Black History Milestones
This woman’s refusal to give up her seat in 1955 helped spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks
The “Queen of Soul” known for hits like “Respect.”
Aretha Franklin
2018 Marvel film that celebrated Wakanda and became a cultural phenomenon
Black Panther
A cornmeal-based dish often served at breakfast, especially in Southern cuisine
Grits
He delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This 1954 Supreme Court case ruled segregated public schools unconstitutional
Brown v. Board of Education
Founded in Detroit, this record label launched stars like Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye
Motown
This director made Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X
Spike Lee
A Lowcountry/Gullah Geechee staple: a one-pot dish featuring rice often cooked with seafood
Perloo (or pilau)
This NASA mathematician’s story was highlighted in Hidden Figures
Katherine Johnson
Observed on June 19, this holiday marks the end of slavery in the U.S
Juneteenth
This New Orleans–born genre is often called “America’s classical music.”
Jazz
The first Black woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars (for Monster’s Ball, 2002)
Halle Berry
This West African–origin ingredient is used to thicken gumbo
Okra
Founded in 1909, this organization has fought for civil rights through advocacy and the courts
The NAACP
The first Black student to integrate the allwhite Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas (1957)
Elizabeth Eckford (one of the Little Rock Nine) / The Little Rock Nine
This genre born in the Bronx includes DJing, MCing, breakdancing, and graffiti
Hip-hop
This 1977 miniseries brought many families to the TV to discuss slavery and ancestry
Roots
This term describes the blending of African, European, and Indigenous influences central to Louisiana cooking
Creole
This Black inventor improved the traffic signal and invented an early gas mask
Garrett Morgan
This 1965 legislation outlawed discriminatory voting practices like literacy test
The Voting Rights Act (of 1965)
She became the first Black woman to headline Coachella in 2018, delivering the iconic “Homecoming” performance
Beyoncé
This 2016 Best Picture winner tells one man’s story in three stages of life
Moonlight
This Great Migration impact describes how Southern Black food traditions traveled to Northern cities and shaped local cuisine
The Great Migration (as a driver of culinary spread)
A key strategy for “shaping our future”: building wealth and opportunity through long-term family planning and resources across generations
Generational wealth (building)