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March is Women’s History Month and we’re celebrating 31 different women over the month, spanning the worlds of entertainment, politics, local, global and beyond. Our 2020 list continues with a businesswoman who has made a habit of making something out of nothing with major brands. Sam’s Club, Walmart and now Starbucks. A Spelman College graduate who currently serves as the coffee company’s Chief Operating Officer, she spearheads one of the most beloved companies in America with a track record that is quite unmatched. Meet Rosalind Brewer, one of our 31 inspiring women.
Let’s run down some factoids on Rosalind Brewer, shall we? She is the first woman and first African-American to serve as COO of Starbucks. She is also the only person of color that happens to sit on the board of Amazon, easily one of the biggest, if not the biggest online retailer in the world. She’s helped lead these companies beyond different financial measures and in regards to leadership – she may be the most powerful black woman in business.
In April 2018 when two African-American men being arrested at Starbucks became national news, it became a personal mission for Brewer and Starbucks to rectify the situation. As Brewer said in an interview later that year with the Washington Post, “If there is a place where bias doesn’t exist, I haven’t found it.”
To be “the only one,” a common feeling for black women in corporate America, Brewer has said that she isn’t a fan and that it’s a lonely position. But, she’ll continue to be one of “the ones” that help voice for change and black women rising to roles of power not just in business, but the world over.
FUN FACT: When she graduated from Spelman in 1984, Brewer actually graduated with a degree in chemistry. As she continued her journey through higher education, she rounded out her bachelor’s degree by graduating from the Director’s College at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business/Stanford Law School
QUOTE: “You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering, and often earns you new respect.”
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