Black Women Professionals League recognizes women making an impact on the community

Black Women Professionals League was founded in 2015 by Cheresa “Reese” LaFrances Purnell. PHOTO BY AMBER MARIE GREEN OF AMG PHOTOGRAPHY.
Black Women Professionals League was founded in 2015 by Cheresa “Reese” LaFrances Purnell. PHOTO BY AMBER MARIE GREEN OF AMG PHOTOGRAPHY.

Black Women Professionals League recognizes women making an impact on the community

By Tia Carol Jones

Cheresa “Reese” LaFrances Purnell founded the Black Women Professionals League in 2015 as a way to support and honor Black women. The organization recently hosted its Annual 40 Under 40 Induction and Award Ceremony at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center.

It started because Purnell had a conversation with her mentor who had founded Demoiselle 2 Femme, a nonprofit organization for young girls, 13 years old through 19 years old, that focuses on pregnancy prevention, violence prevention and social emotional learning. Purnell participated in the organization when she was a teenager and went on to work for the organization as an outreach specialist, working with high school girls.

The mentor was looking for someone to take the reigns of the organization and serve. Purnell felt challenged to serve and it catapulted her to galvanize other young women to come back and serve. When the Black Women Professionals League began it was the 40 Under 40 Young Womens Professionals League.

“People love to be honored and you should give honor where honor is due.

 There are a lot of young women who are doing a lot of great things. How do we use that, honoring them during the 40 Under 40, to actually galvanize them to make an impact,” Purnell said.

In November 2015, the Black Women Professionals League hosted its first 40 Under 40 event. It took off from there. Purnell didn’t know back then that it would grow and make the impact it has during the last seven years.

Each year, women are nominated in the Spring to be recognized for their impact in their field. Black Women Professionals League has honored women in education, medicine, health and wellness, mental health and esthetics.

“What we really look for is young women who have really honed in on their careers and made some extraordinary strides already before the age of 40 in that particular field. We also look to how they’ve impacted the community,” Purnell said.

Once the nominations are received, the nominees are invited to an event where they get to know the leaders in the organization. They also go through an interview process and one of the questions they are asked is how have they made an impact in the community. From there, the team decides who will be inducted for that year.

This year during the 40 Under 40 Induction and Awards Ceremony, Pitmaster and Lexington Betty Smokehouse owner Dominique Leach was recognized as the Outstanding Achievement Under 40. There were almost 300 people in attendance at the event, which was hosted by Marketing Guru Serita Love and Comedian Calvin Evans. The 2023 event marks 280 women being inducted in the Black Women Professionals League. In addition to the women being inducted they have a call to action to make a social impact on their communities.

“I believe that being able to have a level of validation, having someone say I see you, I recognize you, it’s motivation in itself … Our theme this year was Where There’s A Woman, There’s A Way, and that theme really spoke to the indominable spirit of Black women, where we’ve had to learn how to, throughout history, carve out paths where none existed,” Purnell said.

Purnell believes it is important to celebrate Black women, because they are the creators of culture, the movers of cultures and the staples in homes and communities.

The Black Women Professionals League also has a social impact partnership that focuses on workforce development and college retention and completion. These initiatives are focused on young women aged 16 years old through 24 years old.  Each year, the organization hosts a community trunk party to provide resources to young women who are attending college, and an industry fair. It also selects a non-profit organization, school or cause each year to partner with.

 This year, Simpson Academy for Young Women was chosen. The organization provides resources and workshops to the students at the school.

For more information about Black Women Professionals League, visit www.bwplinc.com.

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