The Change Maker List 2023 features creative pioneers who disrupt the status quo in the areas of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

“It’s important to shine the light on a wide variety of people and brands who are making a positive difference in the world, so others can see it and be it,” says International Black Heritage Month founder Bruce Reynolds

CHANGE MAKER LIST 2023

EQUITY CHANGE MAKERS:
Change Makers whose past actions disrupted the status quo and addressed Equity:

Grace Jones (Acclaimed Singer, Songwriter, Actor, and Model)
A creative genius whose fearless approach to fashion, music, and film has shaped her extraordinary career and influenced other global artists. www.gracejones.com.

Clive Davis (Music Mogul)
A legend in the music industry, he launched the careers of Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, and many more. He also collaborated with producer/entrepreneur Sean “Puffy” Combs to create Bad Boy Records. www.clivedavis.com.

Joakim Jonason (Creative Director)
While at the ad Agency DDB Stockholm, Sweden, he created the Diesel Jeans Advertising campaign: (The Daily African) in 2000. Spotlighting wealth inequality and showing young wealthy, jet-set Africans enjoying life while former rich nations need help. www.adsspot.me/campaigns/diesel-the-daily-african-8cb6dd4d7e87.

United Colors of Benetton (Brand)
United Colors of Benetton is part of Benetton Group, and for decades the fashion brand has broken the rules of the status quo with its brand messaging. Featuring diverse models and social issues that affect the World. www.benettongroup.com.

DIVERSITY CHANGE MAKERS:
Change Makers whose present actions disrupt the status quo and address Diversity:

David Oyelowo (Actor, Producer, and Businessman)
A highly accomplished actor and producer, he co-founded the recently launched Mansa, a new streaming platform for curated global Black cultural content. www.mansa.com

Jada Pinkett Smith (Actress and Producer)
Jada Pinkett Smith is a highly accomplished actor, producer, and Executive producer of African Queens, a docudrama series streaming on Netflix. The series focuses on female monarchs from the continent of Africa netflix.com/queencleopatra, 

Pat McGrath (Makeup Artist and CEO)
Widely recognized as “the most influential makeup artist in the world,” She disrupted the industry, launching her own inclusive and innovative makeup line Pat McGrath Labs. www.patmcgrath.com

Mikaela Loach (Author and Climate Justice Activist)
The bestselling author of “It’s Not That Radical: Climate Action To Transform Our World” and co-host of The Yikes Podcast, she reframes the climate crisis and makes it relevant for all ages. www.mikaelaloach.com

INCLUSION CHANGE MAKERS:
Change Makers whose early-stage actions disrupt the future status quo and address inclusion:

Briana Marbury (CEO and Social Impact)
As President and CEO of The Interledger Foundation (ILF), she leads efforts to use innovative technology to enable digital financial inclusion for vulnerable populations around the World. www.interledger.org

MK Boston (CEO, Engineer, and Environmentalist)
As Atlas Water and Electric Company (AWE) CEO, he’s driving change and is at the forefront of renewable power and water technology. www.the-awe.com

Jaden Smith and Drew FitzGerald (Environmentalist and Social Impact)
This dynamic duo created JUST Water, sold in cartons, as a more sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bottled water. And to help communities, they created Waterbox, which can provide 10 gallons of Water in 15 seconds. www.waterbox.org, www.justwater.com

Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti (Environmentalist)
Founder of the Green Generation Initiative, which encourages young people to love nature and be environmentally conscious at a young age. This pioneering youth environment and climate activist champions solidarity and compassion for the World’s growing climate and ecological crises. www.un.org/en/climatechange/voices-of-change-elizabeth-wathuti

Adebayo Oke-Lawal (CEO and Creative Director)
As Creative Director and CEO of Nigerian fashion brand ‘Orange Culture,’ he also created a mentorship program that helps young fashion entrepreneurs across the continent of Africa.
www./orangeculture.com.ng/  www.instagram.com/orangementorship/?hl=en

Mag Rodriguez (CEO and Entrepreneur)
Mag Rodriguez is the CEO and founder of EVEN.biz, an innovative new creative platform that helps artists sell music directly to fans. It positions itself as “sell music first, stream second” and a pre-release stop before streaming platforms. www.even.biz

People around the globe can enjoy International Black Heritage Month (IBHM) curated content and virtual events all year long at: www.internationalblackheritagemonth.com/

International Black Heritage Month (IBHM) 2023 focuses on Jamaica and the 75th anniversary of Windrush, the vibrant Yoruba people, and the inspiring Creative Pioneers who have shaped our World.

Another of this year’s highlights is the 24-hour IBHM curated Spotify playlist, which features Japanese reggae, Indian hip hop, Afro beats from Mexico and Portugal, and acclaimed artists from around the globe, such as C4 Pedro, Libianca, Koffee Gunna, Chozen Lee, Usher, Missy Elliott, Bob Marley, Erykah Badu, Africa Unite, Diana Ross, Beyoncé, Soul II Soul, and more. Listen Here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4BSxQT8Lmekp1cJheSK0El?si=6bca2c60daa2484a

Author: Wallace