There’s always room for one more; FourOneSixLove Presents: A Seat at Our Table

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

Where were you on May 22^nd? Well, I can tell you where you should have been!

Over the weekend, an outstanding virtual summit was held via Zoom called A Seat at Our Table. The event, created by Ellisha Ricketts of FourOneSixLove Inc. was an intriguing six-hour discussion filled with expert panelists, live performances, and giveaways! The nine panelists were given the opportunity to share their insightful words alongside promoting their unique businesses, a creative way of keeping the community informed and connected.

Ellisha, who also goes by the nickname Ellie, created FourOneSixLove in 2019, out of a yearning desire to uplift members of the African, Caribbean, and black community in Toronto in search of support and in need of a platform to connect with a wider audience. As someone who enjoys listening to the stories of others, her mission was to showcase those powerful voices that are constantly underrepresented.

“FourOneSixLove was created out of the whole idea of Toronto being referred to as the screw face capital,” says Ellie. “Everybody says how in this city, no one wants to work with anybody. Nobody wants to support anybody. Everybody’s too busy trying to get to the top than to support each other. That could be true. But there’s a lot of potential in our city and we just have to spread more love. And if we do that, I’m sure that we can all succeed.”

Unapologetically committed to shedding light on individuals doing big things in the city, this event is not Ellie’s first rodeo. After quitting her job in the legal field, she wrote a book that gave her an opportunity to take her hard work into radio broadcasting. Her radio show, “What’s the 411” on UnityFM consisted of her interviewing guests of all backgrounds and allowing them to gain the exposure that they deserved. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her show was moved to Instagram and YouTube. Though unprecedented, this move to social media opened up the doors to her latest creation of this seasonal online summit.

In its fourth installment, A Seat at Our Table drew on professionals from a wide array of occupations. From mental health advisors, to chefs, to community development programmers, the affair provided a diverse selection of advocates that left each attendee with something to take away. The innovative concept guarantees that everyone in this city has a place to sit at this never-ending table to share, to promote, and ultimately to build each other up.

“I believe that everyone has an important role to play in order for this support system to work. In our community, we have a bunch of people doing fabulous things, but nobody really knows what they may be doing. Or maybe we do know, but we’re not providing enough support. And maybe we don’t even know how to support them. So, A Seat at Our Table is basically saying, instead of looking for support in other areas and going to people who may or may not show love, we can create something for ourselves by working together and supporting each other,” says Ellie.

Experiencing FOMO yet? Well, Ellie assures that this event was only one of many to come, as she’s currently preparing for the summer edition, which will also mark the one-year anniversary of A Seat at Our Table. She is also actively searching for future panelists, performers, and advertisers, and hopes to be able to put on live in-person events once the pandemic subsides. To all the Toronto creatives, don’t be shy; this is an event for you to take advantage of! Feel free to reach out to Ellie on Instagram at @fouronesixlove to potentially be selected for the next installment!