Black Women Who Have Struck it Big with Lottery Wins

The next Powerball drawing is estimated to have a $1billion jackpot. According to Powerball, this is the third largest purse in the game’s history. The grand prize on the other hand, has an estimated cash value of $516.8 million. The next Powerball drawing is set to happen on live  broadcast on Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. As the world waits to see if a winner is announced, 21Ninety is highlighting some Black women who have struck it huge in lottery wins.

Cynthia Stafford

After Cynthia Stafford won $112 million in the California lottery, she went to stay in a hotel to process the monumental life change. Stafford is one of the Black women in the United States who have won life-altering sums in lottery wins. As she told CNN about the ways her life changed after her win, “I’ve had people who were dear friends who didn’t feel comfortable being around me with the wealth,”

Doris Murray

On her 41st birthday, Doris Murray won $5 million dollars in the 2007 Georgia lottery. When the mother of four received her massive check at the Amba Food Store, she told the Georgia Lottery Corp that “This is the best birthday ever!” Murray maintained her modest lifestyle, choosing to only take home $175,000 annually after taxes as opposed to cashing all her win. 

Pearlie Mae Smith 

In 2016, 70-year-old Pearlie Mae Smith won $429 million powerball jackpot. Smith purchased the ticket at a convenience store in Trenton, New Jersey. At the time, Smith’s family had won the sixth-largest jackpot in the game’s history. A year after their win, the family committed $16 million to fighting poverty. They also founded the Smith Family Foundation a year after their windfall.

Marva Wilson

68-year-old Marva Wilson won $2 million while playing the Missouri Lottery in 2008. Wilson was unfortunately a victim of a scam that swindled her out of her newfound fortune two years after her win.

Deborah Brown

In 2019, Deborah Brown won the Virginia lottery 30 times! Every one of Brown’s 30 plays won the top prize, bringing her combined win to $150,000. As she told the Virginia Lottery in a statement, “I nearly had a heart attack.”