Olivia James Cherry

Class of 1946, received a certificate from Cortez Peters Business School in Washington D. C. While in school she was selected to work at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

After working at the NLRB for years and no advancement in 1950 she moved to New York where she integrated the Accounts Department at R. H. Macy’s Department Store, the largest store in the world. This was before integration and she was the first black hired in any office position at Macy’s, paving the way for others to follow.

She later became the first black secretary to the president of the Lutheran Church of America, where he governed 180 pastors and their churches.