Women’s History Month is in full swing, so it’s only right that ESSENCE checked in with some of our favorite celebrities to find out who inspires them.
As North Carolina born emcee, Rapsody, said, “Women are the backbones of a lot of societies and revolutions,” so it’s no wonder these celebrities shouted out Black women from every facet of society — from activism to media.
Acclaimed actress Alfre Woodard paid homage to her childhood hero, Fannie Lou Hamer, who she has admired since she was a teen.
“I call her the godmother of the American folk,” Woodard told ESSENCE. “She was a sharecropper, a literate woman in Mississippi, who kept showing up every time they put an obstacle in her way, demanding the right to vote.”
Singing duo Chole x Halle cited Oprah Winfrey as their favorite woman, as did Toni Braxton, Yolanda Adams, and E! News Nightly Pop co-host Nina Parker.
No matter who you admire, it’s clear Black women have been an integral part of our nation’s history since the very beginning.
