We are highlighting examples of Black excellence throughout the year! Feel free to send suggestions to Rachel at rstoler@frcog.org.
.
Black Excellence: Richard Bowie Spikes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Spikes Richard Bowie Spikes (October 2, 1878 – January 22, 1963) was an African-American inventor. The holder of a number of United States patents, his improvements on existing inventions include a beer tap, automobile directional signals, an automatic gear shift device based on automatic transmission for automobiles and other motor…
Black Excellence: Mati Diop
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mati_Diop Mati Diop (born 22 June 1982) is a French film director and actress. She won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for her feature film debut, the supernatural romantic drama Atlantics, and the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival for her second feature…
Black Excellence: Abdi Nageeye
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/03/nx-s1-5177334/nyc-marathon-2024-results After 4 attempts, Abdi Nageeye wins the NYC marathon Abdi Nageeye, 35, from the Netherlands, claimed victory in the men’s race of the New York City Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2:07:39. It was his fourth appearance in the Big Apple run, and his first win in…
Black Excellence: Lonnie Shields
https://lonnieshields.com/biography Lonnie Shields is truly one of the finest of the next generation of the blues. He cut his blues teeth performing with The Jelly Roll Kings. His recording career has led him through a number of studios from Memphis and Clarksdale to tours all over the world. This Delta…
Black Excellence: Ella Jenkins
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/10/530876080/ella-jenkins-dead-at-100 Ella Jenkins, the first lady of children’s music, has died at 100 You may have grown up hearing one of Ella Jenkins’ signature tunes, like “You’ll Sing A Song and I’ll Sing A Song.” And you may have then played her music for your own children. Jenkins, who was…
Black Excellence: Baby Rose
https://www.npr.org/2020/02/10/803620275/baby-rose-tiny-desk-concert “This is what real love sounds like.” From any other new artist, a Tiny Desk declaration like that might sound a tad bit presumptuous if not altogether premature. But when the voice behind those words is as seasoned and vintage as Baby Rose’s, everything it utters reverberates like the…
Black Excellence: Amadi Azikiwe
http://www.amadiazikiwe.com/?page_id=2 Amadi Azikiwe, violist, violinist and conductor, has been heard in recital in major cities throughout the United States, such as New York, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Houston, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., including an appearance at the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Azikiwe has also been a guest of…
Black Excellence: Armenta Adams Hummings Dumisani
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenta_Adams Armenta Adams (Hummings) Dumisani (born 1936) is an American concert pianist and music educator who since 1960 has performed in the United States and, thanks to an international relations award from the U.S. State Department, in 27 other countries. In 1993, she founded the Gateways Music Festival which promotes…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Armenta Adams Hummings Dumisani
Black Excellence: Quincy Jones
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/04/834546599/quincy-jones-pop-mastermind-thriller-producer-dies Quincy Jones, whose decorated music career ran from the early 1950s through the best-known works of Michael Jackson and beyond, died Sunday. He was 91.
Black Excellence: Alan and Alex
https://travelnoire.com/black-excellence-meet-the-identical-twin-brothers-who-are-pilots-on-alaska-airlines https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/alaska-airlines-identical-twin-pilots/
Black Excellence: Kortnee Solomon
https://ethosawardequestrian.com/awardee/kortnee-solomon/
Black Excellence: Tressie McMillan Cottom
https://tressiemc.com/ A trenchant cultural critic, celebrated sociologist, and award-winning writer, Tressie McMillan Cottom is known for rearranging your brain in the span of a carefully-turned phrase. Her breadth is phenomenal – it moves from the racial hierarchy of beauty standards and the class codes of dressing for work to the…
Black Excellence: Kelis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelis Kelis Rogers (/kəˈliːs/;[2] born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef.[3] She attended New York’s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts,[4] where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Choir of Harlem.[5] Upon graduation, Rogers landed a role as…
Black Excellence: Chef Ting
https://www.mvtimes.com/2024/10/08/food-is-ministry/
Black Excellence: The Imafidon Family
https://thephoenixnewspaper.com/meet-the-imafidons-the-smartest-family-in-the-uk The Imafidon family was recently named the smartest family in Britain. Hailing from Nigeria, husband, Dr. Chris Imafidon and wife Ann, are parents to twelve-year-old twins Peter and Paula, who made history as the youngest children in ever, in the United Kingdom, to attend high school – before then…
Black Excellence: Dawn Shedrick
https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/10/31/nx-s1-5172517/caregiver-caregiving-isolation-burnout-resources Dawn Shedrick is matter-of-fact about the heartbreaks of caregiving. She is clear and calm when she describes its hardships and grief. She has looked after her mother, who has multiple sclerosis, for more than 30 years. She has been through a lot, and she keeps going.
