The most powerful Black women of 2021

While men continue to dominate politics, the corporate world and other fields, women are fast catching up and in some cases, are the decision-makers.

In its list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women this year, Forbes said the state of female power around the world looks a bit different than it did just one or two years ago. Women have gained ground in the boardroom but have also lost elsewhere. For instance, in this year’s list, there are two fewer female heads of states than a year ago, Forbes said.

The renowned publication released its annual “100 Most Powerful Women” list for 2021 on December 7. The 18th annual list includes 40 CEOs, 19 world leaders, an immunologist and, for the first time in more than a decade, a new number one.

“All of these women represent the driving thesis behind the compilation of the list: it’s not just enough to have money or a position of power. A person must be doing something with their fortune, voice or public platform,” Forbes noted while highlighting the criteria for the selection. Here are the Black women who made the list: