Singer, actress, producer, director, and more, Teyana Taylor is still evolving after years in the entertainment industry. From choreographing Beyoncé’s “Ring the Alarm” music video to creating platinum-selling records, Taylor has left her mark as a musician and performer. As the star retired from her music career, Taylor stepped into her pseudonym “Spike Tey” by launching an all-female production company, “The Aunties Production,” in which she showcased her talents as a video director, producer, and creative director.
After a historic win in the NCAA National Championship with Louisiana State University, Angel Reese captivated fans with her charisma both on and off the court. Since leading her team to victory, Reese, known as the “Bayou Barbie,” has become one of the top-earning college athletes through NIL (name, image and likeness) endorsements. n”I’ve always been confident. I am unapologetic,” Reese told Harper’s Bazaar. “I stay firm on what I believe in, and, being a Black woman, I can do whatever I put my mind to.”
During her rise to stardom, Doja Cat has always been unapologetically herself. From her rhethemic medley of rap, pop, disco and punk to her provocative sartorial choices, Doja Cat’s uniqueness captivated fans and catapulted her to stardom. Prioritizing the creative process over the glitz and glam of mainstream fame, Doja Cat hopes to explore acting, clothing design and makeup in the future. nn“ I don’t feel like a lost little teen,” the star told Harper’s Bazaar. “I feel like a woman who is coming into her own.”n
Writer and director Nia DaCosta’s rapid ascension in Hollywood has made history. Being the first Black female filmmaker to have a film debut at number 1 for her film Candyman, DaCosta, who also created “Little Woods,” incorporates sociocultural layers to her storytelling. nn“As I came into myself as a young black woman, I realized there’s a whole type of person and human experience that is just not on-screen,” DaCosta told Harper’s Bazaar. “That really pushed me toward what I do now, which is tell stories about people you don’t often see stories about.” n
At 21 years old, Leila Mottley became a New York Times bestselling author, the youngest person to be nominated for a Booker Prize and was featured in Orpah Winfrey’s book club. Mottley made her writing debut with a novell “Nightcrawling,” a book discussing gentrification, abuse and corruption through the eyes of a Black teenager in Oakland, C.A.nn“My work is propelled by the idea of silences and what it looks like to lean into discomfort and into the spaces that we are afraid to talk about,” said Mottley, per Harper’s Bazaar. “We only grow and evolve when we’re uncomfortable.”n
In April, Republican Tennessee House members voted to oust Democratic representatives Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson for their chamber protest, advocating for stricter gun control after a tragic mass shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School which killed six people, including three children. Despite efforts to expel them, Jones and Pearson were swiftly reinstated by local authorities, subsequently winning re-election in August. While “the Justins’” journey is inspiring, it also highlighted the divisive strain within American institutions and its potential to impede on vital progress. n
At just 16-years old, Zaya Wade serves as an inspiration for trans children and the LGBTQ+community. The daughter of NBA hall of famer, Dwyane Wade, came out as transgender at the age of 12 under the judgemental eye of social media. Today, Wade hopes to leverage her platform to guarantee visibility and acceptance for LGBTQ+ individuals of every generation by documenting the ups and downs of her own journey.
