Profession's year-long celebration of pioneering Black CPAs

FROM STAFF REPORTS

In 1921, 25 years after the first CPA certificate was granted in the U.S., John W. Cromwell Jr. became the first Black CPA. He opened a door through which thousands of Black accountants would eventually pass.

With 2021 marking the 100th anniversary of Cromwell’s landmark achievement, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Diverse Organization of Firms Inc., the Illinois CPA Society, the National Association of Black Accountants, and National Society of Black CPAs are continuing a year-long national awareness campaign that recognizes Black CPAs in the U.S. and that pushes for greater progress to be made in achieving diversity, inclusion, and equity in the CPA profession.

Following Cromwell, it took a staggering 45 years for the first 100 Black accountants to be licensed as CPAs. Black CPAs account for fewer than 1 percent of all CPAs in the U.S., according to estimates by the National Association of Black Accountants.

“As we work to continue building a more diverse and inclusive profession, it’s important that we recognize the efforts of those who broke down barriers,” says Crystal Cooke, the AICPA’s director of diversity and inclusion. “By earning his CPA license, John Cromwell helped pave the way for future generations of Black CPAs and fuel the profession’s journey toward greater diversity and inclusion.”

The 2021 Black CPA Centennial campaign will “honor, celebrate, and build” upon the rich history and progress Black CPAs have made in the profession. Activities include a series of articles and videos that bring to life and preserve the inspiring stories of success against the odds of some of the most prominent and trailblazing Black accountants — like Mary T. Washington Wylie, who became the first Black female CPA in 1943 and played a pivotal role in the advancement of Black CPAs in Illinois and throughout the nation.

Throughout 2021, each of the partner organizations and other stakeholders have helped advance the following shared goals:

• Honoring the past: Educate accounting and finance professionals as well as the public about the barriers the first Black CPAs overcame by sharing their stories.

• Celebrating the progress: Recognize Black CPAs for influencing the profession, engendering trust, and breaking barriers.

• Building the future: Highlight Black CPAs who are blazing trails and creating legacies by becoming the first achievers in significant areas in the profession and society. Also, support Black student enrollment in accounting programs; provide opportunities to prepare them to enter the CPA profession; and encourage the recruiting and retention of more Black CPAs in firms and organizations of all sizes.

The year-long celebration will culminate with a special celebratory event in November. Further details about that event will be announced at BlackCPACentennial.cpa.

MACPA RESOLUTION CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY

The MACPA, too, has joined the profession’s chorus of voices celebrating the achievements of Black Americans.

At a meeting in early 2021, the MACPA’s Board of Directors passed a resolution in honor of Black History Month and the Black CPA Centennial. The resolution reads:

WHEREAS 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Black CPA and February is Black History Month; and

WHEREAS John W. Cromwell, Jr., became the first Black CPA in the United States of America in 1921, and Mary T. Washington Wylie became the first female Black CPA in 1943 and provided the opportunity for many African Americans to pursue their dream to become CPAs; and

We can’t get where we need to be without recognizing what they did to bring us here. — Avonette Blanding, chair of the MACPA’s 2020-21 Board of Directors

WHEREAS Six Black CPAs from Maryland are included in the first 100 list, including Benjamin L. King, Sr. the first Black CPA in Maryland in 1956, and Christanta Ricks-Johns, the first female Black CPA in Maryland in 1970, who together with the Black CPAs after them, paved the way as mentors and role models for today’s Black CPAs; and

WHEREAS we recognize and reflect on the influence and impact Black CPAs have had in shaping our profession in Maryland and our country; and

WHEREAS Maryland has played an important role in advancing African Americans in the CPA profession and in state society and AICPA leadership, including the first Black state society MACPA Chair, Graylin Smith in 2002, the first Black Maryland State Board of Accountancy Chair, Benjamin L. King, Sr. in 1969; and the first Black AICPA Chair, Maryland’s own Kimberly Ellison-Taylor in 2016; and

WHEREAS the Maryland Association of CPAs is committed to increasing diversity in the CPA profession, and together with the Illinois CPA Society, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Diverse Organization of Firms Inc., National Association of Black Accountants Inc., and National Society of Black CPAs Inc., recognizes the importance of celebrating and honoring the 100th anniversary of the first Black CPA; and

WHEREAS in February and throughout 2021 we will acknowledge some of the first Black CPAs and share their stories through celebratory and educational events, culminating with a special event November 11-12 in Chicago.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Maryland Association of CPAs recognizes 2021 as the 100th anniversary of the first Black CPA and February as a month honoring Maryland’s rich history of Black CPAs and expresses its deepest appreciation for those who paved the way for diversity in our profession.

“Accounting and finance professionals the world over are committed to building a more diverse, equal and inclusive profession. To do that, though, we have to recognize where we’ve been and how far we still have to go,” said Avonette Blanding, chair of the MACPA’s 2020-21 Board of Directors. “This resolution pays tribute to those who came before us and took the first steps toward making our profession more inclusive and welcoming. We can’t get where we need to be without recognizing what they did to bring us here.”

LOOKING BACK … AND AHEAD

In a quieter reflection, George Willie, managing partner at the Washington, D.C.-based Bert Smith & Co. and one of the profession’s most influential CPAs, sat down with the MACPA's Bill Sheridan recently for a conversation about how far our profession has come in terms of diversity and inclusion — and how far it still has to go.

“There was a drive, a feeling of, ‘You know what? We’ve come this far, and we’re not going to be defeated,'” Willie said of his early experiences and those of other young Black CPAs. “I often tell people that if you put your mind to it, if you’re driven and you have the support of those at home, you can do it. A large number of us decided early on that we could do it.”

The conversation is included in an episode of the MACPA's “Future- Proof” podcast. Listen to it in its entirety at bit.ly/WillieDEI.

The examples set by John W. Cromwell Jr., and Mary T. Washington Wylie -- as well as by Maryland's own Benjamin L. King Sr., and Christanta Ricks-Johns, and George Willie, and so many others -- paved the way for those who followed. The examples we set today will help build the blueprint for our profession’s future.

Let’s build that future on a foundation of diversity, equality, and inclusion.