Can You See Me? Phenomenal Woman, That's Me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.

I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me

--Maya Angelou

Image Credits:

1. Natural Hair, women in grey--Kriskrüg https://flic.kr/p/5HvSyB
2. African American Woman--William Gantz https://flic.kr/p/cn6jE
3. Thank God for Black Girls--Roel Wijnants https://flic.kr/p/24reg1D
4. Make-Up Makeup--Audrey Xavier Brulu https://flic.kr/p/p5xqDv
5. The Real Black Magic Woman Mrs. Queen Sabine-Sabine Mondestin https://flic.kr/p/bAkoSJ

There Is No Neutrality...

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

– Desmond Tutu


“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

– Elie Wiesel


“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.”

– Paulo Freire


“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict…[an individual] who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

It Can Be Done...Mary Frances Berry

"The time when you need to do something is when people are saying it can’t be done."

--Mary Frances Berry, Former chairwoman, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Mary Frances Berry, Twitter.com

Nurture and Guard These Seeds...Forest Whitaker

"Nurture the seeds of love, equality, social justice, freedom & human rights that are planted into our hearts & minds but too often neglected."
--Forest Whitaker, Award winning Actor, Humanitarian, Philanthropist

The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) was founded by Forest Whitaker in 2012 to foster peace and reconciliation in disadvantaged and fragile communities in the different regions of the world, including Africa, Latin America and the United States. The non-profit organization working along with other like-minded organizations promote youth empowerment, cultural diversity, continuous learning, capacity building, and access to internet connectivity and digital technologies. Find out more at wpdi.org

I Am...Shirley Chisholm

"I am, was, and always will be a catalyst for change."

--Shirley Chisholm

Present The Best You Possible...Angela Bassett

"Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that's in us."

--Angela Bassett, Actress

IMDB.com

Find One Thing...Tyra Banks

"It is important for women to feel beautiful when she looks in the mirror, and I tell women, 'If you don't feel beautiful, find one thing that you can look in that mirror and say, 'That is beautiful.'"

--Tyra Banks

Talent vs. Opportunity...Idris Elba

"Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not."

--Idris Elba

Believe In God...Joyce Rodgers

"There will be times when you have no trace of evidence that God is working on your behalf. Don’t panic! He’s just working behind your back."

--Evangelist Joyce L. Rodgers, Minister, Author & Church Leader 

Joyce Rodgers is author of the book, GO BIG (Believe In God). For more info about her, visit http://joycerodgers.org

J.G.F.I. -- Issa Rae

"Once you're coming up with ways you can't do something, you're not going to do it. So I think that...stop finding ways that you can't do something and find all the ways that you can and just go for it."

--Issa Rae, Writer, Actress, Director & Producer

The Keys To Success...Arthur Ashe

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation." 

--Arthur Ashe

Photo: 

https://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/flatview?cuecard=5021

When The Ordinary Becomes An Extraordinary Story...Lorraine Hansberry

"The most ordinary human being has within him profound anguish. You don't have to go to Kings and Queens of the earth. Every human being is in enormous conflict about something. Even if it's how you get to work in the morning. And I thought that it would be very interesting to explore the most ordinary man say on the South Side of Chicago."

--Lorraine Hansberry, Author and Playwright

Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in segregated Chicago, Illinois to Carl and Nannie Louise Hansberry. She was the youngest of four children and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Hansberry was an extraordinarily gifted writer who made history as the first black female author to have her play, "A Raisin In The Sun", opened on Broadway in New York City. Active in the Civil Rights Movement, she worked with the likes of Paul Roberson, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Harry Belafonte, and was known by Nina Simone and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Her life story has been wonderfully told in a documentary in the PBS American Masters series entitled, "Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart". For more information on Hansberry's life, you may also visit the Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust.

We Are All Connected...John Gibson

"We benefit as a society when we are quiet, but are listening to what each other has to say. Because I firmly believe there is much more that unites all of us than separates us."

--John Gibson, Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)

To hear John Gibson's entire quote and a clip of his upcoming #LeadershipTuesdays interview: click on the video below.

#LeadershipTuesdays: Creating Change...Shonda Rhimes

“Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do 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

Image: James White, Shondaland

On Tuesdays, womenatliberty.com presents #LeadershipTuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage and strengthen women leaders. Today we present the Queen of Thursday night television, the history making showrunner Shonda Lynn Rhimes. 

