Meet three women making an impact today, and who will be remembered tomorrow

"While we use Women’s History Month to honor the strides that were made by those who came before us, it’s important not to forget that history is also made in the present..."

Women’s History Month is a time for honoring, amplifying, and acknowledging the contributions and impact women have on society – then and now.

But increasing culture wars, resentment, grievances, and resistance from those opposed to any form of progress have overshadowed what should be a celebratory time of recognition. but instead it has turned the push toward equity, inclusion, and diversity into an increasingly uphill battle.

By sharing the vision, and the voices of the women who continuously break barriers, and social norms we are inspiring generations of young women and girls to shatter stereotypes push toward equity and inclusion in all fields. Encourage them to grab their seat at the table – and if there isn’t one, how to build their own.

I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by so many strong and powerful women in my life – family, friends, and strangers alike. Though each one impacted me in a different way, they all have added something positive to my life and contributed to who, what, and where I am now.

Those women exist in every corner of our world and are doing the same for their own families, friends, communities, and society as a whole.

While we use Women’s History Month to honor the strides that were made by those who came before us, it’s important not to forget that history is also made in the present.

From the top to the bottom, and back again, one would be hard-pressed to find an area of innovation, industry, or career, that hasn’t been impacted and/or elevated by a woman.

For every name we’ve heard of, there are many more that we haven’t. Women who work – have worked – tirelessly and quietly in the background to make society better. They are educators, entrepreneurs, career women, and even stay-at-home moms – but the one thing history-making women have in common is passion.

Undeterred, This Educator Went Above and Beyond To Feed Her School District’s Students

Turquoise LeJeune Parker — Educator

A public school teacher in Durham, North Carolina, Turquoise LeJeune Parker galvanized her community to raise over $100,000 to feed public school children in her district during the two-week winter break in December 2021.

Christmas break is a time associated with no school, playing with friends, sleeping in, and most importantly, no homework for kids all around the country. But what is less talked about is that during that time millions of food-insecure children will be without the two meals a day generally provided by the school system. For many that will mean going without food at all.

This makes what Parker is doing so important. What started with one family in 2015, has grown over the years to now include over 5000 students among 12 schools in the Durham Public Schools District. When Parker began collecting donations to feed students during winter break over six years ago, she was able to feed every one of her 25 students a year later. Moving on to one entire grade level, then two. And then the number of schools began to increase.

If she could inspire a community to feed over 5000 kids in the district for the two-week break with $100,000, it makes one wonder what more can be done on a national level to insure that every child is fed when it’s most needed.

If more in this country had the kind of dedication and commitment as this lone teacher in North Carolina, imagine the difference we can make as a society to end child hunger once and for all.

Turquoise Parker is an example of the impact and inspiration that one person – one woman – can have on a community and society as a whole.

From Player To Owner, How This Former WNBA Star Renee Montgomery Met The Moment & Changed The Game

When former GOP Senator Kelly Loeffler, was forced to sell her shares as part-owner of the WNBA team, the Atlanta Dream due to her anti-Black Lives Matter position, a door was opened for an owner who would be sympathetic to the needs of the team’s majority Black line-up.

Cue former UConn Huskie, and two-time championship-winning WNBA player, Renee Montgomery. After 11 years as a player, and a short stint as a broadcaster, Montgomery decided to take the 2020 season off in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and resulting nationwide protests for social justice.

Shortly after announcing her retirement from professional basketball, Renee Montgomery joined investors, Larry Gottesdiener and Suzanne Abair, as co-owners of the Atlanta Dream. Crediting Lebron James, for inspiring her desire to become a female owner of a professional team, Montgomery also serves as the Dream’s Vice President.

Founder of the Renee Montgomery Foundation, Ms. Montgomery wanted to use her platform, and devote her time to amplifying the voices of those demanding social justice and change- and to promote equality, education, and political agendas that catered to the long-neglected needs of the Black community.

Though she didn’t, Loeffler could have stood up with and for the players of her team. She could have sat down and had a real conversation with them.

