25 Women Who Are Changing The World

They say if you want something done, ask a woman. We say if you need something done, ask a black woman. The proof is in these 25 forces of nature, moving mountains to make life better for us all

- Alisa Gumbs

“I wouldn’t be here without all of the black women around me. Put us together and we can do anything.” —Misty Copeland

MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT 2018 BEING THE YEAR of the woman. Excuse us if we don’t get too excited. The extraordinary accomplishments of black women aren’t new. We didn’t arrive on the scene just now, and in 2019 we’re not going to fade back into the woodwork. To paraphrase Shonda Rhimes, the most powerful showrunner, we’re not a trend.

What we are is truth tellers, change agents, and troublemakers— in the best way. We’re agitating. And advocating. Standing on the shoulders of a long line of resourceful and resilient black women. And preparing the next generation to take on the mantle. In this issue, we’re celebrating just a few of the many women making a difference.

There are, of course, some big names: You cannot speak of change-makers without Oprah Winfrey, whose Times Up speech at the Golden Globes got the whole country talking. Our forever FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, is still using her influence to promote black women, as she did recently with the selection of artist Amy Sherald to capture her likeness for the National Portrait Gallery. There’s DJ Beverly Bond, who’s gathered up the sprinkles of Black Girl Magic to show the world how much black girls do indeed rock. And even though she’ll technically be a duchess, Meghan Markle is real-life princess goals for little black girls across the country.

But there are also countless women doing the work every day without any of the fanfare. Our cover subject Tarana Burke is a perfect example. A grassroots activist, she’s spent the last decade helping survivors of sexual assault, starting with young girls, “almost in secret,” until the #MeToo hashtag catapulted her into an almost instantaneous spotlight last fall.