Bring the Noise
Q: This hymn of Black resilience, long known as the Negro national anthem, sparked controversy in 2008 when Rene Marie sang it instead of the U.S. anthem at an event in Colorado.
This self-proclaimed “Black lesbian feminist warrior poet” was famous for her fierce critique of racism, sexism, and homophobia in her collection of essays “Sister Outsider.”
Audre Lorde
Q: This 1974 blacksploitation stars Pam Grier as the title character who takes on a gang of drug dealers who killed her boyfriend.
Foxy Brown
Q: This former Black Panther and member of the Black Liberation Army wrote a widely read autobiography after escaping prison and receiving political asylum in Cuba.
Assata Shakur
Q: This Compton-raised tennis star won her 1st major singles title in 1999, and her record-setting 23rd in 2017.
Serena Williams
Q: This singer, dubbed “The First Lady of Song” debuted at age 17 in one of the earliest Amateur Nights at the world famous Apollo Theater, where she initially planned a dance performance before being intimidated by another group and switching to singing on the spot.
Ella Fitzgerald
This prolific abolitionist writer and former Black Panther is currently a distinguished professor at UC Santa Cruz, but found herself on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List in 1970.
Angela Davis
Q: In Season Three of Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols shared primetime TV’s first interracial kiss with William Shatner. What was her character’s name?
Lt. Uhura
This labor organizer coined the phrase “Si se puede” while co‑founding the United Farm Workers alongside Cesar Chavez.
Dolores Huerta
Q: In 2025 she led her team to a third championship title, becoming the first WNBA or NBA player to win a scoring title, be a champion, Finals MVP, MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
A'ja Wilson
Q: This American hip hop duo is widely acknowledged as the "First Ladies of Rap and Hip-Hop,” after being the first female rap act to win a Grammy Award.
Salt-N-Pepa
Q: This black woman was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), although was later ousted because her “radical” anti-lynching activism was perceived as too “extreme.”
Ida B. Wells
Q: This Kenyan‑Mexican actress starred in the 2016 drama Queen of Katwe, directed by Mira Nair and featuring a cameo by Nair’s son, Zohran Mamdani.
Lupita Nyong'o
Q: This Trinidadian Marxist feminist, journalist, and activist used her writing to connect Black struggles in the United States with anti‑imperialist movements across the African diaspora.
Claudia Jones
On top of being Brazil’s top goal scorer of all time, this soccer star also holds the record for most goals scored in World Cup play by men or women.
Marta Vieira da Silva ("Marta")
Q: This Whitney Houston soundtrack album is widely acknowledged as the best-selling album credited to a woman with sales of over 45 million copies since its release in November 1992 in connection with a movie of the same name in which she held a starring role.
The Bodyguard
Sometimes referred to as the "Saint of Christopher Street", this key figure in NYC's LGBTQ rights movement is known for her involvement in the Stonewall riots and her tireless advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Marsha P. Johnson
Q: She became the first African American to earn the Triple Crown of Acting after winning an Oscar for this 2017 film.
Fences
The late 19th century Chinese revolutionary, feminist and poet, Qiu Jin, fought against gender norms by famously dressing in men's clothing, and was executed after a failed uprising against this dynasty
The Qing Dynasty
Q: This Māori rugby player led New Zealand to back-to-back Gold Medals at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe