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Opening doors for others: The first Black woman to become a CPA
By Anita Dennis
Mary T. Washington Wylie in 1943 became the nation’s first Black woman to earn the CPA license, a notable achievement in a remarkable life filled with many accomplishments. Washington Wylie also made it her life’s mission to hire and mentor Black aspiring CPAs. Her story illustrates the importance of early Black CPAs’ success and the advances they made for future generations of accountants.
A decision to pay it forward
Born in Mississippi, Washington Wylie (1906–2005) was a child when she was sent to live in Chicago with her grandparents after her mother’s death. Eager to escape a home life with an abusive grandmother, she was about to drop out of high school in her junior year, but a caring teacher took her in so she could finish her studies. “I think this was life-changing for her and helped her to become a giver,” said Washington Wylie’s granddaughter, Angie Spencer. “She decided