Legacy 2017 South Florida: 25 Most Powerful Women Issue | Page 2

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Editor’s
N O T E
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Dexter A. Bridgeman
CEO & Founder
Russell Motley
Editor-in-Chief
Zachary Rinkins
Editor-at-Large
Yanela G. McLeod
Copy Editor
Shannel Escoffery
Associate Editor
Yanique DaCosta
Art Director
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While recently reading an article, I was reminded
that in 1920 – less than 100 years ago –women in
America gained the right to vote. Keep in mind that al-
though Black women (and Black men for that matter)
had the right to vote, they were restricted in doing
so by Jim Crow laws, black codes and the threat of
violence by opponents of social and political equality.
In spite of the institutional limitations, black women
such as civil rights activist and journalist Ida B. Wells
and Mary McLeod Bethune, who founded the Daytona
Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls
in 1904 (later to become Bethune-Cookman College
in 1923), emerged as female trailblazers and examples
for future generations of black women.
Today it is encouraging to know that multitudes
of Black women are blazing trails throughout Miami,
as you’ll see in this issue of Legacy South Florida’s 25
Most Influential and Prominent Black Women in Business and Industry.
One common thread I’ve observed among Legacy’s latest honorees is their humble-
ness and their use of the platform in their respective fields to impact lives.
During the recent photo shoot for the magazine cover, the energy in the room was
powerful and infectious. It was clear that these women, sporting their best power suits,
had several things in common – the ability to network, share ideals and, just as important-
ly, laugh and enjoy themselves.
Let’s congratulate them, encourage them and hold them accountable for inspiring Leg-
acy South Florida’s next generation of Influential and Prominent Black Women in Business
and Industry.
Russell Motley
Legacy Editor-In-Chief