Perceptions of African American Women Essay

I am taking some classes that depart at long last qualify me to major in Astro Physics, or Chemical engineering, I to a fault want to work with NASA and train as an astronaut. It was amazing to know that Dr. Mae C. Jemison who happens to be the youngest of three children natural to a middle class African American family, Charlie Jemison, a maintenance worker and his wife, Dorothy, a teacher. Dr. Mae C.Jemison was the jump black fair sex astronaut to be in space in an era change with segregation and racism, she is a Chemical engineer, scientist, physician, teacher and astronaut, she has a wide purge of experience in technology, engineering, and medical research. In addition to her extensive place actting in science, she is puff up-versed in African and African-American Studies, speaks fluent Russian, Japanese, and Swahili, as well as English and is trained in dance and choreography. Dr. Mae C.Jamison was an zeal to me, and belike to some African American women. She was f ull of resilience and determination particularly to stimulate reached and achieved success in an unusual field of endeavor for many African American women, I applaud her determination to declare a difference among the African American women and blacks in Diaspora. After graduating from Morgan Park amply School in 1973 at the sequence of 16, Dr.Mae Jemison earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, while also fulfilling the requirements for a BA in African-American Studies. After earning these tiers in 1977, she attended Cornell University and received a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981. During medical school she travelled to Cuba, Kenya and Thailand, providing primary medical cargon to people living there. This is an indication of her human-centered efforts and eagerness to reach out to the less privileged population. Having a believe to do more with her smell, she enrolled in graduate classes in engineering and utilize to NASA for admission to the astr onaut program.She was turned down on her first application, possibly because she is a black fair sex, but she persevered and in 1987 was accepted on her cooperate application. She became one of the fifteen candidates accepted from over 2,000 applicants. When Dr. Mae Jemison successfully completed her astronaut training program in August 1988, she became the fifth black astronaut and the first black female astronaut in NASA history. In finish her first space flight, Dr. Mae Jemison logged 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 bits in space, devising her the first African-American woman in space.She says, I had to learn very(prenominal) early not to limit myself due to others limited imaginations. I have learned these days never to limit anyone else due to my limited imagination. This is an inspiration to other blacks in general who normally assume a second class citizen and believe that they will never do well or will be appreciated in whatever they do. This is a wake-up call, and apoca lypse of the saying Determination is the mother of invention. In 1993, Dr.Mae Jemison resigned from NASA and founded the Jemison Group, Inc.to research, develop and tool advanced technologies suited to the social, political, cultural and economic context of the individual, especially for the evolution world. Current projects include Alpha, (TM) a satellite based telecommunication outline to improve health care in West Africa and The Earth We Share, (TM) an inter guinea pigistic science camp for students ages 12 to 16, that utilizes an experiential curriculum. Among her veritable projects are some(prenominal) that focus on improving healthcare in Africa. She is also a professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College.Dr. Mae Jamison made a let out for herself and name for blacks in general Her entrepreneurial spirit put her in the blaze and acts as a boost to determined black men and women in Diaspora. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. It was quite surprising to read about Ellen J ohnson-Sirleaf, I know approximately nothing about this giant and queen of modern Africa who is presently the current president of Liberia. According to what I have read so furthermost about this queen of Africa she was born In Monrovia, the capital of Liberia on October 29, 1938.During this period, Liberians had no clue that the First female president of an African country had been born into their mist. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is a daughter to descendents of original colonists of Liberia (ex-African slaves from America, who promptly on arrival set about enslaving the indigenous people using the social system of their older American masters as a basis for their new society). These descendents are known in Liberia as Americo-Liberians.From what I read, I noticed that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was truly an intellectual power house, a charismatic leader and destined to make a change in Liberia and contribute her quota in Africa. From 1948 to 1955 Ellen Johnson studied accounts and econo mic science at the College of West Africa in Monrovia. After marriage at the age of 17 to James Sirleaf, she travelled to America (in 1961) and continued her studies, achieving a degree from the University of Colorado. From 1969 to 1971 she read economics at Harvard, gaining a masters degree in public administration.Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf then returned to Liberia and began working in William Tolberts (True Whig Party) political relation. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf also served as Minister of Finance from 1972 to 73, but left after a contrariety over public spending, this is an indication of her prudence and will power. As the 70s progressed, life under Liberias one-party state became more polarized to the benefit of the Americo-Liberian elite. On 12 April 1980 Master Sergeant Samuel Kayon Doe, a member of the indigenous Krahn heathenish group, seized power in a military coup.With the Peoples salvation Council now in power, Samuel Doe began a purge of government. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf n arrowly escape choosing exile in Kenya. From 1983 to 1985 she served as Director of Citibank in Nairobi. I will say that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf had a lot of courage, because it was quite unusual for a woman to challenge a dictatorial incumbent president in Africa without macrocosm kidnapped, tortured or killed in the process, although She was later sentenced to ten long time in prison.Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf spent just a short time incarcerated, before creation allowed to leave the country once again as an exile. During the 1980s she served as Vice President of both the African Regional Office of Citibank, in Nairobi, and of (HSCB) Equator Bank, in Washington. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf played an active role in the transitional government as the country prepared for the 2005 elections, and eventually stood for president against her rival the ex-international footballer, George Manneh Weah. disrespect the elections being called fair and orderly, Weah repudiated the result, which gave a ma jority to Johnson-Sirleaf, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf eventually became Liberias first elected female president, as well as the first elected female president in the continent Africa. . In 2005 She established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission with a mandate to promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation by investigating more than 20 years of civil conflict in the country and in November 2007, she received the linked States Presidential Medal of Freedom, the U.S. governments highest civilian award. She is truly a giant and queen of modern Africa. References 1. http//space. about. com/cs/formerastronauts/a/jemisonbio. htm 2. http//www. k-grayengineeringeducation. com/blog/index. php/2008/09/12/first-african-american-women-in-space. 3. http//www. joinafrica. com/africa_of_the_week/ellenjohnsonliberia. htm.