Women of color are rising to the occasion and breaking barriers across the board. From politics to athletics, black women continue to activate, educate and thrive. That’s just what #BlackGirlsDo.

In the spirit of the legacy of black women who lead, we celebrate U.S. Olympic bobsledders Elana Meyers Taylor and Aja Evans. More than just talented athletes, these Olympians represent the vigilance, tenacity and determination of women who break barriers and push through challenges to accomplish their goals. We spoke with both women, who opened up about their passion for the sport, the pride they feel participating in the Olympic Winter Games and how they persevere to achieve the most out of life.

Taylor, who won a silver medal in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the Olympic Winter Games, is a shining example of what is possible when we push past our challenges.

Here’s what she told us…

On perseverance: The Winter Olympics this year were probably my toughest because I have a tear in my achilles, but after confirming with my doctors that the risk of further injury was minimal and most of what I was going to be dealing with was the pain – for me, pain was the least of my worries. My goal was to put on a performance of a lifetime, and I wasn’t going to let any physical pain stop me.

On representing Team USA: I come from a military family, and I take great pride in representing my country. It's pretty awesome to have people write to me and say their daughters look up to me and their daughters are inspired by me. It’s a really cool feeling to be able to show the world what’s possible.

On #BlackGirlsDo: For a long time, winter sports have been predominantly white, and if my presence can inspire even one little black girl to see herself here, then that’s the biggest honor I could ever imagine. That’s greater than any medal I could ever win.

On black women role models: I grew up in a really cool time period where they were just trying to professionalize women’s sports, so I had athletes like Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes on the basketball court; there was Lisa Fernandez and Dot Richardson in softball; and of course, Jackie Joyner Kersee in track and field.

I would say my biggest inspiration was Vonetta Flowers (Olympic bobsledder and first African American to win gold in the Olympic Winter Games). That’s when it really became real that I could be a bobsledder and follow her legacy. Hopefully my presence is doing the same thing for other girls or young women.

On what’s next: I plan on making a run in 2022 in Beijing. In addition to training for the next couple of years, I will also be focused on setting up my career afterward. The end goal is to be the CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Aja Evans, a Chicago native who also competed during the Olympic Winter Games, has black excellence coded in her DNA. With a father, brother, uncle and cousin who have all played professional sports, the bar is set high for the two-time Olympic bobsledder.

Here’s what she told us…

On competing in the Olympic Winter Games: It was such an amazing feeling. Regardless of where we ended up in the finals, it’s an even more memorable experience with this entire journey than I had when I won an Olympic medal in the last Olympic Winter Games, and so, for me, it’s been such a fulfilling and emotional journey. I feel like it’s lined me up to compete in other areas even outside of sports.

On perseverance: I had two knee surgeries prior to the games, and so this was my first time back in sports since those operations. It got a little intense at times, but I have a very supportive family, and I have a lot of very successful athletes in my family who support me 1000 percent. Being surrounded by people who’ve competed at a high level, they help to coach and advise me and really keep me in the zone.

On representing “the Chi:” I love my country, but I’m so proud to put on for my city and be a positive representation of a black girl from the South Side of Chicago. There are a lot of stereotypes surrounding my city, so to actually be from the South Side of Chicago, a product of the Chicago public school system, to actually overcome all the obstacles and stereotypes and make it to the biggest stage possible in my sport, and in sports period–that was an honor. I am honored to represent my city and have all those people in my corner. It was almost like I had Chicago written on my back.

On her proudest Olympic moment: After I didn’t win, I was so proud of how at peace I was and how proud I was of myself. How encouraged I was for my future. I think that was such a big step for me. Oddly, I felt so much more fulfilled than I even did when I won last time.

On overcoming bias and prejudice: The best way I learned to deal with it is to have confidence in who I am and what I represent as a woman and as a black woman. You just have to know that just because this one person or these people are saying one thing doesn’t mean that defines you. It took a while to get to that point, but once I started to realize that everything people say isn’t my truth and that it’s really just a reflection of who they are and what they believe, I started to not let it affect me as much. Now I can kind of brush it off.

On having vision: In 2012, when I first thought about doing bobsled, it was just insane. To set out to win an Olympic medal in a sport you have zero background in sounds crazy and so going into that whole journey I created a vision board. I started by writing out everything I wanted to do, and then I found images that represented what I wanted. I had magazine cutouts of the sponsors I wanted to work with, the places I wanted to travel, I even cut out a picture of one of my teammates, Elana Meyers Taylor. It was a photo of her standing with her former Olympic teammate with whom she won her first Olympic medal and they were holding the American flag after having just won a medal at The Winter Olympics, and it’s so funny because I cut out my face and put it on her body so that was my way of envisioning being in that moment. I really think that’s one of the reasons I was able to win a medal in my first Winter Olympic Games. Having a vision is incredibly powerful.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what #BlackGirlsDo!

Presented by P&G and My Black is Beautiful

Aja Evans

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