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Born in extreme poverty, fired from her first TV job for "not being good enough", I have always admired her determination and drive to succeed, ultimately becoming the first black woman billionaire in the world. Her philanthropic activities are renown and she has been a role model for many women around the world.

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My black hero is Michelle Obama – America attorney and author who served as the first African American First lady of USA from 2009 to 2017.

As a truly modern-day, revolutionary woman, who has championed a multitude of important causes throughout her life, she has encouraged better education for girls, equal rights, healthy living and more help for families living in poverty.

In her autobiography ‘Becoming’ she talks about her journey from a cramped South Side apartment in Chicago to her position on the world stage today – giving an honest account of her time in the White House, her role as a mother and how she found her voice.’ Becoming’ is full of lessons that we can all learn from.

She is seen as a role model for millions of people around the world. She demonstrated that you need to overcome your fear, prioritize yourself, have your own voice, and be true to yourself.

One of her famous quotes was “You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once. But don't ever underestimate the importance you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own”

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A successful actor and presenter, David Harwood grew up in Birmingham. He talks fondly of his childhood, growing up both happy and healthy. He went on to gain a place at the Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art.

But in his early 20's he began to feel that something wasn't right, the pressure of endless auditions, travelling around and being on the receiving end of brutal feedback and rejection. He self-medicated with alcohol for sometime before he went on to experience a psychotic breakdown and was sectioned at the age of 23. Many years later in 2017 David spoke out publicly about his experience and since then has become a mental health ambassador.

If you haven't seen his BBC documentary 'Psychosis and Me' it's a brilliant watch as he pieces together what happened to him and why.  He also appears as a guest, alongside Maverine Cole on Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder’s excellent podcast Black British Lives Matter (S1 Episode 7).

His passion to raise awareness about mental health, especially as a black man is inspiring – his work has highlighted to me quite how stark inequalities remain within mental health, something we can all actively support changing by removing stigma and continuing to normalise mental ill health.  Aside from all that he is also a brilliant actor!

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Tonight is the final episode of BBC1s Race Across The World and while I love and admire all the contestants, Ladi and Monique stand out for me, especially during #BIW2023

Ladi admits he's treated his daughter like a princess in the past but he recognises the need to make sure she's got the life skills she will need in the future. Monique clearly adores her dad and wants to make him proud. It's so wonderful to see these two people and their brilliant, healthy, supportive relationship represented on prime time TV when so much other TV content is the polar opposite.

They give us all something to aspire to and that's why they are my heroes. 👏🏿

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Amanda Gorman  is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, as well as an award-winning writer and graduate of Harvard University, where she studied Sociology. She has written for the New York Times and has written three books.

Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race and marginalization. She was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate with her poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015. She rose to fame in 2021 for writing and delivering her poem “The hill we climb” at the inauguration of Joe Biden.  Which is when I first became aware of her.  I found her poem to be very impactful.

Gorman was highlighted in Time magazine's 100 next list under the category of "Phenoms", and became the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl.

Born and raised  by her single mother in Los Angeles, she had limited access to television and describes herself as a “weird child” who enjoyed reading and writing. She has an auditory processing disorder and is hypersensitive to sound.  She also had a speech impediment during childhood.  She did attend speech therapy but doesn’t view her speech impediment as crutch, rather a gift and strength.

She began writing at only a few years of age. Now her words have won her invitations to the Obama White House and to perform for Lin-Manuel Miranda, Al Gore, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, and others.  She also penned the manifesto for Nike's 2020 Black History Month campaign.

Gorman founded the nonprofit organization One Pen One Page, a youth writing and leadership program and in September September 2021, it was announced that Gorman would become the first  Estee Laud "Global Changemaker", as a representative of the brand in ad campaigns and speaking events, in addition to work with the company's grantmaking program to promote literacy for girls and women.

Her ambition is to become the president of the United States of America.  Let’s hope she gets there.

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Zanele Muholi is an artist from South Africa, referring to their self as a visual activist using photography and film to document and explore issues of race and representation.  Their work is dedicated to increasing the visibility of black LGBTQIA+ communities in South Africa and beyond.

I first became aware of Muholi's work after watching "Difficult Love" a while back with a friend who is an artist. The documentary is a highly personal account of the challenges facing Black lesbian communities in South Africa. It is a really inspirational, eye opening story, one that I would recommend viewing, along with some of Muholi's work!

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Miles Davis was an influential and highly innovative jazz musician, composer, and bandleader who continues to inspire and influence musicians of all genres and generations.

Miles was a highly creative musician, constantly exploring new ideas and approaches to music. He was known for his ability to improvise and his willingness to take risks, and his music reflects his unique artistic vision.

As a budding trumpeter I studied Miles Davis at school, joining a jazz band at 16 where I had a go and failed miserably at improvisation.  I can safely say it is not as easy as he made it look.

Miles Davis overcame many challenges throughout his career, including racism, drug addiction, and health problems. Despite these obstacles, he continued to create groundbreaking music and remained dedicated to his craft until the end of his life.

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Michaela Coel is an actress, filmmaker, composer and singer.  Last year, I watched ‘I may destroy you’ which she wrote and starred in.  It’s one of the most impactful things that I’ve ever seen and raises questions surrounding race, gender, identity as well as consent.  It’s a hard watch but I would recommend!

