Black-Ass Women Made the Decade
Welcome to the 56th installment of This Black-Ass Life! This is our last newsletter of the year, so we wanted to dedicate it to some of the Black women who made the decade. Y’all, Black women DID that.
Don’t forget: We've managed to grow this list thanks to y'all forwarding to friends so please keep it up! Forward this link to subscribe to five friends. And send us topics you'd like to see covered, texts from your Black-ass people, and any Black-ass anything from around the world and web.
l. The Facts
Black women dominated and defined media, activism, politics, arts and overall culture. Please note this list is long, but not exhaustive because it’s impossible for us to recount each Black woman who shaped and blessed the decade.
CULTURE
Beyoncé
Beyoncé stopped the world when she dropped her self-titled album. She had the fastest selling album on iTunes, made surprise drop albums the norm and essentially switched album release days from Tuesday to Friday.
She kept us up late for the HBO premiere of Lemonade, a love letter to Black womanhood that further proved she is one of one.
Bey renamed Coachella to Beychella in her history-making tribute to Black culture and HBCUs.
Yoncé did all of this while birthing three babies and dealing with both Matthew and Jay’s mess, and came out an ICON.
Sports
Jemele Hill left a sportscaster's dream job because she refused to abandon her principles and now she’s a successful journalist, podcast host and merch salesperson.
Serena is the decade’s most important athlete, she is a proud Black woman who never misses an opportunity to give it back to the culture and she birthed the perfect child in Olympia.
Simone Biles is the most dominant gymnast ever in the history of the sport. Gabby Douglas won gold in 2012 and contended with the ugliest misogynoir.
Television
Shonda Rhimes, noted television show creator and writer of the legitimately good movie Crossroads, literally owned a night of primetime television with TGIT. Netflix is next!
Black women on Twitter saved Scandal from cancellation.
Laverne Cox is the first openly trans woman to win a Daytime Emmy as an Executive Producer, has a hit song and has moved people in her roles on the big screen and the tv screen.
With Janet Mock’s major Netflix deal, she is the first out trans woman to call the creative shots at a major content company. Also, POSE.
Creators
Pat McGrath is the most influential make-up artist in the world.
From Queen Sugar to When They See Us to 13th, Ava DuVernay is changing the film industry for the better. She’s even helping other creators of color through her new production company.
Quinta Brunson, Lala Milan, Khadi Don and other Black women online content creators redefined what’s possible on social media and beyond.
Supa Cent, Jackie Aina and other beauty influencers became beauty moguls.
The Read and Another Round helped pave the way for Black podcasters and podcasters of color.
Music
Nicki Minaj’s contribution to rap music is far too slept on. No matter how you feel about the rapper, she shifted culture and is the first woman ever with 100 Billboard Hot 100 entries. And she taught us to never accept the pickle juice.
Rihanna was one of the most successful artists of the decade, gave us the perfect album in Anti and then proceeded to make Fenty into a billion dollar brand.
Lizzo and Cardi B both had record-breaking streaks at number one on the charts.
JUSTICE
BLM
Black Lives Matter, founded by three Black women, ushered in a new civil rights era that brought international attention to systemic racism and violence toward Black people in the U.S.
Mothers of the Movement, the group of Black women whose children were killed by police channeled their righteous indignation into changing the course of history by passing legislation, winning public office and ensuring that this movement was never a moment.
Electoral
After voter suppression “won” the Georgia gubernatorial election for her white male opponent, Stacey Abrams launched several new organizations to promote voting rights, secured the 2020 U.S. census and started a new think-tank.
Last year, 19 Black women ran and won every single judge seat in Harris County, Texas. NINE new Black Members of Congress won in predominantly white districts and we now have 22 Black women in Congress. Black women won the Alabama senatorial race for themselves in 2017.
Kamala Harris made history as the second Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate and her ability to put white men in their place during senate hearings? Legendary.
MESS
Michelle Obama has had wonderfully messy moments, from the Melania gift hand-off and the Boehner-influenced eye roll, to talking that talk about Lean In.
Aretha threatened Dionne Warwick via a “lengthy fax” to the AP. A QUEEN.
Cardi is willing to move forward, but we’ll never forget that night at Harper’s Bazaar with Nicki.
Mona Scott-Young is queen of reality tv and serves as creator and executive producer of all her shows.
Wendy Williams is an icon of being problematic, but we cannot deny her huge influence.
BABIES
Famous Black women gave us perfect babies. Here are a few:
Wonderfully named Olympia is such a boss that even her doll Qai Qai is famous.
Nothing brings joy like shady baby Kaavia’s tagged locations on Instagram.
RHOA babies Ace, Blaze, Brooklyn and Pilar melt the heart.
Kulture is a living doll.
II. Other Things
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Mitu):
Tamar Braxton’s “Sleigh Ride” is a must-listen this time of year. And get Mariah to number one please!
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Jumoke) look forward to my family’s Christmas tradition of watching Widow’s Cot, a Nollywood movie about women murdering their husbands to get rich. My dad, the only man in the house, does not like this film.
I (Mitu) look forward to Spies in Disguise. I love an animated movie and am so intrigued by this era of Will Smith.
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Dad
Thank you to Tobi’s dad who wished us all safe travels to here and there this holiday season.
Stay Black, thrive and invest in Black women. We’ll hit your inbox next on January 6.