Black Excellence: Bayo Akomolafe
https://centerforneweconomics.org/people/bayo-akomolafe/
Black Excellence: Roland Hayes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Hayes Roland Wiltse Hayes (June 3, 1887 – January 1, 1977) was an American lyric tenor and composer. Critics lauded his abilities and linguistic skills demonstrated with songs in French, German, and Italian. Hayes’ predecessors as well-known African-American concert artists, including Sissieretta Jones and Marie Selika, were not recorded. Along…
Black Excellence: Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson
https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/mathematics/high-school-students-who-came-up-with-impossible-proof-of-pythagorean-theorem-discover-9-more-solutions-to-the-problem High school students who came up with ‘impossible’ proof of Pythagorean theorem discover 9 more solutions to the problem Follow-up to post from May 8, 2024
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Ne’Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson
Black Excellence: Carson and Cannan Huey-You
https://campaign.tcu.edu/stories/the-future-of-science.php These gifted young brothers could have gone to college anywhere. They chose TCU. You may have heard about TCU’s youngest-ever scholars, brothers Carson and Cannan Huey-You. If you haven’t, you will. These kids are the future. And the future is looking bright. Cannan, age 14, is now a TCU…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Carson and Cannan Huey-You
Black Excellence: Lena Richard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Richard Lena Richard (September 9,[1] 1892 or 1893 – November 27, 1950) was a chef, cookbook author, restaurateur, frozen food entrepreneur, and television host from New Orleans, Louisiana.[2] In 1949, Richard became the first Black woman to host her own television cooking show.[3] Her show aired from October 1949 -…
Black Excellence: Ka
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/28/g-s1-30027/ka-rapper-brownsville-remembrance The late Brownsville MC rapped from an intense commitment to writing as a form, and a DIY ethic that put him in charge of every aspect of his business
Black Excellence: Anwar Sawyer
https://soundbetter.com/profiles/569384-anwar-sawyer Anwar Sawyer is a producer/songwriter based out of Los Angeles. He grew up surrounded and influenced in music from gospel to the soulful R&B sounds of his uncles hit group, Blue Magic. He studied classical piano and composition at Westminster Choir College and Nyack College School of Music. Following…
Black Excellence: Richard Theodore Greener
https://legacyofslavery.harvard.edu/alumni/richard-theodore-greener Harvard’s first Black graduate, Richard T. Greener, went on to become the first Black professor at the University of South Carolina and dean of the Howard University School of Law. Born in Philadelphia in 1844, Richard T. Greener moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his parents at age nine. He…
Black Excellence: Monica Jones Kaufman Pearson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Jones_Kaufman_Pearson Monica Jones Kaufman Pearson (born October 20, 1947) is an American journalist and news anchor. Pearson’s career first started in Louisville, Kentucky, as an anchor and reporter for WHAS-TV, while also working as a reporter for the Louisville Times. When Pearson moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1975, she became…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Monica Jones Kaufman Pearson
Black Excellence: Stephen Nzioka
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2024/10/21/g-s1-27810/climate-change-weather-app-farm This farmer ‘planted blindly’ in a changing climate. A weather app came to his rescue
Black Excellence: Elizabeth Francis
https://www.yahoo.com/news/elizabeth-francis-oldest-living-person-234300631.html Elizabeth Francis, who was the oldest living person in the United States, has died. She was 115. At the time of her death, Francis was the oldest living person in the U.S. and the third-oldest person in the world, according to LongeviQuest, a global database of the world’s oldest…
Black Excellence: Fredia Gibbs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredia_Gibbs Fredia “The Cheetah” Gibbs (born July 8, 1963), is an American former professional martial artist, kickboxer, and boxer who competed from 1975 to 2005.[1] During her kickboxing career, she held ISKA, WKA, and WKF World Titles. Before her kickboxing career she was an All-American in basketball and track.
