Aminah Hamidullah

I come from a family of strong women, and when you come from a university like FAMU, you already know that you have been taught what you need to lead. My father wanted me to major in business so I could do for myself, and that foundation has been critical. Having a business background and being an accountant helped me understand what I should and should not do. A lot of things I didn't have to redo or go over because I already knew you gotta have a business plan. Having that background and a strong work ethic really helps make a difference in your life. My biggest accomplishment is raising a son that has my values, who has a PhD and does the same thing in Atlanta that I do here. He moved forward in what my parents taught me, and he moved forward in what I taught him. It's generational wealth, and I'm proud to have given him that so he can take my community and my people forward.

My father told me when I was getting ready to go to college that he wanted me to major in business because I needed to be able to do for self. He said I wasn't going to find a husband because I talk so much, so I needed to be able to take care of myself. That advice to focus on business and being independent has guided my entire career. And early in my career, when a man told me 'you are one of those uppity ones,' that just propelled me to do other things and keep pushing forward.

If you have a mission and a vision, make sure it is what your mission and vision is, and stick with it, so that you won't get discouraged along the way. Because if you know for sure what you want to do, then when the rain comes or the storm comes, you'll push through. Be clear, as clear as possible about what you want to do, because I know sometimes we have to back up and start over. And you can't listen to everybody because they don't have your dreams, they don't have your missions, and they don't have your abilities. If you're sitting at a table, make sure it's going to either benefit your mission and vision, or you're going to contribute to theirs. I don't just sit at tables just to be at tables. I sit at the table because it's going to benefit the community or help me go further with my own mission and vision.

Education is number one for me. Our mission and vision is to educate others that need to know who we are. I'm very focused on my work and don't want to lose focus on what I'm trying to do. I just do the work. I'm not bought in by money or recognition. I don't feel like a homeless person needs a picture of me giving them food, so I walk away when people start taking pictures. What matters most is the depth of the work I do and making sure it benefits the community. My values have been passed down generationally. I raised my son with these same values, and he's teaching his two girls to read and understand who they are with great self-esteem. That generational wealth of values is what I'm most proud of.