Paulla McCarthy owns a spring water bottling plant, YSS WaterWorks in upstate New York. McCarthy has made history by becoming the first Black woman to own and operate a bottling plant in the entire state.

McCarthy acquired the water plant in October 2020 and an aquifer within 15 acres of land from an couple who offered it to her according to Black Business. The New York City native now operated the plant under her non-profit, Youth Savings Society. Since she acquired the water company have been offering her to sell her property for $20 million, but she said determined to keep it as she values the importance of Black ownership in natural resources.

“I’m not going to sell. I want to change and move this narrative that we don’t own anything,” McCarthy told Earn Your Leisure.

Read more:

Texas parent says Aledo ISD students pretended to auction Black classmates in social media group

Meet Wyoming’s New Black Sheriff Aaron Appelhans, the 1st in State History