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Home · News

ESSENCE Presents 'Woke 100 Women'

By Lauren N. Williams · Updated October 26, 2020

For the first time ever, ESSENCE honors the women who are blazing trails for equal rights and inclusion for Black people in America.

The cover features a host of dynamic women, such as writer/producer Shonda Rhimes, veteran journalist Joy-Ann Reid, Women’s March co-chairs Tamika Mallory, Linda Sarsour and Carmen Perez. Plus, appearances from Women’s March organizer Janaye Ingram, political commentator Angela Rye, Circle of Mothers founder Sybrina Fulton, author/blogger Luvvie Ajayi and social activist April Reign.  #BlackLivesMatter cofounder Opal Tometi and educator/activist Brittany Packnett are also featured.

When we say Black women will save the world, we’re being literal.

On the ­following pages, ESSENCE recognizes 88 more socially conscious change makers. By their example they ­empower all of us to take action.

Join the #Woke100 conversation on Twitter.

This feature originally appeared in the May 2017 Issue of ESSENCE Magazine.

01
Zendaya – Woke 100

Actress Zendaya is no stranger to standing up for herself and others both on and off social media. Zendaya’s most woke response to date? When she clapped back at former E! “Fashion Police” host Guiliana Rancic for criticizing Zendaya’s dreadlocks at the 2015 Oscars and saying “I feel like she smells like patchouli oil and weed.” Zendaya’s response was classy yet perfect. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
getty images
02
Kym Worthy – Woke 100

 @pakymworthy

When 11,341 unprocessed rape kits (some, decades-old) were discovered in her district, this Wayne County, Michigan, prosecutor immediately raised awareness and funds for testing. As a result of her efforts, 750 potential serial rapists were identified, and there have been 42 prosecutions.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Jamie McCarthy
03
Monique Woodard

@monique360

The San Francisco–based advocate of diversity and inclusion caught our attention when she joined 500 Startups, a seed accelerator, as a venture partner, making her the first Black executive at the firm.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Steve Jennings
04
Raquel Willis – Woke 100

Black queer transgender activist Raquel Willis is dedicated to helping marginalized individuals in her personal and professional (she’s the communications associate for the Transgender Law Center) work. In response to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s controversial statement on trans women, Willis’ op-ed for The Root, “Trans Women Are Women. This Isn’t A Debate” was her most revolutionary moment to date.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
05
Laura Weidman Powers – Woke 100

@laurawp

Weidman Powers took her advocacy of equal representation of Blacks and Latinos in tech to Washington, D.C., as a senior policy adviser to the former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
JEALEX Photo
06
Deborah Watts – Woke 100

@the _deborahwatts

Although it’s been six decades since a then 14-year-old Emmett Till was viciously murdered in Mississippi, Watts—a cousin of Till’s and cofounder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation—is dedicated to ensuring that we always remember him and the societal conditions that caused his death.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
07
Destiny Watford – Woke 100

@watforddestiny

Last spring, Watford, then 20, was awarded a Goldman Environmental Prize—and rightfully so. As a high school senior, she led a crusade to stop construction on an incinerator that would have emitted more than 1,000 pollutants throughout her Baltimore neighborhood every year.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Courtesy of Goldman Environmental Prize
08
Maxine Waters – Woke 100

@maxinewaters

Outspoken and on point, the veteran congresswoman has been one of the foremost critics of the Trump administration among her peers, standing up for the disenfranchised and speaking out against bigotry. (Her meme-­worthy side-eyes don’t hurt, either.)

