Icons of Color
Afro-Latinidad!
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Shake It
Made in the Bronx
100
This man had a dream - considered a prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement, he spoke at the March On Washington about his vision for an America without prejudice...
Martin Luther King Jr.
100
This painter (who wears boxing gloves) became famous at the young age of 21. His name sounds French, he looks black and speaks Spanish because he's a Haitian and Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn!
Who is Jean-Michel Basquiat?
100
This 2016 movie featured three black women - - who worked at NASA during the Space Race.
What is Hidden Figures?
100
She was crazy in love, told us to get in formation and announced twins during black history month.
Who is Beyonce?
100
This Puerto Rican singer, actress and dancer grew up in Castle Hill.
Who is Jennifer Lopez?
200
She knows why the caged bird sings and is a well-known poet, memoirist and civil rights activist.
Who is Maya Angelou?
200
This term is used for those who acknowledge the black ancestry in their Latin roots...
What is Afro-Latino or Afro-Latina?
200
This show about a superhero from Harlem premiered on Netflix this year and gave a new meaning to being black and bulletproof.
What is Luke Cage?
200
This girl from Barbados was discovered by Jay-Z and made into a national American icon, reminding us to work, work, work, work, work!
Who is Rihanna?
200
This star of the hit show Scandal and famous actress actually grew up in Jamie Towers in the Bronx.
Who is Kerry Washington?
300
This man - considered one of the most important figures of the black power movement - changed his last name to get rid of the legacy of his family's white slavemaster. He later changed it again to Shabazz upon converting to Islam.
Who is Malcolm X?
300
This Afro-Latino New York Yankees third baseman and 12-time All Star has donated millions of dollars to his homeland, the Dominican Republic.
Who is Alex Rodriguez?
300
The first movie of the reboot of its series, this film broke Hollywood rules by making it's two lead actors a woman and a black man.
What is Star Wars: The Force Awakens?
300
This jazz and blues singer is best known for her raspy voice and her no-fear attitude when it came to political and racial justice.
Who is Nina Simone?
300
This famous scientist (astrophysicist) and host of the show Cosmos went to Bronx Science, a high school by Lehman College.
Who is Neil Degrasse Tyson?
400
Lead actress on the popular television show, How to Get Away With Murder, she became the first black actress to receive a Tony, Emmy and - most recently - an Oscar for her role in the movie adaptation of "Fences."
Who is Viola Davis?
400
This Afro-Latino star has crazy dance moves and many hits on the radio, including "Locked Out of Heaven." He says "When you say ‘Black music,’ understand that you are talking about rock, jazz, R&B, reggae, funk, doo-wop, hip-hop and Motown. Black people created it all. Being Puerto Rican, even salsa music stems back to the Motherland [Africa]. So, in my world, Black music means everything. It’s what gives America its swag."
Who is Bruno Mars?
400
This movie about black fatherhood and acceptance of the LGBTQ community just won an Oscar.
What is Moonlight?
400
Although she was expected to dance hip hop because she's black, this woman defies stereotypes in her field and beyond. When she became the first black dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, she changed the face of ballet forever.
Who is Misty Copeland?
400
The United States first Hispanic Supreme Court justice grew up in the Bronxdale projects in Soundview released her memoir My Beloved World, which Oprah called a “love letter” to her life growing up in The Bronx. “Because that’s what it is,” responded Sotomayor, who lived in a South Bronx tenement and the well-maintained, racially and ethnically mixed, working-class Bronxdale Houses housing project in Soundview during her childhood. She says, “So many people grew up with challenges, as I did. There weren’t always happy things happening to me or around me. But when you look at the core of goodness within yourself—at the optimism and hope—you realize it comes from the environment you grew up in.”
Who is Sonia Sotomayor?
500
This modern movement was started by three black women - Alicia Garza, Patrice Cullors and Opal Tometi - who were concerned about the prejudice facing people of color in the United States today - especially the rise of police brutality.
Black Lives Matter
500
Known as the Queen of Salsa, this Cuban singer has a school of music named after her right here in the Bronx - next to Lehman College.
Who is Celia Cruz?
500
This documentary about famous Harlem writer James Baldwin and his experiences during the Civil Rights Movement is now playing in theaters and breaking records.
What is I Am Not Your Negro?
500
This Bronx native used to be part of the group Aventura and makes bachata music off the charts!
Who is Romeo Santos?
500
Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx is known as the birth of this musical genre, which came out of parties thrown by local DJs in the Bronx to end gang violence and bring communities together. This led to a new form of music, breakdancing and a completely new style that came out of the Boogie Down Bronx to spread all over the world.
What is Hip Hop?