For the second year in a row, Essence has compiled it’s “Woke 100” list, a celebration of the black women change-agents who are working to create a more equitable world.
It is a beautifully inclusive list (and perfect for event organizers looking to round out their binders of potential panelists and keynoters) and recognizes women in the arts, activism, education, technology, health and wellness, entrepreneurialism, politics and in corporate life.
It’s also an extraordinarily affirming snapshot of the work black women are doing to break down barriers for others. Just scanning it gave me a boost. (And some good ideas.)
Many are already pretty famous –Kerry Washington, actor and co-founder of TimesUp graces the cover, and is joined by other bold-faced names like Lena Waithe, Gabrielle Union, and Rihanna; other headline makers include Anita Hill, former ESPN anchor and current Undefeated journalist Jemele Hill, and author Janet Mock. And there are nineteen – count ‘em! – woke mayors, running cities from Atlanta, GA to Colmar Manor, Maryland to Flint, Michigan.
But it’s the people who typically don’t show up on a red carpet or corporate speaking circuit that really give this list its unique edge.
Women like Chicago-based techie Tiffany Mikell, who gets a nod as co-founder of Apollition, a web-based app that allows users to round up their credit card purchases to donate spare change to black detainees awaiting bail. Or Hadiyah Mujhid, the founder and CEO of HBCU.vc, an entrepreneurial empowerment organization that’s teaching HCBU students the basics of start-up investing. There’s also Eunice Liriano, a vice president and founding partner at Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, the nation’s largest full-service African American owned fundraising firm. Their diverse array of clients include Jazz at Lincoln Center, Firelight Media, and The Jesse Owens Foundation.
And Tanya Lombard, head of multi-cultural engagement and strategic alliances for AT&T was acknowledged for her stellar work on various boards, particularly, the National Action Network and The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.
Thanks to all of you, I made the list last year, and I’m still talking about it. (See what I just did there?) Enjoy the excellence and make a plan to nominate yourself or the black women you admire for 2019. It’s good to dream ahead.