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Getty Image
09
Cleo Wade – Woke 100

 @cleowade

The New Orleans native uses her poetry to convey themes of equality and feminism. During the tenth anniversary year of Hurricane Katrina, one of her poems was erected on a billboard in the French Quarter—its message: strength after the storm.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Jamie McCarthy
10
Aduka Utah – Woke 100

Healer, educator and performance artist, Utah is the owner of Harriet’s Apothecary, a Brooklyn-based haven for women of color who are committed to self-care—which is especially needed during these trying times. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Aduka Utah
11
Mickalene Thomas – Woke 100

@mickalenethomas

Using materials such as rhinestones in her multilayered paintings, Thomas amplifies the diverse beauty of Black women. She brings multiple pieces together to create one whole image, both pushing the envelope and working against conventional beauty standards.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Aurora Rose
12
Amandla Stenberg – Woke 100

@amandlastenberg 

Stenberg may be young, but The Hunger Games and Where Hands Touch actress is fearless when speaking out against misogyny and racism. She’s also driving conversation around ideas of identity: Recently Stenberg came out as nonbinary, which means she doesn’t identify as either gender, opting for the preferred pronouns “they” and “them.”

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Taylor Hill
13
Willow Smith – Woke 100

@officialwillow

Fully embracing the carefree-Black-girl aesthetic, Smith makes the political personal. After the results of the 2016 presidential election, the Chanel brand ambassador released the ballad “November 9,” seeking to uplift the disheartened. She has also traveled to North Dakota with her brother, Jaden, to stand in solidarity with Native people and protest the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Rindoff/Le Segretain
14
Yara Shahidi – Woke 100

@yarashahidi

The 17-year-old black-ish star and activist uses her celebrity to challenge the present political climate, including the Trump travel ban, and fights for a more tolerant and inclusive America, writing on Instagram, “The suppression of any person is the suppression of all people.” 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Rich Polk/Getty Images
15
Tara Setmayer – Woke 100

@tarasetmayer

When political discussions get heated,   Setmayer maintains her cool and gets her point across. Since joining CNN as a contributor in 2014, the conservative commentator and columnist for The Daily Beast has used her voice to keep the conversation balanced.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
16
Brittani Sensabaugh – Woke 100

Hailing from Oakland, Brittani Sensabaugh is a photographer and documentarian who snaps subjects who are generally misrepresented in the media. #222forgottencities, one of Sensabaugh’s most impactful projects to date, focuses on urban cities and its people of color to document their trials, tribulations and triumphs. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Courtesy of KQED
17
Attica Scott – Woke 100

@atticascott

After winning a tough primary race and defeating a long-time incumbent, Scott is the first Black woman to serve in Kentucky’s State Legislature in 20 years. She is determined to revamp outdated policies on women’s rights.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Attica Scott/Twitter
18
Symone Sanders – Woke 100

@symonedsanders

The former national press secretary for the Bernie Sanders campaign and current CNN pundit has succeeded in bringing women’s issues and the #BlackLivesMatter movement to the forefront of the current political conversation. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Brad Barket
19
April D. Ryan – Woke 100

@aprildryan

The trusted journalist has covered the White House for American Urban Radio Networks for more than 20 years, and she’s pressed administrations on the issues that affect Black communities most. When she took President Trump to task about not meeting with Congressional Black Caucus members, his office set up a meeting with the CBC within weeks.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Vincent Sandoval
20
Yashica Robinson M.D. – Woke 100

Reproductive rights are under assault, but Robinson, an OB-GYN  in Huntsville, Alabama, is committed to our care as the only local physician in the state to provide abortions. She believes it’s important for the women in the community to have a choice, and thanks to her work, they do.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
21
Loren Robinson M.D. – Woke 100

@docloro 

Tackling high obesity rates is all in a day’s work for Robinson. The deputy secretary for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Pennsylvania creates green spaces in Black communities for children to play in and sidewalks for them to get to after-school programs safely. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
22
Britney Robbins – Woke 100

@graymatterexp

As founder and CEO of The Gray Matter Experience, Robbins shares the nuts and bolts of entrepreneurship with students ages 15 to 18. The nine-week program introduces Chicago-based youth to Black professionals and team-building activities that promote critical, expansive thinking.  

