Breaking Down the Barriers in High-Level Industries

In the Chicago Defender, there are many news articles. However, the one that stood out to me was about the achievements that black women made in America, published on December 27th, 1975. This article is filled with accomplished women who despite the odds, broke barriers in a plethora of different industries. Cecil Partee became president of the state senate was given the position of state attorney general by the Regular Democratic Organization. Joan F. Mosley became the first black woman to be given the role of senior attorney at the National Broadcasting Company. She also was an attorney for NBC starting in 1972. Anne E. Thompson, a court judge, became the prosecutor of the Mercer County in New Jersey. She was the first black woman to become a prosecutor in the US. Betty Lou Dotson was the director of the Office of Equal Opportunity for Action. Before this position, she was a civil rights executive with the US Department of Agriculture. Clarence Mitchell, who was the legislative chairman for NAACP, became one of the five US representatives in the United Nations. Joan Winn became the first black woman judge in Texas. US Representatives Cardiss Collins and Charles C. Diggs were invited to attend celebrations of independence for Mozambique, and were the only US representatives invited to do so. In Charleston, 6 of 12 city council seats were appointed to black people. Dorothy M. Pleasant was one of the first black women executives at the US Custom Services. Daniel James Jr. was the first black Commander in Chief of the North American Air Defense Command. Gloria M. Crawford joined the Board of Directors of the Bicentennial Committee for Educational Projects. All of these people are very inspiring. Despite the almost impossible odds set against them, they worked their way up to earn these high-level positions. It’s inspiring how much resilience and grit these women had, and I’m happy for them. However, it also speaks to a bigger issue, which is the lack of representation of black women in high-level positions. It should not be a big deal that a black woman is elected, it should instead be the norm. Diversity should exist in every high-level position, and hopefully as a society we can break down the barriers and discrimination of all kinds that exists.

Leave a Reply