Black History Month: 7 Black Women Leaders to Inspire You

It’s become common to suggest that women are the future of leadership. Proven to be more empathetic and effective in crises, more women are taking the lead in industries and movements all around the world.

Considering this trend alongside Black History Month, we wanted to get to know some of today’s most brilliant and trendsetting Black women leaders –– all of whom are making the world a much more promising and inclusive place every day.

Let’s recognize and celebrate these seven incredible Black women and their accomplishments together!

Sheila Johnson

Sheila Johnson made history as the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), the first cable network dedicated to Black audiences. Launched in 1980 with her then-husband Robert Johnson, BET became one of the most successful Black-owned media companies in the world. When Viacom acquired the network for $3 billion in 2001, Johnson became the first Black woman billionaire in America and a pioneer among Black women entrepreneurs.

Beyond BET, Johnson has continued to build a powerful business empire. She is the founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, a luxury hospitality brand with properties across the U.S. and the Caribbean. She also holds ownership stakes in three major sports teams: the Washington Wizards (NBA), the Washington Capitals (NHL), and the Washington Mystics (WNBA), making her the first Black woman to be an owner or partner in these professional leagues. A strong advocate for education and the arts, Johnson serves on numerous boards and continues to inspire Black women entrepreneurs and women in business with her trailblazing career.

Janice Bryant Howroyd

Janice Bryant Howroyd is the founder and CEO of ActOne Group, a staffing and workforce solutions company that she started in 1978. She made history as the first African-American woman to own a billion-dollar staffing company. What began as a small business in a one-room office has grown into a leading workforce solutions provider, with clients across various industries including technology, finance, and retail. Her success has solidified her place among Black women entrepreneurs who have transformed their industries.

Howroyd’s entrepreneurial journey has been shaped by her determination, resourcefulness, and commitment to excellence. She is a strong advocate for diversity in the workplace and has used her platform to mentor and empower others, particularly women of color, to succeed in business. In addition to her business achievements, Howroyd has been a prominent speaker on topics like leadership, business development, and diversity making her an influential voice among Black women entrepreneurs.

Her commitment to giving back has led her to support various causes, including education and women’s empowerment. She continues to inspire as one of the most successful African-American female entrepreneurs in the U.S., paving the way for future generations of Black women entrepreneurs.

Miko Branch

Miko Branch is the co-founder and CEO of Miss Jessie’s, one of the most well-known natural hair care brands in the industry. Founded in the early 2000s alongside her late sister, Titi Branch, Miss Jessie’s helped revolutionize the way Black women entrepreneurs and consumers approach natural hair care. At a time when mainstream beauty brands largely ignored textured hair, Miss Jessie’s became a pioneer, offering products specifically designed for curly, coily, and kinky hair types.

The inspiration for Miss Jessie’s came from the sisters’ own experience. Raised by a single mother, they experimented with homemade hair treatments and developed formulas that worked for their own curls. In 2004, they launched their breakthrough product, Curly Pudding, which quickly became a bestseller. Today, Miss Jessie’s is sold in major retailers such as Target and Walmart, and it remains a leading brand in the natural hair movement. Miko Branch continues to run the company and advocate for self-love and empowerment in the beauty industry, inspiring a new generation of Black women entrepreneurs in the beauty space.

Ursula Burns

Between 2009 and 2016, Ursula Burns made history as the very first Black woman entrepreneur to serve as a Fortune 500 CEO. A graduate in mechanical engineering with advanced degrees from Columbia University and Georgetown University to name a few, Burns began work at Xerox when she was just 19. Over the next 30 years, she would attain numerous senior positions before finally becoming president in 2007. While most people know Burns as the first African-American woman to hold such a position, another interesting fact is that she was also the first woman to succeed another woman in a Fortune 500 company.

Burns has also served as chairman at VEON (the world’s 11th-largest telecoms service provider), vice-chair of the President’s Export Council under the Obama administration, and as a founding member of a STEM education non-profit called Change the Equation. In 2021, she published her first memoir, titled Where You Are Is Not Who You Are, further inspiring Black women entrepreneurs and professionals in leadership.

Jedidah Isler

Jedidah Isler not only cracked the glass ceiling women face in STEM –– she shattered it. A contemporary example of the growth of women in leadership positions, Isler has been a prominent name in STEM for several years now. In 2014, she became the first African-American woman to receive an astrophysics Ph.D. from Yale University. In the following years, she became a TED fellow twice. And on top of all this, she also received coveted fellowships from NASA, NSF, and the Ford Foundation.

More recently, Isler has taken the helm of various STEM initiatives. These include the STEM en Route to Change Foundation, where she’s co-founder and executive director. This not-for-profit organization is dedicated to using STEM to champion social justice. Meanwhile, Isler also served as a member of the NASA review team during the Biden-Harris transition. Just last year, she was also named the new assistant director of STEM Opportunity and Engagement within the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Chelsea Miller

The Black Lives Matter movement will forever represent a defining moment in U.S. history. At the forefront of BLM are many brave young men and women, unafraid to march for the cause. One of these is Columbia University graduate Chelsea Miller. a Black woman entrepreneur and activist. Co-founder of the activist group Freedom March NYC, Miller and her friends began an initiative to re-shift the focus to the actual message of BLM (which has often been intentionally distorted by disingenuous opponents). A grassroots organization, Freedom March NYC hosts peaceful protests that call for accountability and justice among the systems that regularly persecute people of color.

Notably, this isn’t Miller’s first experience affecting change. As a fifth grader, she led a peaceful protest with other children to get Black history accurately included in their curriculum. It worked. Later, as part of the last intern class in the Obama administration, Miller says she learned a leadership style that involves seeing hope and power within people. Today, she continues to inspire Black women entrepreneurs and leaders to use their voices for change.

Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett

As the lead scientist behind the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine team, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a Black woman entrepreneur in the field of science and medicine, has been credited with the production of the vaccines in such record time. A long-time medical team leader on coronavirus spike proteins and mRNA vaccine technology, Kizzmekia Corbett spent a year and a half designing an effective shot.

Even after successfully launching the vaccine, Corbett has continued on a crusade for greater vaccine awareness. She regularly guests on TV and social media outlets, from Sesame Street to Michelle Obama’s Instagram account, to help build public trust make information access equitable. Corbett was named one of Time’s Heroes of the Year and in 2022 she received the Inspiring Women in Science Achievement Award. 

Today, she’s an assistant professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she teaches immunology and infectious diseases, continuing to inspire Black women entrepreneurs and leaders in STEM.

Throughout history, women of color have unjustly been treated with biases that have seen them kept out of leadership roles. Even today, only 4.4% of all leadership roles are filled by women of color.

This is despite these women often having the same (if not greater) training, capabilities, and experiences as their counterparts. For these reasons, it’s important that we always remember that aside from a gender gap, we also need to address a racial disparity that affects women.

The amazing women on this list are doing just that, but we should also be doing our part each day. Together, we can build a future where every woman can reach their full potential. It’s safe to say, the world will be better for it!

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