Throughout Hollywood history, Black celebrities and the power they have through their platform has played a major role in helping combat issues like racial inequality, racial injustice and other challenges the Black community disproportionately faces. Whether it’s EGOT award-winning actress Viola Davis highlighting subjects like colorism, or Michael B. Jordan calling on Hollywood studios to commit to hiring more Black talent, many of the stars we see perform on-screen have dedicated their time to advancing the livelihood of the Black community and beyond.
From advocating for better education to providing resources to help Black people access financial freedom, here’s a list of some of the Black Hollywood actors, producers and filmmakers who are putting in the work to help their people.
Issa Rae
Issa Rae is the first Black woman to create and star in a premium cable series for HBO with her award-winning comedy series “Insecure,” and she’s always rooting for everybody Black through her work and social missions. In 2014, Rae and Hollywood producer Deniese Davis founded ColorCreative, a management company that produces inclusive content and supports diverse creators. Rae’s passion to reimagine Black wellness and beauty is shown in her co-owned hair care line Sienna Naturals. And she set up her HOORAE headquarters near her hometown of South Los Angeles, where she owns Hilltop Cafe + Kitchen and provides her local community with jobs and resources. Rae is also a supporter of Destination Crenshaw, an outdoor museum that celebrates Black history and culture.
Hill Harper
The “How It Really Happened” actor seamlessly combines his Hollywood career and his activism. With a mission to close the racial wealth gap, and in remembrance of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Harper launched The Black Wall Street, a Black-owned digital wallet and cryptocurrency exchange platform to help investors of color. On top of that, he’s co-authored the New York Times bestseller, “The Wealth Cure,” which outlines ways to solve the racial wealth gap. Harper is also on the Board of Directors of the National Black Bank Fund and is an honorary national co-chair of the Redevelopment of Black Wall Street, Greenwood Chamber of Commerce.
Oprah Winfrey
She’s recognized as the “Queen of Talk,” but her Black community-centered efforts may be acknowledged just as much as her Hollywood career. In 2007, she founded The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, helping provide educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls who come from impoverished backgrounds. She is also the largest single donor to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture after donating $21 million to the museum. In 2020, Winfrey donated $5 million to the city of Chicago to help support Black and Brown communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also regularly gives HBCUs money as donations, having donated to Morehouse College, Spelman College and her alma mater, Tennessee State University.
Stephan James
From “If Beale Street Could Talk” to venture capital, Stephan James is providing more access to funding for Black and Brown entrepreneurs through his Canadian-based venture capital fund Bay Mills Diversity Fund, which he co-created with his brothers, Sheldon James and Shamier Anderson. Anderson and James also previously launched The Black Academy, a community-based nonprofit organization that seeks to develop emerging Black talent in the entertainment industry, as well as tackle discrimination and racism in the Canadian arts arena.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith
Standing as one of Hollywood’s most famous couples, the two are also one of the most dedicated to making social change and highlighting issues that impact the Black community, and people of color as a whole. Together, Smith and Pinkett-Smith founded The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting urban inner city youth and families. On top of that, the Smiths have donated hundreds of thousands to to social justice efforts, including the Racial Justice March in 2015, and helped raise $10 million for the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law at St. Thomas University.
Angelica Ross
Long before her stardom on “American Horror Story” and “Pose,” Angelica Ross was adamant about giving the LGBTQ community resources through tech. In 2014, she founded TransTech, a co-learning and co-working community and incubator that focuses on economically empowering LGBTQ+ people, particularly Black and Brown trans women. Ross also uses her platform to speak out about and educate the masses about the abuse and violence that takes place against Black trans women.
Jesse Williams
The “Grey’s Anatomy” star’s stance in Hollywood transcends the television screen, as Jesse Williams has become a prominent figure in social justice efforts related to protecting civil rights. In 2016, Williams became a member on the board of directors at The Advancement Project, a nonprofit that focuses on issues related to racial justice. He also became an investor in the financial services firm Greenwood, a digital banking platform made for Black and Brown customers. The actor also produces projects that highlight racial issues, like the Oscar-winning short “Two Distant Strangers.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph
After losing a third of her “Dreamgirls” cast to HIV and AIDS while working as an actress on Broadway, Ralph founded Divinely Inspired Victoriously AIDS Aware (DIVA) in 1990, an organization that helps educate and bring awareness to the disease, which disproportionally impacts Black and Latino communities. In October 2022, Ralph helped raise $300,000 in scholarship money for students at the HBCU Jackson State University.
Deon Taylor and Roxanne Avent Taylor
As the co-creators of the completely Black-owned multi-dimensional independent film company Hidden Empire Film Group, Deon Taylor and Roxanne Avent have made it their mission to tell multicultural stories, while putting Black and Brown talent at the center of their projects — which include “Fear,” Traffik” and “Fatale.” In addition, the duo pays it forward by giving back to their community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hidden Empire Film Group donated money to independent Black journalists, Black film critics and independent Black news outlets who were financially impacted.
Taraji P. Henson
Becoming an advocate for improved mental health in June 2022, Taraji P. Henson’s foundation, The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, partnered with BET to provide the Black community with free mental health services. Better education for the Black community is also one of the actress’s passions, as President Joe Biden appointed her to the White House HBCU Initiative Advisory Board, which works to address and alleviate educational disparities that impact Black Americans.
Michael B. Jordan
Michael B. Jordan, whose breakout role was playing Oscar Grant — a Black man slain by BART police in Oakland, California — Jordan has made diversity and inclusion the center of his work. In 2020, Jordan urged the entertainment industry to hire more Black creatives. That same year he partnered with nonprofit civil rights advocacy group Color of Change to create tangible ways to invest in Black talent and reinvest police funds to support Black communities.
Erika Alexander
The “Run the World” actress is the co-founder of Color Farm Media, a social impact, entertainment and innovation company that seeks to create better equity, inclusion and diversity in media while empowering marginalized communities through technology and media. In addition, Alexander is an advisor for VoteRunLead, which trains women for U.S. political positions. She serves as a board member for One Fair Wage, an organization that seeks to end sub-minimum wages in the U.S. and is also a board member for Exponent, which helps those who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS, substance use, incarceration and behavioral challenges.
Tyler Perry
The self-made billionaire made history as the first Black person to own a major film studio, where he continues to write, direct and produce projects that are centered around Black narratives. Through his charity, the Perry Foundation, he’s donated millions to nonprofit organizations with missions to eradicate homelessness, support civil rights and aid those who have been affected by natural disasters.
Viola Davis
EGOT award-winning actress Viola Davis uses her platform to speak out against several issues that impact Black people, including colorism, the racial pay gap and equal rights. Davis, the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress, collaborated with the Hunger Is campaign to help fight childhood hunger by starting the $30K in 30 Days Project.
Lena Waithe
Honored with the GLAAD Media Award for her activism, screenwriter and producer Lena Waithe has dedicated her time to putting Black LGBTQ representation on-screen, and placing the Black and Brown communities at the forefront of her social efforts. Waithe, who became the first Black woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, partners with job search site Indeed for her BIPOC filmmaker career accelerator program “Rising Voices.” In addition, Waithe and her Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab — an eighth-month-long, tuition-free mentorship program for marginalized storytellers — will be entering its third year.
