Excellence in Art and Culture
This director and producer is best known for her work on the Oscar-nominated film Selma and the Emmy-winning documentary 13th, focusing on racial injustice and history in America
Who is Ava DuVernay?
This soldier posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his bravery during World War II, where he was a member of the 761st Tank Battalion, nicknamed the "Black Panthers."
Who is Ruben Rivers?
This 15-year-old girl refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, months before Rosa Parks.
Who is Claudette Colvin?
Founded in 1909, this organization has been one of the most important civil rights groups, fighting for racial equality through legal action and advocacy.
What is the NAACP?
This African American writer and social critic, known for his 1924 novel Passing, explored themes of racial identity, class, and colorism in the Harlem Renaissance.
Who is Nella Larsen?
This British actress, singer, and producer won a Tony Award for her role in The Color Purple on Broadway and later starred in the film version of The Color Purple and Wicked.
Who is Cynthia Erivo?
This trailblazer became the first African American U.S. Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush and playing a pivotal role in international diplomacy.
Who is Colin Powell?
This activist and journalist was a key organizer of the Freedom Rides and later became the first African American woman ordained as an Episcopal priest.
Who is Pauli Miller?
Before the Civil Rights Movement, this group, founded in 1942, pioneered nonviolent direct action and conducted some of the first sit-ins to protest segregation.
What is CORE? (Congress on Racial Equality)
This poet and playwright wrote Cane, a groundbreaking 1923 novel blending poetry and prose to explore Black life in the South and North.
Who is Jean Toomer?
This legendary saxophonist, widely regarded as one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, transformed the genre with his innovative style and spiritual approach to music.
Who is John Coltrane?
This Harlem native, a member of the 369th Infantry Regiment during World War I, earned the Croix de Guerre from the French government for his heroic actions, despite being overlooked by the U.S. military.
Who is Henry Johnson?
This civil rights leader, often called the "Mother of the Movement," played a major role in organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott but is rarely mentioned in history books.
Who is Jo Ann Robinson?
This 1969 movement, started by Black students at Cornell University, led to the creation of the first Africana Studies program at a major American university.
What is the Willard Straight Hall takeover?
This jazz musician became one of the most famous artists of the Harlem Renaissance, known for songs like What a Wonderful World.
Who is Louis Armstrong?
This musician, best known as the drummer for The Roots, is also a producer, author, and documentary filmmaker, renowned for his involvement in the hip-hop and soul music scenes.
Who is Questlove?
This World War II Army nurse was one of the first African American women to serve in the military, and she faced segregation and adversity while treating injured soldiers in the Pacific.
Who is Oleta Crain?
This brave leader helped desegregate schools in New Orleans when she became one of the first Black children to attend an all-white elementary school in 1960.
Who is Ruby Bridges?
This little-known 1968 movement, led by sanitation workers in Tennessee, used the slogan "I Am a Man" to demand better wages and working conditions, drawing Martin Luther King Jr.'s support before his assassination.
What is the Memphis Sanitation strike?
This novel by Zora Neale Hurston follows the journey of Janie Crawford and is now considered one of the greatest works of African American literature.
What is "Their Eyes Were Watching God?"
This science fiction writer, known for her works on race, gender, and social issues, authored the Patternist series and won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, with Parable of the Sower being one of her most famous novels.
Who is Octavia Butler?
This soldier became the first African American to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Vietnam War, demonstrating exceptional courage while serving as a medic.
Who is Lawrence Joel?
This NAACP field secretary was assassinated in his driveway in 1963 for his work against segregation in Mississippi. His widow, Myrlie, continued his fight for justice.
Who is Medgar Evers?
Founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, this mutual aid society in Philadelphia provided assistance to newly freed Black individuals, laying the foundation for independent Black churches in America.
What is the Free African Society?
This Black-owned literary magazine, co-founded by Alain Locke, helped launch the careers of Harlem Renaissance writers by publishing their poetry and essays.
What is the Crisis?