A Simple Directive Sparked a Storied Career: Now, Take the Picture nytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Though she never doubted what she wanted to do with her life, Canedy acknowledges her career path wasn t always easy. Early on, she recalls her car breaking down on the side of the road when she was reporting on an important story and having no money to fix it. A different time, an editor told her she might want to consider a different profession because she would never be a successful journalist.
But instead of dwelling on the editor s comment, Canedy focused on improving her craft. Someone may underestimate you, especially if you re a woman or a person of color, but you never let their narrative become your reality, she says. Pressure makes a diamond, I always say.
Following the lead of trailblazers throughout American history, today s Black history-makers are shaping not only today but tomorrow.
From helping to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, to breaking barriers in the White House and in the C-suite, below are 23 Black leaders who are shattering glass ceilings in their wide-ranging roles.
Kamala Harris, 56, first Black, first South Asian American and first woman Vice President
Photo credit: Getty; Photo Illustration: Gene Kim for CNBC Make It
Vice President Kamala Harris.
On Jan. 20, Kamala Harris became the first Black, first South Asian American and first woman Vice President of the United States.
Harris, born in Oakland, California to an Indian mother and Jamaican father, spoke about her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, in her first speech as vice president-elect.