Year in Review: The Best Black Cover Girls of 2015

We proved that we and our beauty mattered.

Black Girl Magazine Magic - Black girl magic was front and center in 2015. This year alone, we boasted a record-number magazine covers, gracing some of the most prestigious publications in the game. We combed through all of the covers — and there were a lot — and picked our top 15 cover girls of the year. By Kellee Terrell (Photos from left: Dazed Magazine, Autumn 2015; Interview Magazine, December 2014/January 2015; Vogue Magazine, October 2015)

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Black Girl Magazine Magic - Black girl magic was front and center in 2015. This year alone, we boasted a record-number magazine covers, gracing some of the most prestigious publications in the game. We combed through all of the covers — and there were a lot — and picked our top 15 cover girls of the year. By Kellee Terrell (Photos from left: Dazed Magazine, Autumn 2015; Interview Magazine, December 2014/January 2015; Vogue Magazine, October 2015)

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Serena Williams on Sports Illustrated - The Queen of tennis Serena Williams had a killer year, winning her 21 Grand Slam singles title. She also had plenty of magazine covers to choose from — but it’s this December Sports Illustrated issue naming her the Sportsperson of the Year that has all gushing over her total fierceness. (Photo: Yu Tsai for Sports Illustrated; December 21, 2015)

Lupita Nyong’o on Vogue - With her latest project, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, hitting theaters in December, we’re expecting to see a whole lot more of this Oscar-winning actress! And let’s start with her stunning Vogue cover (she's pictured here in Valentino Haute Couture), her second over all. Modeling the latest in fall couture collections, she also speaks about her next big projects and her process for shining on-screen. “My training at Yale is the core of the actor that I am. Before that I was just going on instinct...having my imagination take over. But Yale taught me that it’s about giving yourself permission to pretend.” By Britt Middleton (Photo: Vogue Magazine, October 2015)

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Lupita Nyong'o on Vogue - This is the fashion icon and Oscar-winning actress's second Vogue cover in over a year — many more to come. And this issue celebrated her role in the new Star Wars movie, plus show-stopping off-Broadway debut in Eclipsed, which heads to Broadway in 2016. (Photo: Vogue Magazine, October 2015)

Vintage Pin-Up - This sexy vintage pin-up look for the Feb/March 2015 issue of Uptown was one of Henson’s best covers yet. She addressed the media stereotypes of Black women and how she nuances her roles, especially that of Cookie. “I played a lot of characters that could’ve been borderline stereotypical women, but my job as an actress is to make the audience understand and empathize with the people. She [Cookie] wears me out, but I know this woman. I’ve done my research inside and out.” (Photo: Uptown Magazine, February/March 2015)

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Taraji P. Henson on Uptown - The veteran actress had a whirlwind year playing Cookie on the FOX hit show Empire — and the world took notice. This year alone, she’s graced more than half a dozen covers, including Glamour, W and Essence, but it’s this Uptown cover of her giving us ‘60s glam that’s the overall standout. (Photo: Uptown Magazine, February/March 2015)

Beyoncé on Interview Germany - The songstress rocks her favorite fishnet mask for the mag’s special collector’s issue, originally photographed by Mason Poole for the On the Run tour book. With her latest banger, "7/11,” permanently on loop in our heads, we can’t wait to see what Queen Bey has planned for 2015!  (Photo: Interview Magazine, December 2014/January 2015)

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Beyoncé on Interview - It’s odd that one of the most beautiful women in the world has her face covered, but this netted mask symbolized a huge year for Beyoncé: Her super successful joint concert “On the Run” tour with hubby Jay-Z. (Photo: Interview Magazine, December 2014/January 2015)