Instead, the opposite occurred.

The banking CEO was too bothered to meet with one of the players who offered their then-boss a chance to listen to her players as they voiced their concerns and reservations.

While the billionaire may have dropped the ball, two-time champ Renee Montgomery picked it right up - and scored.

Showing and proving what you can accomplish when you refuse – as those like Loeffler would prefer –to just ‘shut up and dribble.’

Married to her wife, Sirena Grace, in the spring of 2020, Montgomery uses her voice to enact progress and change. Setting an example, not just for women of color, but for women and little girls everywhere.

Kelly Loeffler’s stubbornness, lack of awareness, and overall tone-deaf attitude not only led to her being driven out of the professional basketball business but it would be the same player she’d previously refused a meeting with who would eventually buy it.

The one, and only, Renee Montgomery.

Meet The Woman Bringing Hope And Big Tech To Jackson, MS

Dr. Nashlie Sephus - Scientist

Jackson, MS, the state capital and home to around 165K of Mississippi’s residents, has seen its share of difficulties. Anyone who has ever been to, or driven through the majority black municipality will notice very quickly that this once prominent southern city, widely known for its position during the Civil Rights Movement, has been severely neglected.

Segregation, white flight, and lack of investment have seen the city fall into poverty, neglect, and disrepair. Infrastructure was so poorly maintained that century-old water pipes frequently burst, leaving a majority of the capital city’s residents without clean drinking water – if there was any water at all.

Meet Dr. Nashlie Sephus, the 36-year-old, African-American tech professional, who is bringing hope back to the city she calls home.

An A.I. manager for Amazon, Sephus was also Chief Technology Officer for a start-up acquired by the online retail giant. Her expertise in the tech field coupled with the desire to bring investment back to the city led her to purchase 12 acres of downtown Jackson that will soon be a $25M hub of technology.

Sephus is already familiar with the tech needs of Jackson through the work she has done via her non-profit Bean Path. Where she has helped nearly 400 businesses and individuals with their tech needs. It was around the same time, 2018, that Sephus got the idea for the hub.

Photo courtesy of WLBT

Even being turned down by three banks didn’t deter the 2022 Mississippian of the Year winner.

After talking with city officials, investors, and her employer about the proposed project, Amazon offered to help. The company provides scholarships to teachers who want to become more tech-savvy, has pledged to rent space in the hub when it’s completed, and to provide workshops through their We Power Tech Program for underserved communities and individuals who would otherwise be left out of the technology boom.

The tech entrepreneur’s commitment to Jackson, knowledge, and determination convinced the city of Jackson to contribute half a million dollars to help Sephus secure the building. They have also agreed to put money into making the streets look more attractive, and help with any zoning. City officials weren’t the only ones impressed. That Sephus chose to return to Jackson, when she could’ve stayed in greener pastures helped garner support from the local investment community as well.

Add $500K of Sephus’ savings and an additional $150K crowd-sourced from friends and family, and Sephus was able to close on 12 acres of what will soon not just hope, but a future for the residents of Jackson.

Somewhere in a classroom in Compton in the next Elon Musk if just given the opportunity. Dr. Sephus also proves what can be accomplished when we work together. When we reach back and lift up. Thanks to her passion to bring technology to the Deep South, the entire city of Jackson, and its people are going to benefit from the investment, not just in the city but the people.

Dr. Sephus should be an inspiration to us all, as he is proof that despite stereotypes, Black women – and women in general – belong in every room.

Technology included.

As an independent author and journalist, I rely on your generosity to continue sharing my voice. If you like my work, consider subscribing, gifting, or making a one-time donation on Cash App or Venmo. Finding my voice after years of uncertainty motivated me to share my journey back to self in my 2018 book The Power of Perspective: Gaining Clarity, Purpose and Truth Through Affirmation and it’s sequel, The Consequence of Choice: How Every Decision You Make Shapes Your Destiny. Both are available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.