Time and time again Black women have proven that they know how to get things done — even during a year like 2020.
With diversity and inclusion at the forefront, it’s been amazing to see all of the boss women she-eos who are changing the narratives when it comes to ownership.
Forbes reports that over 50 percent of women-owned businesses are led by women of color. Yet, those same women have the odds stacked against them.
Despite the lack of resources, and other setbacks these Black women CEOs have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with not only this year but beyond.
Check out some of our favorite Black women CEOs who shook the table in 2020 below:
Melissa Butler
After becoming frustrated with unrealistic standards of beauty defined by the industry, Melissa Butler decided to create her own vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand, The Lip Bar, to combat the issue of diversity within the beauty industry.
Butler and her empire are a reminder that the word “no” doesn’t necessarily mean that you should call it quits! A rejection during an appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank” alongside her business partner actually motivated her to build The Lip Bar.
When she’s not helping her brand soar to new heights, Butler continues to change the beauty industry from the inside out. Just this year she was appointed to Urban Skin Rx®’s board of directors where she will help their team bring more inclusivity to the skincare industry, particularly for consumers with melanin-rich skin.
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Beatrice Dixon
Responsible for the world’s first plant-based feminine care line with a $21,000 loan, Beatrice Dixon started The Honey Pot company after the vision came to her in a dream.
Like many founders, Dixon had an issue of her own without a product in the market to help so she decided to create her own. Her disappointment with the lack of options for women’s vaginal health, including her own struggles with bacterial vaginosis led her to create her own natural remedy to treat the problem after a visit from her late grandmother as she slept one night.
Now, The Honey Pot can be found on local Whole Foods shelves (where she actually worked when she started the company) and other major retailers including CVS, Walgreens, and Target.
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Even after racist trolls attempted to sabotage her business after an appearance in a Target ad earlier this year, Dixon continues to use her now multimillion-dollar business to provide women all over with a full line of products that range from wipes to menstrual cups and of course her initial product, The Normal Wash.
Pinky Cole
If you’re a vegan and you enjoy junk food, then you’re familiar with Pinky Cole’s The Slutty Vegan restaurant. Birthed in Atlanta’s West End, the vegan spot has now become a national phenomenon.
This year, the self-proclaimed “hood politician,” used her growing burger chain’s success to encourage her community to get out and vote in the past election. Upholding her passion for uplifting and inspiring her community, Cole created the Pinky Cole Foundation which continues to provide scholarship funds for students enrolled at her alma mater and HBCU, Clark Atlanta University.
Today, Cole’s Slutty Vegan has three locations in Atlanta’s East End, Edgewood, and Old Fourth Ward neighborhoods — two of which opened amid COVID-19.
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Anifa Mvuenba
Remember the virtual fashion show that hit social media during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic? We have this founder to thank for the newfound innovation.
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After dropping out of a fashion program at Morgan State University, Mvuemba launched Hanifa Clothing in 2012 with one thing in mind — Black women. After creating her own 21st birthday dress out of some fabrics that she had lying around, she posted a picture on the gram and the rest is history.
Mvuemba’s virtual fashion show broke the internet with its groundbreaking 3D runway presentation and had designers all over the world using her creativity as the blueprint for the world of fashion during the pandemic.
Beyonce is wearing Alia dress on vacay! 😭
— + (@AnifaM) September 8, 2020
Fast-forward to now, and the young CEO now has some of the hottest names in Hollywood wearing her brand including Beyoncé, Ciara, Zendaya, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
