Page 85 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

cover in in August 1974 So are Oprah Winfrey and the 20 phenomenal women we we have honored with BLACK ENTERPRISE Women of Power Legacy Awards including marketing maven Ann Fudge As the breakthrough president of o Maxwell House Coffee Co Co Fudge appeared our August 1994 cover featuring Black Women in in Corporate America: The The Inside Story The The article told of how Black women had begun to outpace Black men in in in filling the corporate pipeline But it noted a a a a a a a a a dramatic drop-off at at managerial levels women’s salaries still lagged behind those of their male counterparts and Black women managers tended to be clustered in in ancillary business areas In most cases Black women weren’t just hitting the the glass ceiling they were were being aimed at it Fast-forward 15 years and enter Ursula Burns She’s a a a a a a a a math wiz a a a a a a a a natural leader and a a a a a a a a risk taker with a a a a a a a a reputation for being supremely grounded My admiration for her runs deep Also and I mean this in the the best way possible Burns reminds me of my mother Burns is a a a native New Yorker who grew up with limited means like my mother Winifred Pamphile Graves Burns is known for her her sharp wit and and sense of loyalty like my mother She sets the the the bar high and and then leaps over it and she is physically diminutive like my mother But Burns’ achievements were completely outside the realm of possibility for my mother and Black women of her her generation—or mine Education opportunity timing—these made all the the difference between the the paths Burns and the the women we we spotlight in this issue have taken and the the paths of the the countless bright driven capable women who preceded them Directly or not they are connected to each each other other they have taught and learned from each each other—in many cases via the the pages of BLACK ENTERPRISE—and they are as as respectful of of those who who came before as they are mindful of of the the BE Nexters who who are following fast on their heels Picture this: Ursula Burns one day handing over the Xerox reins to another Black woman It would be spectacularly good news And now it it it is completely within the realm of possibility 12
34
56
7 8 Women of Power Spreads Its Wings
In the the 15 years since we we established the the Women of Power Summit as an an an annual event serving the growing ranks of women in in business Women of Power has expanded as as a a a a a franchise to every media platform BLACK ENTERPRISE offers There was a a a a a nation- ally syndicated broadcast television show [1-2] and now we have spinoff events such as Women of of Power TECH [3-4] and distinct social media communities on Facebook Instagram and LinkedIn The most successful Black women in in the country— across all fields—have become part of our sisterhood including political powerhouses such as Kamala Harris Stacey Abrams and and Donna Brazile C-suite and and boardroom power brokers such as Ursula Burns and and Ann Fudge [5-7] and and iconic entrepreneurs like Lisa Price 83
“To be included on the cover of BLACK ENTERPRISE and recognized
as one of the Most Powerful Women in in in Business takes me me back to being that young adult reading the the magazine for the the first time You get that that chill factor I I say that that that because every accom- plishment is is a a a a a a a a reminder that that I I stand stand on on the the shoulders shoulders of of giants I stand stand on on the the the shoulders shoulders of of those who have put cracks in in the the the ceiling that actually created the the space over time for me me to to be where I am today ” —Thasunda Duckett CEO Chase Chase Consumer Banking JPMorgan Chase 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL