What was a highlight of 2024 that had you feeling Black Girl Magic? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
2024 has had its share of bumps and disappointments for Black women, but it’s also been full of hope, joy and wins. Black women were on the move in 2024, rising to the tops of their fields, breaking barriers, making business moves, taking care of ourselves and more. Take a pause and soak in a few of those moments across the year, proving that we’re not only magical, but we’re also unstoppable!
January
Children's Champion
Vashti Harrison becomes the first Black woman to win the prestigious 2024 Caldecott Medal, for her book Big, a picture book that critiques the adultification of young Black girls and anti-fat bias. The antidote: self-acceptance – a reminder we can all benefit from.
Power Pivot
Former Acting National Cyber Director Kemba Walden pivots in a big way, joining the Paladin Capital Group as President of the Paladin Global Institute. Walden was denied the nomination for National Cyber Director because she had personal debt, despite having bi-partisan support. Her new role is a definite “no weapon formed against me” moment that still allows her to apply her cybersecurity leadership to keep us safer through research and policy initiatives
Series Stars
Black women shine at the 2024 Emmys, winning three coveted awards: Quinta Brunson for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Abbott Elementary; Ayo Edebiri Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, The Bear and Niecy Nash-Betts Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The Emmys confirmed what we already knew: Black women are talented.
February
Sankofa Stories
Dara T. Mathis wins American Mosaic Journalism Prize, one of the largest national media awards in the U.S., with an unrestricted prize of $100,000. Her work focuses on parenthood, identity and linkages to Black memory. A great reminder that our words have power.
March
Dramatic Diva
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, a classically trained opera singer who reluctantly went into acting after being kicked out of the Temple University opera program, wins the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She clinched the award for her portrayal of Mary Lamb, head cook at a boarding school and a grieving mother, in the movie The Holdovers. If you need a sign to explore all of your talents, this might be it!
Culture Curator
Beyoncé releases her eight album Cowboy Carter, a concept album, infused with country music. Beyoncé is the first Black woman to top the Billboard Top Country Albums. The album is a master class on reinvention.
April
Undefeated Upstarts
The University of South Carolina women’s basketball team finishes with an undefeated season under the leadership of Coach Dawn Staley. Achieving this is no simple task, as only 10 other women’s basketball teams have accomplished it. Until Staley, the crown of an undefeated women’s basketball season was passed among four universities UConn (had six undefeated teams), Baylor, Tennessee and Texas. What’s the saying? “Black women get it done.”
Green G.O.A.T.
Pastor and environmental activist, Sharon Lavigne makes the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2024 list. Lavigne, a native of St James Parish, Louisiana, started Rise St. James in 2018 to fight environmental racism in her community in response to pollution from manufacturing plants that resulted in a proliferation of cancer among residents. “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
May
Mogul Medalist
Former American gymnast and four-time Olympic medalist, Dominique Dawes becomes one of four new limited partners of the Atlanta Falcons football team, joining the Falcons’ ownership group. Another example of Black women increasing our numbers as entrepreneurs and owners.
Legacy Libations
Fawn Weaver, who in 2017 built the premium whiskey brand Uncle Nearest into a unicorn company worth $1.1 billion, acquires Square One Organic Spirits, expanding the Uncle Nearest brand into vodka. This acquisition comes on the heels of Uncle Nearest acquiring a vineyard in France in 2023 to produce Cognac. Weaver is expanding her territory, but it all started with a seed to bring to the forefront the story of Uncle Nearest, the Black whiskey distiller who mentored Jack Daniels. A great illustration of when following your curiosity and honoring your heritage pays off.
Prizewinning Playwright
Playwright Eboni Booth wins a 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, for her off-Broadway play Primary Trust, placing her in a very elite group of only five other Black women to ever win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. The play depicts the transformation of the main character Kenneth when he loses his job and has to confront life head-on, a reality many families can relate to. Booth uses her artistry to amplify the complexity of life and the importance of connection as we navigate our way forward.
