Black Women Who Had Their Best Year in 2020
We’ll be talking about the notorious 2020 for years to come. Fortunately, some of us had good moments entwined with all the anxiety, uncertainty, and precaution. Some of us kept our jobs, while others found something better. Some of us spent more time with family, while others finally found time alone to pursue new hobbies. And despite a trying year consisting of a pandemic, racial unrest, election season, natural disasters, and a host of other obstacles, some Black women straight-up owned this year.
From the first woman VP ever elected to Black women who started new businesses or flourished in their careers, we’re highlighting the history-makers, everyday women, and anyone in between who slayed this year. These 10 women — in no particular order — prove that nothing can stop you if you want to succeed.
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Kamala Harris
A list of black women who succeeded beyond measure in 2020 would be incomplete without Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. She made history many times this year, including joining the small but powerful list of hopeful Black women who have run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. When President-elect Joe Biden announced Harris as his running mate in August, she joined an even smaller number of women chosen for such a powerful position.
Harris also had other highlights this year, including her meme-worthy quotes, her vice presidential debate against Pence (“Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking”), and most importantly, her fight for racial justice, like seeking justice for Breonna Taylor. We can’t wait to watch her move our country into a much, much better direction as she settles into her role. (We also hope to see more of her smart fashion choices, from relatable Converses to tailored, statement-making power suits).
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Stacey Abrams
Stacey Abrams was a star of the 2020 presidential election. If you didn’t know who she was before, you probably know now. Abrams did something we didn’t think was possible; she helped turn Georgia blue. She’s also a history-maker herself. In 2018, she became the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States as the Democratic nominee for governor of Georgia. And she won more votes than any other Democrat in Georgia’s history. But instead of taking a step back after losing the governor’s race by 55,000 votes, she became even more relentless in her fight to end voter suppression. Her initiative, Fair Fight, helped register and empower voters. And after a dramatic turnout in November, Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia in 28 years, thanks to Abrams.
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Zendaya
Media darling and fashion icon Zendaya also had a fabulous 2020. From Disney channel star to blockbuster gem, Zendaya has already broken from the Disney mold after starring in hits like the Spider-Man series and The Greatest Showman. But the 24-year-old star’s career-defining moment? In September, she became the youngest actress ever to score an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Rue in HBO’s gritty teen drama Euphoria. She beat acclaimed actresses like Jennifer Aniston to take home the award. And, typical 2020, she adorably accepted the award virtually while surrounded by her loved ones, donning the most stunning dress. In addition to that, she uses her platform to speak out against racial injustice and police brutality.
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Rihanna
Rihanna can’t stop being great. It’s in her DNA to be an innovator, a savvy businesswoman, and a beautiful person — inside and out. Her grit and overall amazingness flew off the charts in 2020 after becoming the world’s wealthiest female singer earlier this year, beating Taylor Swift, Adele, Madonna, and even Beyoncé. She has many business ventures, with her most popular and lucrative being Fenty Beauty. However, she launched Savage x Fenty in 2019, a threat to Victoria’s Secret since its debut. Rihanna has two Savage x Fenty fashion shows under her belt, which Amazon Prime Video streams every year. And Rihanna keeps blessing us. This past summer, her skincare brand, Fenty Skin, finally launched. Rihanna strives to be inclusive of all women with her business ventures, regardless of race, skin tone, body type, or gender identity. And as an activist and philanthropist, she is working to create a better world.
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Michaela Coel
Beautiful, bold, and brilliant are three words that perfectly describe Michaela Coel, a gamechanger in the entertainment world. She can do it all: write, direct, sing and star in her own television series. In June 2020, her British comedy-drama television series I May Destroy You premiered on BBC and HBO. The critically-acclaimed series follows Arabella as she rebuilds her life after being sexually assaulted, inspired by the creator’s own experiences. Coel refused $1 million from Netflix after the streaming service declined to offer her intellectual property ownership of her show. The show ended up on HBO and became a huge success. For her efforts, she made both Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 list and British Vogue’s 2020 list of influential women. We can only wonder what’s in store for her next year. Will she win one (or two) Golden Globes? No matter what, she’s just getting started.
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Isabel Wilkerson
Isabel Wilkerson is no stranger to success. In 1994, she became the first woman of African-American heritage to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. And in 2010, after years of intense research and writing, Isabel published The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. Fans had been waiting for her next brilliant book and were not disappointed when she published Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. The book became a New York Times bestseller and an Oprah’s Book Club pick. Longlisted for the National Book Award, it was named one of the 10 best books of the year by The Washington Post and Publisher’s Weekly and one of the best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review.
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Maya Moore
Former WNBA star Maya Moore had been on a hiatus from the league since 2019 to seek justice for Jonathan Irons and help overturn his wrongful conviction. By 2019, she had already had four WNBA championships, a league MVP award, a 2011 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, and two Olympic gold medals under her belt (among other awards and accolades). But Maya put her phenomenal career on hold to help free Irons, who was sentenced to 50 years in prison at the age of 18 after being tried as an adult for a crime he didn’t commit. Little did she know that the man she helped free (they released him in July 2020) would become her husband. In September, she announced that she and Irons were married over the summer. Now, the happily married couple has a beautiful life ahead of them to share.
Copywriter by day, writer for life, Alicia Ivory has loved writing and storytelling for as long as she remembers. She has written copy, blog posts, website content, and more for a range of fashion brands including Foot Locker, Lands’ End, Century 21, Nautica, and TJ MAXX. She also writes fantasy and science fiction for kids, primarily with African American characters, and volunteers with organizations that promote the voices and varied experiences of African American authors and writers. Some examples include the Black Children’s Books & Authors (BCBA) and the Free Black Woman’s Society. Through BCBA, she edits articles written by underrepresented authors and coordinates with authors and their representatives for local events.
