We all know who she is–the champion behind What About Our Daughters, who has the guts, brains and follow-through to stand up for black girls and women everywhere, even when most people don’t even bother. She got pissed off enough to blog when Don Imus’ ranted about a women’s basketball team looking like a bunch of “nappy-headed hoes,” led the outraged protest against the animals of Dunbar Village, who after raping and terrorizing a Haitian woman, and forcing her to perform oral sex on her eight-year-old son, were coddled and excused by Al Sharpton.

“Black on Black violence to me is a huge deal because it is a form of tyranny. It literally robs entire communities of their freedom, Black women and girls in particular,” said Gina in a 2008 interview with Clutch magazine.

She is also the founder of Blogging While Brown, the first international conference for bloggers of color, and Michelle Obama Watch.

When I first started blogging, it’s was Gina’s place that gave me so much daily inspiration, and her activism gave me the courage to start my own–No Wedding No Womb–in which she was so gracious to participate.

It should be obvious why Gina makes the list for the New, NEW Black Woman, but if you like, I’ll spell it out: She fights for us. She teaches us how it’s done, and inspires us to do the same. Through her work the world is beginning to think twice about throwing black girls and women under the bus.

She goes head-to-head with advertising behemoths like Tide and Allstate when the contribute to the stereotypes and degradation of African American women, and is completely unapologetic about whose side she’s on.

“I think the main mission or cause is to convince people that we are not powerless. We don’t have to take this crap, the people that mean us no good rely on our apathy. They rely on our reluctance to challenge other African Americans and call them on their crap. If anything I want Black women to know that we have all the power we need to change whatever we want to, when ever we want to all we have to do is open up our mouths and speak.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself, Gina. You are my shero. You are OUR shero. God bless you for all you do.