Once he escaped slavery he didn't forget about those still down South suffering. He was one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement during the Civil War to end slavery
Webster's needs to place Harriet Tubman’s face next to “badass” because she's it. To risk her life time and time again to help guide slaves to freedom... YASSSS!
This woman stepped up to the plate and came for nothing less than home runs. She was at the forefront of Black education when she started a private school in
Today there are a ton of self-made millionaires. We've all seen the sharks on Shark Tank, but the first ever was a Black woman by the name of Madam C.J.
Three years before World War II, Hitler was already talking about his so-called Aryan race and their superiority. Then in ran Jesse Owens to blow that bigot's beliefs wide open.
We may have never seen the likes of The Cosby Show, Living Single or Scandal if Ethel Waters hadn't gotten The Ethel Waters Show in 1939. She was the first
Actors of color are still fighting for representation, but the first to make any strides in that was Hattie McDaniel, when she became the first person with any sort of
Jackie Robinson broke a color barrier down and set is on fire when he entered major league baseball. Funny to think about what professional sports would look like without POC,
Many of us have heard Brown v. Board of Education in passing, but it was actually Oliver L. Brown's name in that famous case that caused the end of segregation
Rock and roll music usually gets called "white" music, but oh honey...it was first birthed by a woman, a Black woman. Sister Rosetta Tharpe often gets overlooked for her guitar
What's there to say about this icon that hasn't already been said? His words. His actions. His beliefs. All of the above and then some created a foundation of hope
Everyone has a different approach to Civil Rights and Malcolm X was definitely more vocal and extreme with his actions at the time. Regardless though, he is/was a golden light
Isn't it interesting that many of us may have never known the names Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson if it weren't for Hidden Figures? History books may
Someone construct a statue of Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner because she was a Black inventor who gave us the first sanitary napkin. Also think that toilet paper holders were always
Despite being disbanded by the government, the Black Panthers continue to be a symbol of fighting the power when it comes to the injustices put on Black people.
A lot of actors today weren't old enough to witness Hattie McDaniels win her history-making Oscar, but they were when Sidney Poitier won his. Many, including Oprah, have noted how
The political leader that helped move South Africa in a new direction, Nelson Mandela is not only a hero to those in his country but all around the world. He
On top of his athleticism and legendary stance in the ring, we celebrate Muhammad Ali and all that he did in regards to the Civil Rights Movement that was still
Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings shifted how Black writers were seen, especially Black women who held a pen. She put Blackness at the core of the
story in a way that was unapologetic and real. Almost a century later, her words still bring forth inspiration that spans not only other authors but many in the hip
Comedy was a little too slapstick until Richard Pryor came in with an attitude that went on to influence all the crass and out-there comedy we have today.
We're not focusing on the reality of particular stars of The Cosby Show. We're here to talk about the family that showcased that Black families could be affluent, educated and
MTV was pretty white until Michael Jackson's "Beat It" became the first video by a Black artist to be in heavy rotation on the network. Jackson isn't just a gem
The creation of BET was a gift this couple bestowed upon us in the early '80s that gave black folks a corner of television that existed without tokenism.
It's hard to imagine yourself as beautiful when the world consistently celebrates faces unlike your own. So when Vanessa Williams was crowned the first Black Miss America, it sent a
Someone like myself could write you a thesis about the greatness of Space Jam, but Michael Jordan is so much more than one of the best movies from the ‘90s.
What he did was transform the sport of basketball into a true brand. Hello, Jordans? We’ve all had a pair. His energy and iconic status will never be topped.
It wasn't some secret that police brutality against Black people was a problem before 1991, but seeing the footage of Rodney King being assaulted like an animal by the LAPD
caused the world to see it in a new light. That footage and trial started a conversation that we're sadly still having today with very little progress.
There are some sports that are regarded as totally white—golf and tennis. So when Venus and Serena Williams showed up and started dominating, it showcased that tennis wasn't just for
There's something empowering about Shonda Rhimes. From the way she consistently creates dynamic female characters to her sheer force when it comes to activism.
The founder of the #MeToo campaign, Tarana has been inspiring women and men from all walks of life to speak their truths in regards to sexual assault, long before it
Many in modern times followed the case of Trayvon Martin with hawk eyes. How could they not convict a grown man of the murder of a child? Unfortunately the justice
You may not recognize Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, and Mae C. Jemison’s names right away but their Black Lives Matter movement is a modern marvel that brings
November 2008 showed us that change was possible. Barack Obama finally put some pigmentation in the White House and never stopped being a voice of the people for eight years.
The Golden Globes and SAG Awards have been awarding acting excellence for 75 and 24 years, respectively. In all that time a Black actor in a leading TV role had
never received the honor in the drama categories. That is until 2018, when Sterling K. Brown slayed the competition. In the grand scheme of things, he is just getting started
History (and the present) has not been kind to Black folks. We didn’t need those basic AF elementary school lessons during Black History Month to know that. You know the ones?
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