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Twitter
23
Bishop Tonyia Rawls – Woke 100

@bishoptrawls

The LGBTQ community deserves a safe space to worship. Bishop Rawls’s understands. Along with leading North Carolina’s Unity Fellowship Church, she founded The Freedom Center for Social Justice and launched the Do No Harm Campaign to promote acceptance, starting with her fellow faith leaders.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
24
Issa Rae – Woke 100

@issarae

With her hit HBO show, Insecure, Rae gives a refreshingly real look at how modern Black women navigate their personal and professional worlds. She also shines a hilarious light on important narratives missing from today’s popular culture lexicon. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
PATRICK ECCLESINE/AUGUST
25
Dawn Porter – Woke 100

@dawnporterm

Porter’s stirring abortion rights documentary, Trapped, won a 2016 Sundance Festival Special Jury Award. She later teamed up with ESSENCE and Time to produce an award-worthy doc on Black women seeking reproductive services. Watch at ESSENCE.com/culture/black-women-abortion-dawn-porter.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Leon Bennett
26
Michelle Obama – Woke 100

@michelleobama

Michelle Obama has always inspired us and our children to achieve new heights with her education initiative, Reach Higher, and her global mission, Let Girls Learn, a program that opens the doors of education to 62 million girls worldwide who are not in school.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Mark Wilson
27
Nine Black Women Elected Alabama State Judges – Woke 100

The Honorable Nakita Perryman Blocton, Agnes Chappell, Elisabeth French, Shera Grant, Brendette Brown Green, Tamara Harris Johnson, Javan Patton, Annetta Verin and Debra Bennett Winston, all Democrats, made history last November when they were elected as judges in the red state of Alabama.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
28
Natasha Murphy – Woke 100

@blackgirlsvote

In her role as deputy director of advocacy for Black Girls Vote, Murphy worked tirelessly to make sure Black women’s voices in Baltimore were heard. Through her organization, she spearheaded a voter registration effort that signed up more than 11,000 new voters. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Scripps Media
29
Veronica Morris Moore – Woke 100

Chicago community organizer Veronica Morris-Moore is a co-founder of Fearless Leading by the Youth (F.L.Y.). Morris-Moore, who is from the South Side, rallied with other activists in a radical effort to petition for the University of Chicago Medicine to open a trauma center on the South Side. After a few years and several protests, Morris-Moore and her team succeeded.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Veronica Morris Moore
30
Ellen McGirt – Woke 100

@ellmcgirt

The award-winning business journalist is the author of Fortune magazine’s raceAhead, a daily e-mail newsletter focused on understanding diversity challenges in the modern workplace. McGirt taps into the lived experiences of people of color for enlightenment and solutions. Subscribe to the newsletter at fortune.com/getraceahead.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Karen Walrond / Ellen McGirt
31
Heather C McGhee – Woke 100

@hmcghee

A discussion between McGhee, president of New York City–based DEMOS, and Garry, a White male North Carolinian, on C-Span went viral in August after he admitted he was prejudiced. She offered a lesson in our community and our history, and advocates that we unite as one.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
32
Dani McClain – Woke 100

@drmcclain

With her work, McClain ensures that the voices of Black women are represented in the media. She covers the complexities of race, reproductive health care and government policy at a time when journalists are under attack for pushing so-called fake news.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
The Nation
33
Leslie Mac – Woke 100

@lesliemac

Co-creator of Safety Pin Box, the two developed the monthly subscription box service to provide tools that help Whites become better allies in the struggle for racial equality. A portion of the monies goes toward supporting Black female activists and their agendas.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Safety Pin Box
34
Marissa Jenae Johnson – Woke 100

@rissaoftheway

Co-creators of Safety Pin Box, the two developed the monthly subscription box service to provide tools that help Whites become better allies in the struggle for racial equality. A portion of the monies goes toward supporting Black female activists and their agendas. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Safety Pin Box
35
Trish Lewis – Woke 100

@heritagebox

As CEO and cofounder of Heritage Box, Lewis is making the art of learning history a family affair, starting with the youngsters. The monthly subscription service ships age-specific books, activities and keepsakes directly to your doorstep.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
36
Paulette Leaphart – Woke 100

@thescarstory

The 50-year-old breast cancer survivor intends to shift our focus from “saving the tatas” to finding a cure. Last summer, Leaphart walked topless 1,000-plus miles from Biloxi, Mississippi, to D.C., to lobby Congress about affordable treatment.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
37
Solange Knowles – Woke 100

@solangeknowles

Both provocative and poignant, A Seat at the Table—Knowles’s commanding album depicting the trials, tribulations and triumphs associated with the contemporary Black female experience in America—garnered the songstress her first number one album and a Grammy Award win.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Dominique Charriau
38
Michelle King – Woke 100

@michellekingla

As superintendent of Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school district, King is committed to reducing the inequalities in public education and reforming school entrance requirements (a practice that often prevents people of color from gaining access to certain schools).

