It does not escape me that I am standing on the shoulders of giants, including the cooks and janitors and others who look like me and were first to enter corporate America. They created the space for me to have this opportunity. My hope is that corporate America realizes that talent is created equally but opportunity is not, and we all acknowledge that there's still more work to be done.” – Thasunda Brown Duckett
Last year two Black women, Rosalind Brewer the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance and Thasunda Brown Duckett, the CEO of TIAA made history as the first two Black women to make an appearance on the annual Fortune 500 CEO list.
The annual list ranks 500 of America’s largest companies, and despite the progress that’s been made in the business space, women still only make up 8.2% of Fortune 500 CEOs, with women of color making up just 1.2%.
So who are these trailblazing Black women who shattered the glass ceiling and are blazing the way for our daughters?
Today we discover the backstory of Rosalind and Thasunda, and break down the long history of Black boss women who paved the way for them to sit at the head of the table at two of the world's most successful companies. From Madam CJ Walker to Oprah Winfrey, to the names of women who we all should know but don’t. Let's get into it.
