Just knowing that it was an opportunity for a woman to be on the cusp of becoming one of the most powerful leaders in the world made me think and dream bigger.

As I grew older, I was still in awe of women’s novelties, especially black women’s novelties. In high school, I had learned about Shirley Chisholm, who was not only the first black woman in Congress, but also the first woman to seek the presidential nomination of a major party in 1972.

Unpurchased and unbossed: Shirley Chisholm blazed several trails

I was keenly aware of the importance and importance of Erma Henderson, JoAnn Watson, Carol Mosley Braun and a slowly but surely growing list of black women who reached the highest heights in their profession. In 2016, it seemed like we would finally get a woman as Commander-in-Chief of the United States with Hillary Clinton, an election that would have been a game-changer for all women. But unfortunately it wasn’t to be yet.