Black History Month means celebrating the achievements of black people throughout history. There are a lot of black women making huge strides to make history right now through their contribution to the arts, culture and in activism, so let’s remind ourselves of achievements of these wonderful women.

1. Liv Little

Liv founded online publication gal-dem which is run by women of colour to be read by everyone. Liv became frustrated with the lack of diversity in the publishing industry and now gal-dem is hugely successful, and even took over the Guardian magazine recently.

2. Jorja Smith

Despite only being 22, Jorja has achieved huge amounts. She has appeared on prominent albums such as Drake’s More Life and the Kendrick Lamar produced album for Black Panther. She has also won the BRITS critics choice award and she only released her first solo album in June this year!

3. Michela Coel

Michela is probably most well-known for Chewing Gum, a series which she wrote and starred in and earned her two BAFTA’s. Michela was praised for her depiction of her experience as a black female and bringing it to mainstream comedy.

4. Ruth Negga

In her acting career Ruth has been nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe and has won a BAFTA, but where she is really making waves is the roles she takes. In Loving she played Mildred Loving, who fought for her interracial marriage in the landmark Loving vs Virginia case. She is also currently starring as Hamlet, subverting gender roles and playing one of the greatest characters of all time.

5. Munroe Bergdorf

Trans activist and model Munroe is always speaking out for issues she believes in, whether it’s trans rights or race issues. She uses her platform to bring trans rights to the fore and regularly contributes to publications where she talks about issues important to her.

6. NAO

This British singer-songwriter has been quietly making moves in the music industry for a while now. She’s been featured in BBC’s ‘sounds of…’ and even co-wrote Stormzy’s hit Velvet. Her new album comes out this month which is set to feature more of her signature soul mixed with electric funk.

7. Adwoa Aboah

As well as being a hugely successful model who has graced the covers of Vogue across the world, Adwoa is also an activist. She founded Gurls Talk, which is an online community where young women can discuss issues such as mental health, social media and sex.

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