Shonda Rhimes is an award-winning American television producer, screenwriter and author. At the helm of Shondaland, her production company, she is responsible for #TGIT (Thank God It's Thursday) on the ABC Network and some of its most watched and popular shows on television today. Her Top 10 shows include Grey's Anatomy (starring Ellen Pompeo), Scandal (starring Kerry Washington), and How To Get Away With Murder (starring Viola Davis). She also produced and wrote the hit show Private Practice (starring Kate Walsh), a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy. 

Rhimes is first African American woman to create and executive produce a Top 10 network series (Grey's Anatomy). She recently made headlines when she signed a new multi-year deal with Netflix signalling an end to her 15 year relationship with ABC Television. The deal does not affect her current slate of shows now airing on the network.

In 2015, released her first book, "Year of Yes" and last year she received one of her most historic awards to date. Rhimes was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2017 and became the third Black woman to receive this honor. Oprah Winfrey and Diahann Carroll were the first and second Black women to receive this high honor before Rhimes. Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to Rhimes at the event calling her "currently the most powerful showrunner in television, period.”

She received her BA at Dartmouth and a MFA from USC. The Illinois native currently resides in Los Angeles, California. For more information on LeadershipTuesdays, go to womenatliberty.com. 

Who I Am...Ken Chenault

“When someone says to me, ‘When I look at you, Ken, I don’t see color,’ I say, ‘Then you’ve got a problem because I’m very proud about who I am. So, don’t deny I’m African-American. Accept me for who I am, engage with me, but don’t deny my heritage. That’s important because we don’t have enough honest discussions about race in this country.’”

--Ken Chenault, Chairman & CEO (retired*), American Express

*On February 1, 2018, Ken Chenault retired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Corporation after 37 years with the company. He recently joined the boards of the Facebook and Airbnb. He is also now the chairman of venture capital firm General Catalyst.

I Am Breaking Through...Elaine M. Flake

"Faith will let you know that it doesn't matter where you started. What really matters is where God is taking you. Faith will tell you, 'I don't have to accept what others tell me about myself. I don't have to believe what society says about me because my faith tells me that my God is able and God has put something great in me'. He is renewing my mind everyday as I enter into new realms of spirtual breakthough. I decree faith over all of our lives because it is by faith that we shall experience breakthrough."

--Rev. Dr. Elaine Flake, Co-Pastor, The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral, New York, NY

*This quote is an excerpt from the sermon, "I Am Breaking Though". To hear the entire sermon, go to: https://vimeo.com/122661063.

Following Your Own Path...Pam Oliver

"You don't have to be number one to land in a really, really good spot. The path that's meant for you will unfold. Even though I was a scared...I was a scaredy cat a couple of times. I sort of diverted off my path and then had to get right back on it. ...just don't worry about what other people have or what they're doing or start feeling less than... No one has their stuff as together as they'd like you to think."*

--Pam D. Oliver

Pam Oliver is a veteran journalist and sports reporter who has been with the NFL On Fox since 1995. As a respected sideline reporter, she has interviewed some of the NFL's greatest players and coaches and is one of the most recognizable women covering sports and America's most popular professional sport, the NFL. 

She is a graduate of Florida A&M (FAMU) where she was a broadcast journalism major and a student-athlete. She gained distinction as a NCAA and AIAW track and field All-American in both the 400 meters and the mile relay. Her Alma mater inducted her into the Florida A&M Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2015, she was honored again when FAMU named its production hall in the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication after her. 

*This quote is an excerpt from an interview Pam Oliver participated in at FAMU with Jason Joseph of FAMUNOW in August 2015.

A Leader That Can Be Trusted...Tony Dungy

"The mentor leader gives his or her people a reason to stick around when things don’t go as planned. They can be trusted even in the midst of uncertainty."

--Tony Dungy, Super Bowl Winning NFL Head Coach, NFL Player, TV Sports Analyst

Coach Dungy was the first Black NFL Head Coach to win the Super Bowl. His Indianapolis Colts with Peyton Manning as the quarterback won Super Bowl XLI (41) in 2006 against the Chicago Bears who were coached by Lovie Smith. Both Dungy and Smith made history as the first black NFL Head Coaches to take their teams to the Super Bowl.

Photo: http://twitter.com/TonyDungy

Follow the @DungyFamilyFndn for more quotes and blogs from Coach Dungy
https://t.co/HNCKzKbYHJ

Be An Agent For Change...Kamala Harris

"...there is no limit to what you can do. And sometimes to make change, you got to change how change is made. So do not be constrained by tradition. Do not listen when they say it can't be done. And do not be burdened by what has been when you can create what should be."*

--Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator (California)

*This quote is taken from Senator Harris' speech for her alma mater, Howard University, at the May 2017 Commencement Ceremony in Washington D.C. To view the entire speech, click here.