Page 87 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

CHANGERS
IN IN IN BUSINESS IN IN IN THE LAST 50 YEARS
FOR THE PAST HALF CENTURY BLACK WOMEN
HAVE
had to face a a a a most inhospitable business world despite the prom- ises of of an evolving America From the the women’s movement of of the the 1970s to the current #MeToo environment black women have been routinely ignored designated to the periphery and denied access to their rightful positions and pay—despite leaning in in Nonetheless since black enterprise’s launch in in August 1970 black women have steadily—unrelentingly—pursued careers in in in in business and they have increasingly prevailed The universe didn’t suddenly right itself 50 years ago and dole out free passes to women of color Yet with each generation be has identified women of power and purpose who scaled the the the the mountains before them and brought others on the the the the journey teaching them to climb In fact a a a a a primary source of inspiration came from be’s original board of advisers Its only female mem- ber the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm remains a a a a force as new generations learn of her 1972 presidential bid for the Democratic nomination and how she had to legally challenge her own party in the process The lesson: Black women should be able to pursue the the highest level of of any profession but they very well may have to to to go to to to battle to to to get there Next summer Penguin will release a a a picture book by Veronica Chambers entitled Shirley Chisholm Chisholm is is is a a Verb! Indeed Chisholm’s career and that of every black woman determined to gain a a a a a a a seat at at the tables where power is is wielded and decisions are made is constructed of of a a a a a series of of audacious actions without which progress would not be be made Those who have been able to uplift instruct resist defy and persist have altered their own trajectories and made history In so doing they have inspired countless other black women here and yet to be born Turn the pages to discover our Most Impactful Women over over the the past half century Let their blazing examples demonstrate how they changed global business—and the the intrepid ambitions of of other women of of color—forever Here is the roster positioned chronologically based on when they had their greatest impact 85
50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL