Lauren Underwood
Lauren Underwood is the youngest black Congresswoman to hold office. A former registered nurse with two master’s degrees in public health nursing, she is an advocate for affordable healthcare.
Robert F. Smith
Robert F. Smith is a black American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and chemical engineer. He is the founder of the private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, of which he is also chairman and CEO.
Sir Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Hamilton, who received knighthood in 2021, is a black Formula One race car driver with seven world championships to his name.
Rashida Jones
A veteran of MSNBC, Rashida Jones worked her way up from an executive producer and managing editor, to president of the entire cable news network.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Sheku Kanneh-Mason is a young British cellist who was the first black person to win BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2016. He also became the first cellist to chart in the UK in the Top 10.
Lauren Simmons
Lauren Simmons made history in 2017 when she was hired as the youngest black floor trader at the New York Stock Exchange.
Stephen Bishop
Born a slave, Stephen Bishop was an early explorer who became the first guide at Mammoth Cave, and his discoveries brought him international recognition.
Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson is the black explorer who is credited as the co-discoverer of the North Pole, along with Robert E. Peary.
Black History Month
A brief history of Black History Month, the annual celebration of black achievement, and recognition of the central role black people have played in shaping U.S. culture and history.
Juneteenth
Originating in Galveston, Texas with the June 19, 1865 announcement of General Order No. 3, former Texas slaves made a celebration out of the date and carried it wherever they migrated.
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells was an unsung early civil rights leader, suffragist, researcher, and journalist who used her pen in ways that are yet to be rivaled.
Mary Church Terrell
Mary Church Terrell was a black suffragist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century who also advocated for racial equality.
Ralph Bunche
Ralph Bunche was an activist and international civil servant with a storied career. He has the distinction of being the first black recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
General Lloyd J. Austin III
As the 28th Secretary of Defense, retired four-star general Lloyd J. Austin III made history by becoming the first black American appointed to that office.
John W. Bubbles
Widely considered the pioneer of rhythm tap, a familiar and celebrated style in tap dancing, John W. Bubbles paved the way for generations of dancers to come.
Benjamin “Pap” Singleton
Benjamin “Pap” Singleton was a land promoter and black nationalist who led thousands of blacks west during the post-Reconstruction era in what was called the Great Migration.
Edisto Island
One of South Carolina’s Sea Islands, Edisto Island’s history is steeped in Colonialism, slavery, Civil War, and post-war black prosperity.
Jessye Norman
One of the most celebrated singers to grace operatic, concert, and recital stages, Jessye Norman was an acclaimed Soprano who weathered the storms of racism to rise to the top of the classical music world.
Marian R. Croak
Marian R. Croak, the soft-spoken genius behind VoIP, has risen to the top of a male-dominated field and changed the world by rethinking technology.
1967: The Summer of Riots
More than 150 cities witnessed a wave of violent protests during the sweltering summer months of 1967. This evolved into violent riots that highlighted the dark underbelly that is America’s racial disparity.