Black Pioneers, Artists, Innovators, Pioneers & Icons: TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023

They’re influencing the masses!

TIME has released its annual list of “100 Most Influential People,” highlighting people across the globe “whose ideas, example, talent and discoveries are transforming” the world.  Influencers are labeled into one of six different categories and honored as influential artists, innovators, titans, leaders, icons and pioneers.  

Rounding out this year’s list are some of our faves like Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, and playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. Below We’ve compiled a list of every Black person included in the 2023 “TIME’s 100” list. 

ARTISTS

Michael B. Jordan | Actor

 

“Michael B. Jordan has been a working actor for over 24 years. Four years longer than LeBron James’ NBA career, and one year longer than Tom Brady’s stint on the NFL gridiron. He has a youthful appearance and spirit, so it’s easy to overlook his incredible feat of staying power in an industry that can be so transactional…With this year’s Creed III, he took on a new role – feature film director – and handled it with aplomb. I knew he would…It’s like climbing a mountain summit through enemy territory with your heart exposed. But I knew Mike had it in him. Because over that quarter-century of work, nothing was given to him. Everything was earned.” – Ryan Coogler

Zoe Saldaña | Actress

 

“Zoe Saldaña is the ultimate badass in the entertainment industry, known for her powerful onscreen presence and ability to take on any role with ease…She’s not afraid to speak out for what she believes in, and uses her platform to make a positive impact.” – Mila Kunis

Simone Leigh | Autoethnographic Sculptor

 

“My first encounter with Simone Leigh and her artwork occurred over a decade ago, and I will never forget the feelings I experienced in that moment – her art resonated with me in my heart and my core…For generations, Black bodies have been stereotyped, marginalized, and commodified, but Simone completely upends that narrative with her sculptures.” – Venus Williams

Suzan-Lori Parks | Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright

 

“Suzan-Lori is a playwright who thrives on collaboration; she’s not trying to force people like pawns on a chessboard. She’s looking for a visceral reaction to her words, and if they don’t fully land, she goes back to the drawing board until those words impact her soul and the souls of her collaborators.” – Sterling K. Brown

 

El Anatsui | Ghanaian Sculptor

 

“El Anatsui is one of the most impactful artists of our time. As a sculptor, he shows an incomparable capacity to experiment with his materials, medium, and process…Less public, but just as important, is El’s unflinching generosity of spirit. As his career grew, so has his remarkable propensity to support not just other artists but also individuals, families, and institutions in his community in Nsukka and across Nigeria…That, for me, is the mark of greatness.” – Chika Okeke-Agulu

Steve Lacy | Singer, Songwriter

 

“What I admire most about Steve Lacy is that he’s always himself – a good person who loves to make music. In a world where everything’s so contrived, he just wants to nerd out and be free, and that makes him a force to be reckoned with…He has inspired me to be fearless, to trust that whoever my music is meant for will find it.” – Chloe Bailey

INNOVATORS

 

Kylian Mbappé | French Soccer Player

 

“France’s newly minted soccer captain is…a living rags-to-riches fairy tale. A kid raised in Paris’ tough suburbs, Mbappé rocketed to global fame by winning the 2018 World Cup at just 19…Despite his incredible celebrity, Mbappé has three home truths from his mom that keep him grounded: ‘respect, humility, lucidity.’ – Vivienne Walt

 

Monica Simpson | Activist, SisterSong Reproductive Justice Collective

“The devastation of the Dobbs decision, which took away the constitutional right to an abortion, came as a shock for millions last summer, but not Monica Simpson. She was ready. Lack of access to reproductive care – to reproductive justice – has been a fact of life in the South for generations. Yet Monica’s groundbreaking leadership transmuted these long-standing egregious attacks into effective organizing, and the attempted diminution of Black women’s lives into a celebration of our strength and a demand for equality for all.” – Stacey Abrams

 

Wanjira Mathai | Kenyan Environmentalist, Activist

 

“Wanjira Mathai fights for justice and the future of Africa. Her weapons are sharp analysis, a love for people, irresistible persuasion, and a huge smile that makes it impossible to say no…She is shaping NGO and philanthropic work on the continent, directing attention, research, and funding to helping the most climate-vulnerable places and communities.” – Andrew Steer

Jerrod Carmichael | Comedian

 