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Amandla Stenberg on Dazed - We applaud the 16-year-old actress for never biting her tongue, even when it comes to a divisive topic like cultural appropriation by white celebrities like Kylie Jenner. She tells the magazine that society shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the views of young people, when each of us has wisdom worth sharing. “I think people discredit teenagers and how wise they can be,” she says. “Sometimes I meet teenagers who are much wiser than many adults I’ve met, because they haven’t let any insecurities or doubts about themselves get in the way of their thoughts.” (Photo: Dazed Magazine, Autumn 2015)

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Amandla Stenburg on Dazed - Gracing the September issue of Dazed while invoking her inner Angela Davis — yassss! — the teen actress proved she’s much more than a Hunger Games movie star. She has become the newest face of Black feminism for Millennials and a much-needed watchdog for cultural appropriation. (Photo: Dazed Magazine, Autumn 2015)

Ava DuVernay on Elle - The Oscar-nominated director covers the magazine’s Women in Hollywood issue, and the interview she gives is empowering. She talks about her new series, Queen Sugar, premiering soon on OWN and her distribution company, ARRAY, which she hopes will get more Black films in theaters. “There’s a generation of filmmakers of color and women whose primary concern is that no one will see their work. And that is a huge barrier. They’re asking, ‘Why make something if no one will see it?” (Photo: Elle Magazine, November 2015)

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Ava DuVernay on ELLE - The Oscar-nominated Ava DuVernay has mastered of the art of breaking records and making history. From her sold-out Barbie to Selma being nominated for a Best Picture Oscar to being the first Black female director to grace the cover of the fashion bible ELLE — she’s a bada** and we all know it. (Photo: Elle Magazine, November 2015)

Misty Copeland on Time - This year is one that Misty Copeland will never forget. Not only was she named the first African-American principle dancer to the American Ballet Theater in over 60 years, but also Time named her one of the coveted Most Influential People of 2015. On this cover, we see the awesomeness that she possesses. (Photo: Time Magazine; April 27 - May 4, 2015)

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Misty Copeland on Time - This year is one that Misty Copeland will never forget. Not only was she named the first African-American principle dancer to the American Ballet Theater in over 60 years, but also Time named her one of the coveted Most Influential People of 2015. On this cover, we see the awesomeness that she possesses. (Photo: Time Magazine; April 27 - May 4, 2015)

Viola Davis on The Wrap - This Oscar-nominated lady in red always blows us away with her beauty, but it’s her skills as How to Get Away With Murder’s tormented and complicated Analise Keating that helped her seal her name in the history books forever. This fall, she became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series and she delivered the most amazing acceptance speech to date. (Photo: The Wrap; June 22, 2015)

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Viola Davis on The Wrap - This Oscar-nominated lady in red always blows us away with her beauty, but it’s her skills as How to Get Away With Murder’s tormented and complicated Analise Keating that helped her seal her name in the history books forever. This fall, she became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series and she delivered the most amazing acceptance speech to date. (Photo: The Wrap; June 22, 2015)

Laverne Cox on Variety - Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox not only kills it on Orange Is the New Black as Sophia Bursett, but she has helped revolutionize how the world sees transgender people — especially on the small and large screen. This Variety cover shows the queen looking like a straight up Hollywood boss. (Photo: Variety Magazine; May 5, 2015)

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Laverne Cox on Variety - Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox not only kills it on Orange Is the New Black as Sophia Bursett, but she has helped revolutionize how the world sees transgender people — especially on the small and large screen. This Variety cover shows the queen looking like a straight up Hollywood boss. (Photo: Variety Magazine; May 5, 2015)

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Nicki Minaj on Rolling Stone - The Pinkprint MC bares all about her past, revealing that she had an abortion when she was a teenager. She also shares why she’s not backing down from her mission: "I stand for girls wanting to be sexy and dance, but also having a strong sense of themselves,” she says in the new issue. (Photo: Rolling Stone Magazine, January 15, 2015)

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Nicki Minaj on Rolling Stone - One of the most talked about stars this year, Nicki Minaj looks sexy and real with her toned down look on the January cover of Rolling Stone. In this issue, the dominating hip-hop star bared her soul about her childhood, an abortion she had as a teenager, and her writing process. (Photo: Rolling Stone Magazine; January 15, 2015)

Zendaya on Hunger - The 19-year-old fashionista lands on her first European cover, the new issue of Hunger. On finding her voice, she tells the magazine, “Of course I’ve had a problem with people taking me seriously because of my age. People are always going do that because you’re less experienced, you haven’t lived as much. And in a sense it is true that there are certain things that you only learn with time. But I think that there are also a lot of things that young people know that older people don’t, and older people will never understand again because they’re in a different section of their lives.” (Photo: Hunger Magazine, October 2015)

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Zendaya on Hunger - She might be a young Disney star, but 19-year-old Zendaya is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is she beautiful as we see in Hunger’s September issue, but she is an outspoken young woman who stands up for what she believes and is not afraid of her Blackness, as we saw earlier this year when bullies tried to criticize her dreadlocks. You go, girl! (Photo: Hunger Magazine, September 2015)

Zoe Kravitz on Nylon - Yes, the Dope and Mad Max actress is a splitting image of her gorgeous mother, Lisa Bonet, but Kravitz has a unique beauty all of her own that is reflected in this August issue of Nylon. She talked candidly about struggling with an eating disorder, growing up in the shadow of famous parents and racism in Hollywood. Talk about speaking truth to power. (Photo: Nylon Magazine, August 2015)

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Zoe Kravitz on Nylon - Yes, the Dope and Mad Max actress is a splitting image of her gorgeous mother, Lisa Bonet, but Kravitz has a unique beauty all of her own that is reflected in this August issue of Nylon. She talked candidly about struggling with an eating disorder, growing up in the shadow of famous parents and racism in Hollywood. Talk about speaking truth to power. (Photo: Nylon Magazine, August 2015)

Gugu Mbatha-Raw on Town & Country - We’re all about the elegant long sleeves, gemstone buttons and Victorian-inspired skirt the Beyond the Lights star is working here. Inside, she chats about her “fun Cinderella moments” on the red carpet. (Photo: Town & Country Magazine, March 2015)

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Gugu Mbatha-Raw on Town & Country - This Concussion actress took our breath away in Belle and Beyond the Lights last year with her incredible range, which really can be a master class. She also stunned on the March cover of Town & Country, where the British beauty discussed the importance of being your authentic self and how she chooses roles. (Photo: Town & Country Magazine, March 2015)

Tracee Ellis Ross on Essence - Good gracious, Ms. Ross! Whatever she’s doing to maintain that figure, we need the details, stat! And we’ll take that whole ensemble, too. (Photo: Essence Magazine, March 2015)

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Tracee Ellis Ross on Essence - Tracee Ellis Ross may be the daughter of Motown legend Diana Ross, but never does she stand in her mother's shadow. For more than 15 years, the beautiful comedic actress has been a tour de force, most notably for her role as Rainbow in the ABC hit Blackish that scored her top billing on Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Issue. (Photo: Essence Magazine, March 2015)

Rihanna on Vanity Fair - Six years after being physically assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, Rih is speaking out about their troubled relationship. She tells the magazine she felt she was “that girl who felt that as much pain as this relationship is, maybe some people are built stronger than others. Maybe I’m one of those people built to handle s**t like this.” The interview is deeply personal, and one of particular value as October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Click here to read more about the signs and ways to get help. Separately, the pop star dishes on why race faker Rachel Dolezal is "a bit of a hero." She went there. (Photo: Vanity Fair Magazine, November 2015)

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Rihanna on Vanity Fair - The Good Girl Gone Bad went away for a minute, but came back with a vengeance in 2015 with her controversial “B*&ch Better Have My Money” video. Rocking fiery red hair, last month, the Barbados beauty discussed with Vanity Fair how her reputation isn’t her reality, her infamous sheer CDFA dress and her quest to keep her life private. (Photo: Vanity Fair Magazine, November 2015)