01of 07ZendayaPascal Le Segretain/GettyFirst Black actress to win two Emmys for a leading roleAfter becoming the youngest woman to win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy in 2020, theEuphoriastar picked up the honor again in 2022 for her role on the HBO series. Zendaya has gracefully transitioned from a Disney Channel child star into a formidable leading lady, showing off her acting, singing and action skills onEuphoria, in the 2017 hit filmThe Greatest Showmanand in the blockbusterSpider-Manfranchise. Though she’s only 26, she’s already providing a blueprint for the next generation, like herEuphoriacostarStorm Reid, 19, who calls Zendaya “my fourth sibling.” Says Reid: “To go from someone that you look up to, to working with them is really cool. Having her pour into me is a huge blessing.”
01of 07
Zendaya
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
First Black actress to win two Emmys for a leading role
After becoming the youngest woman to win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy in 2020, theEuphoriastar picked up the honor again in 2022 for her role on the HBO series. Zendaya has gracefully transitioned from a Disney Channel child star into a formidable leading lady, showing off her acting, singing and action skills onEuphoria, in the 2017 hit filmThe Greatest Showmanand in the blockbusterSpider-Manfranchise. Though she’s only 26, she’s already providing a blueprint for the next generation, like herEuphoriacostarStorm Reid, 19, who calls Zendaya “my fourth sibling.” Says Reid: “To go from someone that you look up to, to working with them is really cool. Having her pour into me is a huge blessing.”
02of 07Issa RaeTyren ReddFirst Black female creator and star of a premium cable seriesOn the heels of her successful YouTube seriesThe Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl,Rae, 38, created the 2016–21 HBO dramedyInsecure, which earned her three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. “I’m proud to show what’s possible,” she says of the upgrade to cable. She moved to the big screen in 2020 withThe PhotographandThe Lovebirds, and in 2022 premiered her latest cable creation, the HBO Max comedy seriesRap Sh!t. “I will always be chasing the experience I had withInsecure,” she says. “It gave me confidence in my ability to tell stories and connect with an audience.”
02of 07
Issa Rae
Tyren Redd
First Black female creator and star of a premium cable series
On the heels of her successful YouTube seriesThe Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl,Rae, 38, created the 2016–21 HBO dramedyInsecure, which earned her three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. “I’m proud to show what’s possible,” she says of the upgrade to cable. She moved to the big screen in 2020 withThe PhotographandThe Lovebirds, and in 2022 premiered her latest cable creation, the HBO Max comedy seriesRap Sh!t. “I will always be chasing the experience I had withInsecure,” she says. “It gave me confidence in my ability to tell stories and connect with an audience.”
03of 07
Lil Nas X
Lester Cohen/Getty
First openly gay rap superstar
04of 07
Janet Mock
Theo Wargo/Getty
Mock, 39, started transitioning as a freshman in high school and had gender confirmation surgery at 18. She began a career in journalism after graduating from New York University — including a stint as an editor at PEOPLE! — and wrote about her journey in the bestselling 2014 memoirRedefining Realness. WhenPosepremiered in 2018, with Mock onboard as a writer and director, it made history as the scripted series with the largest number of transgender actors in regular roles. “For me to be here as a thirtysomething trans woman of color doing this work, I know that’s rare,” the activist told PEOPLE in 2017. “And I don’t want that to be rare anymore.”
05of 07Donald GloverDaniele Venturelli/WireImageFirst rapper to score Grammys for Song and Record of the YearThere isn’t much Glover, 39, doesn’t do. Known in the music world as Childish Gambino, he was the first rapper to nab Grammys for both Song and Record of the Year, which he did for his 2018 hit “This Is America,” and he’s also won a pair of Emmys for his work on the FX showAtlanta, which he created. In 2017, Glover became the first Black director to win Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, while his Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy made him the first Black actor to win that category in 32 years. His aptitude for juggling music and acting makes him an inspiration for other multihyphenates. “I think there’s something cool about blowing up at the same time in both fields,” actor-rockerMachine Gun Kellytold PEOPLE in 2019, “like Donald Glover.”
05of 07
Donald Glover
Daniele Venturelli/WireImage
First rapper to score Grammys for Song and Record of the Year
There isn’t much Glover, 39, doesn’t do. Known in the music world as Childish Gambino, he was the first rapper to nab Grammys for both Song and Record of the Year, which he did for his 2018 hit “This Is America,” and he’s also won a pair of Emmys for his work on the FX showAtlanta, which he created. In 2017, Glover became the first Black director to win Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, while his Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy made him the first Black actor to win that category in 32 years. His aptitude for juggling music and acting makes him an inspiration for other multihyphenates. “I think there’s something cool about blowing up at the same time in both fields,” actor-rockerMachine Gun Kellytold PEOPLE in 2019, “like Donald Glover.”
06of 07
Colson Whitehead
Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Getty
First Black two-time Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner
07of 07Ava DuVernayNathan Congleton/NBC/gettyFirst Black female director of a $100 million-grossing filmWhen DuVernay’sA Wrinkle in Timecrossed the $100 million mark in 2018, she tweeted: “Lovely room to be in. But can’t wait for more sisters to be here too.” The first Black woman to direct a Best Picture Oscar nominee (2014’sSelma), DuVernay, 50, aims to provide opportunities to the Black community through her arts and social impact collective ARRAY. “When I think of my career, I think of all the artisans and directors we have welcomed into the ARRAY family that created strides in their respective careers,” she says. “I have had the opportunity to provide equitable hiring access, interactive educational materials about Black history and free public programming for the Los Angeles community. I hope I laid a similar infrastructure for the next generation to build upon.”
07of 07
Ava DuVernay
Nathan Congleton/NBC/getty
First Black female director of a $100 million-grossing film
When DuVernay’sA Wrinkle in Timecrossed the $100 million mark in 2018, she tweeted: “Lovely room to be in. But can’t wait for more sisters to be here too.” The first Black woman to direct a Best Picture Oscar nominee (2014’sSelma), DuVernay, 50, aims to provide opportunities to the Black community through her arts and social impact collective ARRAY. “When I think of my career, I think of all the artisans and directors we have welcomed into the ARRAY family that created strides in their respective careers,” she says. “I have had the opportunity to provide equitable hiring access, interactive educational materials about Black history and free public programming for the Los Angeles community. I hope I laid a similar infrastructure for the next generation to build upon.”
source: people.com