June
Black Barbie
The documentary Black Barbie premiers on Netflix, directed by Lagueria Davis and produced by Shonda Rhimes, highlighting the history and cultural significance of Black dolls and more specifically the first release of a Black Barbie by Mattel in 1980. A reminder that representation matters in both big and small things.
July
Barrier Breaker
Dr. Melissa L. Gilliam becomes the first woman and the first Black president of 185-year-old Boston University. Dr. Gilliam is a physician, graduate of Harvard Medical School and an obstetrics and gynecology, sociology and epidemiology professor. We are breaking down barriers in institutions that have been in place for centuries.
August
Podium Perfection
Rebeca Andrade, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles win gold, silver and bronze in the women’s gymnastics floor exercise, at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This feat made them the first all Black-female Olympic gymnastics podium ever!
Remarkable Run
Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, making her the first Black and Asian woman to become a major party’s candidate for President. Her nomination inspired and invigorated us all!
September
TikTok Testimony
Tareasa “Reesa Teesa” Johnson, viral TikTok personality made famous through her 50-part series viewed more than 400 million times, “Who TF Did I Marry”, wins in a big way. Through over eight hours of live stream Johnson details the saga of her pathological lying ex-husband. The series caught the eye of Natasha Rothwell (of Insecure) who is developing a TV adaptation of Johnson’s story. Not only is there a silver lining in her story, but her vulnerability to share changed the trajectory of her life.
SCOTUS Scribe
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson releases her memoir, Lovely One, reaching the #1 spot on the New York Times Hard Cover Non-Fiction Best Sellers list. Her memoir shows the importance of family, life choices and resilience, in paving her way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
October
Court Covergirls
The WNBA’s Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson, grace the October cover of the Wallstreet Journal Magazine, surrounded in Black girl joy as little girls dribble basketballs and run around them. Reese and Wilson are smashing records and commanding attention both on and off the courts. They model that being your authentic self is always OK.
Rock Royalty
Dionne Warwick and Mary J. Blige are inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, joining other notable Black women entertainers previously inducted like Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner. Let’s just call it a homecoming, since Rock n Roll has its origins in various forms of Black music.
November
Moving Moment
Though it’s not the outcome that roughly 92 percent of Black women voters wanted, in a historic move, Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a moving concession speech, holding high both her head and the U.S. democratic process of a peaceful transfer of power.
Senate Sisters
Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland become the first Black female Senators to represent their state, and the first time two Black women will serve in the U.S. Senate at the same time. If one Black woman can get the job done, just imagine what two can do!
December
Holiday Hitmaker
Mariah Carey wraps up her 20-city Christmas tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of her Merry Christmas album and her popular Christmas ballad “All I Want for Christmas is You”. Carey is still belting out the high notes, rocking high heels and spreading Christmas cheer, doing what brings her and others joy.
Respecting Rest
December 2, 2024, marked the first National Day of Rest for Black Women, a movement to encourage Black women to prioritize our rest, self-care and wellbeing. This day is separate from Black Girl Day Off observed in October, started by Tomeka Casanova. The National Day of Rest can be traced back to the Instagram page of 25 Black Women in Beauty (@25_bwb), a community to celebrate Black beauty, started by Ella T. Gorgla. Rest is something we all can agree we need more of.
Ringside Resilience
The movie The Fire Inside, which tells the story of professional boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields’ pathway to the 2012 Olympics, premiers in major U.S. theaters (December 25, 2024). The movie brings to light the plight of Shields to overcome disadvantages, discrimination and her own self-doubt to become the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in boxing and the first American boxer to win back-to-back Olympic golds. The movie stars Ryan Destiny (from the series Star). “When we fight, we win!”
Let these examples of glow-up, perseverance and self-care in 2024 fuel you for the year ahead – we got this!
What was a highlight of 2024 that had you feeling Black Girl Magic? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
