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Home · Celebrity

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way

From legendary icons to 21st century trailblazers, here are 66 dynamic women who have inspired us to achieve greatness.
Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
By Taylor Lewis · Updated February 2, 2023

From legendary icons like Madame C.J. Walker and Nina Simone to 21st century trailblazers like Kamala Harris—the first Black woman elected as U.S. Vice President—Michelle Obama and Ava DuVernay, here are 66 dynamic women who have inspired us to achieve greatness.

01
Kamala Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris makes history by officially becoming the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to serve in the role.
Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Kamala Harris | Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
02
Coretta Scott King

The late activist and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., often referred to as the First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement, celebrated her birthday on April 27.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
03
Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama will go down in history as the ultimate First Lady. She has singlehandedly brought education to millions of girls worldwide, revamped the education system’s food plan and show’s us what #BlackLove is all about. 

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Time Inc
04
Angela Davis

In her lifetime, political activist and retired professor Angela Davis has been a champion for racial equality and women’s rights. She has penned numerous books, including The Angela Y Davis Reader.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
05
Venus and Serena Williams

Since their debut in the early 90s, the Williams sisters changed the face of tennis by becoming the first African-Americans to be ranked as No. 1 in 2002. Since then, they have made several achievements, including sharing five Wimbledon titles between them. Last year, Serena became the first Black woman in more than 50 years to clinch the crown at the U.S. Open.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Getty Images
06
Viola Davis

Last year, Viola Davis achieved what no other Black woman has done: She took home the Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in How to Get Away With Murder.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Getty Images
07
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
08
Harriet Tubman

Tubman was an abolitionist responsible for the “Underground Railroad” to help free enslaved African-Americans. She was also a humanitarian and a Union spy during the American Civil War.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
09
Marian Wright Edelman

An American activist for children’s rights, Edelman is president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
10
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
11
Halle Berry

In 2002, Berry became the first Black actress to earn an Academy Award in a lead role for Monster’s Ball.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
12
Condoleezza Rice

In 2001, Rice became the first African-American woman in U.S. history to be appointed National Security Advisor. She made history again when she was appointed Secretary of State in 2005.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
13
Sheila Johnson

Johnson, who made her fortune with her ex-husband Bob Johnson as co-founder of the BET cable network, became the first African-American female billionaire in 2001 when they split the profits of selling the company for a whopping $2.3 billion.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
14
Maya Angelou

One of the greatest wordsmiths of our time, Maya Angelou gave us literary classics such as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
15
Dorothy Height

Known as the “Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Height was an educator, social activist, and the president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) from 1957 until 1997. In 1994, President Bill Clinton presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom award.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
16
Aretha Franklin

The “Queen of Soul” is one of the giants of modern American music. Her achievements include becoming the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
17
Dr. Ruth J. Simmons

As president of Brown University from 2001 to 2011, Dr. Simmons was the first Black person at the head of an Ivy League institution.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
18
Vanessa Williams

In 1983, Williams became the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America. There have been seven Black Miss America’s since her.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
19
Diahann Carroll

Carroll was the first Black woman with her own television series—the show, Julia, ran between 1968 and 1971.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
20
Lupita Nyong’o

The world cheered in 2014 when Nyong’o took home the 2014 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 12 Years a Slave. Two years later, and she continues to wow us.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
21
Marie Van Britton Brown

The first closed-circuit television security system was patented to Marie Brown on December 2, 1969. The system was a forerunner to home security systems.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
22
Naomi Sims

Considered the first Black supermodel, Sims was the first woman of color to appear on the cover of Life magazine in 1969.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
23
Beyonce

Singing and acting her way to the history books, Beyonce has broken numerous boundaries including being one-third of the best-selling girl group of all time, winning 20 Grammys, and having five chart-topping albums. All hail Queen Bey! 

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Getty Images
24
Janet Collins

Collins was a ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera House in the early 1950s and became prominent in American classical ballet.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
25
Ava DuVernay

In 2014, Ava DuVernay became the first Black woman to be nominated for a Best Director Golden Globe for Selma. And her #BlackGirlMagic doesn’t end there: Last year, a Barbie doll was created in her likeness, and it sold out within minutes.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
26
Wilma Rudolph

Diagnosed with polio at a young age, Rudolph went to the Olympics in 1960, setting a world record in the 200-meter race and winning not one, but two gold medals.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
27
Toni Morrison

In 1993, Morrison became the first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize for Literature for her novel, Beloved.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
28
Dr. Mae Jemison

In 1992, Jemison became the first Black female astronaut to travel into space.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
29
Zora Neale Hurston

Hurston is considered one of the pre-eminent writers of the 20th century in African-American literature.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
30
Oprah Winfrey

Her talk show was one of the highest-rated programs in history, and now she is the second African-American woman to run her own cable channel (TVOne’s Cathy Hughes is the first). Winfrey has also broken barriers with her humanitarian efforts.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
31
Gertrude Rainey

Also known as the mother of Blues, Rainey was first woman to use blues in her performance routine.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
32
Madame C.J. Walker

In the early 20th century, Madame Walker made her fortune by developing and marketing the first successful line of beauty and hair products for Black women. She is also said to have been the first Black female millionaire.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
33
Faye Wattleton

In 1972, Wattleton became the first African-American and youngest President ever elected to Planned Parenthood, where she served until 1992.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
34
Susan Rice

In 2009, Rice became the first Black woman to become United States Ambassador to the United Nations. In 2013, President Obama appointed her as National Security Advisor. 