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
LAUSD
39
Ariell Johnson – Woke 100

@AmalgamPhilly

After noticing a dearth of welcoming spaces for minorities in the comic book community, Johnson opened the Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse in Philadelphia in 2015. She is believed to be the only Black female owner of a comic book store on the East Coast.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
@wind__rider83/ instagram
40
Abi Ishola

@aishola

Ishola has earned high praise for the launch of beyondclassicallybeautiful.com, a Web site dedicated to ­challenging society’s beauty standards. It includes the striking photo series, Body Noire, A Celebration Of Black Female Bodies.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Beyond Classically Beautiful
41
Foyekemi Ikyaator M.D. – Woke 100

@lifesaversertx

The Nigerian-born Ikyaator saw a void in Houston’s health care system and responded by opening Life Savers Emergency Room with her husband. The full-service facility offers affordable, round-the-clock care to the city’s underserved community. The best part? They strive to uphold a no-wait policy so patients can see the doctor right away.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
42
Zena Howard – Woke 100

As lead architect of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., Howard helped design the ethnically rich space to showcase the impact of Black lives on America.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
NMAAHC
43
Mary-Pat Hector – Woke 100

@marypathector

Hector became the national youth director of National Action Network when she was just 14, and sought political office at 19. When she got pushback for being too young, the Spelman sophomore campaigned for (and won) the right to run for city council in Dekalb County, Georgia.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Moses Robinson
44
Elle Hearns – Woke 100

@SoulFreeDreams

Often described as a “trans freedom fighter,” this Ohio native has shone a national spotlight on the murders of Black transgender women. Alongside the nonprofit organization, GetEqual, Hearns is laser-focused on making the world a safer place for her community.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Net Roots Nation / Youtube
45
Kamala Harris – Woke 100

@kamalaharris

She’s already made history as the first woman elected as San Francisco’s district attorney and California’s attorney general. By winning a Senate seat last November, Harris is now the first Black woman to reach that milestone in nearly 20 years, and is using her platform to challenge the agenda of the Trump administration.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Zach Gibson
46
Nikole Hannah-Jones – Woke 100

@nhannahjones

One of a team of journalists who founded the Ida B. Wells Society, an organization that supports budding investigative reporters of color, Hannah-Jones deftly tackles tough issues, such as current-day school segregation and race relations, for The New York Times Magazine.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Mike Coppola
47
Tamron Hall – Woke 100

@tamronhall

The veteran journalist and ID channel’s Deadline: Crime host partnered with Safe Horizon, one of the nation’s leading victim assistance organizations, to create The Tamron ♥ Renate Fund. Established in honor of Hall’s late sister, the fund provides support for those harmed by domestic violence. Go to safehorizon.org for more info on how to get involved.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
2014 NBCUniversal Media, LLC.
48
Randi Gloss – Woke 100

@randigloss

Gloss uses fashion as political expression with Glossrags, her apparel line that promotes Black consciousness through merchandise like the “Stay Woke” tees donned by this month’s cover stars, and shirts listing the names of Black men and women who’ve been victims of police brutality. Visit glossrags.com to shop.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
49
Roxane Gay – Woke 100

@rgay

With her layered, complex approach to such hot topics as feminism, racism  and intersectionality, the prolific scribe is also making history as the first Black woman to write for Marvel Comics with World of Wakanda.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Matt Sayles/Invision for PEN Center USA/AP Images
50
Alicia Garza – Woke 100

@aliciagarza

Garza and fellow cofounders Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors woke up the world when they coined the hashtag and movement after the killing of Trayvon Martin. Since then Garza has continued her activism with the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which promotes the  rights of domestics nationwide. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW

