Robinson: Thank You to My Mom, Leader, Her Own Woman

By Jessica Robinson

Editor’s Note: We run a series of tribute to women beginning today, in celebration of the 2017 International Women’s Day/Month. Read on and be inspired.

 

 I am thankful I had a mom that was a leader, her own woman, was an original, and pushed the boundaries of feminism as a woman of color in her own way. – Jessica Robinson

 

New York City — On International Women’s Day, I honor my mom who is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, innovator, leader, business owner, and investor in women.

My mom, Angela Robinson, set an incredible example for me growing up on how to balance family and work. She made a point to coach our soccer teams, attend our games as we got older, and played chauffeur when it was time for us to carpool with friends to practice.

My father, John Robinson, cooked dinner during the week and my mom cooked dinner on weekends. She was ambitious at work, moving up the ladder to one of the top level, or c-suite positions, in the workplace. She was also one of the first black women in her organization to achieve this position nationally. It was only when I was older that I understood the significance of her role as a banker, and it wasn’t until I was working full time myself that I understood the significance of her ability to balance being a mother, wife and career woman. Her ability to achieve results in the workplace was so outstanding that after one of her promotions, management had to replace her with three people to obtain the same level of results she achieved.

Those demands are not easy though she did make it look easy. I am thankful I had a mom that was a leader, her own woman, was an original, and pushed the boundaries of feminism as a woman of color in her own way. Even now she continues to do so running her own business in “retirement” and supporting me to have that same level of individuality in my own career.

 

Jessica Robinson is a New York City-based cyber security expert and CEO of her own company, Purepoint Inc.