Top 25 trailblazers who define the modern black woman

MAYA ANGELOU - Although she worked with both Malcolm X and Dr. King, Maya Angelou endeared herself with black women long before she blessed President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration with “On the Pulse of Morning.” The poems “Phenomenal Woman” and “Still I Rise” not only engendered pride in a generation of black women but captured the cadence and rhythm of black female speech and movement while also tapping into the cultural uniqueness that makes us proclaim “I’m a woman/Phenomenally/Phenomenal woman/That’s me.” (AP Photo/Kristie Bull/Graylock.com)

MARY J. BLIGE - Since the first day we spied her in the “You Remind Me” video rocking various hairstyles and outfits, kicking it hip-hop style but keeping it soulful, Mary J. Blige has represented the urban everyday girl. The “queen of hip-hop soul” has risen from being a fatherless, high school dropout to the top of the charts, all the while battling issues of low self-esteem and self-doubt, inspiring millions of young, black women along the way that they can do it too. Urbangirl glam is definitely a Mary J. Blige trademark but so is self-growth and self-discovery. (Photo by Dario Cantatore/PictureGroup) via AP IMAGES

DIAHANN CARROLL -- Her 1968 series Julia changed the game for black women on television. Playing a nurse and a single mother, Carroll’s Julia was poised, well-spoken, professional, beautiful and a devoted mother. When she joined Dynasty in the 1980s, she turned up the heat as Dominique Deveraux, proving that black women of a certain age could be just as glamorous and treacherous as Joan Collins’ Alexis. At 74, she’s still representing, proving that ageless beauty and glamour never go out of style. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

SHIRLEY CHISHOLM -- Not only did this cofounder of the Black Congressional Caucus become the first black woman to be elected to Congress when she defeated black Republican and Congress of Racial Equality founder James Farmer in 1968, but her 1972 presidential bid, before Jesse Jackson, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, makes her the first woman and African American to run for president in the modern era. (AP Photo/PBS, Courtesy of Arlie Scott)

ANGELA DAVIS - Academia and political activism never looked as black, feminine and powerful as the day Angela Davis raised up her fist for equality and justice. When guns purchased in the college professor’s name were used in an escape attempt during a trial, killing a judge, the afro-wearing Davis, who fled, wound up on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Her image, representing feminism, black nationalism and political equality remains an iconic one to this day. A former communist, Davis, an out lesbian, remains an outspoken critic of sexism, racism and the prison industrial complex. (AP Photo/stf)

Widely accepted as the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, daughter of celebrated preacher C.L. Franklin, crushed barriers in the secular and gospel worlds, not to mention between “black” and “white” music. One of the most celebrated recording artists in American history, Franklin, who has amassed 18 Grammys and 20 number one singles, is the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although her notoriety has come from secular music, her gospel roots are readily acknowledged. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, file)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG -- Thanks to The View, an entirely new generation has been introduced to Whoopi Goldberg’s unique genius. Her breakout role as Celie in the film version of The Color Purple created a floodgate of opportunity for Goldberg, who, at one time, was the highest paid actress in Hollywood. The recipient of an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony and an Emmy, Goldberg, who began her career as a comedian, is, arguably, the most celebrated all-around black female entertainer in American history. Known for her outspokenness, Goldberg has consistently refused to bend to Hollywood’s or anyone’s stereotypes of her. (Sipa via AP Images)

PAM GRIER -- Blaxploitation often portrayed women, regardless of color, as sexual objects who exist only to satisfy men but Pam Grier broke that mold. While she embodied the over-the-top sexuality Blaxploitation films were known for, she starred in such films Coffy and Foxy Brown, turning the genre on its head. Able to fight and look good while doing it, Grier regularly used her feminine wiles to come out on top. Strong, beautiful and sexual, Grier defied existing stereotypes of black women within the community that muted black female sexuality. A powerful symbol of female empowerment across the board, Grier’s impact continues to be felt even today. (AP Photo)

