Trailblazers
Refusing to give up her bus seat in 1955, this seamstress helped catalyze a 381-day boycott that reshaped American civil rights law.
Who is Rosa Parks?
From redefining mainstream festival stages with an HBCU-inspired homecoming to upending album rollouts through an unannounced digital release, this artist repeatedly demonstrated how creative control can translate into cultural and commercial power.
Who is Beyoncé?
Who became the first Black president of the United States
Who is Barack Obama?
She became the first Black woman billionaire in the U.S
Who is Oprah Winfrey?
This Black superhero king rules the fictional African nation of Wakanda
Who is Black Panther (T’Challa)
This fashion designer, known for merging streetwear and luxury, became the first Black artistic director of a fashion house's menswear line.
Who is Virgil Abloh?
This poet wrote “Still I Rise.”
Who is Maya Angelou
She was the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics
Who is Gabby Douglas?
This music mogul co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and later built a business empire spanning fashion, streaming, and venture investing
Who is Jay-Z?
This NBA player starred in Space Jam (1996)
Who is Michael Jordan?
This abolitionist led the Combahee River Raid, freeing more than 700 enslaved people
Who is Harriet Tubman?
This filmmaker’s 2017 horror debut blended social satire with psychological thriller elements and won him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Who is Jordan Peele?
The first Black EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony)
Who is John Legend?
Before acquiring 330 acres in Atlanta for a historic studio complex, this creator built a loyal audience through stage plays featuring a certain outspoken matriarch
Who is Tyler Perry?
Before becoming a go-to reaction GIF for subtle judgment, this talk show host’s composed yet cutting facial expressions made daytime television a meme goldmine.
Who is Wendy Williams?
Long before “Madam” became a branding tool, this entrepreneur built a national haircare empire and trained thousands of sales agents in the early 20th century. She also has a Netflix movie about her life.
Who is Madam C.J. Walker?
This contemporary artist became one of the youngest painters ever to have work auctioned at over $100 million, known for his crown motifs.
Who is Jean-Michel Basquiat?
She became the first Black woman confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022
Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson?
Often referred to as “the most influential makeup artist in the world,” this British entrepreneur turned decades backstage at Paris fashion week into a billion-dollar beauty empire
Who is Pat McGrath?
Originally underscoring moments of looming tragedy in this John Singleton debut, a melancholic saxophone theme has resurfaced decades later as a social media shorthand for “this won’t end well.”
What is Boyz n the Hood?
Long before leading one of the most influential philanthropic foundations in the world, this former Wall Street executive helped guide a major financial institution through the 2008 crisis.
Who is Richard Parsons?
This author wrote Things Fall Apart, one of the most widely read African novels of all time
Who is Chinua Achebe?
The first African country to gain independence from colonial rule in 1957
What is Ghana?
He founded the investment firm Vista Equity Partners and became one of the wealthiest Black private equity investors in the world
Who is Robert F. Smith?
Long before a resurfaced red carpet interview became shorthand for candid self-awareness, this former child star had already delivered the line “Sorry to this man” — a phrase that now signals blissful indifference across the internet.
Who is Keke Palmer?