Harriet Tubman Harriet was an abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad .
Sybrina Fulton Sybrina became a social justice activist after the 2012 fatal shooting of her son, Trayvon Martin. She ran for political office in Florida for a seat for the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners.
April Ryan April is a journalist and author. Since 1997, she has served as a White House correspondent and is the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks. In 2017, she joined CNN as a political analyst.
Lucia McBath A gun control advocate and politician who is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 6th congressional district.
Michelle Obama Michelle is an author, lawyer, and the first Black FLOTUS of the United States. She captivated many with her show of warmth, strength, and positivity as the country’s First Lady from 2009 to 2017. In her role, she fought against childhood obesity and championed education for young girls.
Ava Duvernay The first Black woman the best feature directing award at Sundance in 2012; the first Black woman to get a Best Director Golden Globe nomination; the first woman of color to direct a Oscar-nominated best picture film; and the first woman to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million domestically .
Sheila Johnson As the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), Johnson earned her spot as the first Black female billionaire on a Forbes list in 2000. She's also the first and only African American woman to have stake in three pro sports teams: the Wizards, Capitals, and Mystics.
Condoleeza Rice Currently a professor at Stanford University, from 2005 to 2009, Rice held the post of Secretary of State under George W. Bush's presidency. She was the second woman and first Black woman to do so.
Shonda Rhimes At the helm of beloved shows like Grey's Anatomy, Scandal , and How to Get Away With Murder , Rhime’s production company Shondaland owns ABC's Thursday night slots. With Grey's , she's the first Black woman to create and produce a top 10 network series. Most recently, Rhimes signed a multi-year $150 million deal with Netflix .
Gabby Douglas At the 2012 London Summer Olympics, now 23-year-old Gabby became the first woman of color to win the title of Individual All-Around Champion in artistic gymnastics. She's also the first Black woman to earn gold in both the individual all around and team competitions at the Olympic games.
Stacey Abrams Abrams earned herself an endorsement from Oprah last year during her campaign to become Georgia's new governor. (She would have been the first Black woman to step into the role.) Though she lost the race, she's still a political standout, delivering the Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union Address earlier this month.
Simone Biles Biles is the 2016 Olympic individual all- around, vault and floor gold medalist, and balance beam bronze medalist. She was part of the gold-medal-winning team dubbed the "Final Five" at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Venus and Serena Williams The sisters are incredibly decorated athletes, with 121 combined career singles titles and a total of nine Olympic medals between the two of them. Serena, 37, is the first tennis player to win 23 Grand Slam titles and has won more than $88 million in prize money — the highest of any female athlete.
Jahana Hayes Jahana Hayes, the National Teacher of the Year in 2016, is Connecticut’s first black woman elected to Congress. She defeated Republican Manny Santos in the state’s 5th Congressional District.
Ayanna Pressley Incoming Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley is the first black Congresswoman to represent the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District after running unopposed. In 2009, she was the first woman of color elected to Boston’s city council.
Susan Rice Susan Elizabeth Rice is an American public official who served as the 24th U.S. National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2017. Rice was on the staff of the National Security Council and was the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during President Bill Clinton's second term.
Janice Bryant Howroyd Bryant - Howroyd founded her employment staffing firm, ACT-1, in 1978 with just $1,500, a small office and a telephone. 34 years later, ACT-1 is the largest American company of its kind owned by a woman of color, with over 70 branches nationwide.
Madame C.J. Walker Madame C.J. Walker is best known as America’s first Black female self-made millionaire. A daughter of former slaves, Walker worked in a barbershop for only $1.50 a day before she created a homemade remedy that helped her hair regrow after suffering a scalp condition.
Tina Wells CEO Tina Wells founded the Buzz Marketing Group in 1996 to help companies capture the youth market’s tastes and attitudes. Her company utilizes social media and trendspotting and other research tools for clients like Nike, Steve Madden and MAC Cosmetics. Wells is also the author of Chasing Youth Culture and Getting It Right .
Leanna Archer This Long Island native started her Leanna, Inc. haircare line at just 11-years- old. Yes, 11-years-old. Her all-natural organic hair butters and shampoos have helped her earn over $100,000 in revenue. Her small operation thrives with lots of help from her family.
Cathy Hughes From teenage mother to media power player, Hughes is the founder of Radio One, which includes 53 radio stations in the U.S., and TVOne, a cable network. At one point during the early stages of her career, she lost her home and was forced to live with relatives as she rebuilt her company into what is now one of the biggest media companies in the world.
Lisa Price In 1993, Lisa Price started making hair products in her Brooklyn kitchen with just $100. She sold her concoctions at church flea markets and street fairs. Today, her homemade line Carol’s Daughter is a multimillion-dollar line of must-have beauty treats.
Corvida Raven Dubbed the “Oprah of the Web” by her peers, 24-year-old Corvida Raven is a social media entrepreneur and founder of shegeeks.net. She’s also a social media consultant for firms like Chevrolet and Intel and Fast Company .
Tracey Reese Fashion designer Tracy Reese took her dreams of owning her own company and made them a reality. Her first attempt at entrepreneurship did not go well, and Tracy was forced to shut down her company, only to come back stronger and more profitable after a relaunch in 1996. Now her brands include her Tracy Reese and Plenty fashion lines, and she has expanded into footwear, home collections and nail polish.
Angela Benton Internet entrepreneur Angela Benton is making her mark in the tech industry as the brains behind three web-based startups: Cued, BlackWeb 2.0 and NewMe Accelarator, an “incubator” for minority -owned tech startups.
Kimberly Dillon Her quest to change the way we use technology led Kimberly Dillon to launch House of Mikko, a website that helps women choose their makeup and hair products based on their features.
Vanessa and Angela Simmons The Simmons sisters know a thing or two about business. Their uncle Russell is one of the biggest media moguls in the world, and together they run Pastry, a women and kids’ shoe company.
Birame Sock Blazing a path in the tech industry, Birame Sock is the CEO and founder of Third Solutions, the marketing company behind MyReceipts.com, which lets users keep track of their receipts online.
Simone I. Smith This first lady of hip-hop picked up a few business tips from her husband, rapper LL Cool J. She’s the founder of Simone I. Smith, a high-end jewelry line for women.
Brandy Brandy is no stranger to entrepreneurship. The songbird owns several weave lines, including Outre Pro. This girl is smart — she knows where she can make a serious buck!
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