top, from left: Jackie Berry, of Berry Realty; Kesha Hodge Washington, Phoenix Council member (District 8); Gizelle Knight, of Shining Light Foundatoin; Collette V. Smith, of Believe N You, Inc., Cloves Campbell Jr., of Arizona Informant; Hon. Sandra Kennedy, and Jerry McPherson, of Greater Phoenix Urban League.
Celebrating the first in sports was theme of a mural unveiling March 22, in the Eastlake Park community. Shining Light Foundation, founded by Gizette Knight, added another mural in the Valley to honor Black History and, in this case, Women’s History Month. “I Am Black Herstory” is featured as the title on the Berry Real- ty-owned building that houses Arizona Informant, NACA, UPI and Journey Solutions. Latasha Causay, Collette V. Smith and Morgan Cato are the three women honored for their accomplishments in the sports industry.
Collette V. Smith admires the mural in her honor.
Causey became the first female Black track president in NASCAR history and the second woman to hold the position at Phoenix Raceway when she assumed her position in November. Cato joined the Phoenix Suns front office in July as the team’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager, becoming the first woman of color to ever hold those titles in the NBA.
Smith, founder and CEO of Believe N You, Inc., broke barriers when she became the first Black female coach in the NFL(New York Jets). Smith was on hand during the unveiling as she was the featured speaker at a City of Scottsdale Wom- en’s History Month event. Learn more at shining-light.org.
Gizette Knight, founder of the mural project, with Collette V. Smith
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