From Rhonda Campbell, The Network Journal

On November 20, 2009 when Oprah Winfrey announced that she was ending her award-winning talk show, media outlets discussed who would be best suited to fill the daytime television top spot that Oprah had held for nearly 25 years. Oprah’s talk show was slated to air for the final time in September 2011. The hole her departure would create was already being felt.

Less than a year later, more change impacted the rank of African-American women leaders. This change brought the passing of a long time Civil Rights and women’s activist.

Upon closer examination — and as with generations past — one will discover that young African-American women are continuing to step forward to lead causes, businesses, and community initiatives. These women might not have their pictures and names splashed across mainstream magazines, newspapers and Web sites. Yet, their contributions to the human landscape are undeniable.

Twenty-four year old Felicia Brown launched her talk show “Youth Talk” when she was only 14 years old. Her mother worked at a local television station in Cincinnati, Ohio. She pulled Felicia into the studio with her one day and began to show her how to produce her own shows. That was all it took; Felicia was hooked.

Just 27 years-old, Gordon is a former Boston Public School teacher. She is also a keynote speaker who has appeared at conferences and seminars around the country. Regarding education, she told Ethnic Online in its December 2009/February 2010 issue, “I think that once we get to a place where everyone says, ‘it’s my responsibility to get these kids off to college’, once we do that as a community I think that’s when we will start to see change,” she said.

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