In celebration of Black History Month, we wanted to highlight a few amazing black women who have achieved great things in the face of adversity, and serve as an inspiration to all women.
 | “Just don’t give up what you’re trying to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
– Ella Fitzgerald, the most popular female jazz singer in the U.S. for over half a century. Additionally, Fitzgerald was a civil rights activist who faced discrimination throughout her career. She earned the NAACP Equal Justice Award and the American Black Achievement Award. In addition, she also received the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. |
 | “Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make the life you want to live.”
– Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space. Jemison is a former NASA Astronaut, Doctor, and Engineer. Additionally, she has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame. |
 | “Dreams are lovely but they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams to not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.”
– Shonda Rhimes, storyteller, award-winning screenwriter, producer, and author. She is the creator, head writer, and executive producer of hit shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal. Time Magazine named her as one of the most 100 influential people in the world. Her book, Year of Yes, is a New York Times bestseller. Rhimes also won a prestigious Peabody Award and was appointed by President Obama to serve as Trustee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. |
 | “There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
– Amanda Gorman, youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. Gorman is a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard University who read her original poetry at the presidential inauguration in 2021. Prior to that, in 2017, Gorman was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word. |