LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sadiqa Reynolds has led the Louisville Urban League as president and CEO since 2015. Before that, she was the first African American woman to clerk for the Kentucky Supreme Court.
What You Need To Know
- President and CEO of the Louisville Urban League Sadiqa Reynolds recently helped establish a sports and learning facility on West Broadway in Louisville
- Reynolds shared her experiences and challenges faced as a Black woman
- March is Women's History Month, and Reynolds said often only the history of white women is remembered instead of all women
Reynolds said achieving success as a Black woman means trusting your gut and standing for what you believe in.
"Sometimes you can be surrounded by people who are really average at best, and you find yourself pushed down because of their title, versus your role or historically because of the way we have been seen in this society," Reynolds said. "Don't sell yourself short. Don't sell the people who are counting on you short, in every room you enter, recognize you don't enter alone, but in fact that you carry people who will never be able to walk in those alone."
Recently, Reynolds helped fund and establish a $53 million sports and learning complex on West Broadway in Louisville. When asked about how she raised the money, she said, with a smile, "Because that's what I do."
"Sometimes I don't think enough about Women's History Month; it's my own story of being a woman, and I believe it is essential for us to highlight those things, to talk about what we have achieved and what we have overcome," she said.
A business owner and CEO, Reynolds said there aren't a lot of women in roles like hers.
"We have a lot of male-dominated meetings and negotiations, and I think I have evolved as a pretty powerful negotiator, so I'll celebrate that for Women's History Month."
She's also not shy about sharing not only what it means to be a woman in America, but a Black woman. Reynolds said the U.S. has a long way to go when it comes to celebrating women and women's history.
"What we think about when we just say women, you know I'd love to be at the point when we say Women's History Month we are talking about White women, Black women, all women; instead, we know that's really not true, yet we are still talking about White women, their history," Reynolds said.
"I think it's essential for us to recognize that and try to push for equal time. I think we should be celebrating all women because women are the backbone of our society, and without women, where would we be?"