Empowering Excellence: Celebrating Trailblazing Black Women

As we celebrate Black History Month, today we'll highlight the remarkable contributions of several black women whose bravery and tenacity deserve to be commended. These women have endured obstacles, led as their authentic selves, and achieved remarkable success. They have blazed trails and serve as inspiring examples for us all.

The women featured have had particularly positive impacts in their respective fields. Be sure to say thank you and/or support their efforts via the links shared here.

Dr. Mae Jemison is an engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut, aka, a true rocket scientist. She became the first Black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. She holds several honorary doctorates and has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame. She authored a book called Find Where the Wind Goes. Find it here!

Toni Townes-Whitley was named Chief Executive Officer of SAIC in October of 2023. She is the fifth black female CEO in the Fortune 500. Toni's work has been recognized across many industries, making her the recipient of numerous awards including Fortune's Most Powerful Women: Ones to Watch, Women in Technology Leadership, and Black Enterprise Top Executive.

Cherelle Parker became Philadelphia's 100th mayor and the first woman mayor in history.

Her platform focuses on crime and public safety and she has pledged to hire 300 new police officers for the city.

Support her efforts with a reaction or a comment here.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is a lawyer and jurist and is the first black woman to serve as an associate justice on the United States Supreme Court, and only the sixth woman in U.S. history.

Ketanji once stated, "The privilege of working with strong women role models has been essential to my career development and it's crucial to the development and advancement of girls like my daughters who need to learn that they have opportunities."

Hear, hear, Ketanji! Learn more about Ketanji.

Faith Ringgold is an internationally celebrated artist. She has received 22 honorary doctorates from institutions such as The City University of New York and the Art Institute of Chicago. She has been recognized with 80 awards (80!) by the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and the NAACP. She is an educator, writer, and community activist.

Her portfolio often raises awareness of human representations throughout African American history, including themes and individuals otherwise excluded from American culture. See Faith's beautiful talents on display here.

Thank you and congratulations to these courageous, motivated women for their brilliance, perseverance, and inspiration. The positive impact they have made on society is deeply respected and admired.