FANNIE LOU HAMER -- The sharecropper turned iconic Civil Rights leader/voting rights activist gained international prominence for her sheer determination to be heard. Testifying before the credentials board for the Democratic National Convention to seat her alternative Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in addition to Mississippi’s existing delegates in 1964, Hamer’s impassioned recounting of enduring beatings and terrorism for simply wanting to vote reached a mass audience through television. If a poor, black, uneducated woman from the backwoods of Mississippi, could risk her life to challenge intolerance and injustice, what was stopping the rest of America? (AP Photo/stf)

MAE JEMISON -- As a child growing up in Chicago, Mae Jemison never doubted that she would travel to space. In 1992, that prophecy came true. To mark the journey, Jemison, an avid dancer, took an Alvin Ailey poster and an AKA banner with her. The first black woman in space is a big achievement but Jemison, who is a medical doctor and an engineer, doesn’t believe she should be the only and regularly advocates for women and minorities in sciences. (AP Photo/Jim Cooper)

CORETTA SCOTT KING -- To lead a march four days following your husband’s assassination through the very city where he was killed takes unimaginable courage but Coretta Scott King was no ordinary woman. It took nearly 30 years for every state to recognize the national holiday to honor her husband but she never gave up the fight. A civil rights activist in her own right, Coretta Scott King established the King Center in 1968, the same year her husband died, and used it to fight for civil rights for all, including the LGBT community, until her death in January 2006. (AP Photo/John Bazmore)

QUEEN LATIFAH -- She was introduced to the world as a rapper but she’s become so much more than that. As Khadijah James on Living Single, she represented both female entrepreneurs and full-figured women. Throughout her career in music, film and business, Latifah, who has her own cosmetic line, the Queen Collection through Covergirl, has consistently challenged and redefined what it is to be beautiful and talented in America. A renaissance woman with no limitations, she’s enjoyed success on her own terms. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)

TONI MORRISON -- Her first book wasn’t published until she was nearly 40 but Toni Morrison is no late bloomer. As a book editor with Random House, she was directly responsible for unleashing strong female voices like Toni Cade Bambara and Gayl Jones. Still it’s her own work, which includes The Bluest Eye, Beloved and Jazz, remain her most enduring legacy. By exploring complex issues such as what freedom and beauty mean to black women, Morrison, a professor at Princeton for many years, has ignited conversations never before entertained by mainstream literature. Universally celebrated, in 1993, Morrison, also a Pulitzer Prize winner, became the first black woman to ever win the Nobel Prize for Literature. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole, FILE)

MICHELLE OBAMA -- A black first lady is a coup in itself but one such as Michelle Obama is divine. Education, our history preaches, is the ultimate liberator and Michelle Obama and her husband are living proof of that. A descendant of slaves, with grandparents who left the South for Chicago, Michelle, who lists both Princeton and Harvard among her alma maters, is the modern everywoman, juggling it all---career, husband and children. Whether it’s planting a garden at the White House, inspiring young girls to dream big or befriending the Queen of England, Michelle does it with style and grace, leading by example on her own terms. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan,File)

PHYLICIA RASHAD -- Every bit as accomplished intellectually and professionally as her husband on The Cosby Show, Phylicia Rashad’s Clair Huxtable handled the duties of modern black mother and wife with panache. Intelligent and compassionate but also firm and sexy, Rashad was a sharp departure from black television mothers of the past. An accomplished actress, post-Cosby Show, Rashad made history by becoming the first black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role playing another mother, Lena Younger, in A Raisin in the Sun. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE -- Whether you agree with her politics or not, there’s no denying that Condoleezza Rice, the first woman to serve as the nation’s National Security Advisor and the first black woman to serve as Secretary of State, is a trailblazer for women everywhere and black women specifically, especially in foreign policy. A respected academician and accomplished pianist, Rice, who seems content being single without children, has taken a break from politics and resumed her academic career at Stanford where she once served as provost. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

