Forty Under 40 Making History

See the ladies blazing a path in sports, music and more.

Alek Wek - With her rich, ebony skin, cherub cheeks a closely shorn head, the South Sudanese model broke down the barriers of mainstream beauty and continues to enhance the path for women following in her footsteps. Outside the world of modeling, the 37-year-old continues her work as a humanitarian, serving on the U.S. Committee for Refugees Advisory Council since 2002. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images For Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week)
Mo’ne Davis - The 13-year-old pitcher’s athletic prowess made her a household name during last summer’s Little League World Series, and she went on to be named by the Associated Press as the 2014 Female Athlete of the Year, the youngest athlete to ever receive the honor. She told BET.com of her success, “Well, about girl power…girls are just better than boys. I gotta keep girls up there on the same level of boys like, ‘You could do anything a boy can do.’” (Photo: Sports Illustrated)
Rachel Johnson - All-star athletes turn to Rachel Johnson when they need to get glam for the red carpet. She has worked her magic on Amar'e Stoudemire, LeBron James and Serena Williams. Johnson also started her own company, Thomas Faison Agency. Fashionable and business savvy! (Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Jane Is Someone to Look Up To - Yes, we have female characters that are driven and powerful (Think: Scandal’s Olivia Pope, HTGAWM’s Annabelle Keating and The Good Wife’s Kalinda Sharma to name a few). But it’s nice for younger women of color to have a role model to look up to as well. Jane is a college student, has a job, helps her family and has dreams of being a teacher and a writer. (Photo: Danny Feld/The CW -- © 2014 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved)Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 37, is an award-winning Nigerian novelist and poet. Beyoncé notably sampled a piece from Adichie’s 2012 TEDx Talk, entitled "We should all be feminists,” on her hit song “Flawless.” Adichie’s efforts to bring equality for women, specifically in the African and African-American communities, handily earns her a spot on our list.  (Photo: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

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Rachel Johnson - All-star athletes turn to Rachel Johnson when they need to get glam for the red carpet. She has worked her magic on Amar'e Stoudemire, LeBron James and Serena Williams. Johnson also started her own company, Thomas Faison Agency. Fashionable and business savvy! (Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

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