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I'm a fan of the 'A Moment that Changed me' series in the Guardian and a couple of weeks ago there was a story about Lawrence Okolie who went from flipping burgers at Victoria Station to Olympic boxer after watching Nicola Adams and Antony Joshua during the 2012 Olympics and determining he needed a 'moment' like that in his life.
His story charts the decision he made and the journey he took himself on to  get to the 2016 Olympics. He says no-one would have had him down as a sports champion at school and he would make do with 5 press ups when the requirement was 10 until he realised that he needed to do something else with his life. I'm not a fan of boxing but I do think it's important to share the success stories of ordinary people who achieve something amazing and in particular where we need accessible role models.

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In school and studying Hitlers Germany I learnt about Jesse Owens and how he went to the Berlin Olympics in 1936 and won four gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. In doing so he became the first American track athlete to win 4 gold medals in a single Olympics.  He went onto WW2 serving with the 5th Infantry Division and winning a medal.

Sadly despite his achievements as a national hero, he went home to America which was deeply divided and racially segregated and he continued to face discrimination and aggression despite all he had achieved.

He passed away in 1980 and is known for being trainer manufacturer Adidas (yes a German brand) first ever influencer!

For perseverance and determination, his story resonated and has stayed with me ever since.

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"When we rise together, we are mighty.” - Lady Phyll

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Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, widely known as Lady Phyll, is the Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Trust, an LGBTQ+ charity that works to defend and uphold human rights.

She is also the co-founder and executive director of UK Black Pride. Black Pride is the first event of its kind in Europe celebrating “LGBTQ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent… to promote and advocate for the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual health and wellbeing” of these communities.

Lady Phyll is well known for her activism on race, gender and LGBTQ+ rights in the United Kingdom. She is considered one of Britain's most prominent lesbian activists. She has raised the issue of racism in the LGBT community and spoken about the importance of intersectionality.

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David Olusoga is a historian, writer, and broadcaster who has been a prominent voice in promoting Black inclusion in the UK. He has used his platform to educate the public on the history of Black people in the UK and the ongoing issues of systemic racism.

One of Olusoga's most significant contributions to promoting Black inclusion is through his work in the media. He has presented several documentaries that explore the history of Black people in the UK, including "Black and British: A Forgotten History" and "A House Through Time." These programs have helped to bring attention to the contributions of Black people to British society and the ongoing issues of racism and discrimination they face.

He has also been vocal about the need for greater diversity and representation in the media industry. He has called for more opportunities for Black people in front of and behind the camera and has criticised the industry's lack of progress in this area.

In addition to his work in the media, David Olusoga has also been active in promoting Black inclusion through his writing and public speaking. He has written several books, including "Black and British: A Forgotten History" and "The World's War," which explore the history of Black people in the UK and their contributions to the country's development. He has also given numerous talks and lectures on the subject, helping to raise awareness and promote education.

If you ever have the chance to read his work and listen to him, I would highly recommend you take the chance. He educates and increase awareness with grace and ease, a truly brilliant individual.

Overall, David Olusoga has made significant contributions to promoting Black inclusion in the UK through his work in the media, writing, and public speaking. His efforts have helped to raise awareness of the ongoing issues faced by Black people and promote greater understanding and inclusivity in British society.

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I first heard the full story of Harriet Tubman on a podcast called 'You're Dead to Me', a comical history podcast. I've listened to lots of episodes of this, but the story of Harriet really stuck with me. I was and remain blown away by the incredible bravery of this woman. Having had a really difficult (to say the least) childhood during which she undergoes brain surgery without anesthetic (!!), after escaping slavery herself, she then risked her life some 13 times over whilst working as a railway conductor to rescue many other enslaved people. She went on to become a spy during the American civil war and in later life was a prominent figure in the Amercian suffragette movement. That is a very short summary of what she did, which could in fact, fill pages and pages. It's astonishing to me how one person can overcome so much personally but continue to feel a compulsion to help others. A phenomenal person.

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Despite facing a huge amount of public backlash, extreme criticism and hatred, Meghan has shown courage to keep speaking up and calling out behaviours that are not acceptable. I love that she successfully challenged an advertising company at the age of 10/11 for suggesting only women would use washing up liquid! She is a great role model for challenging the status quo and I find her resilience inspiring!

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Lebron Raymone James!

Lebron is one of the best players to have ever played the game. Top 2 and he isn't 2!

He was drafted as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Since being drafted, Lebron has been a 4x NBA champion, 4x NBA finals MVP, 4x NBA Most Valuable Player and a 19x NBA All  Star (these are only some of his accomplishments).

Lebron has been involved in many charitable donations and business ventures. Most notably, the I Promise School which opened in 2018 and is aimed at at-risk children.

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Poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar Maya Angelou was a world-famous author. She was best known for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style. She is famous for number of quotes - they speak to me! For example - “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” She provides simple guidelines for life that are simple and universal.

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My Black hero is child prodigy Prince Rogers Nelson b. June 7, 1958, d. April 21, 2016. Known for his 'rebellious' nature, Prince was a multi-faceted musician who pushed musical and cultural boundaries throughout his career. During the early 90s Prince had a high-profile dispute, with his then record label Warner Bros, and took a stand for recording artists who wanted more control over their careers. He went on to share social awareness on a variety of topics through his music and was rumoured have thousands of unreleased music in his vault at the time of his untimely passing in April, 2016.