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Blac ccount-
ant ere virtually unheard of,
they could not accept her into
the accounting curriculum, un-
e ponsored by a
major cooperation such
General otors. She
told, however, that could
enroll for busine education
and teach accounting and
reluct tlyagreed.
She attended ayne State
for t 0 yean bile orking
t various put-time job to pay
for her education c . There
e met another counselor who
ould help her change the
cou of her career go .
He explained to her ho the
eked against her,
e didn't have a
chance with institutions uch
as SU, but that there a
College of Accountancy
in Troy, ,and they didn't
care ho you ere, they ould
train you. She decided th t's
here ould go' to obtain
her degree in ccounting.
In the meantime, she had run
out of money to continue her
education and her family w
experiencing some economic
hard time , so Betty had to ork
to help upport the family and
her education w put on hold.
She got a job with the . chi­
gan Department of Social Ser-
. vice in 1962 and orked
there for three yean. During
this time e applied for an
ccounting po ition with the
State Civil Service, e p d
the exam and her name w
put on the employment regis­
ter. The State Department of
Tr ury called her for an in­
tervie , but when e got
there e told they could
not accommodate her or any
oman, Black or white, and
that ould never ge a
position with State Government
an uditor.
She filed a grievance against
them, d Betty said, "Tbey
the same old excuse
they've used for yean to keep
omen out of previously male
dominated nelda: omen
couldn't travel; women ould
distract men from their or;
and the job . too stre ful
for omen."
The Hearing Officer, how­
ever, ruled in r favor, and she
I er,C
of
• •
rm
a Ion
wa granted vera] more inter­
view with other State Depart­
ments, but she still not
hired.
Betty worked other jobs
and eventually, in 1967, she
a bl to enroll in Walsh
College on part-time basi
wbil working full-time. In
1971 e graduated with
degree in accounting. In 1973
bile employed with the . chi-
gan Employment Office, wa
finally hired I an Auditor.
In 1982, after having orked
at various units of government
the accountant or auditor,
she was granted the Certified
Public Accountant (CPA) license
by the State of ·chigan.
Betty had finally realized her
dream.
Betty fee th t her late
parent ere h major mflu-
ence, but add , tel a lot of
mentors, and of them
are Black male ,pro bly be­
cause of my father' fluence.
A lot of tim tend to put
our Blac men down" but e
omen must realize that many
of them have really been tied
to the cro ."
A divorcee with three grown
stepchildren, Bett lists her
hobbie as rea' , traveling,
and fooling around with her
computer .
Currently, e working
on a master's degree in Public
Administration from Western
. chigan University. Betty
say she' at the point where
e'd like to help other Blac s
eking a license a CPA,
because it's so difficult for
Blacks to meet the CPA re­
quirement. She says you can
study and p the exams,
but it's hard getting a job with
an accounting firm for two
yean, which is required, be­
fore the state wiD certify you.
She �s no that she has her
CPA license, she can offer
apprenticeship to aspiring
young Black accountant .
"Hopefully, once I'm done
wi th my masters degree, I can
concentrate solely on my busi­
n and in helping others,
because it is so painful when
you really ant to do sorra­
thing and there' no one there to
help - I kno becau I've
been there."
733-9291
SEPTEMBER 12-18,1984 THE CITIZEN PAG NINE
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