022 Portraits of Kindness to recognize seven (7) community members for acts of kindness to improve the lives of Tampa Bay residents and small businesses. This honor, submitted by 7th and Grove, highlights Maya Brown’s pro-bono crisis management and public affairs strategic advocacy to keep this Black-owned business open and employing hundreds of local residents during the COVID-19 pandemic by working with lawmakers and lawyers to keep this business in compliance with changing safety protocols and legislation.
“Maya Brown has been such a light to 7th + Grove. She’s been there since day one, and she saved us during the pandemic,” said 7th and Grove co-owners Khaliah McDuffie and Dr. Jamaris Glenn. “When businesses weren’t fully open, Maya consistently informed us about the ever-changing legislation. Almost every day, we would hear something new about what we could or couldn’t do. It was challenging to sift through the legal jargon and understand how it affected what we should do as a business. We were in a tight situation, and Maya campaigned for us. She acted as a consultant and liaison to city council commissioners, talked to lawyers on our behalf, and saved our business from potentially being closed. When we think of somebody who has been kind to us, who has been generous and gentle, and is loving and leads with their heart, we think of Maya Brown.
The story told by 7th and Grove can be viewed on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/_KVCojCY3LA
Grow Financial Credit Union launched this portrait series of community members’ photos composed of kind words about the way in which they lent a hand, paid it forward or showed kindness in any other way to show that the good that you do grows back to you.
These portraits are located around the City of Tampa and can be found at the below locations:
• 7th St. & 14th St.
• 7th St. & 23rd St.
• 214 E. Cass St.
• 320 E. Cass St.
• 1801 N. 20th St.
• Franklin & Cass
• Howard & W. Morrison
• Polk & N. Franklin
• 801 N. Florida Ave.
• Polk St. & Florida Ave.
• 1499 N. Swann Ave.
• 808 N. Franklin St.
Maya Brown is the founder of MB Strategies, a political and public affairs consulting firm, and has spent almost 10 years electing progressive democrats to offices and running issue-based campaigns up and down the ballot in Florida. A known consensus-builder, she has collaborated with politicians, nonprofit and business leaders, and community advocates to help solve and effectively communicate some of our state’s most pressing issues and help organizations grow. She’s a political commentator, guest lectured at the University of South Florida and University of Tampa, and served on statewide academic and political panels. Brown has been recognized as a 2022 Florida Politics’ 150 Most Influential People in Florida Politics, 2020 Florida Politics’ Influence Magazine’s ‘30-under-30’, an American Association of Political Consultants’ 40 Under 40 2019 Award Nominee and a 2016 International Fundraising Conference Diversity Scholar by Association of Fundraising Professionals.
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