Thanks to our audacious foremothers, women can now realize any and every career they’ve ever dreamed of. Whether we find our purpose in saving lives as a medical practitioner, closing deals in an executive suite, or creating art on the big screen, there’s no limit to what we find purpose in. Through each woman’s career story, we are empowered to find our own calling and fulfill it as they have theirs. As we reflect on 2014, there are several power women who leave behind their varying professional legacies to inspire us all. Remember these way pavers as you make your own career strides.
Juanita Moore
Juanita Moore rose to stardom with much help from her Oscar-nominated role in Imitation of Life. The Los Angeles native entered show business as a chorus girl in New York’s famous Cotton Club. She went on to work at Ebony Showcase Theater and became a member of the Cambridge Players. In a 1967 interview with Los Angeles Times, as reported by Hollywood Reporter, Moore said “‘The Oscar prestige was fine, but I worked more before I was nominated,’ Moore said at the time. ‘Casting directors think an Oscar nominee is suddenly in another category. They couldn’t possibly ask you to do one or two days’ work. You wouldn’t accept it. And I’m sure I would.'” Her grandson, Actor Kirk Kahn said, “‘Wherever we went she stopped and told black boys and girls they could do anything with their lives,’†according to Variety. Moore’s grandson says she was 99 when she died on January 1.
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou was undoubtedly one of the most revered literary figures. The author, poet and all-around artist used her way with words as a tool to educate and empower generations, garnering the praise of prominent figures such as Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela and United States presidents. In a special Oprah’s Master Class episode, the master teacher said, “I hold nothing back because I want to see that light go off. I like to see the children say, ‘I never thought of that before.’ And I think, I’ve got them!” Maya found her voice after a traumatic childhood experience that resulted in her not talking for nearly six years. Instead, she took to writing and never stopped. Some of Dr. Angelou’s most noted works are I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
, Still IÂ Rise and Phenomenal Woman. She is a Grammy winner and Medal of Freedom recipient. Maya Angelou was 86 years old when she died on May 28th.Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee was a civil rights activist and actress, widely known for her role in A Raisin in the Sun. Ruby Dee, married to the late Ossie Davis, was friends with Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X and served as mistress of ceremony at the 1963 March on Washington. According to CNN.com, Dee and Davis were arrested in 1999 while protesting outside of NYPD headquarters for the police shooting of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant. Ruby Dee was awarded an Emmy, Grammy and other numerous awards for her work as an actress and activist before she died on June 11th. Â
Alice Coachman Davis
Alice Coachman Davis was the first ever black woman to win gold in the Olympic games. She mastered the high jump in the 1948 London Games, and King George VI bestowed upon her the coveted medal. In celebrating the historic moment, “She was invited aboard a British
Royal yacht, she was congratulated by President Harry S. Truman at the White House, and Count Basie gave a party for her. She was lauded in a motorcade that wound its way through Georgia from Atlanta to her hometown, Albany,” according to NYTimes.com. Alice Coachman Davis died in Albany, Georgia on July 14, 2014. She was 90 years old.Kamara James
Kamara James was an Olympic fencer born in Kingston, Jamaica. James moved to Queens, New York when she was 10 years old and took an interest in fencing at 11, thanks to a teacher at her school, according to NYDailyNews.com. She proved to be a real talent in the sport and won a scholarship to the prestigious Dwight School in the Upper Westside of Manhattan, and she later received a full scholarship to Princeton. In 2004, James went on to compete in the Olympic Games, representing the US women’s épée. Kamara James was diagnosed with schizophrenia and died, 29, on September 20th.
Ruth Munroe
Ruth Munroe was co-pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries with her husband Dr. Myles Munroe. Ruth Munroe’s work as a prominent minister included
initiatives to empower women. She oversaw their Women of Excellence ministry with the purpose of building a force of women leaders to maximize their potential while discovering their purpose in the Body of Christ. Munroe died in a private plane crash on November 9th.Annie Lee
Annie Frances Lee is a legendary artist whose masterpieces are a valued treasure among art collectors all over the world. Throughout Lee’s work, you can spot one common, signature thread: All of her subjects are faceless. The esteemed artist didn’t paint facial features because she wanted to bring her pieces to life through the characters’ movement and body language. Facial features and expressions she felt would distract from this. Annie Lee’s art was often spotted as décor on classic television series and films, like A Different World, Coming to America and ER. One of her most celebrated pieces is “Blue Monday,” which she was inspired to create after dreading her cold wait on the bus one Monday morning at 5 o’clock. Annie Lee died on November 24th. She was 79 years old.