Black Excellence: Aaron Hutcherson
https://www.thehungryhutch.com/about/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron-hutcherson Aaron Hutcherson is a writer and recipe developer for Food at The Washington Post. Before joining The Post, Hutcherson was a freelance writer, recipe developer, photographer and food stylist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Food & Wine, Eater, Thrillist, Taste, Serious Eats, Food52 and…
Black Excellence: Constance Baker Motley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Baker_Motley Constance Baker Motley (née Baker; September 14, 1921 – September 28, 2005) was an American jurist and politician who served as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Black Excellence: Eisa Davis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisa_Davis Eisa Davis (born May 5, 1971) is an American playwright, actress and singer-songwriter.[1] She is known for her work as the co-creator of the Warriors concept album with Lin-Manuel Miranda.[2] Her previous works include the plays Bulrusher and Angela’s Mixtape. For her stage acting in New York, she won…
Black Excellence: The Black Bread Company
https://lasentinel.net/first-african-american-owned-bread-company-the-black-bread-company-is-not-just-about-making-bread.html First African American Owned Bread Company: The Black Bread Company is Not Just About Making Bread
Black Excellence: Prentis Hemphill
https://prentishemphill.com Prentis Hemphill (They/Them) is unearthing the connections between healing, community accountability and our most inspired visions for social transformation. Prentis is a therapist, somatics teacher and facilitator, political organizer, writer and the founder of The Embodiment Institute. For over 10 years, Prentis has been working with individuals and organizations…
Black Excellence: Charles R. Drew Public Charter School Varsity Boys Golf Team
https://blacknews.com/news/charles-r-drew-charter-school-varsity-golf-team-all-black-players-state-championship/
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Charles R. Drew Public Charter School Varsity Boys Golf Team
Black Excellence: Mayor Acquanetta Warren
https://www.fontanaca.gov/2788/Acquanetta-Warren-Mayor Elected as mayor in December 2010 and re-elected in 2014, 2018, and 2022 Acquanetta Warren is serving her fourth term as the mayor of the City of Fontana. Mayor Warren focuses her administration on bolstering economic development, creating educational opportunities, improving public safety, and advocating for a healthier community.
Black Excellence: Randolph Wilson “Bill” Bromery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph_Bromery Randolph Wilson (“Bill”) Bromery[1] (January 18, 1926 – February 26, 2013) was an American educator and geologist, and a former Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst (1971–79). While Chancellor, Bromery established the W.E.B. Du Bois Archives at the University of Massachusetts, and was one of the initiators of…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Randolph Wilson “Bill” Bromery
Black Excellence: Sheila E.
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/10/g-s1-22384/sheila-e-tiny-desk-concert Sheila E. is a portrait of motion. Not just the movement of her body as one of the world’s most recognized drummers, but also as a versatile musician who glides easily from genre to genre with the ease of a master. For her time behind the Desk, she assembled…
Black Excellence: Sarah Willie-LeBreton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Willie-LeBreton Sarah Susannah Willie-LeBreton is an American sociologist and academic administrator serving as the 12th president of Smith College since 2023. She was previously the provost and dean of faculty at Swarthmore College from 2018 to 2023. https://www.smith.edu/discover-smith/president-sarah-willie-lebreton Sarah Willie-LeBreton is the 12th president of Smith College. An accomplished and…
Black Excellence: Luis Tiant
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/nx-s1-5146523/luis-tiant-dead-baseball Luis Tiant, the charismatic Cuban with a horseshoe mustache and mesmerizing windup who pitched the Red Sox to the brink of a World Series championship and pitched himself to the doorstep of the baseball Hall of Fame, has died. He was 83.
Black Excellence: Mustafa
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/g-s1-26454/mustafa-dunya-poet-toronto-review Throughout its history, hip-hop has spotlit the turmoil faced by Black communities, in housing projects and neighborhoods from coast to coast — and, eventually, around the world. Who is there to preserve the memories and traditions of the lost, as folklorists for the streets? For years, the poet and…
Black Excellence: Andrea Joy Campbell
https://www.andreacampbell.org/story Andrea Joy Campbell has dedicated her life to fighting for greater equity and opportunity. At a time when so many people have lost faith in our government’s ability to solve problems, she continues to work hard everyday as your Attorney General because there has never been an office or…
Black Excellence: Arshay Cooper
https://www.arshaycooper.com/meet-arshay ARSHAY COOPER is a Rower, Benjamin Franklin award-winning author, the protagonist of the critically acclaimed film “A Most Beautiful Thing,” a Golden Oar recipient for his contributions to the sport of rowing, motivational speaker, and activist, particularly around issues of accessibility for low-income families.