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
35
Billie Holiday

Holiday’s bluesy vocal style ushered in a new sound to for jazz vocalists.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
36
Fannie Lou Hamer

The granddaughter of slaves, Hamer dedicated her life to fighting for voting and civil rights in the 60s.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
37
Misty Copeland

Misty Copeland twirled into ballet history last year when she became the first Black principal dancer in the history of the American Ballet Theater.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Getty Images
38
Nina Simone

An American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist, Simone was never afraid to speak her mind about social issues. Through music, she tackled issues like the Civil Rights Movement and Black pride.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
39
Lisa Price

In 1993, Price started selling homemade body creams at church, which evolved into Carol’s Daughter. In 2014, she sold her company to L’Oreal USA. 

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
40
Ida B. Wells

As journalist, newspaper editor, civil rights leader and, with her husband, newspaper owner, she documented the extent of lynching in the United States, and was also active in the women’s rights movement and the women’s suffrage movement.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
41
Althea Gibson

Gibson became the first Black woman to be a competitor on the world tennis tour and the first to win a Grand Slam title in 1956.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
42
Janice Bryant Howroyd

After founding Act-1 Group, a worldwide staffing agency, Janice Bryant Howroyd went on to become the first Black woman to own a billion-dollar business—her company is worth an estimated $2.3 billion.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Paul Morigi/CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
43
Lena Horne

The legendary singer, actress and civil rights activist broke many boundaries in Hollywood including becoming becoming the first African-American actress to be signed by a major studio in the early 1940s.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
44
Hatti McDainels

McDaniels was the first Black performer to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gone with the Wind in 1939.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
45
Shirley Chisholm

Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968 and the first Black woman to run for president in 1972.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
46
Carol Mosely Braun

Braun became the first Black woman elected to the United States Senate in 1992. She served until 1999.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
47
Marian Anderson

In 1955, Anderson broke the color barrier by becoming the first African-American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
48
Mo’ne Davis

Mo’ne Davis knows no boundaries. The 14-year-old was the first girl in Little League History to throw a complete shutout in the 2014 world championship, and she has already signed a contract with the Harlem Globetrotters. But first, she has to finish high school!

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Rob Carr/Getty
49
Gwendolyn Brooks

In 1950 poet Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
50
Marva Collins

Collins was an educator, founder of Westside Preparatory School in Chicago.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
51
Debbie Allen

Allen is a famed American actress, choreographer, television director, television producer, and has served as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
52
Ruby Dee

Ruby Dee has made history as an actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter and activist.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
53
Shirley Franklin

Franklin made history when she was elected as Atlanta’s first Black female mayor in 2010.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
54
Terry McMillan

McMillan is one of the most important American novelists writing today—she gave us the classic that is How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
55
Lorraine Hansberry

After writing A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry became the first Black playwright to have a play performed on Broadway in 1959. In 1965, Hansberry died of pancreatic cancer at age 34.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
56
Loretta Lynch

After a lengthy confirmation process in 2015, Loretta Lynch was appointed as the first Black female attorney general in American history.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
57
Barbara Jordan

Hailing from Texas, Jordan served as a congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
58
Bree Newsome

Bree Newsome literally climbed to new heights last summer when she ascended a flagpole at the South Carolina statehouse to remove the Confederate flag. 

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
AP Photo/Bruce Smith
59
Sojourner Truth

After escaping from slavery, Sojourner Truth dedicated her life to fighting for women’s rights and racial equality. Her stirring speeches, including “Ain’t I a Woman,” still resonate today.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
60
Gwen Jimmere

After founding hair care line Naturalicious, Gwen Jimmere became the first person to score a patent for a natural hair product. Love! 

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Facebook
61
Mary Jane McLeod Bethune

The daughter of slaves, Bethune spent her childhood working in the fields. In 1904, she opened the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Girls, a school that eventually taught 250 Black children. She went on to found Bethune-Cookman College, one of the few universities open to Black students.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
PhotoQuest/Getty Images
62
Assata Shakur

Charged and convicted with the murder of a New Jersey state trooper in 1973, Shakur, a member of the Black Pather party, escaped prison and fled to Cuba, where she has resided ever since.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
AP
63
Gabby Douglas

It was the victory heard ‘round the world when, in 2012, Gabby Douglas became the first Black woman in Olympic history to clinch the Individual All-Around gymnastics championship.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Getty Images
64
Henrietta Lacks

We have Henrietta Lacks to thank for modern medicine. After she died of cervical cancer at the young age of 31, her cells were used for groundbreaking medical research.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
65
Tyra Banks

Dangerous curves ahead: Tyra Banks flaunts her shapely figure in this body-hugging dress.

Bow Down! 66 Boundary-Breaking Black Women Who Have Paved the Way
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
TOPICS:  women’s history
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