Launched in 2017 by Imani Ellis, the collective behind CultureCon names a yearly class of Black culture-shifters, and its 2025 festival drew a record 12,000 people
The Creative Collective NYC named Dr. Raven Baxter to its 2025 Creative Class, a list of 63 Black culture-shifters. Essence revealed the class in an exclusive on Feb. 3, 2025.
Baxter was one of seven honorees in Health and Wellness, listed as "Molecular Biologist and Educator." Her fellow honorees included ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton, therapist Kier Gaines and Les Alfred, host of Balanced Black Girl.
The class arrived on the first Monday of Black History Month. Two weeks earlier, a White House executive order had ordered an end to federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Four days later, the National Institutes of Health capped indirect research costs at 15 percent.
The class spanned six categories, from Entertainment and Tech to Fashion and Beauty. The rapper Doechii received the first Creative of the Year award. Other honorees included CNN anchor Abby Phillip, basketball player and rapper Flau'jae Johnson and makeup artist Danessa Myricks.
The program defines "creative" broadly. Its page calls the Creative Class "a celebration of culture-shifters across a variety of industries from fashion, entertainment, wellness, and beyond."
"The 2025 Creative Class is a true reflection of the endless cultural influence of Black creativity," Imani Ellis, the collective's founder and CEO, said in the Essence reveal. "These visionaries are rewriting the rules, challenging norms, and building cultural movements from the ground up."
The collective's honoree card for Baxter carries the line "Great people do things before they're ready. Do it afraid."
Ellis launched The Creative Collective NYC in 2017. Its CultureCon conference began that year as a two-day gathering for creatives of color. By 2025, BizBash reported, the festival drew a record 12,000 attendees to the Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn. The Creative Class is its yearly honors list, and Ryan Coogler is its 2026 Creative of the Year.
The collective celebrated the 2025 class in New York at the end of February, with partners CÎROC, Shopify and Topicals.
Baxter is a molecular biologist and science communicator with a Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo. In 2025 she directed science communication at Mount Sinai's Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illness.
The full 2025 class and Baxter's honoree page are on the collective's website. Essence published the reveal.
Cohort Sistas presented Dr. Raven Baxter with its Living Legacy Award and heard her keynote at the doctoral support network's fifth anniversary gala in Washington on March 7, 2026.
The Williamsville Education Foundation inducted Dr. Raven Baxter, a 2010 graduate of Williamsville North High School, into the Williamsville Wall of Fame on Nov. 8, 2024.
Stellar Dreams, the telescope program of Dr. Raven Baxter's nonprofit The Science Haven, won a Gold Award in the first Astronaut Rock Star Awards for National Astronaut Day 2024.