Black Excellence: Cheryl Freeman-Smith
https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/cheryl-freeman-smith-olive-harvey-college-manufacturing-transportation-engineering-career-education When Cheryl Freeman-Smith looked around at Commencement in 1992, she was one of only 39 Black engineers in her Northwestern graduating class out of around 400. And there were “only four of us in industrial engineering,” she recalls. Today, Freeman-Smith, who grew up in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, is…
Black Excellence: Roger Thomas Ward
https://evanstonroundtable.com/2024/01/29/dr-roger-thomas-ward-brilliant-athlete-and-engineer-died-at-76/
Black Excellence: Daphne Maxwell Reid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Maxwell_Reid Daphne Etta Reid (née Maxwell; July 13, 1948) is an American actress, comedian, designer, and former model. She is best known for her role as the second Vivian Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1993 to 1996.
Black Excellence: Lillie Cunningham
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/03/nx-s1-5133287/lillie-cunningham-110-year-old-alabama-woman At 110 years old, an Alabama woman credits one thing for her long life: faith She may be one of the world’s oldest people. But age is just a number to Lillie Cunningham.
Black Excellence: Celia Benvenutti
https://kresgeartsindetroit.org/artist/celia-benvenutti Celia Benvenutti is an Afro-Latina dance artist, native Detroiter, and Howard University alumna.
Black Excellence: Adegoke Steve Colson
https://www.steinway.com/artists/adegoke-steve-colson Steinway Artist, ADEGOKE STEVE COLSON is a Grammy® nominated pianist and composer – a native of East Orange, NJ – who has performed internationally as a leader of jazz ensembles ranging from trios to orchestras. His work has been recorded on labels that include Columbia/Sony, Evidence, and Black Saint.…
Black Excellence: Njoki McElroy
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/266520730/njoki-mcelroy Born Hilda Nadine Hampton, she was the daughter of J.D. Hampton and Mrs. Marion (Washington) Hampton. “A Special Gift: Dallas Playwright Njoki McElroy Remembered For Her Commitment To Racial Awareness — Marian McElroy says her mother had a special gift. “Her ability to tell stories and to verbalize,” she…
Black Excellence: Dr. Brandon Nichols
https://pulitzercenter.org/people/brandon-nichols Dr. Brandon Nichols serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Olive-Harvey College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. He describes himself as being a mission-driven, students-first educator through civic engagement. The Illinois native resides from the southeast side of Chicago.
Black Excellence: George Benson
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/19/nx-s1-5114356/jazz-night-in-america-george-benson Few musicians have seen the success that guitarist, vocalist and cultural icon George Benson has: platinum records, a record of the year Grammy, four Top 10 hits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943)[3] is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career…
Black Excellence: Onnie Rogers
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/onnie-rogers-phd Onnie Rogers, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology and human development and director of the Development of Identities in Cultural Environments (DICE) lab at Northwestern University. The DICE Lab conducts research that centers on the perspectives and experiences of racially and ethnically diverse young people. As a developmental…
Black Excellence: Boo Buie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boo_Buie Daniel Richard “Boo” Buie (born December 7, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference.
Black Excellence: Felicia D. Henderson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicia_D._Henderson Felicia D. Henderson (born April 18, 1961) is an American television producer, screenwriter, comic books writer and a director of music videos and television episodes. She has worked on Moesha, Sister, Sister, Soul Food, and Fringe, also played in a movie with Whitney Houston.
Black Excellence: William Jackson Harper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jackson_Harper William Fitzgerald Harper (born February 8, 1980), known professionally as William Jackson Harper, is an American actor and playwright. He gained acclaim for his role as Chidi Anagonye in the NBC comedy series The Good Place (2016–2020), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding…
Black Excellence: Melissa Foster
https://www.melissafostervoice.com/home Melissa Foster is a Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University, and is the proud recipient of the 2021 Galbut Outstanding Faculty Award.
