The Black American Power Players Shaping Culture Today
It’s Black History Month, and here at Yahoo Style, we acknowledge, appreciate and hold dear the work and sacrifices of influential black people who have come before us, changing life for all people. Their contributions should never be forgotten, but this time, we want to look to the present and ultimately, the future, paying homage to the people shaping our culture today, creating not just black history, but American history right now. Every day, we will highlight an influential man or woman who is changing the social, political, and cultural landscape now and for future generations.
Our influencers come from the worlds of art, journalism, music, film and of course, fashion. See who made our list and how they’re shaping our world today.
1. Ava DuVernay – The DirectHer
It seems that director Ava DuVernay’s name has been on the lips of almost everyone since the release of Selma, which was nominated for Best Picture of the Year at the 2015 Oscars. Although she didn’t win, the 43-year-old DuVernay is the first black female director to be nominated for a Best Director Golden Globe and has been a vocal advocate for creating a level playing field in Hollywood, which remains painfully white and male-dominated. As she recently told the New York Times, “There’s a belonging problem in Hollywood. Who dictates who belongs? The very body who dictates that looks all one way.”
DuVernay is doing her part to create opportunities for those in Hollywood who don’t quite belong – women and people of color – most recently announcing plans to hire only female directors for her upcoming OWN series, Queen Sugar, inspired by the novel by Natalie Baszile, about a woman who inherits a Louisiana sugarcane farm. She is also working on a romance/ murder mystery film with Selma star David Oyelowo which takes place around the time of Hurricane Katrina.
Besides this impressive and still-growing list of accomplishments, DuVernay is one of the few directors that can say they have a Barbie doll immortalized in their likeness. DuVernay’s Barbie, which was created as part of the brand’s Sheroes collection, has since sold out.
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