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- Quinta Brunson. Claim to fame: Actress, comedian, writer, producer. Why she’s extraordinary: From winning the 2023 Golden Globe for Best Performance to winning an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Quinta Brunson and her show, Abbott Elementary, have been on a roll.
- Janet Mock. Claim to fame: Writer, producer, transgender rights activist. Why she’s extraordinary: Mock, who received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 2020 GLAAD Media Awards, is one of the leading voices for transgender rights in the 21st century.
- Lizzo. Claim to fame: Singer, songwriter, rapper, activist. Why she’s extraordinary: Lizzo has won three Grammy Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and a BET Award.
- Sheryl Lee Ralph. Claim to fame: Actress, singer. Why she’s extraordinary: Sheryl Lee Ralph has been making waves this awards season, winning the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy at the age of 66, along with being nominated for a Critics Choice Award.
Dec 28, 2023 · Influential Black Women in Modern History to Celebrate Every Day Get to know more about these famous singers, authors and activists. By Raena Loper and Cameron Jenkins Updated: Dec 28, 2023
- 19 min
Dec 30, 2021 · 36 Black women who changed American history | The stories of all these women point to a uniquely American experience of perseverance and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.
- Beyoncé. How we know her: Singer, actress, filmmaker, entrepreneur. Why she's praiseworthy: They don't call Beyoncé the Queen Bee for nothing. For starters, the Houstonian has made audiences say her name since the '90s.
- Issa Rae. How we know her: Writer, director, actress, producer, entrepreneur. Why she's praiseworthy: Rae personifies the multi-hyphenate title. There's seemingly nothing she can't do.
- Michelle Obama. How we know her: Former First Lady, author, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Why she's praiseworthy: Obama became the first Black First Lady when her husband Barack Obama was sworn into office in 2008.
- Sha'Carri Richardson. How we know her: Track and field athlete. Why she's praiseworthy: Richardson has given other track and field athletes a run for their money.
- Josephine Baker
- Oprah Winfrey
- Mae Jemison
- Shirley Chisholm
- Bessie Coleman
- Elizabeth Freeman
- Harriet Tubman
- Ida B. Wells
- Rosa Parks
- Maya Angelou
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker's success as a Vaudeville dancer took her France, where she was lauded as one of the country's most popular performers. During World War II, Baker became a spy for the French resistance, passing on critical Nazi information to aid the war effort. Upon returning to the U.S., Baker found herself the target...
Oprah Winfrey began her career competing in beauty pageants before transitioning to broadcasting, where she found success as host of the Chicago TV talk show "People Are Talking." Her popularity led Winfrey to launch "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which aired for 25 years and established Winfrey as a media mogul. After founding her own production compan...
Born the youngest of three children in Decatur, Alabama, Mae Jemison was a student of science before going on to serve as a medical officer in the Peace Corps and establish her own practice as a doctor. Inspired by the Apollo moon trips but discouraged by the lack of female astronauts, Jemison pivoted careers and in 1987, applied to NASA where, out...
Shirley Chisholm became a household name after becoming the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress in 1968. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Chisholm served seven terms in Congress and made inroads by helping to expand the food stamp program. She also introduced legislation to benefit racial and gender inequality, and became a...
A Texas native, Bessie Coleman dreamt of flying planes. However, as a Black woman in the 1920s, getting her pilot's license in the U.S. was nothing short of impossible. That didn't stop the would-be aviator who, in the face of adversity, learned to speak French, then left to train in France, where Black people were permitted to become aviators. Wit...
Freeman, also known as Mumbet, was a nurse and midwife who successfully sued Massachusetts for her freedom in 1781, becoming the first African American enslaved woman to win a freedom suit in the state. Her suit helped lead to the permanent abolition of slavery in the state of Massachusetts.
American abolitionist Harriet Tubman is best known for her efforts to move slaves to liberation in the Underground Railroad, a network of antislavery activists. Her legacy is indelible in the movement to abolish slavery, as she is documented to have made approximately 13 trips through the Underground Railroad, leading dozens of slaves to freedom an...
Ida B. Wells was a prominent Black investigative journalist, educator and activist in the early civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), and led a powerful anti-lynching crusade in the U.S. in the 1890s.
Rosa Parks, a trailblazer known for her courageous participation in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, ignited the movement against racial segregation on public transit. Her defiance to give up her seat led to her arrest on Dec. 1, 1955, but led to revolutionary change. The United States Congress has since honored her as “the first lady of civil rights” a...
Maya Angelouhas a distinct voice as a Black writer and activist. She left a legacy with her large body of work, including memoirs, poems, essays and plays. She rose to fame in 1969 after the publication of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” one of her autobiographies detailing her early years as a young Black woman.
Mar 28, 2018 · Dazzling image gallery and stories of 25 powerful black women who are changing the world through arts, technology, activism, academia, business, and more in the 21st century.
Feb 12, 2024 · 1. Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist. National Portrait Gallery, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Once enslaved, Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and women’s rights activist well-known for her powerful oratory and unwavering commitment to justice.