Black Excellence: Maya-Camille Broussard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya-Camille_Broussard Maya-Camille Broussard is an American chef, author, and restaurant owner. She is the owner of Justice of the Pies in Chicago, Illinois, and was a 2022 finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Baker.[1] Broussard is a featured pastry chef on the Netflix series, Bake Squad.[2] https://magazine.northwestern.edu/people/maya-camille-broussard-bake-squad-netflix-justice-of-the-pies…
Black Excellence: Kirby Howell-Baptiste
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_Howell-Baptiste Kirby Howell-Baptiste (born 7 February 1987),[1] credited mononymously as Kirby since 2023,[2] is an English actress. She has appeared as a series regular on Downward Dog (2017), Killing Eve (2018), Why Women Kill (2019), and as Death of the Endless in The Sandman (2022–present) and Dead Boy Detectives (2024).
Black Excellence: Eboni Booth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eboni_Booth Eboni Booth is an American playwright and actress.[1] https://www.goodmantheatre.org/artists/eboni-booth Eboni Booth is a writer and actor from New York City. Her plays include Primary Trust (Roundabout Theatre, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Outer Critics Circle Award) and Paris (Atlantic Theater).
Black Excellence: Alexis Pauline Gumbs
https://www.alexispauline.com/about Sista Docta Alexis Pauline Gumbs Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a Queer Black Troublemaker and Black Feminist Love Evangelist and an aspirational cousin to all sentient beings. Her work in this lifetime is to facilitate infinite, unstoppable ancestral love in practice. Her poetic work in response to the needs of…
Black Excellence: Attica Locke
https://www.atticalocke.com/about/
Black Excellence: Moraya Seeger DeGeare
https://www.bfftherapy.com/morayaseegerdegeare How we connect and disconnect from each other gives us deep pathways into understanding ourselves. I passionately work with those exploring and finding their voice and identity through unpacking the many complexities of who we are and how we move in the world. Finding joy in how we show…
Black Excellence: Lauren Anderson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Anderson_(dancer) Lauren Anderson (born February 19, 1965) is an American ballet dancer and a former principal dancer with the Houston Ballet. In 1990, she was one of the first African-American ballerinas to become a principal for a major dance company, an important milestone in American ballet.[1][2] She appeared in many…
Black Excellence: N’mmah Kanu
https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2024-09-12/local-teacher-viral-tiktok-building-dream-classroom 3rd grade teacher goes viral on TikTok for building her dream classroom When third-grade teacher N’mmah Kanu entered her new classroom at Red Hill Elementary, her sole suitcase of generic school supplies wasn’t enough to decorate the space in a way that matched her personality and inspired students to…
Black Excellence: Michaela DePrince
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaela_DePrince Michaela Mabinty DePrince (born Mabinty Bangura; January 6, 1995 – September 10, 2024) was a Sierra Leonean–American ballet dancer who danced with the Boston Ballet, the Dutch National Ballet, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Black Excellence: Hilery Gobert, John Coleman, Chris Muse
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/12/nx-s1-5002077/small-black-owned-farms-climate-change-smart-agriculture https://www.muse3farm.com/about These small Black-owned farms are growing crops with the climate in mind
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Hilery Gobert, John Coleman, Chris Muse
Black Excellence: Frankie Beverly
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/11/g-s1-22132/frankie-beverly-maze-obituary Frankie Beverly, R&B and funk legend, dies at 77 Frankie Beverly, a funk and R&B innovator, singer, songwriter, producer and founder of the band Maze, died Tuesday. He was 77.
Black Excellence: Juliana Pache and Black Crossword
https://www.julianapache.com Juliana Pache is the creator of Black Crossword and Pache Studio. https://www.blackcrossword.com Black Crossword is a free daily mini crossword puzzle that places emphasis on terms and clues from across the Black diaspora.If you know, you know.
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Juliana Pache and Black Crossword
Black Excellence: Tasha Cobbs Leonard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasha_Cobbs_Leonard Natasha Tameika Cobbs Leonard (born July 7, 1981) is an American gospel musician and songwriter. She released the extended play Grace in 2013 with the hit lead single “Break Every Chain”. The EP reached No. 61 on the Billboard charts.
Black Excellence: Edwidge Danticat
https://edwidgedanticat.com/about Edwidge Danticat is the author of several books, including Breath, Eyes, Memory, an Oprah Book Club selection, Krik? Krak!, a National Book Award finalist, The Farming of Bones, The Dew Breaker, Brother, I’m Dying, Create Dangerously, Claire of the Sea Light, The Art of Death, Everything Inside, a Reese’s…
Black Excellence: James Earl Jones
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Earl_Jones James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor known for his film roles and for his work in theater. Jones has been described as “one of America’s most distinguished and versatile” actors for his performances on stage and screen.[1] He has also been…
Black Excellence: Marie Van Brittan Brown
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/brown-marie-van-brittan-1922-1999
Black Excellence: Louise Little
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Little Louise Helen Norton Little (née Langdon; 1894 or 1897 – December 18, 1989)[1] was a Grenadian-born American activist. She was the mother of Malcolm X.