Earl Gibson III/Getty Images

51
Tracy Garraud – Woke 100

@itstracyg

In addition to her work on Sway’s SiriusXM show, Garraud quenches millennials’ thirst for love, light and levity with audio affirmations on success during her podcast, She’s Beauty and the Beast.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
@itstraceyg/ instagram
52
Kim Foxx – Woke 100

@SAKimFoxx

As state’s attorney for Chicago’s Cook County, Foxx works tirelessly to mend relationships between the city’s police department and its constituents. 
 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Cook Country
53
Ashley C. Ford – Woke 100

@iSmashFizzle

Harnessing the power of social media, Ford urged her followers to donate funds to their local school districts so that students with outstanding lunch debts could settle their ­accounts. As a result, she helped raise more than $100,000 to cover costs for in-need children.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Ashley C. Ford
54
Kathryn Finney – Woke 100

@kathrynfinney

The founder of Digitalundivided, Finney is an OG of tech disruption. Her groundbreaking #ProjectDiane report identified that less than a mere 0.2 percent of venture capital deals from 2012 to 2014 went to Black women founders. Finney intends to change that.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
55
Sibyl Edwards

@saedwards

The cofounder of Technicolor DC is fired up to buck the trend that only 7 percent of investor money goes to women-led start-ups. Last spring, Edwards cofounded #BFF (Black Female Founders) to help level the playing field by offering networking, business mentoring and access to funding.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Sibyl Edwards
56
Ava DuVernay – Woke 100

@directher

In 13th, the Oscar-nominated director trained her lens on African-American history by exploring how the abolition of slavery paved the way for the prison industrial complex. As the first Black woman to direct a film with a budget of $100 million, which features an ethnically diverse cast, she cements her status as a necessary champion creating art that affirms us all.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
57
Kimberly Drew – Woke 100

@museummammy

Through her work as the social media manager at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, her popularity as @museummammy on Instagram, and her Black Contemporary Art page on Tumblr, Drew documents Blackness in the post-digital age.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
58
Marley Dias – Woke 100

@iammarleydias

The 12-year-old dynamo grabbed our attention when she stated her goal to collect #1000BlackGirlBooks. Last year she landed back in the headlines as editor-in-chief of newly formed Marley Mag, an e-zine dedicated to celebrating women of color.  

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
David Livingston
59
Anna Deavere Smith – Woke 100

@annadeaveres

The gifted Tony nominee’s stage play, Notes From the Field: Doing Time in Education, gives a voice to those affected by the vicious cycle of police brutality, fractured education systems and the school-to-prison pipeline.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
getty images
60
Val Demings, Florida Congresswoman – Woke 100

@RepValDemings

Ever dedicated to public service, Demings began her career as a social worker and later served as Orlando’s police chief. With her win in Florida’s 10th district race, she has expanded her reach on the congressional level.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Val Demings
61
Viola Davis – Woke 100

@violadavis

In addition to her world-class acting, this Oscar-winning actress gives the most rousing speeches about Black womanhood, erasure and representation. She’s quoted Harriet Tubman, paid homage to August Wilson and generally tugged at our heartstrings with her passionate addresses.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Steve Granitz
62
Angela Davis – Woke 100

Lifelong political activist Angela Y. Davis has been woke since before the phrase came into existence. The UC Santa Cruz distinguished professor emerita has taught feminist studies and courses on mass incarceration that kept a generation of students both informed and empowered to act.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Getty
63
Patrisse Cullors – Woke 100

Activist Patrisse Cullors cofounded #BlackLivesMatter with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, but Cullors has always considered herself a freedom fighter. One of her most revolutionary moments was founding Dignity and Power Now, a LA-based grassroots organization that fights for incarcerated people with the ultimate goal of ending state violence and mass incarceration.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Jason Kempin/BET
64
Shani Crowe – Woke 100

@crowezilla

Long before she created the crystal-encrusted headpiece for Solange’s seminal Saturday Night Live performance, Crowe was making art with hair. The Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist displayed her visionary work last summer in a photo exhibit simply titled Braids. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
@crowezilla @kylelamere
65
Kimberlé Crenshaw – Woke 100

