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Black History Month: 10 Trailblazing Women Changing The Future You Need To Know

Be it established women in publishing or newcomers in the music industry, these women will be in the history books of tomorrow.

By Team ELLE
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This Black History Month we have decided to look forwards, as well as backwards, at the amazing Black women who are making history. From winning Grammy awards to creating beautiful, yet political clothing, they are all making moves in their fields of expertise - be it in publishing, or beauty.

These women, from the established to the newcomers, will be in the history books of the future, carving the way for more Black individuals to make their mark on the world.

Here are the 10 Black women making history that you need to know:

1

Mowalola Ogunlesi

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At only 25 years old, Nigerian-born, London-based Mowalola Ogunlesi has carved out a space for herself in the competitive fashion industry, with provocative and powerful designs under her namesake brand.

The designer, who works largely with PVC and leather, takes great pains to create fashion that challenges people and 'screams [her] lived experience as a Black person'.

She's already dressed huge names like Naomi Campbell at the supermodel's Fashion for Relief gala, as well as Kim Kardashian and Solange, and was recently named Design Director of Kanye West's Yeezy Gap initiative.

2

Tobi Kyeremateng

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Tobi Kyeremateng is a producer, writer and entrepreneur who uses film, plays, events and community programmes to document the Black British and diasporic culture experience. At the same time, she strives to make her work accessible for all.

In 2017 - aware of the white elitism that runs through the theatre industry - Tobi launched the Black Ticket Project, which provides free show tickets for young, Black working-class people, partnering with iconic London theatres like The Old Vic and The National.

Tobi's talent is multilayered, having recently produced the Royal Court’s production of My White Best Friend (and Other Letters Left Unsaid) and poet Julianknxx’s short film In Praise Of Still Boys, while writing her first non-fiction book Theatre Sh*t and working on a BBC and Institute of Contemporary Arts audio-documentary called Rave Rituals.

3

Ngozi Onwurah

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Thos Robinson//Getty Images

Ngozi Onwurah is the first Black British female director to have a film released in UK cinemas (and she remained the only Black woman behind a full-length British feature film until 2004). The film in question was the 1995 dystopian indie, Welcome II The Terrordome – which at the time was mischaracterised as 'angry', and criticised for being 'unaware of how Black concerns have become far more global in the more peaceable 1990s' in a review which this year was removed from Empire magazine's website.

In recent months, during the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, it's been given renewed recognition, with The Guardian declaring that the film has 'finally found its moment'.

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4

Simi Lindgren

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Lindgren is a tech entrepreneur and the founder of YUTYBAZAR - the new AI driven, inclusive beauty marketplace that you’ll be shopping, ASAP. After an award-winning career in MarComms tech, she focussed her talents on developing personalisation algorithms for the underserved and undervalued who were tired of not finding the right beauty products for them. Which is where YUTYBAZAR comes in.

The first Black-owned AI driven beauty destination, YUTYBAZAR aims to elevate indie beauty brands created by underrepresented founders, while serving up a more accurate product range for a totally inclusive customer base. In short, it’s a beauty game-changer.

5

Balanda Atis

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If there’s one woman you can thank for the few major beauty brands that have truly inclusive foundation shade ranges, it’s Balanda Atis.

The Director of Face & Multi-Cultural Beauty for L’Orèal, Atis has been the driving force behind expanding make-up shade ranges to suit all Black skin tones (rather than just a token one or two) among brands that range from Lancôme and Maybelline, to Urban Decay and Armani, to name just a few.

Through her pioneering cosmetic science and education, Atis has worked behind the scenes for years, to change the game for Black women who deserve to have access to mainstream beauty products that cater to their skin tone (minus the old school ashy finish). No longer an afterthought, Atis has brought make-up for Black women to the forefront, precisely where it should be.

6

Magdalene Abraha

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A Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) graduate, at 25-year-old Abraha started her career in journalism, becoming one of the Independent newspaper’s youngest columnists.

In 2019, Abraha was voted one of the Bookseller’s Rising Stars and, earlier this year, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, for her contributions to the media and literature sector and awarded the LBF Trailblazer award. A ground-breaking publisher at Black-owned independent publishing house Jacaranda Books, Abraha is part of the team behind the award winning #Twentyin2020 initiative, which committed to elevating the work of 20 Black writers this year.

In early 2021, Abraha will launch her long-awaited book series, A Quick Ting On - the first and only non-fiction book series dedicated to Black British culture. The series will initially debut eight new, young Black writers who’ve written on subjects like the Black British power movement, Afrobeats and plantain.

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7

Koffee

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Koffee, born Mikayla Simpson in Spanish Town, Jamaica, made history when she became the first woman and youngest- ever winner of Best Reggae Album at the 2020 Grammys.

'They’re male-dominated industries, reggae and dancehall, so there’s a fear that it won’t work out if you’re female; that maybe it’s safer to stick to being a doctor or a lawyer,' the 20-year-old told i-D of her accomplishments. 'It’s a struggle but I’m staying positive, doing what my environment allows me.'

With 1.2 million Instagram followers to her name, a viral video (courtesy of Usain Bolt) under her belt, and a rumoured role in co-writing on Rihanna's next album, Koffee is an artist of the future.

8

Holly Fischer

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At just 16 years old, Holly Fischer has already reached career heights those twice her age would be impressed by.

Having played her first Junior Wimbledon at 14, and now being a fixture on the International Tennis Federation Circuit, British Fischer is a rising star in the tennis world.

And, as if this wasn't enough, the 5ft 9 athlete opened for JW Anderson's AW20 show. 'I went to the casting in London and then I got a call back. There were so many girls at the casting that I never even expected to get picked for the show,' the ELLE List star recently explained. 'When I heard that I was walking, I was so happy. Opening the show was a complete surprise. I only found out yesterday. I’m so glad I got to start with such a cool brand.'

9

Celeste

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Following in the footsteps of musical heavyweights such as Adele, Haim and Ellie Goulding, Celeste became BBC Music's Sound of 2020.

The British-Jamaican soul singer, whose killer personal style has nabbed her front row seats at Gucci's fashion shows, was placed on our own ELLE List of 2020, not least for being Editor-In-Chief Farrah Storr's 'sound of 2020'.

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10

Margaret Busby

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Born in Ghana and educated in the UK, London University graduate Margaret Busby became the first Black woman and youngest publisher in Britain when she co-founded the Allison and Busby publishing house in the 1960s. As A&B’s editorial director for 20 years, she championed the work of acclaimed authors including Buchi Emecheta and Nuruddin Farah, as well as publishing Sam Greenlee’s widely-rejected novel The Spook Who Sat by the Door.

Following a move to Earthscan Publications to become its Editorial Director, Busby commenced a freelance career, writing for newspapers, the radio and the stage, in addition to judging numerous literary awards and chairing the judges for the 2020 Booker Prize.

During the Nineties, Busby compiled the Daughters of Africa and New Daughters of Africa anthologies, which brought together more than 400 writers of Africa descent, among whom many donated their fees to create a scholarship for Black, female students at SOAS, University of London.

Appointed an OBE for services to literature and publishing in 2006 and a recipient of the Royal Society of Literature’s Benson Medal, it’s certain that without Busby’s tireless efforts to amplify the work and presence of Black creatives, the literary landscape would be unrecognisable.

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