KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This past year, the Kansas City Current saw many firsts: the opening of the first stadium built for a women’s professional sports team, becoming the first National Women's Soccer League team to sell out every regular season home match and a playoff appearance. All these accomplishments came under the leadership of the league's first Black president, Raven Jemison.
"It's awesome to be the president of a club making history, but it's even more amazing to be a part of what we're building here in Kansas City," Jemison said.
Throughout her career, Jemison has consistently broken new ground, achieving a string of impressive firsts. She became the second person in her family to graduate college and has forged a sports career spanning across the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA.
Proud of her Alabama roots, Jemison knows she's redefining what it means to be a female sports executive in a male-dominated field.
"The glass ceiling, to me, it's not a myth, but it's the floor for me, right? Dream big and think about what's possible when you let your wildest dreams just kind of take over," Jemison said. "If there's a Black kid watching right now, I would just say, dream as big as possible, and don't let whatever parameters you put around yourself, or someone has told you that you are limited to, [stop you.] Think about what is possible when you just dream the most imaginable, unimaginable dreams."
KC Current fans have grown familiar with Jemison, catching a glimpse of the sports executive as she celebrated the team’s major milestones. While she has shared her story of perseverance with her new community, the world can learn about her journey in her book, "More Than Representation: The Cheat Codes to Own Your Seat at the Table."
"What I would say to Black and brown children, in particular, know who you are. The first cheat code is know yourself to know your worth," Jemison said. "It's the first one for a reason because, to me, there is no one else in the world that is you. You get sidetracked sometimes, but the truth is, of all the people in the world, there's just one you."
As the KC Current prepares to kick off a new season, Jemison said her objective is to clinch a championship win and for CPKC Stadium to continue its momentum in being a top destination to celebrate the power of women’s sports.
"The KC Current play at CPKC Stadium and are absolutely the priority, I want to make that clear," Jemison said. "But there are other days that we need that stadium to be busy so we can be that business and continue to be the proof of concept as to why this investment makes sense in sports."
This spring, CPKC Stadium will host its first-ever international friendly. Mexico will face Jamaica at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5.
"Every day to me is Black history and an opportunity to think about the contributions that those that came before me and those that will come after me can make an impact in the world," Jemison said. "So, a month that is designated in February is awesome, but I think about it every day."
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KSHB 41 anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers transportation-related issues in Kansas City. Share your story idea with Daniela.