Who Won the Year? Ten Black Women Who Rocked 2015
Bree Newsome, Viola Davis, Zendaya and more.
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Black Girl Magic - We’re a few days from welcoming a new year, but before we say goodbye to 2015, we have to take a moment to recognize the Black women who dominated the year in more ways than one. From Zendaya’s constant slayage to Taraji P. Henson’s TV dominance and Amandla Stenberg holding it down for the young activists, here are 10 ladies who made us proud this year.— By Moriba Cummings(Photos from left: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for The Weinstein Co, Jason Merritt/Getty Images, Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Taraji P. Henson - 2015 was the year of Cookie. Taraji P. Henson took the year by storm from the get-go, becoming everyone’s favorite sassy mother/mogul on the hit series Empire. Her role as Cookie was so revolutionary that she was named Time’s Most influential Character of the year and even snagged Taraji a 2016 Golden Globe nomination.(Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Bree Newsome - Bree Newsome took Black Girl Magic to another level in 2015 when she was arrested for taking a stand for her people. In June, the activist scaled the 30-foot pole at the South Carolina State House to take down the Confederate battle flag herself. After the authorities brought the 30-year-old down, she became an instant national hero, especially in the Black community.(Photo: REUTERS/Adam Anderson /LANDOV)
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Lupita Nyong'o - After winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2013 for her role in 12 Years a Slave, Lupita Nyong’o was on everyone’s radar as Hollywood’s new “it girl,” and she didn’t disappoint. Following her win, the actress kept a low profile but kept working. Most recently, she starred in what is now the biggest film in history: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and is set to reprise her role as Maz Kanata in Star Wars: Episode VIII in 2017. That Lupita reign just won’t let up.(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Amandla Stenberg - Aside from being an amazing actress, Amandla Stenberg has a lot of other talents that came to the forefront in 2015. For one, she sings and released her first EP in August as a part of a folk-rock duo named Honeywater and co-authored the comic book Niobe: She Is Life in November. However, it is her unapologetic social activism and stance against cultural appropriation that made her one to watch in 2015. She showed that she's a no-nonsense type of girl and we love it.(Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images)
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Janet Jackson - Miss Jackson — if you're nasty — took a break from just about everything for a number of years, but made her grand return to the limelight in 2015 just in time to release her 11th studio album, Unbreakable, which topped the charts upon its debut. As if that wasn't enough, Janet embarked on the North American leg of her Unbreakable World Tour, sending her fans into a frenzy, and she's just getting started.(Photo: Landov)
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Ava DuVernay - Ava Duvernay took 2015 by storm, first with her massive direction of Selma, which took home an Oscar for Best Original Song for "Glory" at the 87th Academy Awards. But wait... there's more. It was announced this year that she will write, produce and direct a fictional account focusing on the "social environmental" aspects of Hurricane Katrina, has created and executive produced — in collaboration with Oprah Winfrey — a drama series and will executive produce and direct a CBS civil rights crime drama. As if that wasn't awesome enough, she was also given the Barbie treatment, with Mattel creating a doll in her likeness which sold out in minutes.(Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images for ELLE)
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Viola Davis - This year truly belonged to Viola Davis in many more ways than one. For one, she made history, becoming the first African-American woman, as well as the first Black woman of any nationality, to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — who could forget that amazing speech? Also, she's starred in one of the top-ranking shows on Thursday nights all year: How to Get Away With Murder. Her slay will continue into 2016 as she is set to star in the highly anticipated film Suicide Squad.(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Serena Williams - This year was one of triumph for Serena Williams and she didn't even win in the actual sense. After making it all the way to the 2015 U.S. Open, the athlete lost to Roberta Vinci. Following the loss, Serena made headlines for her strength and superiority as a sports icon and went on to snag the cover of Sports Illustrated, by whom she was named Sportsperson of the Year.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
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Misty Copeland - She's been the dancer to watch for years and was finally recognized for her epicness in 2015 when she became the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the 75-year history of the American Ballet Theatre. Documenting her journey, Misty starred in a doc titled A Ballerina's Tale earlier this year.(Photo: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)
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Zendaya - It's pretty safe to say that Zendaya Coleman was the role model of the year as she exemplified exactly what it means to be a Black girl who rocks in 2015. The 19-year-old, who looked gorgeous rocking her faux locs at the 87th Academy Awards, became the topic of scrutiny on E!'s Fashion Police when host Giuliana Rancic joked about what she must have "smelled like." Well, Z took that as an opportunity to shine light on why her African heritage and locs, in particular, mean so much to her and her community and the E! correspondent was instantly silenced. Since then, she's gone on to cover various magazines and starred in several TV shows, including ABC's black-ish.(Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images)