The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business
Make no mistake about it: Black women are handling their business -- not only in entertainment but also in the areas of sports, food, politics, fashion and philanthropy. In honor of true royalty, Blackvoices.com celebrates 25 notable females who have reigned supreme as queens of their respective industries. Take a look at The Royal Court: A Celebration of Sisters.

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Aretha Louise Franklin
Who is She: The undisputed queen of soul
Credentials: 20 Grammy Awards including the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy
Royally Speaking: It takes a lot of talent to become the first female to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that's Aretha. At 67, the Detroit native has garnered 45 top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits in her half-century long career. Franklin holds the record for best female R&B vocal performance awards, with 11 to her name. From 1968 until 1976, she was awarded eight consecutive Grammy awards in the category. In 1994, she became the youngest recipient of the Kennedy Center Honor. And the 'Respect' singer was the only featured singer that President Barack Obama asked to perform at his 2009 inauguration.

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Debra L. Lee
Who is She: President and chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television
Credentials: The first African American woman to helm a cable television network
Royally Speaking: When BET founder Bob Johnson sold the first black owned television network to Viacom and left his post, Lee continued to make the channel profitable. Under her tenure, BET's production budget increased 50 percent and developing original content became a priority. The 58-year-old Harvard grad, who sits on the boards of Revlon, Marriott and Kodak, just launched a new channel under the BET umbrella called 'Centric.'

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Pamela Suzette Grier
Who is She: Actress
Credentials: First African American woman to star in an action film; Golden Globe, SAG and NAACP Image Award nominee for 'Jackie Brown'
Royally Speaking: Most of the actors and actresses of the 1970s blaxploitation era didn't have long careers. Grier was the exception, and there was only one Foxy Brown; the you-don't-want-none, bossy role that was the blueprint for black female heroism of the era.The North Carolina native's comeback role was as the title character in Quentin Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown.' Most recently, the 60-year-old starred on Showtime's drama 'The L Word.'

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Debra Martin Chase
Who is She: Hollywood producer
Credentials: Emmy Award-nominated producer of 'Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella,' producer of 'The Cheetah Girls' and 'The Princess Diaries'
Royally Speaking: This Columbia Pictures-lawyer-turned-producer ran Denzel Washington's production company in 1992 and produced blockbuster films such as 'The Pelican Brief,' 'Devil in a Blue Dress,' 'The Preacher's Wife' starring Whitney Houston and 'Courage Under Fire,' as well as the Academy Award-nominated documentary 'Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream.' Under her Martin Chase Productions company, the 53-year-old Illinois native, who also produced the television show 'Missing' and 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,' is recognized as the only black woman with the power to get a film project off the ground in Hollywood.

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Diana Ross
Who is She: Motown's premier diva
Credentials: 100 million records sold (with the Supremes and as a solo artist), Academy Award nomination for best actress for 'Lady Sings the Blues,' Tony Award for 'An Evening with Diana Ross'
Royally Speaking: In her heyday, no one was badder than Diana Ross. The Detroit native, born Diane Earnestine Earle Ross, got her start in the '60s as the lead singer of the Supremes and launched a successful solo career with a re-arranged version of Ashford & Simpson's 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough.' All in all, the near 70-year-old singer/actress amassed 18 number-one singles and starred in films such as 'The Wiz,' 'Mahogany' and her Academy Award-nominated performance as Billie Holiday in 'Lady Sings the Blues.'

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Mariah Carey
Who is She: Singer, songwriter, actress and spokesperson
Credentials: Five-time Grammy Award winner
Royally Speaking: Where her career is concerned, Mariah Carey has definitely shaken off the haters and stood the test of time. The 39-year-old New York native remains the best-selling female artist of all time. She has the most number-one singles for a solo artist with 18 and has even shut down critics with her acclaimed performance in the Academy Award-nominated film 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire.' Her comeback album, 'The Emancipation of Mimi,' marked her career resurgence and gave the five-octave singer the opportunity to evolve her brand with a fragrance line through Elizabeth Arden.

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Audra Ann McDonald
Who is She: Broadway star and thespian
Credentials: The sole black woman to win four Tony awards
Royally Speaking: The Great White Way is a tough place to maintain a presence, but that's not the case for Audra McDonald. The 39-year-old German-born actress won her first three Tony awards for 'Carousel,' 'Master Class' and 'Ragtime' all before the age of 28. McDonald currently stars opposite Taye Diggs in the ABC drama 'Private Practice.'

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Donna Summer (LaDonna Adrian Gaines)
Who is She: Singer/songwriter
Credentials: Five-time Grammy Award winner
Royally Speaking: Arguably one of the most successful singers of the disco era, Donna Summer's resume includes the super hits 'Hot Stuff,' 'Last Dance,' 'Bad Girls' and 'Love to Love You Baby.' Renowned as The Queen of Disco, Summer has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, and made history when she became the first artist to have three consecutive double albums hit number one on the Billboard charts and the first female artist to have four #1 singles in a 13-month period. Her recording of 'Last Dance' won an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1978.

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business

Name: Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid
Who is She: Supermodel, actress, and entrepreneur
Royally Speaking: Iman laid the blueprint for how supermodels should transition to the world of entrepreneurship. The Somalia native was discovered by photographer Peter Beard while studying at Nairobi University in Kenya and went on to appear in Vogue. She also served as the muse for several of today's biggest designers, including Gianni Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein and Donna Karen. Decades later, she launched her Iman Cosmetics, Skincare and Fragrances line as well as a Home Shopping Network line of accessories called Iman Global Chic.

The Royal Court: 25 Black Women Handling Their Business