“The best aspect of my relationship with Jerrod Carmichael is that I never have to bite my tongue around him. When I first met him at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles over a decade ago, I went up to him the moment he got offstage and told him how talented he was. All these years later, I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets to see his greatness. His comedic style stands out because he’s cerebral and puts on these intimate sets, like audiences saw in Rothaniel, where he works to push the culture forward. It’s refreshing.” – Tiffany Haddish

 

Catherine Coleman Flowers | Environmental Health Researcher

 

A child of “bloody” Lowndes County, between Selma and Montgomery, she is at the center of the quest for environmental justice in America. Catherine’s fight to expose the “dirty secret” of systemic neglect across the U.S. in places like Lowndes County, where more than 40% of the majority-Black residents lack access to clean sanitation, has persuaded environmentalists and policymakers to engage more directly with the poor and people of color…She has compelled leaders to address a crisis aggravated by bigotry and poverty, all while keeping her feet firmly planted in the soil of her homeland.” – Bryan Stevenson

 

Dimie Ogoina | Infectious Disease Physician

 

“In 2017, when Dr. Dimie Ogoina sounded the alarm on a new presentation of Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) that he was seeing in his home country of Nigeria, the world wasn’t ready to listen…As the global Mpox outbreak unfolded in 2022, Dimie’s insights became critically important to developing better strategies to prevent and control outbreaks…a passionate champion for global health equity. He has often made the point that Mpox is not a new disease and that had the world paid attention sooner, we could have avoided a global outbreak. It is this drive that has led Dimie to make significant contributions to the field through his advocacy, leadership, and research.” – Anne Rimoin

 

TITANS

 

Angela Bassett | Actress

 

“That’s your gift, becoming your character with conviction, truth, dignity, and grace, even when it’s painful, and takes everything you have and more. It’s not just acting, it’s being. Whether you’re Tina Turner or the Queen of Wakanda, we believe in you because you believe in yourself. You honor all the women you play, just as you honored me. And you’re still perfect.” – Tina Turner

 

Beyoncé | Artist, Entertainer

 

“Beyoncé wove a tapestry of music on Renaissance that celebrated all facets of Black music, including the immense contributions of the Black gay and queer community. Then she became the most-decorated Grammy winner ever. Beyoncé’s fearlessness, talent, beauty, and artistry will continue to influence and inspire Black female artists for millennia.” – Honey Dijon

 

Patrick Mahomes II | 2X Super Bowl MVP

 

“Patrick Mahomes once served as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy, a summer football camp for high school players that my dad founded in 1996. You can learn a lot about a person by the way they treat eighth-graders and ninth-graders during those hot days in Louisiana…Patrick is setting new bars. All these young players around the country are trying to imitate his sidearm throws and incredible plays. But I hope they know he’s also an incredibly hard worker. He appreciates the cerebral part of the game. And he understands his platform, as the MVP quarterback of the Super Bowl–winning team.” – Peyton Manning

 

Gina Prince-Bythewood | Filmmaker

“Gina Prince-Bythewood has a true belief in the power of stories. It’s her life’s purpose; she’s always going to search for the truth. Throughout her career, she’s also demonstrated a commitment to uplifting stories that aren’t always centered onscreen, including stories about Black women and women of color. I will always cherish the memory of premiering Love and Basketball at Sundance back in 2000, and witnessing the five-minute standing ovation that followed. It was a surreal experience…And now, with 2022’s critically acclaimed hit The Woman King, she’s captured our world’s attention once again. Gina is a true writer and craftsman, with an amazing imagination! She also has a lot of integrity, this quiet strength.” – Sanaa Lathan

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LEADERS

 

Hakeem Jeffries | First Black U.S. Congressional Leader

 

“​​Hakeem Jeffries became Democratic leader with the enthusiastic, unified support of House Democrats. With his rousing opening remarks on the House floor, that support caught fire with Democrats and others across the country. Every day, Hakeem leads with his values and vision, his knowledge and strategic thinking—always putting people over politics…The challenge is great. But I know the job, I know Hakeem, and I know he will succeed. Leader Jeffries is a person of faith, patriotism, and respect for the oath we take to protect and defend our Constitution.” – Nancy Pelosi

 

Bola Ahmed Tinubu | President of Nigeria

 

“Winning an election in Africa’s most populous country is no easy feat. But Nigeria’s newly elected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has had nearly two decades to prepare. Called Jagaban, or “leader of the warriors,” by his supporters, the now 71-year-old ran in a presidential election for the first time this March…Tinubu now faces a litany of crises in a fractured nation, including deep-rooted corruption, religious insurgencies, and shortages of cash, fuel, and power in a crumbling economy. But the President-elect seems aware of his inheritance: ‘[Nigeria] is one country and we must build it together,’ he said in his acceptance speech.” – Astha Rajvanshi 

ICONS

 

Brittney Griner | WNBA Star, Advocate

 

“Brittney Griner’s story represents so much. First off, it’s about resilience. BG spent nearly 10 months in Russian prison, wrongfully detained, but never lost hope or her sense of humor. She was BG, through and through, throughout her horrible ordeal. But underneath this story of inner strength is so much more. BG’s wrongful detainment brought attention to issues like the inequities in pay for women athletes, which sometimes compel us to put ourselves in dangerous situations to maximize our financial worth. It brought to light the dozens of Americans wrongfully detained around the world, and BG continues to use her platform as a sports superstar to advocate for their release.” – Sue Bird

RowVaughn Wells | Mother of Tyre Nichols, Activist

 

“RowVaughn Wells became a figure of national influence in the face of her life’s biggest tragedy—losing her son Tyre Nichols after a beating by Memphis police in January 2023. Tyre poignantly cried out for RowVaughn, his loving and caring mother, as he was being brutalized by the officers. That cry shook the conscience of America. Losing a child is the worst kind of pain that a parent could know, but RowVaughn has continued to demonstrate strength and assert her voice to ensure that her son’s story is not forgotten. Her goal is simply to stop these unjustified police killings of unarmed Black men.” – Ben Crump

 

Tracie D. Hall | First Black Woman To Lead American Library Association

 

“Tracie D. Hall, the first African American woman to lead the American Library Association since its inception in 1876, has spent much of her professional life serving the public good. As a librarian, she has sought to have the greatest possible diversity of books for the greatest possible public readership. She has served in and fought for public libraries—what Andrew Carnegie called the “palaces for the people.” With the resurgence of censorship and the rise of politicized redacting of history and curricula, Hall and librarians across the country have had to battle valiantly for a reader’s right to read, learn, and grow. Practicing her belief that “free people read freely,” Hall has led efforts against censorship that demonstrate her brave stewardship of the bulwark of democracy, our public library.” – Min Jin Lee

 

Imara Jones | Journalist, Founder of TransLash Media

 

“Imara Jones knows that transphobia is a choice, not a default setting. In a world where we are inundated with anti-trans bills and violent rhetoric, Imara Jones offers a vision of the world we deserve…In a moment when anti-trans violence is on the rise and there are those seeking to legislate us out of existence, Imara’s work declares loudly and proudly not just that we get to have a future, that our aliveness deserves to extend beyond this moment—but also that it can be pleasure-filled. Imara shows us that our aliveness can and should move from a world of scarcity to one of abundance.” – Tourmaline

Pioneers

 

Doja Cat | Pop Artist

 

“Doja is a true child of the internet, creatively plugged into the kind of social connection that I’m generationally incapable of understanding. She is personally connected with her fans, and that allows her to understand and feed back to them. She can’t be boxed in. She’s a rapper, a singer, a performance artist—she’s the canvas on which she expresses a character or an idea. There’s no “brand” to Doja Cat. You never know what she’s going to do next, and that’s exciting.” – Baz Luhrmann

 

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema | Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme

 

“In December, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema led the world’s countries to one of the decade’s biggest environmental wins—an agreement to conserve or restore nature on 30% of the world’s lands and waters by 2030…The agreement, which is not legally binding, will in theory help boost finance for developing countries, phase out subsidies that harm nature, and protect the rights of Indigenous communities…[Now,] she is co-leading a task force working on standardizing how businesses account for their impact on nature. Experts say the financial framework stands to accelerate efforts to protect the planet.” – Ciara Nugent

Congratulations to all of the TIME 100 honorees!

Cover Photo: Black Pioneers, Artists, Innovators, Pioneers & Icons: TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023/(l to r) Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett, Hakeem Jeffries, and Suzan-Lori Parks/Photo Courtesy of Paola Kudacki/TIME/ Anthony Maule/Trunk Archive/Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Associated Press/Erik Carter/The New York Times/Redux