Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 8-21-20

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Meet Kiko Davis, The Only Black Female Bank Owner In The U. S.
Kiko Davis is the only Black female bank owner in the United States. Davis is the trustee of Donald Davis Living Trust, the majority stockholder of the 10th largest Black bank in the U. S., First Independence Bank. And as such, she is making history.
In an interview with Rolling Out, she explained why Black female leadership is not only important but also effective.
“We have an innate warrior spirit,” she said. “We possess a level of empathy for people in general with a higher level of sensitivity towards women and minorities. Often times, it’s a skill set that unfortu- nately some men and non-mi- norities do not possess. They simply are socialized differ- ently. I believe in order to lead people effectively you must be able to understand them, or at least want to.”
In 2018, Davis was named one of Ebony’s Power 100 honorees for her role as well as her philanthropic efforts as the founder and president of the Don Davis Legacy Foun-
KIKO DAVIS
dation. In addition to empa- thy, Davis cited courage as a personal superpower that al- lows her to overcome profes- sional hurdles.
“Courage is my super- power. I have the ability to take fear and use it as a tool to conquer adversity and chal- lenges, no matter how insur- mountable they may seem. The more substantial the ob- stacle, the stronger I become.”
While discussing the power Black women wield in posi- tions of power, Davis points to Shirley Chisholm—the first Black congresswoman and the first major-party
Black candidate to run for president in 1972—as an in- spiration for “being fearless.” When asked who she would choose to be a mentor, she an- swered with Sheila John- son, the co-founder of BET, CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and the first African American woman to attain a net worth of at least $1 billion.
“Why? Simply put, for me, she exemplifies the perfect ex- ample of excellence, beauty, power and grace, all traits I aspire to embody,” Davis said. “She’s perfected the pathway to longevity. I would certainly like to follow her path.”
While Davis looks to fol- low in Johnson’s path, she leaves lessons she’s learned for younger Black women.
“Taking risks is a neces- sary step to success. Without risk, there can be no reward. Mistakes? Go ahead and make them. Your mistakes will bring invaluable knowledge that will ultimately become your strategy for winning.”
Meet The 1st Black Student To Receive A Doctorate In Computer Science
At The University Of Florida
Gainesville, FL — Jas- mine Bowers has recently made history as the first-ever African American student to receive a doctorate degree in Computer Science from the University of Florida.
Bowers double majored in Math and Computer Sci- ence at Fort Valley State Uni- versity and earned her masters at North Carolina A&T before receiving her doc- torate. She now joined the ranks of other historic Black women in STEM such as Mary Jackson, NASA’s first Black female engineer, and Dr. Patrica Bath, the first Black woman to receive a medical patent.
Bowers is grateful for the support of her teachers, men- tors, advisors, and friends throughout her study for many years. She is most espe- cially thankful for her mother who guided her and pushed her to achieve more.
“The seed of motivation was planted at a young age when my mother taught me how to use Excel to record my
JASMINE BOWERS
‘wish list.’ I grew up in a household where I was en- couraged to embrace technol- ogy,” Bowers told BOTWC. “I also had the freedom to uti- lize technologies that in- cluded computers and other equipment that my mother, an [self-taught] engineer, had.”
In addition, Bowers hopes to inspire other stu- dents to be interested in STEM to occupy the report- edly lacking representation of Black people in the work- place.
Best Selling Author’s New Release, ‘Black States Of America Real Black Power,’ Is Perfect Merger Of History And SciFi
D. E. Rogers and his book Black States of America – Real Black Power.
San Francisco, CA — When history and science fiction merge, anything is possible. Especially if it comes from the pen of eight-time bestselling author, D. E. Rogers. With the release of his new novel, Black States of America – Real Black Power, he may have even outdone himself. The novel is available to the world today.
Black States of America is an action-packed, edge-of- your-seat adventure that be- gins at Ford’s Theater on the fateful night in 1865 when President Abraham Lin-
coln was to be assassinated. Yet in Rogers’ version of events, a former slave and sci- entist come to visit Presi- dent Lincoln via a black hole to an alternate universe. Their visit interrupts Booth’s assassination plans and Lin- coln survives. And that is just the opening sequence.
Yet as readers are drawn into the tale that spans two worlds and encompasses scenes of terror, intrigue, sor- row, and hope, it also pro- vides reason for pause. And that is exactly what the au- thor intended.
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