February is Black History Month, and 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of it being officially celebrated in Canada. It is important to know why we should spend the month noticing the key milestones and courageous accomplishments of those who shaped Black History. We thought we should share with you, collegiates, the 5 most inspirational black women who are currently ruling the world.
1. Oprah Winfrey
This probably goes without saying. Oprah, despite coming from a rough childhood, was a successful student and has created a media empire over the years that she has worked. Oprah became the first black female multi-millionaire to cement her place among other powerful coloured women who have changed history.
2. Mae Jemison
Mae was the first black woman who went to space, making her one of the most adventurous women to change black females’ history. Following her mission, she founded the Dorothy Jemison Foundation to bring science education to children.
3. Michelle Obama
Meet Michelle Obama, the first black First Lady in the history of the United States. What many people do not know is that Michelle Obama was a successful lawyer from Princeton and Harvard, and was the only coloured woman who worked at her firm prior to meeting Barack. Since being in the White House, Michelle has become an inspiration for not only coloured women, but all women globally!
4. Misty Copeland
Misty is an American ballet dancer for the American Ballet Theatre (one of the best in the U.S.). This past summer, Copeland became the first African American woman to be named a principal dancer in ABT history. Copeland has defied the previous standards of the ballerina look. She has also become a public speaker and a representative for large companies such as Under Armour. Last year, she was ranked one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine!
5. Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita is most commonly known for her role in the historical drama 12 Years a Slave. This movie, as well as Nyong’o’s character, were extremely powerful and eye-opening for many people. As a result, she was awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, being the 6th black actress to win the award, the first African actress to win the award, as well as the first Kenyan actress to win an Oscar. She was then noted as Woman of the Year by Glamour Magazine.
While we have only mentioned 5, there are countless black women who deserved to be celebrated this month, including those from the past. We are confident that as time goes on, the list of the accomplished coloured women will continue to grow and be inspirational to us all!