{"id":4844,"date":"2025-02-03T16:43:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T16:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tysllp.com\/?p=4844"},"modified":"2026-01-14T16:43:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:43:56","slug":"first-black-cpa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tysllp.com\/first-black-cpa\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0The Story of Mary T. Washington:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-america-s-first-black-woman-cpa\"><strong>America\u2019s First Black Woman CPA<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the bustling city of Chicago during the early 20th century, a young girl named <strong>Mary Thelma Morrison<\/strong> grew up with a keen mind for numbers. Born in 1906, Mary was raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother passed away when she was just a child. Despite the challenges of growing up during a time of racial segregation and limited opportunities for African Americans, Mary\u2019s curiosity and determination set her apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-early-school-work\">Early School work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After graduating from high school, Mary began working as a bookkeeper for a Black-owned insurance company. It was there that she discovered her passion for accounting. But Mary didn\u2019t just want to be good at her job\u2014she wanted to be the best. She enrolled in night classes at Northwestern University, where she studied accounting while continuing to work full-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-determination\">Determination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1939, Mary decided to pursue the prestigious title of <strong>Certified Public Accountant (CPA)<\/strong>. At the time, the accounting profession was almost entirely white and male, and the barriers for a Black woman were immense. But Mary was undeterred. She studied tirelessly, often late into the night, while balancing her work and family responsibilities. Finishing here studies and passing the required test, Mary didn&#8217;t know it at the time but she First Black Woman CPA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-entrepreneur\">Entrepreneur <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1943, Mary achieved what many thought was impossible: she became <strong>America\u2019s first Black CPA<\/strong>. Her accomplishment was groundbreaking, not just for her, but for the entire African American community. Mary didn\u2019t stop there\u2014she went on to establish her own accounting firm, <strong>Washington, Pittman &amp; McKeever<\/strong>, which became one of the most successful Black-owned accounting firms in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary\u2019s firm wasn\u2019t just a business; it was a beacon of hope and opportunity. She mentored countless young Black accountants, helping them navigate the challenges of the profession and encouraging them to pursue their CPA licenses. Her firm became a training ground for future generations of Black CPAs, many of whom went on to achieve great success in their own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mary T. Washington\u2019s legacy is one of resilience, excellence, and trailblazing leadership. She didn\u2019t just break barriers\u2014she built bridges for others to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you like stories like these, consider subscribing to our blog<br>For help with your taxes or your business&#8217;s accounting need, <a href=\"Https:\/\/tysllp.com\/contact-us\">contact us<\/a>, we are happy to have that conversation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>America\u2019s First Black Woman CPA In the bustling city of Chicago during the early 20th century, a young girl named Mary Thelma Morrison grew up with a keen mind for numbers. Born in 1906, Mary was raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother passed away when she was just a child. Despite the challenges of growing up during &#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/tysllp.com\/first-black-cpa\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1278,543,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accounting-history","category-business-news","category-tax-accounting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.7 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u00a0The Story of Mary T. Washington:<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The story of Mary T. 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