Black Women Who Had Their Best Year in 2020

Source: Conde Nast / Getty

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.