Black Women Who Had Their Best Year in 2020

Source: Star Tribune via Getty Images / Getty

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.