Bold Women Empowering & Inspiring Change: Impactful Organizations in Cuyahoga County

Delores Pressley, Angela Young and Maosha ValesPhoto bythe Brown Report Newspaper.

Cuyahoga County, OH. - Women helping women is the theme for several organizations comprised of women, built by women, and mentored by women. In Cuyahoga County and neighboring communities, many organizations supporting women and their issues are present; they aid women with breaking cycles of abuse, homelessness, illiteracy, and financial mishaps. One can also find groups advocating for the daily rights of women and children when they are faced with systemic failures and unnecessary barriers that breed sexism, racism, and colorism. These groups are bold enough to deal with issues that most organizations and politicians ignore because they process common courage.

As we continue our celebration of acknowledging organizations led by women, we salute Delores Pressley, Angela Young, and Maosha Maybach Vales.

"There is no opinion more vital to you than the opinion of yourself," says Delores Pressley.

They are located in North Canton, OH. Pressley is the President of the "She Elevates" organization. According to its website, the nonprofit organization (501(c)3) helps girls ages 8 – 14 envision and equip themselves as entrepreneurs. She Elevates empowers girls to speak with confidence. These empowered young girls will become future successful business owners and leaders, confident and contributing members of society, and role models for the next generation.

It's all about confidence and attitude.

Little girls grow up to be teenagers. Teenagers develop into young adults, blossoming into civic-minded, responsible women who can care for the household, become proper helpmates, and command respect upon entering any room. Pressley teaches young girls to grab on to their future at a young age so that when they age, they can deal with daily peer pressure because they have been taught and trained that confidence and self-esteem are not an enemy but friends. "Don't let something that does not matter cost you something that does," Pressley expresses.

Delores Pressley CollectionPhoto byDelores Pressley Collection

Pressley is a world-class Keynote Speaker, published Author, and Life Coach with over three decades of experience.

She has received many awards and recognition for her work, including being named one of the Top Ten Business Owners by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama.

Pressley says her story has been shown in Speaker, Glamour, Washington Post, Black Enterprise, Inside Business, Essence, Ebony, and Marie Claire magazines. She is a frequent media guest and host of a new TV Show, A Purposeful Life. She has appeared on the Bravo TV Network Show Married to Medicine and has been interviewed on every major network, including Entertainment Tonight and OPRAH.

Sometimes Women Must be AWAKEN by the Roaring Thunder of Unfairness: Women Deserve to be Respected and Earn Competitive Wages

"You cannot hang with negative people and expect a positive life!"

AWAKE is a female-led organization that promotes women's empowerment, growth, and development. Angela Young is the CEO, President, and Founder. Founded in 2022, AWAKE promotes current and future female leaders.

AWAKE Mission StatementPhoto byAngela Young

AWAKE was born due to the advertisements each founder faced as black administrative healthcare professionals working in the nursing home sector. The constant roadblocks and lack of support we faced while constantly pursuing high-level positions infuriated us enough to continue to push for greatness, breaking barriers that many African-American Women struggle to do successfully and, if so, are often not respected or compensated accordingly.

"These challenges fueled our desire to empower and equip other women by providing them with resources, be it knowledge, networks, materials, or finances," said Young.

AWAKE collaborates with various businesses, organizations, coaches, leaders, and entrepreneurs to deliver positive outcomes, boost esteem, and ultimately cultivate an environment of sisterhood.

Interested women can email the organization at awake.wec@gmail.com for more information about AWAKE.

If All Else Fails, Call the Black Women's Army

Let's meet Maosha Maybach Vales, Commander of the Black Women's Army, which is located in the City of Cleveland.

"The purpose of our organization is to reach out and speak for those who can not and are afraid to speak up; we are their voice and support system," says Vale.

In March 2023, the Black Women's Army members joined the Black Women Commission of Cuyahoga County to right a wrong. Collectively, they confronted Richmond Heights, OH. leaders and the Mayor, Kim Thomas, for attempting to erase the history of the former Black Woman (First) Mayor, Meisha Headen. The women protested in front of Richmond Heights City Hall, commanding Mayor Thomas and city leaders to do the right thing. They eventually complied.

"Our Mission is to make other women open to speaking about what is going on in their lives and help out as much as possible, to be a middle person between them and society and the justice system, to help them better understand the process of getting justice and answers," stated Vales.

The Black Women's ArmyPhoto byMaosha Maybach Vales

Women often are not heard or taken seriously. The group provides a safe space for women to rest, weep, and talk. "This group was formed because each of us has experienced some trauma in some form and knows how it is not to want to open up or talk to a Man; we want women to feel comfortable with opening up to another Woman who can relate personally to the situation they are going through," she added.

The group primarily focuses on women but will lend a helping hand to men. Vale says, "We have been involved with numerous searches leading up to disappointment and occasionally good results. The main search we did was looking for a young lady named Adrianna, who was found dead at the very location we kept telling the detectives she was at. It was devastating, but that led us to want to search harder for other missing and trafficked women, children, and sometimes men," said Vales.

More often than not, the group can be found orchestrating rallies and protests about the injustice of people, especially fighting for women's rights.

Whether you are looking for a women's group to empower your daughters, a women's group to confront and cope with pay inequity in healthcare, or simply an army of women activists to right a wrong, Pressley, Young, and Vales have the ingredients to make positive change within a negative situational factor. They are change agents in the region dedicated to being the difference of positivity and the influential fabric of new creations.

Let us remember Angela Young saying, "You cannot hang with negative people and expect a positive life!"

March is Women's History Month, and these women are movers and shakers in our region making history.