Black women singing the praises of other black women is truly a beautiful thing—and one we can’t get enough of here at The Glow Up. We love seeing it wherever we can find it, which is why we’re loving Refinery29's second annual “Black Is the New Black” list of ten black female game-changers, from KiKi Layne to Kamala Harris.
While the feature includes the voices of women like Misty Copeland and Carol’s Daughter founder Lisa Price, not all of these dynamos are household names. Melissa Butler, founder of The Lip Bar, ballerina Erica Lall and chef Adrienne Cheatham may not be known by everyone (yet), but they are low-key stars in their own right.
The best part? Most of these black women are profiled by other well-known black women—including legendary supermodel Beverly Johnson on newcomer Adut Akech, White House press corps vet April Ryan on Yamiche Alcindor, or one of the original not-afraid-of-the-raunch rappers Trina on the phenomenon that is City Girls. And newly-minted representative and mother of Jordan Davis, Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), speaking on Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)? Whether or not Harris has your vote in 2020, the impact of the incredible McBath speaking on the inspiration she’s drawn from Harris is not to be dismissed.
You can read each of the 10 profiles on Refinery29, but just so you know what kind of sister-love we’re talking about, you can look forward to:
Senator Kamala Harris by Rep. Lucy McBath
Ballerina Erica Lall by Ballerina Misty Copeland
Supermodel Adut Akech by Supermodel Beverly Johnson
Beauty CEO Melissa Butler by Beauty CEO Lisa Price
Chef Adrienne Cheatham by Chef Carla Hall
Actress KiKi Layne
SNL Castmember and Comedian Ego Nwodim
Author Tomi Adeyemi
Rappers City Girls by Rapper Trina
White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor by White House correspondent April Ryan