NCBW Legends 2021: A Celestial Holiday - Breaking Barriers Beyond the Skies

The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., (NCBW) Phoenix Metropolitan Chapter, is proud to announce that local legend, professor, geoscientist, explorer, space artist, and astronaut Dr. Sian Proctor is this year's Education Legend, and will deliver the keynote for the virtual celebration on Saturday, December 11, 2021, from 6-7:30 pm MST. This year's theme, "Breaking Barriers Beyond the Skies" celebrates women in STEM and the importance of increasing the representation of Black women in STEM-related careers. The final day for Early Bird tickets is December 5, 2021. 

NCBW Legends is a signature event of the Phoenix Chapter that showcases Black women who are serving their communities to make a difference in day-to-day lives. These legendary women will be honored in the categories of: Health, Education, Economic Empowerment, and Civic Engagement. These categories illustrate the core areas of focus for NCBW with our commitment to advocacy for Black women and girls. The honorees being recognized have transcended cultural boundaries in their pursuits of excellence, never losing sight of the need to ‘give back'  to improve community deficits in these key areas. 

Dr. Sian Proctor, our Education Legend, became the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft as the mission pilot for the Inspiration4 all-civilian orbital mission to space. She is also one of The Explorer's Club 50: Fifty People Changing the World. She promotes sustainable food practices used in space exploration as a way to reduce food waste on Earth and has spent 21 years as a professor teaching geology, sustainability, and planetary science at South Mountain Community College, Phoenix, Arizona. 

Our Health Legend, Dr. Imani Williams-Vaughn, is a family medicine practitioner for over 30 years. Dr. Williams-Vaughn has developed a passion for patient education, as well as an interest in hypertension and diabetes management, particularly in those communities most impacted by these types of chronic conditions. She desires to educate and empower patients so that they can act as their own health care advocate.

Captain Tahirah Brown, a pilot with Federal Express ("FedEx") and will receive the Economic Empowerment Legend Award.  In 2002, Capt. Brown, who has been flying for 26 years, became the first Black female pilot at FedEx. Being aware that there were not many Black female pilots in the industry, Brown became motivated by the idea of breaking barriers. Less than 1% of the world's current professional pilots are Black women. Capt. Brown hopes to change this statistic by encouraging women of color to join her on this less traveled road. 

Last, but certainly not least is our National Civic Engagement Legend, Dr. Aprille J. Ericsson, an American Aerospace Engineer, and the first African-American to earn a PhD in engineering at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD., which was in essence her second doctoral degree.  Her first PhD was awarded from Howard University where she is currently an adjunct professor in the School of Engineering. Dr. Ericsson was the first person of color to receive the Washington Award from Western Society of Engineers and was recently selected for the 2022 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Ralph Coats Roe Medal. This amazing woman is also a known mentor and motivational speaker who uses her platform to advocate for greater diversity in engineering and other sciences.

You do not want to miss this incredible opportunity to hear from and celebrate this elite group of African American women who are shattering the glass ceiling and indeed "Breaking Barriers Beyond the Skies".

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact us at (602) 935-0252 or [email protected]. 

To purchase tickets, please scan the QR code on the flyer or visit Eventbrite and search for: NCBW 2021 Legends 

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NCBW Phoenix is a 501(c)(3) organization that advocates on behalf of Black women and girls in the areas of health, education, economic empowerment, and civic engagement. 

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