@sandylocks

For the UCLA professor and critical scholar on issues of race, #SayHerName is a hashtag she lives by. In 2016 Crenshaw took her campaign on the road, speaking at conferences, universities and with media to bring attention to the often forgotten Black female victims of police brutality.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
66
Angie Coleman – Woke 100

@angieidunno

She’s made it that much easier to patronize Black-owned businesses with the launch of her BuyBlack Google Chrome Extension, which helps us locate our fave Black-owned products and services online. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
67
Gina Clayton – Woke 100

@GinaLClayton

Named for her great-grandmother, the Essie Justice Group was formed by Clayton as a means to support women whose loved ones are serving time. Her larger goal? Ending mass incarceration and reenvisioning the movement for justice. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Harvard Law
68
Charlene Carruthers – Woke 100

@CharleneCac

Under her leadership, the Black Youth Project 100—a national collective of young Black activists—has campaigned for racial justice in the wake of the extrajudicial killings of Black people such as Rekia Boyd and Michael Brown, and has led organizing and training efforts on LGBTQ rights issues and more.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
sarah huny young.
69
Antionette Carroll – Woke 100

@acarrolldesign

A Ferguson, Missouri, native, the founder and CEO of Creative Reaction Lab is developing the next generation of civic leaders by galvanizing Black and Latinx populations in major cities to develop solutions that address racial injustices and inequities.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
twitter
70
Melanie L. Campbell – Woke 100

@coalitionbuilder

As the convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable in Washington, D.C., Campbell joins forces with national civic groups to promote the Power of the Sister Vote, which combats voter suppression and ensures that millions of Black women continue to rock their vote.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
71
Jessica Byrd – Woke 100

@jessicalbyrd

Byrd is helping to elect Black women to the government’s top spots via her consulting firm, Three Point Strategies. The Ohio native is also a campaign director at Democracy in Color, a multimedia platform aimed at getting more people of color involved in the political process.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Eli Meir Kaplan
72
Venida Browder – Woke 100

She visited her youngest child, Kalief, weekly and appeared at his court dates during the three years of his wrongful imprisonment. Sadly, he committed suicide at age 22, two years after his 2013 release. Browder told Kalief’s story and advocated for criminal justice reform until her death last October. Rest in peace, mother and son. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Larry Busacca
73
Aisha Bowe – Woke 100

@arbowe

The CEO and the cofounder of STEMBoard and former NASA aerospace engineer is creating high-tech solutions for government and private entities while working to close the achievement gap through STEM camps, partnerships with HBCUs and career opportunities for youth.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Paul Zimmerman
74
Carmen Berkley – Woke 100

@CarmenSpinDiego

As the youngest person to hold the position of director for the Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Department of the AFL-CIO, Berkley wears many hats (activist, writer, corporate trainer) in her ongoing effort to protect the rights and interests of workers nationwide.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
75
Erica Joy Baker – Woke 100

@ericajoy

A senior engineer at Slack Technologies, the Oakland-based Baker called out the tech industry for its isolation, harassment, lack of diversity and the ­detrimental psychological effects that can come with being the only one. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Erica Joy Baker
76
Michelle Alexander – Woke 100

@Yamiche

She struck a chord with 2010’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness. Now Alexander is putting her money where her pen is, literally. The civil rights attorney plans to donate book royalties and her $250,000 Heinz Foundation Award prize to a fund dedicated to social justice. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Vivien Killilea/WireImage
77
Yamiche Alcindor – Woke 100

@Yamiche

Alcindor’s astute journalistic skills were prominent during the 2016 political campaigns, and she continues to drill deep as the Trump administration makes its moves. The Georgetown grad isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions, and helps keep social justice and women’s equality at the forefront of the conversation. 

