Piloting the Journey: Dr. Mary Parker's mission to build communities

On the left, the logo of the Mary Parker Foundation. On the right, a portrait of Mary Parker
On Monday's "Closer Look with Rose Scott," our Women's History Month Series, "Piloting The Journey" featured on the journey of Dr. Mary Parker — the daughter of Mississippi sharecroppers who became an Atlanta entrepreneur and philanthropist. Through her foundation, she is committed to uplifting the underserved communities of Atlanta's southside. (Mary Parker Foundation)

At the age of seven, Dr. Mary Parker says she heard a voice summoning her towards her calling. It came to her in a rural Mississippi cotton field, after the white farmland owner’s son mistreated her family. Raised as the daughter of sharecroppers, Dr. Parker recalls the voice telling her she would not pick cotton when she grows up, she would get a college education, come back and she would be in charge.

Years later, as an entrepreneur and self-made millionaire, Dr. Parker would go on to own part of the cotton field where her family once worked.

Dr. Parker has also expanded her purpose as the CEO of All N One Security Services. According to Dr. Parker, it’s the first African American woman-owned full-service security firm in the nation. Over the course of building her career, Dr. Parker says she faced several rejections in the security business, which she describes as a white male dominated industry. When sharing what she brought to the table, Dr. Parker says she always led with her expertise.