There is a stunning admiration behind being young, black, and gifted. Young Black women are really honing their skills to stay afloat with the wave of global excellence.
Amanda Gorman
Storied careers were on full display at the January 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden, from politicians to entertainers with decades of experience under their belts. But the breakout star of the event was Amanda Gorman, who at 22 years old became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history.
Gorman recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” that called for Americans to “rebuild, reconcile, and recover” from deeply rooted divides and racial inequities, particularly during a time of unprecedented illness, death, political strife and calls for racial justice across the country.
The young poet, author and activist grew up in Los Angeles and began writing as a way to cope with a speech impediment; by age 16 she was named the Youth Poet Laureate of LA, and at 19 she became the first National Youth Poet Laureate while studying sociology at Harvard.
Gorman, who writes about race and gender, was invited to the swearing-in ceremony by First Lady Jill Biden and follows in the footsteps of inaugural poets Maya Angelou and Robert Frost.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka can be regarded as a bespoke in the frame of the women’s tennis world. She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, and is the reigning champion at the US Open and the Australian Open. The 23-year-old Afro-Asian can be appraised as one of the most marketable athletes in the world, having been ranked eighth among all athletes in endorsement income in 2020.
Osaka has an aggressive playing style with a powerful serve that can reach 201 kilometers per hour (125 mph). Considering her legacy beyond the court, Osaka reiterates in her stance that “its just as important that I inspire young girls.”
Osaka says she values her position as a role model and recently invested in and became a co-owner of the women’s professional soccer team, the North Carolina Courage.
Marsai Martin
Marsai Martin, 16, started her role as Diane Johnson on the hit ABC TV comedy in 2014, when she was just 10. Two years later, she starred in her debut film, “An American Girl Story – Melody 1963: Love Has to Win,” set in Detroit during the civil rights movement.
She starred in “Little” for Universal Pictures, and at just 13, was named an executive producer, making her the youngest in history. She is also producing and acting in another film, “Amari and the Night Brothers.”
In one of her interviews, she gave her advice to others wanting to follow a similar path. “Believe in yourself. Push to your highest limit. Be confident that you can do it. If you take that one push to do it, then God’s got the rest. Just leave it up to him,” she said.
Emma Theofelus
There is a slight tilt away from the lingering narrative of governance in Africa characterized with old folks steering the wheel of leadership. Emma Inamutila Theofelus is indeed not your regular 24-year-old. She is the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology in Namibia, and at the top, represents her country’s majority demographic, the youth. Sequel to that, she is the youngest minister in Africa. There is the obvious issue of the glaring age gap between her and the parliamentarians she works with, but she says she does not let that deter her from discharging her duty. Theofelus adds diversity to Namibia’s government, following in the footsteps of the first woman to serve as the Prime Minister of Namibia, Saara Kuugongelwa.
The fight to advance women’s empowerment and youth development on the continent has been a top priority for many countries, which has seen most governments appoint female leaders. In her message to African youths, Theofelus says: “We are going to get this continent right.”
Tomi Adeyemi
Tomi Adeyemi can be described as a goddess of ideas inspiring young people to carve into the art of writing. Named one of the TIME magazine’s most influential people, Tomi is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Nigerian-American writer and the author of the famous “Children of Blood and Bone.”
Studying West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil resonates her inspiration to writing “Children of Blood and Bone,” the breakthrough novel that would launch her career.
In addition to her success as a novelist, Adeyemi teaches creative writing through her online course, The Writer’s Roadmap. Her website has been named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.
