When A-B Tech first opened its doors in 1959, only one in three women worked outside the home, and many had little control over their earnings.
These days, despite making strides, according to the US Government Accountability Office website, women continue to earn less than men and are still underrepresented in management roles.
Five women from various walks of life gathered for the Empowered by A-B Tech: Women’s Edition Panel to discuss how they’ve overcome hurdles on the path to success. The event, held in A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium, drew a mix of staff, faculty, and students to hear speakers share their stories on equality and inclusion, important female role models, and barriers they’ve encountered on their paths to success.
Urban News publisher Johnnie Grant, who graduated from A-B Tech’s nursing program and went on to a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, acknowledged that as a Black woman, she’s encountered a double share of challenges throughout her life, but she said support from family and friends has made all the difference.
“The biggest piece is to be yourself and show humility,” she said. “We know the history of this country; it’s something that can’t be hidden, but that doesn’t predetermine who you are as a person or a professional.”
Sarah Benson, A-B Tech’s Chair of Criminal Justice Technology, said that as the first female captain at the Asheville Police Department, she battled stereotypes regularly on the job. Benson shared a story about a male officer who tested her courage by taking her to the city’s worst drug area her first day at work.
“We got into a confrontation with two huge individuals,” she said. “We fought them from behind the police station all the way down to South Charlotte Street.”
Benson, now retired from the police department, chairs A-B Tech’s Criminal…
Read the full article here