DIANA ROSS -- As the lead singer of The Supremes and a solo artist, Diana Ross epitomized glam. Playing an aspiring fashion designer in the 1975 film Mahogany, Ross, who is still known for changing outfits several times during a performance, inspired many young black women to reach for the fashion stars. Helming her own specials, even receiving an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in 1972’s Lady Sings the Blues, Ross, who is also a mother of five, created the multi-media blueprint for many of today’s female stars. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

VICTORIA ROWELL -- She’s not the first black woman on the soaps but Victoria Rowell is arguably the genre’s first black superstar. As Drucilla on The Young and the Restless, Rowell, who is also a bestselling author, stirred up trouble in Genoa City, first, as a global-trotting supermodel and, later, as a fashion executive, mother and wife. The recipient of 11 NAACP Image Awards, Rowell, a native of Maine with several Daytime Emmy nominations to her credit, has used her celebrity to serve as a child advocate, especially for those, like herself, growing up in foster care, as well as bring attention to people of color outside the urban mainstream. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)

SUSAN TAYLOR -- From 1981 until her departure in 2007, Susan Taylor directly shaped the voice of Essence, the pioneering magazine for black women she began working with when it launched in 1970. Connecting with black women nationwide and internationally, Taylor, known for her signature braids, made Essence a safe haven for black women to explore their innermost thoughts and insecurities. Her In the Spirit columns became must-reads, emphasizing personal and collective healing. More than a magazine to discover the latest make-up and fashion trends, Taylor’s Essence celebrated the complete black woman, inside and out. (AP Photo/Luis Martinez)

CICELY TYSON -- Although nominated for an Oscar for Sounder in 1972, Cicely Tyson made her mark in made-for-television films like The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, for which she won two Emmys, The Marva Collins Story, based on the legendary Chicago educator, Roots, King, where she played Coretta Scott King and A Lesson Before Dying. The former wife of Jazz great Miles Davis, Tyson has consistently been celebrated for the strength, compassion and dignity that she’s infused in every Black woman she’s portrayed. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/PictureGroup)

ALICE WALKER -- A veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, Walker, the daughter of sharecroppers and a self-proclaimed womanist, has dedicated much of her life’s work to championing black women. Documenting the lives of black women born Southern and poor in such works as Meridian and her classic, The Color Purple, also a successful film and award-winning Broadway musical, has earned international acclaim for the Pulitzer Prize-winning author. A self-appointed guardian of African-American folklore, Walker is almost single-handedly responsible for restoring pioneering black and Southern writer Zora Neale Hurston to literary prominence. (AP Photo/John Amis)

MAXINE WATERS -- A Washington fixture since 1976, Congresswoman Maxine Waters is one of the few in government embraced as a public servant. Representing Los Angeles, Waters has typically garnered no less than 70 percent of the vote. Although she endorsed Hillary Clinton early on for president, Waters is consistently known as a champion of black people, working hard to make decisions that best serve her constituents and her community at large, regardless of who she has to challenge. It’s that persistence and love that continues to endear her to so many. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

VENUS & SERENA WILLIAMS -- Their father, Richard Williams, introduced them to tennis when they were children in Compton, determined that they would dominate the world of tennis and he didn’t disappoint. Swapping Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles as easily as sisters borrow each other’s clothes, the elder Venus and her baby sister Serena have inspired a new generation of Black and other underrepresented minorities to embrace the sport. Although they publicly shy away from politics, the sisters have been instrumental in finally equalizing male and female prize money. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

OPRAH WINFREY -- There are no words big enough to describe Oprah Winfrey’s impact. A self-made billionaire, Winfrey, the undisputed queen of talk, has amassed her empire by being herself. An advocate of self-discovery, Winfrey, who, herself, has overcome sexual abuse and obesity, has literally built her empire though inspiring women to live their lives to the fullest. Her book-of-the-month club selection, a reflection of her firm belief in education’s power to transform, has helped make Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou household names, not to mention been credited for saving the publishing industry. As a businesswoman, philanthropist and founder of a South African school for girls, Oprah continues to defy classification. Ultimately, her motto is to lend a helping hand to others. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)