Black History Month: 1Xtra's Future Figures 2021 - Jay-Ann Lopez

Jay-Ann Lopez has founded Black Girl Gamers and Curlture

"There's a lot of racism, sexism but also invisibility. I wanted to heighten the visibility of us and our equity in the space, making sure we can also take home money to put in our pockets."

Black Girl Gamers CEO and founder Jay-Ann Lopez gamed from a young age but due to toxicity in online gaming chatrooms she stopped playing until she was at university.

She saw male friends create their own gaming channels and so she started streaming on the service Twitch. Because of her own experiences, and ones she witnessed other black women have, she founded Black Girl Gamers which aims to give black women a safe space to game and a platform within the industry.

Lopez is one of 29 'Future Figures' chosen by Radio 1Xtra to celebrate Black History Month throughout October. The series aims to highlight individuals, groups and organisations who are "making Black history now".

Lopez says she will keep striving and advocating for black women in the gaming industry until they have a "good space".

"We are not where we need to be as an industry," she said. "We're not where we need to be when it comes to black women having equity. Black Girl Gamers is one of the first platforms to point out the different aspects of racism and inequity within the industry.

"Not only just game characters but when it comes to people working on the games, the presenters presenting the content, but how black women get paid to speak. The gaps in mentoring opportunities. We do all of these things to address that. So when I feel we are at a good space I will probably let go."

Lopez has experience of knowing how to earn money in the influencer industry thanks to another company she co-founded called Curlture. The business aims to empower women to embrace their natural hair, beauty and culture.

She added: "We've been working as influencers for a very long time so we kind of have experience there. When it came to Black Girl Gamers starting to get noticed by brands and publishers, and even brands that are not gaming related, I started to notice that there are a lot of sponsorship opportunities and they're not considering black women. Or they are considering the same handful of black women and to me that's not OK...

"We haven't launched officially but we've done really, really well. We have put over £10,000 in the pockets of black women in one year."

Lopez is hugely successful in the business world and she shared some advice for people thinking of starting their own empires.

"Firstly know your 'why'. Why are you creating this platform, business, product? Who are you looking to serve with that? That will help you be motivated throughout the tough times. The second is to read.

"I always say the secrets of life is in books and we're just not reading enough. We're not expanding our minds and I'm guilty of that because I love fantasy but I find it hard to pick up non-fiction. And follow those who are inspiring you. Reach out to get mentors and just have your questions ready.

"If you want something, act accordingly."

Read more from BBC Sport in Black History Month - 'The sporting heroes who changed our lives'