20 inspiring black women who are making history in 2020

By Zoë Ettinger via https://www.insider.com/inspiring-black-women-making-history-in-2020

Each February, Black History Month recognizes, remembers, and respects black people and black history. 

Kaia Shivers, a liberal studies professor at New York University, helped Insider select a list of 20 female innovators and leaders who are making history and setting records.

From entertainers to philanthropists, here are black women who will change the world in 2020.

Chef Mariya Russell is the first black woman to earn a Michelin Star.

Russell is chef de cuisine at Kikkō, a Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant in Chicago. In September, she became the first black woman to be awarded a Michelin star in the Michelin Guide’s 93-year history.

Originally from Springfield, Ohio, Russell became interested in food from a young age and began by cooking soul food and Midwestern staples, like mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and casseroles.

She later moved to Chicago to attend The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. She and her husband went on to work together, eventually both joining Kikkō.

In an interview with Michelin Guide, she said, “Thinking about [being] the only Black woman doing this is really, still very much so, blowing my mind. Representation is really important in all kinds of things, but in an industry like this, I think it’s really cool.” 

“Black-ish” star Marsai Martin is the youngest executive producer in history.

Marsai Martin, 15, started her role as Diane Johnson on the hit ABC TV comedy in 2014, when she was just 10. Two years later, she …

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