It is no surprise that Black women have been left out of important conversations for years. From media and entertainment to technological innovation, there are many female Black figureheads being denied proper credit or acclaim. Here are five Black women we can start talking about to change the conversation:
- Jelaiah Harmon
If you were on Tiktok during the “Renegade” dance trend, you should know by now who created the song’s viral dance. And no, it wasn’t Charli D’Amelio. The dance’s creator, Jelaiah Harmon, is a content creator and dancer who created the “Renegade” dance which was popularized by white influencers on Tiktok, most notably creators like Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae. Harmon received credit for the dance in the end, but still does not have the amount of followers D’Amelio and Rae retained from the time the dance was trending.Â
- Victoria MonetÂ
Grammy award winning singer–songwriter Victoria Monet is a music industry veteran, popularly known for her 2023 hit “On My Mama”. She has been writing songs for over a decade for various artists, most notably Ariana Grande. Even though Monet and Grande are friends and often work together, not many people knew she was a talented singer until years after her career began. Throughout her expansive career, Monet’s road to being a solo artist was often put on the backburner to her songwriting, in which the performer usually gets the credit.
- Claudette Colvin
When people reflect on the Civil Rights Movement, names like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks immediately come to mind. But trailblazers like Claudette Colvin remain unheard of and forgotten. Colvin was the first to defy segregation laws for public transportation in the same manner as Rosa Parks, but believes her age and darker complexion made movement leaders deem her as an unreliable figure.Â
- Henrietta Lacks
Cancer research would not be where it is today without HeLa cells, named after Henrietta Lacks. Lacks was a Black woman who was treated for cervical cancer in 1951, and after her cells were taken without her consent, doctors discovered that her cells regenerated at a remarkable rate, thus making them “immortal”. Lacks’ family was kept in the dark for years after her death, while her cells were used for medical research across the globe.
- Tarana Burke
The “#MeToo” movement changed the world, giving numerous women and men the opportunity to speak up about their sexual assaults and experiences of abuse. Tarana Burke, a long time advocate and activist, coined the phrase in the early 2000s, yet the movement itself gained notoriety following allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The initial tweet with the phrase was sent out by actress Alyssa Milano. With concerns about the erasure of Black girls’ trauma, Burke continues to fight for social change, especially through her 2021 book, “Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement.”
Simply talking about these incredible women is not enough to bridge the gap, but hopefully it will start positive conversations recognizing Black women and all of their contributions.