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Introducing The 2020 Culture Shifters

Sometimes it feels like we’re at peak everything. There is so much to consume. Prestige TV, an endless parade of Marvel movies, viral memes and hot takes dominate our conversations online and off. In today’s cultural landscape, it can be hard to discern what’s new and paradigm-shifting and what’s just noise.  

Enter the Culture Shifters list, HuffPost’s way of shining a light on those who are shaping today’s culture in exciting ways and setting the tone for what is possible for our future.

In this inaugural list, we’ve chosen people across the United States in the realms of film, television, activism, fashion, literature, nightlife, food and comedy. They are people who aren’t simply getting a seat at the table in their respective industries, but are creating their own tables, cultivating their own spaces, and forging untraditional paths within traditional institutions.

Among the honorees are a young Asian American culture writer changing the conversation around representation with brilliant essays and celebrity profiles, a nightclub collective that hosts legendary and affirming parties exclusively for queer people of color, a 12-year-old activist fighting for clean water across America, a young Black actor challenging how we define the Hollywood male lead, and a beauty entrepreneur whose makeup line reenvisions what beauty even means.

This list isn’t just about who is hot right now. Instead, it is about people who have the potential for long-lasting impact, people who spark important conversations and, in big and small ways, are shifting the culture.

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Shani Crowe × SAINT HERON

Photographer: Justin Hardiman | kailsovl

Designer: James Flemons | PHLEMUNS

Squad: Audrianna, Brittany, Imani, Keah & Tyla