Influential Women: 10 Most Influential Black Women in the World (2022)

Women of colour have been out there breaking records and making history in the world in recent times. And it is indeed something to be proud of. They have risen to the height of becoming part of the most influential women in the world. Regardless of their colour, and environment. However, this article contains a list of some of the most influential black women in the world in 2022.

Here is a list of the 10 most influential black women in the world in 2022:

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1. Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is the wife of the 44th president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. And a former first lady of the United States of America. Michelle Obama alongside her husband as the President served their tenure from 2009 to 2017. However, she was the first African-American to be a first lady in the United States.

Furthermore, asides from being a former first lady, what many don’t know about her is that she is also an American Attorney and Author. During her tenure as her first lady, she visited homeless shelters and soup kitchens. After which she subsequently sent representatives to schools and also advocated public service.

Good to note that her influence on the people of the United States during her tenure was commendable and she definitely made the black race proud. This is one of the notable reasons she is number 1 on the list of the most influential black women in the world.

2. Vice President Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris is second on the list of the most influential black women in the world. And she is the current Vice President of the United States alongside Joe Biden as the president. She is however the first African-American and first female to become vice president in the United States.  And is the highest-ranking female official in the United States history. Also, she is an attorney who has previously served as an Attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. And also as a United States senator representing California from 2017 to 2021.

Kamala Harris has over time used her influence to secure public safety at some point and succeeded. Just to mention one of them, Harris urged criminal penalties for parents of truant children that allow the court to defer judgement if the parents agree to a mediation period to get their child back in school. She took the same step as the District Attorney of San Francisco. She also has several awards and honoraries to her name.

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3. Issa Rae

Issa Rae is third on the list of the most influential black women in the world. She is an American Actress, Writer, and Producer. However, she first gained recognition in 2011 as a result of her role in the Youtube web series, Awkward Black Girl. And ever since, she didn’t relent but kept pushing content such as short films, web series and other content from the desks of her fellow black people. Quite commendable indeed that she used her platform and influence to help others.

In furtherance, she has also gained recognition as a co-writer, co-creator and star of the HBO TV Series, Insecure. And has been nominated for several awards for her outstanding performance in the series. She has also most definitely featured in other movies, obviously, she is an actress.

It is highly commendable that she has over time used and is still using her platform to bring attention to police violence and the general brutality against African-Americans. She is also an advocate for civil and women’s rights. Equality and social justice are prominent themes in her work. And she works with other organizations such as ACLU, BLD PWR, and Black Lives Matter. Her show, Insecure has also done great justice as it has changed the public perception of the South Los Angeles community by spotlighting the Black businesses in the community.

4. Tarana Burke

Tarana Burke is 4th on the list of the most influential black women in the world. She is an American activist who has been in the business for quite a while and successfully influenced many even across the world.

Tarana Burke founded the Me Too Movement in 2006. A movement that enables women to share their experiences of sexual abuse and assault and stand up for themselves. She is also the Senior Director of Girls for Gender Equality in Brooklyn. A foundation that strives to help young black women to improve in their entirety through programs and seminars. She also has other foundations to her name that are working tirelessly in the field of activism.

Also, in 2017, Burke was selected Time Person of the Year among a group of other renowned activist women known as “the silence breakers.”

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5. Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams is the fifth woman on the list of the most influential black women in the world. She is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author. Since her appointment in 2022 as the deputy city attorney for the city of Atlanta, she has not stopped breaking barriers.

However, quoting Time magazine, Stacey Abrams “can credibly boast of having single-handedly stopped the largest tax increase in the history of Georgia.” Furthermore, Stacey Abrams has set records for influencing the lives of many through her positions as a politician, lawyer, activist and even author.

6. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

Beyoncé is sixth on the list of the most influential black women in the world. She is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. As a child, she performed in various singing competitions and have also starred in movies while growing up. This explains that her musical career started a long time ago and today, she has risen to the height of one of the most influential women in the world in 2022.

However, she is also one of the greatest and richest world musicians and has several awards and honorariums to her name over the years. Beyoncé is also known for using the medium of her musically attained height to influence and intercede for the African (Blacks) culture. This is evident in her released documentary, Black is King. This documentary is however said to be a visual companion to her released album in 2019, The Lion King: The Gift.

She is also one of the most loved and popular African-American musicians of all time.

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7. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is the 7th on the list of the most influential black women in the world. She is an American talk show host, tv producer, actress, philanthropist and author. With an inspiring and emotional personal history, she has set out to help many other people change their narratives through philanthropy. She has succeeded in breaking records and acquiring several awards and honorariums.

In 2004,  Winfrey was the first black person to be named among the top 50 most philanthropic Americans. And by 2012, She has donated about $400 million to educational causes. Also, her foundation, the Oprah’s Angel Network is doing fine to date will a lot of projects that are affecting the world positively.

According to CNN and Time, she is considered the most powerful woman in the world. And the most influential in the world by The American Spectator. Time further referred to her as “one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century” and “one of the most influential people in the world” from 2004 to 2011. Oprah Winfrey has however appeared several times on the Times record.

8. Maxine Waters

Maxine Waters is 8th on the list of the most influential black women in the world. She is an American politician and has been the United States’ representative for California’s 43rd congressional district since 1991.

Waters first served in the California State Assembly in 1976, before being elected to the United States Congress as the United States Representative. And she advocated for disengagement from South Africa’s apartheid system as an assemblywoman. She was also a vocal critic of the Iraq War in Congress, and she has criticised Presidents George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump during their tenure.

Furthermore, she was listed in Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2018. She is one of the strong women who have fought and still fighting for the interest of the people.

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9. Kizzmekia Corbett. PhD

She is also known as Kizzy. And she is an assistant professor of Immunology and Infectious diseases at the Havard T.H Chan School of Public Health. And is also the Shutzer assistant professor at the Havard Radcliffe Institute. She is widely known for coming up with the Covid-19 vaccination that has saved the world from the deadly disease. She since the virus outbreak worked tirelessly alongside other medical firms and experts with her team until they ensured a solution was created. The covid-19 vaccination has helped a lot of lives and saved souls that would have been long gone.

Kizzy in 2021 made the list of Time’s “Time100 Next” under the Innovators category. She is however 9th on the list of the most influential black women in the world.

10. Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice is the 10th and the last on the list of the 10 most influential black women in the world. She is an American Diplomat and Political Scientist. And is the current director of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

She was the 66th United States Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009, and also the 20th National Security Advisor of the United States from 2001 to 2005. Rather intriguing that, she was the first African American woman to take up these posts.

Rice and her predecessor, Colin Powell, were the highest-ranking African Americans in the federal executive branch until Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. And she was also the highest-ranking woman in the presidential line of succession in the United States at the time of her appointment as Secretary of State.

To sum up, Rice has been named to Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people four times. And also, Forbes magazine named her the most powerful woman in the world in 2004 and 2005. And, number two in 2006 (following the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel on the list).

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Here is a summary of the list of the 10 most influential black women in the world in 2022:

• Michelle Obama
• Vice President Kamala Harris
• Issa Rae
• Tarana Burke
• Stacey Abrams
• Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
• Oprah Winfrey
• Maxine Waters
• Kizzmekia Corbett, PhD
• Condoleezza Rice