Author: Rachel Stoler

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/17/nx-s1-5550270/harlem-globetrotters-lynette-woodard-first-woman

In 1926 the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team was founded, more than 20 years before Black men were allowed on professional basketball teams. But this squad composed of only African American players gradually gained popularity in the basketball world.

When their founder, Abe Saperstein, died 40 years later, the team struggled to maintain that popularity. Over the next two decades the Harlem Globetrotters team was sold twice, and by 1984 the new owner was looking for ways to freshen up the performance. In 1985, the team put out a newspaper ad offering tryouts to women.

Of the 60 women that responded to the ad, only 20 moved on to the second round of tryouts, and one of the players at the top of the list was University of Kansas basketball star Lynette Woodard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynette_Woodard

ynette Woodard (born August 12, 1959) is an American basketball player and former head women’s basketball coach at Winthrop University.

Woodard played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. She became the first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters and, at age 38, began playing as one of the oldest members in the newly formed American women’s professional basketball league, the WNBA. She is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Taborn

Craig Marvin Taborn (/ˈteɪˌbɔːrn/; born February 20, 1970) is an American pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer. He works solo and in bands, mostly playing various forms of jazz. He started playing piano and Moog synthesizer as an adolescent and was influenced at an early stage by a wide range of music, including by the freedom expressed in recordings of free jazz and contemporary classical music.

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/14/nx-s1-5574071/dangelo-dead-at-51-obituary

D’Angelo, the visionary R&B singer who helped pioneer the neo soul sub genre, has died following a battle with cancer, according to a statement from his family published by multiple outlets. He was 51.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Angelo

Michael Eugene Archer^[1] (February 11, 1974 – October 14, 2025), better known by his stage name D’Angelo (/diˈændʒəloʊ/), was an American R&B musician. Widely regarded as one of the most definitive neo-soul acts,^[2][3] Billboard named him one of the greatest R&B artists, while Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 75th on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

He first gained attention after co-writing and co-producing the 1994 single “U Will Know” by the R&B supergroup Black Men United. His debut album, Brown Sugar (1995), was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and received widespread acclaim from music critics, who have credited the album with ushering in the neo-soul movement. It featured the title track, the Smokey Robinson cover “Cruisin“, and “Lady“, which peaked within the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

https://www.tonijphotography.com/about

Tonika Johnson is a photographer, social justice artist and life-long resident of Chicago’s South Side neighborhood of Englewood. She is also co-founder of the Englewood Arts Collective and Resident Association of Greater Englewood, which seek to reframe the narrative of South Side communities, and mobilize people and resources for positive change. Tonika’s art often explores urban segregation, documenting the nuance and richness of the black community to counter media depictions of Chicago’s violence.

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/08/nx-s1-5562559/the-root-ashley-allison-black-media

Black-owned media outlets are grappling with the same financial headwinds affecting much of journalism — including declining ad revenue, uncertain digital business models and the challenge of connecting with audiences through video. But their obstacles are also distinct.

While Black Americans are among the country’s most engaged news consumers, they make up a smaller share of the U.S. population and often have less disposable income to spend on media subscriptions.

Those pressures have pushed several Black-owned outlets to scale back, fold or reinvent themselves. Yet the appetite for journalism that captures the full scope of Black life in America is still there. Ashley Allison hopes to reimagine that space.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12184078/bio

Charismatic, stylish and talented – Aaron Camper is a singer/songwriter who is traveling the world, capturing the hearts of fans along the way. Having shared stages with major acts like Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and Jill Scott, Aaron has honed his craft as a dynamic performer. As a writer, he has worked with a myriad of artists like David Guetta, Diddy and Robin Thicke to name a few. His work has landed on grammy-nominated projects and given him opportunities young artists dream of but it’s his solo artistry and musicianship that sets him apart from the rest. The makings of a big star from a small town, Aaron grew up in Salisbury, MD. the son of a preacher and has been around music all his life, evident in his ability to not only sing and write but to also play guitar and drums. Influenced by artists like NERD, Phil Collins, D’Angelo, Kashif and many others, Aaron set the course to become a well-rounded artist and performer.

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/21/807158371/chris-dave-and-the-drumhedz-tiny-desk-concert

Chris Dave is reasonably described as your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer, or better yet, your favorite musician’s favorite drummer. As a veteran session artist in the music industry, he’s recorded and written with everyone from D’Angelo to Adele. The Houston native leads the Drumhedz behind a trap set, with his unorthodox, stacked crash cymbals and percussive toys.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Dave

Chris “Daddy” Dave is a drummer, composer, and bandleader from Houston, Texas. He attended Howard University. He is a drummer in jazz, gospel, hip hop, noted for his extremely virtuosic sticking technique and ability to play with a high degree of syncopation. He performed professionally as a gospel drummer with the Winans, before being introduced to jazz audiences nationally through his association with the accomplished alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett. He performed on Kenny Garrett’s album Standard of Language, before joining the Robert Glasper Experiment and performing on Adele’s Grammy Award winning album, 21. He also recorded on D’Angelo‘s album Black Messiah, and joined the band for the world tour.^[1]

https://explorers.nationalgeographic.org/directory/cameron-oglesby

Cameron Oglesby (she/her) is an environmental justice advocate, oral historian, and award-winning journalist who is dedicated to re-centering the voices, narratives, and knowledge of historically disinvested communities. She was named a National Geographic Young Explorer in 2024. Oglesby has spent the last seven years in North Carolina working with university and community leaders to establish climate education initiatives, leverage institutional power to foster community partnerships, and report on the intersection of environmental racism, infrastructure and policy, and land and agriculture. Her reporting has appeared in The Nation, Grist, Atmos Magazine, Southerly, Yale Climate Connections, and more, and her organizing and storytelling work has been featured by the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Broken Ground podcast and NC WUNC’s The Broadside podcast.

https://celebrate-creativity.com/about-lisa

For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed using my hands and heart to create beautiful things for friends and loved ones.  I’m Lisa Tutman-Oglesby and if you’ve spent any amount of time on this blog, you can see I’m pretty hooked on creativity.  I always have been.  I delight in the simple rewards that come from taking raw materials, applying a little elbow grease and imagination and making something wonderfully unexpected. I’ll bet you’re the same way.

As you explore Celebrate Creativity, you’ll notice I’m pretty passionate about many things including (but not limited to) yummy recipes, sewing, gardening, decorating and photography (just to name a few interests).

https://www.benjaminaebuehi.com/about

Born and raised in South London, Benjamina has always had a sweet tooth and a fascination for all things baking related. She appeared on the seventh series of The Great British Bake Off in 2016 and finished as a quarter finalist, being praised for her approachable and creative recipes with unique flavour profiles. After taking part in the show, Benjamina entered the food world full time and now works as a food stylist, writer and content creator.