During the month of February, when we celebrate black history month, I thought we could look at the history of CPA’s and Accountants.

Let’s talk about the present for a minute; recent surveys show that only three percent (3%) of all CPA are black and three tenths of a percent (.003$) are Partners in major firms.

Overall, black accountants represent only 8.2% of the accounting work force.

Those aren’t overwhelming statistics, but in order to increase those numbers, we need to learn about our past.

I came across this article on blackenterprise.com that profiles Mary T. Washington Wylie, the first black woman obtain a CPA license in 1943.

Can you imagine the challenges that Ms. Wylie faced in the early 1940’s

How many of those challenges do we still face today?

How can we help more people progress in the profession?

Let me know what you think!