Breaking glass ceiling
requires
fortitude and longevity
Issues facing African American Women
Beatrice Thompson did not set out to
be the first black female to anchor the news in Charlotte.
Actually, when she was younger, she
wanted to be an archeologist.
"I was fascinated by
documentaries...and I liked antiquities. My cousins hated to play with me,
because they didn't know what I was talking about," reminisced Thompson.
Women historically have always been
second when it came to achievement in business and society. Still, many black
women have led, in spite of the odds; from the first black millionaire being
Madame C.J. Walker, to her contemporary counterpart and media queen Oprah
Winfrey.
In Charlotte, they have made their
mark, despite opposition and sometimes confrontation.
As a teeenager, Thompson saw first
hand the effects of urban renewal on black neighborhoods, which in led her into
journalism.
"No one explained what was going on,"
said Thompson. "There was no redevelopment; just get up and get out. It made me
angry. I watched white realtors use black families as blockbusters...starting
white flight. These kinds of elements went into my decision."
Lee Armstrong president of the North
Carolina Association of Broadcasters, has worked in the television business for
36 years. She's seen a lot of change for women and minorities.
"It feels like a long time ago when
this industry was male dominated," said Armstrong, vice president and general
manger at WSOC-TV. "It seems to me...when I got into the business, there were
more men in the industry than women, especially in leadership, but I've seen
that change at a more accelerated rate."
"Our business is a reflection of the
communities served," said Armstrong. "As communities have diversified and
progressed...on air personalities have reflected that diversity."
Thompson started her career at
Charlotte's WBTV in 1977, but not without some bumps on the road. In 1979, she
was the first black woman to anchor in Charlotte, working on "The Good Morning
Show" with Jim Patterson, and "Top 'O the Day."
"It was not easy for women in
general," said Thompson.
Black women, specifically, were faced
with issues regarding their hair. Though a self-proclaimed "perm lady", Thompson
saw others struggle. "There were clauses in contracts about what they could do
with their hair," said Thompson. "I though they're looking at more
superficially; they're more concerned with our looks than what's said."
While Thompson made her way on
television, it was through television Nina Wright first developed an interest in
the law enforcement field.
"I watched 'Adam-12,' 'Dragnet' and
'Perry Mason'," she said. "I wanted to do what they were doing. I'd ride around
on my tricycle...making siren noises...and I'd make my friends be the bad guys.
My interest was piqued very early."
However, Wright was sidetracked from
her goals when a lack of "us" made her think twice about policing.
"I saw tall, white males, with a
stocky build," said Wright. "I thought maybe they didn't let us be police
officers. I grew up to be 5-2 1/2, I figured I would get laughed at."
Wright initially went into banking,
but after a divorce, needed a second job. As a night auditor at a hotel, she met
a moonlighting Charlotte police officer and asked questions. The officer
suggested Wright try law enforcement.
"Look at me," said Wright, "I can't."
The next night three white women
officers came to the hotel. "I decided I could take all three of them," said
Wright. "What he did by parading them through the door was all I needed."
According to Marita Bryant, committee
chairperson with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives,
the first black woman officer was hired in Los Angeles around 1919.
Prior to 1972, women were required to
have a college degree, while their male counterparts only needed a high school
diploma. Women usually were assigned to the women's bureau or the juvenile unit.
"Beginning in 1972, women started to
work in a patrol role...wearing skirts and high heel shoes...doing the same job
as men," said Bryant. .
Wright started with the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in 1986 as an officer. In just 15 years,
Wright rose through the ranks to deputy chief, becoming the first woman to hold
that position in the Investigative Services Department's history. Yet, Wright
faced some dark times.
"Lots of officers are not interested
in females or minorities being here," she said. "As a female, you must always
prove yourself. Guys stand back and let you get into situations... fights...to
see if you can handle yourself." Wright said she was often ostracized by white
male co-workers.
"You survive and make it so it's not
so bad for the next [black woman] coming in," she said.
For Wright and Thompson, some of the
most difficult obstacles came not from their peers, but from the community.
"I was called on an alarm call...and
the man answered the door 'I know they didn't send you out here to protect me,"
said Wright. "How are you going to help me? Women shouldn't be in law
enforcement."
Said Thompson: "Some people were not
interested in talking during interviews because I was black or because I was a
woman. One man tried to talk to my photographer, but not to me. I've talked to
people I knew behind that door was their robe...and I don't mean a judgeship."
Thompson and Wright stand as
trailblazers in their industries, but each admits that they could not have done
it without the strength of their families or the help of others.
"The community has gotten used to
females in law enforcement," said Wright. "We don't have as many [black female
executives] a
