'Essence' magazine names Kym Worthy to inaugural 'Woke 100' list

As Essence said in a 2010 post about Wayne Country prosecutor Kym Worthy, the attorney has been both hailed and vilified for her work. Her tenure has been an uphill battle — prosecuting Kwame Kilpatrick, but letting Flint police chief James Tolbert off the hook, raising awareness and funds to process over 11,000 untested rape kits, and tackling the city's 70 percent unsolved murder rate.

For her contributions, she's been recognized as one of the magazine's "Woke 100," a group of women of color who are making waves politically, socially, artistically, and otherwise. The list is the subject of the magazine's May issue, which is on stands now.

The list includes Shondra Rhimes, Linda Sarsour, Maxine Waters, and 96 other women. The 12 women featured on the cover talk about their social justice work in the magazine. The remaining 88 women were and their work were summed up in a single sentence. Worthy's read: "When 11,341 unprocessed rape kits were discovered in her district, Worthy raised awareness and funds for testing, leading to 42 prosecutions and the identification of 750 serial rapists."