Black Excellence: Binyavanga Wainaina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binyavanga_Wainaina Kenneth Binyavanga Wainaina (18 January 1971 – 21 May 2019) was a Kenyan author, journalist and 2002 winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. In 2003, he was the founding editor of Kwani? literary magazine. In April 2014, Time magazine included Wainaina in its annual Time 100 as…
Black Excellence: Njideka Akunyili Crosby
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Njideka_Akunyili_Crosby Njideka Akunyili Crosby // ⓘ (born 1983) is a Nigerian-born visual artist working in Los Angeles, California.[1] Through her art, Akunyili Crosby “negotiates the cultural terrain between her adopted home in America and her native Nigeria, creating collage and photo transfer-based paintings that expose the challenges of occupying these…
Black Excellence: Nathaniel Mary Quinn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Mary_Quinn Nathaniel Mary Quinn (1977) is an American painter. Quinn is known for his collage-style composite portraits that feature disfigured faces.[1][2] https://gagosian.com/artists/nathaniel-mary-quinn In his collage-like composite portraits derived from sources both personal and found, Nathaniel Mary Quinn probes the relationship between visual memory and perception. Fragments of images taken from…
Black Excellence: Son Little
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Little Aaron Earl Livingston,[1] also known by his stage name Son Little, is an American rhythm & blues[2] musician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.[3] https://www.npr.org/2024/09/02/g-s1-19861/son-little-field-recordings-aspen-ideas-festival Son Little’s songs radiate outdoors at the Aspen Ideas Festival
Black Excellence: Jonathan Scales
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Scales Jonathan Scales (born September 14, 1984) is an American steel pannist and composer. He has recorded and produced seven albums, the most recent being Mindstate Music, released in 2019 on Ropeadope Records. Since 2007, Scales has recorded and performed with Victor Wooten, Howard Levy, The Duhks, Roy “Future Man”…
Black Excellence: John H. Francis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Francis_(environmentalist) John H. Francis III (born 1946) is an American environmentalist nicknamed The Planetwalker. Born in Philadelphia, the son of a West Indian immigrant, he moved to Marin County, California, as a young man.
Black Excellence: Outdoor Afro
https://outdoorafro.org/about Outdoor Afro celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. Our national not-for-profit organization reconnects Black people to our lands, water, and wildlife through outdoor education, recreation, and conservation. Some examples of Outdoor Afro’s year-round activities range from fishing, hiking, biking, kayaking, gardening, skiing, and more. https://ruemapp.com Rue…
Black Excellence: Emeline King
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emeline_King Emeline King (born December 16, 1957), is an American industrial designer, known for her automotive designs. In 1983, she was hired by Ford Motor Company, and became the first Black woman designer for the automobile manufacturer.[1][2][3] King also works as a motivational speaker, musician, and author.[4] She authored an…
Black Excellence: Corcoran Holt
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/29/nx-s1-5092043/on-the-beltway-a-dc-jazz-festival-playlist-curated-by-artist-in-residence-corcoran-holt On the Beltway, a DC Jazz Festival playlist curated by artist-in-residence Corcoran Holt https://www.corcoranholt.com/bio Corcoran Holt, a son of Washington, DC, began playing djembe and other West African percussion at the age of 4 as a member of Wose Dance Company under the tutelage of Baba Aidoo Holmes & Mahiri…
Black Excellence: Willie Mae Wong
https://aaregistry.org/story/willie-mae-wong-musician-born Willie Mae, also affectionately known as “Rabbit,” was one of the original members of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. They were the first multi-racial all-female big band in America. Wong had no visible musical skills when she was recruited to the group as a 15-year-old. She was out on the…
Black Excellence: Tazewell Thompson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tazewell_Thompson Tazewell Thompson is an American theatre director, the former artistic director of the Westport Country Playhouse (2006–07) in Westport, Connecticut and the Syracuse Stage (1992–95) in New York state. Prior to that he was an assistant director at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. He is the Director of Opera…
Black Excellence: Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon
https://tfma.temple.edu/directory/kimmika-williams-witherspoon Senior Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation in the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts at Temple University and a Full Professor specializing in Urban Theater and Community Engagement in the Theater Department in the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts. Immediate-past President of the Faculty…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon
Black Excellence: Malcolm Kenyatta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Kenyatta Malcolm Kenyatta (born July 30, 1990) is an American politician from the North Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the Pennsylvania State Representative for the 181st district since 2019.
