It’s February already and you know what that means…Black History Month! It is the time of year when we recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of African American people in United States history. This tradition started in 1926 as “Negro History Week” but was made official in 1976 becoming National African American History Month. So to kick off this celebration let me introduce a few Melanin Mamas that have achieved some amazing firsts over the years. In a world where is it easy to feel last, I hope these women inspire you to put yourself first in order to go after your dreams.
1.) Simone Biles
After competing in the 2016 Olympics as part of The Final Five, she became the first African American athlete to win gold in the all around. She is also the most decorated American gymnast with a total of 19 medals that she won from the Olympics as well as the World Championship. Simone hopes that her achievements inspire young gymnasts to train harder in the gym.
2.) Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty is well known for her numerous award winning songs and albums including seven Grammy Awards, VMA Video of the Year Awards, and several other nominations. Recently, she has ventured into the world of fashion creating a line of clothing and footwear with her Fenty Puma by Rihanna collection. She has become the first woman to win the Shoe of the Year award at the Footwear News Achievement Awards. Rihanna is breaking even more boundaries by becoming the first black woman to be the face of the French luxury goods company, Dior.
3.) Oprah Winfrey
Growing up in poverty, Oprah often wore clothing made of potato sacks due to her family’s lack of financial security. She took it upon herself to become educated and make something out of herself and she did just that. She became the first black female to own and run a television network when she founded Harpo Productions in 1986 under which she created her own talk show known as the Oprah Winfery show. This past year Ms. Winfery has made it to the Forbes List being named the first black woman billionaire.
4.) Serena Williams
Her training consisting of rigorous workouts and long hours on the court began at the age of 3. Serena Williams and her sister Venus have become some of the biggest names in tennis history from their wins in the U.S Open to the Olympics. Serena won her first Grand Slam in 1999 as a 17 year old and won her twenty-third Grand Slam title on January 28th, 2017. With this achievement, it makes “Serena Slam” the first athlete to do so in the Open Era.
5.) Beyoncé
Throughout her career, she has made award winning music and videos, created her own clothing line, performed at the Super Bowl…twice, performed for the Obamas…the list could go on forever. On top of being the Girl Boss, she’s made history being named the most Grammy nominated female artist of all time with 62 total. She will also be making history once again by being the first black woman to headline Coachella.