Congratulations are in order to @jackieaina [1] NAACP YouTube Creator of the Year. A true beacon of creativity and inspiration to millions of viewers worldwide. pic.twitter.com/t88w5DkaTd [2]

— Derrick Johnson (@DerrickNAACP) January 14, 2018 [3]

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The NAACP Image Awards [4] recognize people of colour who have contributed to music, art, entertainment, and literature in order to help improve the lives of Americans of colour. This year, a new award was announced, YouTuber of the year, and it was awarded to none other than Jackie Aina. Jackie is an American YouTuber who shares her top beauty tips and knowledge with over 1.8 million subscribers. Not only is Jackie one of the most entertaining beauty influencers in the business — she makes everything so fun — but she's also an advocate for diversity and inclusivity within the beauty industry.

Jackie acts as a spokesperson for her followers and uses her voice to call out brands for their lack of diversity, helping to provide a platform for change within the industry. Followers come to her channel to learn about topics surrounding shade undertones, life experiences as a black beauty guru, and SPF (seriously, if you're struggling to find a fit, watch this! [5]). She gives women of colour a guide and voice within the beauty world that was severely lacking for a long time.

But Jackie doesn't just create content online; she recently announced a collaboration with Too Faced [6]. She'll help it develop a more inclusive foundation shade range, something that is still a big problem within the industry.

Recent events have highlighted some high-profile YouTube stars in a negative light, but Jackie proves that the platform can be used for activism and equality, as well as entertainment, within an industry that still has a long way to go.

Jackie's award was so well-deserved, and we can't wait to see what else she will accomplish in the social sphere and her influence in the beauty industry.

me and @rolandsmartin [7] today at the @NAACP [8] image awards brunch! pic.twitter.com/tSUUIHpwTz [9]

— La Bronze James (@jackieaina) January 14, 2018 [10]