Ta-Nehisi Coates
A former national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine, Ta-Nehisi Coates is also an award-winning author and faculty member of Howard University.
Mary Ann Shadd
Mary Ann Shadd was a writer, educator, newspaper publisher, lawyer, abolitionist, and suffragist. Throughout her life, she advocated for equal rights and the abolition of slavery.
The Chicago Defender
Founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott with an initial investment of only 25 cents, the Chicago Defender rose to become the most influential black newspaper in the country.
Freedom’s Journal
Founded by a group of black New Yorkers the same year slavery was abolished in the state, Freedom’s Journal was the first black-owned and operated newspaper in the United States.
Dorothy E. Brunson
Dorothy Brunson owned three radio stations and pioneered what came to be known as urban contemporary radio. She was also the first black woman to own and operate a television station.
Lester Holt
Lester Holt is an American broadcast journalist who in 2015 made history by becoming the first black person to solo anchor a weekday nightly newscast for a major network.
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.