10 Everyday Black Women Who Are Changing The World Around Them

Flip through any list of inspirational Black women and you will immediately see the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama and the President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. But what about the everyday woman? Some women have endured immeasurable loss, some have witnessed horrible atrocities, and others have given a voice to those suffering in silence. Whatever the motivation, these everyday Black women are making a difference in the world around them through business and activism. Get inspired. Nefertiti Martin and Emily Carpenter Nefertiti and Emily embody the best attributes of their generation: creativity, fearlessness, and a powerful belief that each individual can change the world. The youth activists are making a difference in New York and the world, with an emphasis on empowering girls like them. Nefertiti is a self-identified “queer young woman from the Bronx,” who serves as the community organizer for the nonprofit Girls for Gender Equity. She’s a tireless activist for LGBT youth and communities of color. Emily, a former Sisters in Strength youth activist with Girls for Gender Equity, is a high school senior, youth activist, playwright and poet. Nefertiti has practiced her activism as a member of a number of organizations, including The Possibility Project, FIERCE, the Hetrick-Martin Institute, In the Life Media, the Lesbian Cancer Initiative and Theatre Askew Youth Performance Experience. Heloisa Assis Heloisa Assis comes from a poor family of 13 children and grew up in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. When she was 9 years old, she began to work as a maid and cleaner to help bring money home. While growing up, Assis felt pressured to straighten her hair but eventually grew tired of it. "I wasn't happy about it, but I kept straightening my hair until I was 21. Then I said - enough. I want to wear my hair naturally," she said. Despite a large population of people of African descent living in Brazil, many of the salons catered to women of European descent. After a longtime struggle finding natural hair salons, Assis left her job as a domestic maid and convinced her husband to sell the Volkswagen Beetle he used as a taxi. They invested $1,500 to open a small beauty parlor in 1993. That was the beginning of Beleza Natural - Portuguese for "natural beauty." Today, the company has 12 shops in Rio, Bahia and Espirito Santo. It started with four employees. Now there are more than 1,400. According to Assis, "We were offering something innovative that didn't exist in the market." Kim Foster, For Harriet Harvard University graduate Kim Foster launched a website during her undergraduate years to provide an online community for women of African descent to engage in honest dialogue about the complexities of Black womanhood. Foster offers women the opportunity to read and submit engaging, timely, and thought-provoking articles about Black womanhood that spark much-needed conversations on three different websites: For Harriet, "celebrating the fullness of Black womanhood"; Shine, "where Black women take center stage"; and Soar, "elevating the creative brilliance of Black women." According to the Foster's website, "For Harriet seeks to raise the level of discourse surrounding Black women and provide a thoughtful, collaborative alternative to mainstream media representations of Black womanhood. Thus, For Harriet seeks to explore all parts of who we are and who we hope to be." Marceline Kongolo-Bicé Marceline Kongolo-Bice grew up surrounded by war in the Congo’s Maniema province. At age 13, Marceline's refusal to marry a local commandant landed her family in jail. Eventually, Marceline's family fled from Maniema for Kisangani, but she lost her father and older brother to militia gunfire along the way. On her family's continuous journey for safety, Marceline witnessed the rampant rape and massacre of women. She would eventually settle in Fizi, in Southern Congo. In 2003, Marceline founded SOS Femmes en Dangers, a grassroots non-governmental organization (NGO) that aids rape victims. The organization works to rehabilitate the victims, to build back the confidence they need to reconnect with their families and communities, and to empower women so that they may better know their rights and defend themselves. Karen Byrd Karen Byrd was reminded by her 12 and 14-year old daughters that the more things change, the more they remain the same. In 2011, Byrd founded Natural Girls United after strolling through a local toy store with her daughters to find that the dolls offered still lacked diversity. The story is even more personal for Byrd, who admitted to HuffPost that her white barbie dolls left her feeling insecure. “I had dolls that were gorgeous, but they didn’t look like me," she said. "When I looked in the mirror, I would be confused — like, am I beautiful?” Byrd's company customizes dolls with natural hairstyles and has grown to include clients from United Kingdom, Australia and Africa. The entrepreneur states on her website, "There is a serious need for our young girls to be able to have dolls that