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
NATHANIEL CLINE
78
Afua Addo – Woke 100

 @courtinnovation

Whether fighting against human trafficking or on behalf of domestic violence victims, Addo, in her role as coordinator of Gender Justice Initiatives at The Center for Court Innovation, speaks for those who often suffer in silence.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
LinkedIn
79
Maria Adams-Lawton – Woke 100

@4Maria

Following a 25-year career teaching math, Adams-Lawton currently serves as executive director of Detroit’s Robert Tindal Recreation Center. The newly rehabbed facility is where she also launched Healthy Kidz, Inc., a much-needed after-school program  for local children focused on wellness.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Maria Adams Lawton / LinkedIN
80
Stacey Abrams – Woke 100

@staceyabrams

With her Building Leaders and Uplifting the Electorate (B.L.U.E.) Institute, Abrams—who serves as Georgia’s House minority leader and state representative—hopes to prep young people of color to engage in the political process, with the help of those who understand government’s inner workings.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW

Paul Zimmerman

81
Brittany Packnett – Woke 100

When Michael Brown was senselessly shot dead by police in Ferguson, Missouri, it sparked outrage among the Black community and Brittany Packnett was one of the leaders in the Ferguson protest. Packentt’s most distinguished work was being appointed to President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and co-founding Campaign Zero, a police reform campaign to end police violence and mass incarceration.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
82
Joy-Ann Reid – Woke 100

@JoyAnnReid

In the age of so-called fake news,the veteran journalist and author gives us the real facts—coupled with a high level of consciousness—on her weekend MSNBC show, AM Joy.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Warwick Saint
83
Janaye Ingram – Woke 100

@Janaye_Ingram

The politico and Women’s March head of logistics ensures that when we gather in protest, we’re gathered safely and smartly.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Warwick Saint
84
Carmen Perez – Woke 100

@msladyjustice1

Between leading Harry Belafonte’s The Gathering for Justice and cochairing the Women’s March, this Latina activist has had one clear goal: freedom for all.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Warwick Saint
85
Luvvie Ajayi – Woke 100

@iLuvvit

In the beginning we came for her knee-slapping Scandal recaps. We stayed for the Nigerian-born writer’s informed and snarky indictments of racial injustice, which can be found at awesomelyluvvie.com.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Matthew Eisman/Getty Images
86
Linda Sarsour – Woke 100

@lsarsour

As a warrior on the front line of Islamophobia, this Women’s March cochair lends her voice to build up intersectional movements.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Getty Images
87
Tamika D. Mallory – Woke 100

@TamikaDMallory

When it comes to eradicating racial and social injustices, the Women’s March cochair always answers the call.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Getty Images
88
Shonda Rhimes – Woke 100

@ShondaRhimes

Whether she’s writing about White privilege, racial microaggressions or the murder of an unarmed young Black man, the TV series creator uses her shows as a mirror to what’s wrong—and what should be right—in the world.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Getty Images
89
Opal Tometi – Woke 100

Following the unjustified murder of Travyon Martin in 2012, Opal Tometi alongside Alicia Garza and Patrisse Cullors started the #BlackLivesMatter movement as call to action to combat anti-Black racism. Tometi is also an advocate for migrant rights. Most notably at just 28, Tometi was named the executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the United States’ only national immigrant rights organization for Black people.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Gary Gershoff
90
Sybrina Fulton – Woke 100

@SybrinaFulton 

Five years ago the senseless death of her youngest son, Trayvon Martin, reverberated across the nation. Through her grief, she found the resilience to become a national voice for social justice activism and to cofound both The Trayvon Martin Foundation and Circle of Mothers.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
ADRIAN FREEMAN/AFREEMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
91
April Reign – Woke 100

HBO tried it when they announced that they greenlit Confederate, a series set in an alternate universe where the south won the Civil War. This doesn’t need further explanation why it’s disturbing. However, April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite, mobilized Black Twitter and launched #NoConfedarate, along with Rebecca Theodore, Jamie Broadnax, Shanelle Little, and Lauren Warrenand, and got production shut all the way down!

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW

warwick saint

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Angela Rye – Woke 100

@angela_rye

Regularly calling out people for holding back marginalized communities keeps this lawyer and CNN commentator in heavy rotation.

ESSENCE Presents ‘Woke 100 Women’ – NEW
Getty Images
TOPICS:  Shonda Rhimes
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