The 10 Black Women Who Shaped 2008

10. Christina Norman –  Norman may be the most powerful black woman in media that most don’t know. That won’t be the case for long, however. She departed her post as MTV president in February, and is said to be in talks to head up Oprah Winfrey’s cable network venture the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Norman has a decorated career as an advertiser and programmer that makes her a near shoe-in for the CEO position.

9. Candace Parker – Also gracing NewsOne’s Athletes of the Year list, Parker has made her way to the top ranks of female athletes in her sport. She’s already won two gold medals with the U.S. Olympic Basketball team, two NCAA championships and a WNBA Most Valuable Player award in the last 4 years. She and Lisa Leslie have provided the punch to bring the L.A. Sparks back to prominence. Parker led the WNBA in four major statistical categories, and made herself a player to watch in the coming seasons.

8. Serena Williams & Venus Williams - More remarkable than Serena Williams capturing her ninth single’s title at the U.S. Open, is that she’s done so with her most challenging opponent being her sister Venus. The Williams Sisters faced each other in the Wimbledon Final, where Venus had already won four championships. In Serena’s loss, she missed out on a third Wimbledon title. Despite their heated rivalry, the sisters still won Gold in Beijing Women’s Doubles Tennis.

7. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones – Although Mrs. Tubbs-Jones passed in a sudden turn this summer, her career will not soon be forgotten. She was the first black woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representative seat in Ohio’s 11th district. She made her way into the ranks of the Democratic party, serving as its chair in 2002 and as the chair of the House Committee of Official Conduct in 2006. Her support was instrumental in building Hillary Clinton’s name during the Democratic primary. Clinton expressed deep sorrow at her loss, as did many others.

6. Susan E. Rice – Just last month, Susan Rice accepted her highest political position by agreeing to serve as President-elect Barack Obama’s Ambassador to the United Nations. The appointment created a stir for two reasons: Rice was yet another prominent black woman to serve as a diplomatic envoy to the United States; she had a reputation for ruffling feathers to get the job done. Rice has been a leading voice in the drive to end genocide in Darfur. Her career in public policy is impressive but green, a common theme among some Obama cabinet choices. This year will certainly be her biggest test as the tensions surrounding terrorism have reached a fever pitch internationally.

5. Condoleezza Rice – Ms. Rice has been a center figure in the Bush administration through thick and especially thin times. She was notably at the forefront when the 9/11 Commission inquired about the administration’s slow action after receiving warnings about the Taliban and Al Qaeda. After Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation, however, Rice took a more staunch leadership role shifting from Nation Security Adviser to Secretary of State. Once thought of as an insider for the presidential nomination for the Republican party, Rice has largely been trying to reshape her image after a series of national disasters. She has quietly repaired the U.S. relations in the Middle East by not only applying the pressure for regime change in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also meeting with the leading intellectuals in those countries to see how it might be best done. She has balanced those negotiations while remaining the right hand of a regretful, ineffective President. So while Condi may be approaching the end of her political career (sources say she’s considering another post at alma mater Stanford University), she has perhaps become one of the most talked-about black women in American political history.

4. Beyonce Knowles – After going on several back-breaking world tours, Beyonce made a “fierce” come back with her latest offering I Am…Sasha Fierce. In a hushed ceremony, she wed Shawn Carter (better known as Jay-Z), and followed up with the year’s most sensational single “Put A Ring On It.” She entered the ranks of the Hollywood elite, and she and Jay-Z are currently its top earning couple. Beyonce has always been a picture of elegance, but her image was especially prominent this year as she contended with Barack Obama for most magazine covers.

3. Tyra Banks – The star of America’s Next Top Model made exceptional strides with new ideas, and more significantly, new money. Banks won a daytime Emmy for her nationally televised show Tyra. Her beauty is certainly one trademark, but she will soon make earning potential a signature as she plans to make her own network. She has said that “Oprah is queen…and will always be the queen” but is fast on Ms. Winfrey’s heels as her career rises to new heights. Banks has appeared on the Forbes 100 List for Entertainers for the last three years.

2. Oprah Winfrey – Oprah Winfrey sealed the Obama presidential win months before he was a favorite in the polls. Her single endorsement was enough to deem him a safe pick in the hearts and minds of so many Americans who were up to then unfamiliar with his bona fides. But Winfrey’s stamp of approval is no small feat, as many esteemed politicians have courted her to no avail. Even as Oprah prepared her swan song for the greatest career in modern media history, she set out on the campaign trail for her fellow Chicagoan, and taped her show simultaneously. Oprah has said she plans to end The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, and it’s clear America will miss her.

1. Michelle Obama – In term of black female icons, Michelle Obama has ranked high out of the gate. Her poise, intelligence, humor and forthrightness make her an unmistakable celebrity figure at the head of the First Family. On the campaign trail, Michelle endeared herself to mothers, brothers, and countrymen everywhere by emphasizing her commitment to service and community. Michelle Obama’s exemplary stature as wife and mother will also make her a paragon of First Ladies in history as she transitions to an inevitable role as a charitable hero around the world. Not since Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton has one First Lady’s potential as a global figure been so potent. She will certainly make good on an already devout life of giving.

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