look like them. It is something that affects their self-esteem and confidence, and how they feel about themselves. But each day we learn that it is important to show them and teach them that their beauty is beautiful." Amy Oyekunle Amy Oyekunle grew up on the same street as a girls’ orphanage in Nigeria. She remembered how the girls struggled, and she vowed to make life better for them and for all Nigerian girls. Today, Amy stands at the heart of the women's movement in Nigeria. As executive director of the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy, an NGO that advances democracy and development in Africa by supporting women’s and girls’ leadership, she has overseen the training of 2,900 young women in economic empowerment and prevention of gender-based violence. Most recently, Amy has been at the forefront of electoral participation efforts leading up to the 2008 and 2011 elections in Nigeria. Amy works tirelessly to build the capacity of young women and female political aspirants and ensure they are included in the process of politics and decision-making. Elaina Watkins In 2006, Elaina Watkins' oldest son Craig was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A form of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Watkins' son's diagnosis raised her consciousness about the chemicals her family was exposed to. In a recent interview Watkins said she "learned that there were many synthetic and toxic ingredients in the skincare products we were using, so I started making my own at home. I discovered an additional benefit to making all natural products as many of the skin problems my family and I were suffering from – such as dry and irritated skin – soon disappeared. I started Blue Marble Body Care to enrich and empower the lives of women and their families with nutrient-rich skincare and with education (through blogs and ‘Do It Yourself’ videos) on caring for the skin naturally." Sadly, Watkins' son passed away. Earlier this summer, Watkins' revealed she will close Blue Marble Body Care but intends to continue her journey through "writing, speaking, traveling and so much more." Dambisa Moyo Zambian-born international economist Dambisa Moyo is known for her groundbreaking work surrounding finance infrastructure in developing countries. Her 2009 book, "Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa," argues that African economies rely too heavily on foreign aid. Instead she advocates for a push to increase African foreign investments and micro-finance initiatives in local communities throughout the continent. Through her controversial work, Mayo has put a critical perspective on the foreign aid to Africa and has shed light into an issue that has been overlooked in the field of global poverty alleviation. In her 2012 book, "Winner Takes All: China's Race for Resources and What it Means for the World," she examines how the scarcity of the world’s resources will soon greatly affect the political and economic global infrastructure. China, she argues, seems to have already won the race by securing resource-rich areas across the world, primarily in Africa. Moyo has an appetite for learning, she holds several degrees including a doctorate (D.Phil.) in Economics from St Antony's College, Oxford University; a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government; a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from American University in Washington D.C. Aja Brown In July of this year, Aja Brown was sworn in as the new mayor of Compton, California. Brown's family is from Compton, but when her grandmother was murdered during what is described as a "violent home invasion rape and robbery" in the city in the 1970s, Brown's mother decided to move away. But as Brown grew older, she found her way back. She went on to earn multiple degrees in urban planning and economic development, including a bachelor’s and a master’s on a full undergraduate scholarship at the University of Southern California. After a ten-year stint in urban planning and economic development in some of LA’s surrounding communities—including a prestigious post on the Pasadena Planning Commission—she decided to focus on Compton, a city badly in need of urban planning and economic development. In Brown's own words, "My neighborhood is very mixed and hip—we’re ready to have a renaissance." Hydeia Broadbent Hydeia Broadbent was abandoned as an infant at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas before Patricia and Loren Broadbent adopted her. The new parents would learn that their daughter was HIV positive after her biological mother and brother tested positive. Doctors believed Broadbent wouldn't live past the age of 5. At 29 years old Broadbent is now an activist and public speaker. She travels the country speaking on behalf of the Magic Johnson Foundation, with AIDS activist organizations, and as part of her own continued efforts (HydeiaBroadbent.com) to raise awareness around HIV and AIDS. As a child diagnosed with HIV in the late 1980s, Broadbent faced discrimination on a regular basis, and she uses those experiences to educate her audiences.

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