Black Excellence: GZA and the Soul Rebels Tiny Desk Concert
https://www.npr.org/2018/05/02/607358481/gza-the-soul-rebels-tiny-desk-concert GZA’s performance at the Tiny Desk was a rare appearance for the legendary Wu-Tang Clan emcee, in part because he’s notoriously introverted, and because he brought along The Soul Rebels, an eight-piece New Orleans brass ensemble.
Continue Reading Black Excellence: GZA and the Soul Rebels Tiny Desk Concert
Black Excellence: Nicholas Buamah
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Buamah Nicholas Buamah (born 17 February 2011) is a Ghanaian-born writer based in Snellville, Georgia, United States.[1][2] He became a bestselling author on Amazon with a piece written for a school assignment.[3] He was honored with a proclamation from the Mayor and city council of Snellville, and honoured by the…
Black Excellence: Monica Sorelle
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/20/nx-s1-5073880/mountains-film-miami-little-haiti Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood is on borrowed time. A film is documenting it all.
Black Excellence: Kaliis Smith
https://www.nepm.org/people/kaliis-smith Kaliis Smith is a radio host and producer for NEPM’s The Fabulous 413. She was most recently host and producer at The River 93.9/WRSI where she appeared on Mornings with Monte for the Nerdwatch segment and hosted weekday evenings. A guitarist, she’s in several local bands including Ex-Temper, The…
Black Excellence: Charles Thompson
https://www.charlesthompson.net/blank-1 Charles Thompson makes furniture and carvings in a humble workshop on a humble hill in Heath, MA.
Black Excellence: Sam French
https://www.gillccwoodworks.com/about We are rooted deep in the tradition of craftsmanship. Over the years, owner and woodworker Sam French has developed his own voice in this tradition through reshaping nature’s raw displays of beauty into new yet familiar forms. Sam creates unique pieces of custom made wood furniture and custom live…
Black Excellence: Carlos Simon
https://www.carlossimonmusic.com/biography Carlos Simon is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, whose music ranges from concert music for large and small ensembles to film scores with influences of jazz, gospel, and neo-romanticism. Simon is the Composer-in-Residence for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the inaugural Boston Symphony Orchestra Composer…
Black Excellence: Keyon Harrold
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/15/g-s1-17011/keyon-harrold-tiny-desk-concert It’s a family reunion when jazz, R&B and hip-hop get together, and Keyon Harrold brought it all to his Tiny Desk, where he talked about “the good, the band, and the ugly of what life can be.”
Black Excellence: Africanus Okokon
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2024/08/16/g-s1-16960/african-art-exhibit-statues-barbershops-colonial-era Africanus Okokon, a Rhode Island-based artist who is the American-born son of a Ghanaian mother and a Nigerian father.
Black Excellence: Ernestine Carrol “Tiny” Davis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Davis Ernestine Carroll Davis, (August 5, 1909 – January 30, 1994)[1][2] better known as Tiny Davis, was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist.
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Ernestine Carrol “Tiny” Davis
Black Excellence: Wally Amos
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/14/g-s1-17050/wally-amos-famous-amos-cookies-dead Wally Amos, the entrepreneur behind the Famous Amos cookie enterprise, has died. He was 88 years old.
Black Excellence: Joyce Kimutai
https://acdi.uct.ac.za/contacts/joyce-kimutai Joyce Kimutai is a Research Associate in the Analysis and Interpretation of Climate Data for Extreme Weather. Joyce completed her PhD under AXA Research Chair Programme in African Climate Risk as part of a multi-disciplinary team from the University of Cape Town and University of Oxford, working on research…
Black Excellence: Christopher Eubanks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Eubanks Christopher Eubanks (/ˈjuːbæŋks/ EW-bangks; born May 5, 1996)[1] is an American professional tennis player. He played college tennis for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Black Excellence: Jeffrey Louis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Louis Jeffrey Louis (born December 20, 1994),[1][2] also known mononymously as Jeffro,[2] is an American breakdancer. He has been breakdancing since the age of 12.[1]