September 2022

After announcing in Vogue that she was 'evolving away' from tennis, Serena Williams played her final professional match at the 2022 US Open in a third-round loss, retiring as the owner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Her career farewell was a global media event celebrating the greatest female tennis player of all time.

Zendaya won her second Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for 'Euphoria' Season 2, becoming the youngest two-time Emmy winner in the category's history at age 26. The show's second season was a cultural event and her performance its emotional anchor.

Viola Davis starred as General Nanisca in 'The Woman King,' a historical epic about the Agojie, the all-female warriors who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey. The film was a rare major-budget Hollywood production centered on Black women warriors and became a box office success.

Little Simz won the prestigious Mercury Prize for her album 'Sometimes I Might Be Introvert,' beating major acts including Wet Leg and Self Esteem. The win elevated one of Black British music's most important voices to mainstream recognition and confirmed the UK rap scene's artistic vitality.