Five most important African American women of 2011

This article is a detailed list of the five most important black African American women of 2011.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an Afro-American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist, best known for her self-titled, multi-award winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history. She was born on 29th January 1954 and hosted her famous talk show from 1986 up until 2011 when she decided that she no longer wanted to continue with it. It is rumoured that she is worth over one billion dollars making her the world's only black billionaire.

Beyonce

Beyonce Knowles, more commonly known as simply Beyonce, is an American R&B recording artist, actress and fashion designer. Born and raised in Houston Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child who are one of the world's biggest selling groups of all time. More recently, she has gone solo and in 2011, headlined Glastonbury Festival in the U.K.

Sheila Johnson

Sheila Johnson co-founded Black Entertainment Television with her former husband Robert Johnson. The couple sold the network to Viacom for three billion dollars in stock before their divorce in 2002 after a 33-year marriage. In 2011, she is the chief executive of Salamander LLC which has a portfolio of luxury resorts. She also has stakes in the NHL's Washington Capitals, NBA's Washington Wizards and WNBA's Washington Mystics.

Janice Bryant Howroyd

Janice Bryant Howroyd built her wealth up after taking up a job as assistant at Billboard magazine. She built up a client base via word of mouth and today is said to be worth around $250 million. She has been very generous in donating her wealth to worthy causes such as a $10 million donation as the University of Southern California.

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is the wife of the first American black President Barack Obama and is known as 'The first lady.' She performs duties such as visits to needy causes and other countries, most often alongside her husband, and is well known for her glamorous looks.