We are highlighting examples of Black excellence throughout the year! Feel free to send suggestions to Rachel at rstoler@frcog.org.
.
Black Excellence: Maya Moore
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American social justice advocate and former professional basketball player. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, Sports Illustrated called Moore the “greatest winner in the history of women’s basketball”.[2] Moore was selected for the Women’s Basketball Hall…
Black Excellence: Trymaine Lee
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/15/nx-s1-5539315/trymaine-lee-a-thousand-ways-to-die When Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Trymaine Lee was 38, he suffered a sudden heart attack that nearly killed him. The incident made him reconsider the years he had spent reporting on the lives cut short by gun violence — and the stress it had put on his body.
Black Excellence: Joseph McNeil
https://www.wunc.org/race-class-communities/2025-09-04/joseph-mcneil-greensboro-four-woolworths-jibreel-khazan-ezell-blair-david-richmond-franklin-mccain There was a time when Joseph McNeil was heading toward a life of segregation. Separate bathrooms, beaches, theaters, schools, elevators, cemeteries. Separate was what he knew. “I had experienced that, my parents had experienced that, their parents had experienced that,” McNeil said in 2014. “And in all likelihood, my…
Black Excellence: Jessica Rucker
https://amst.umd.edu/directory/jessica-rucker Jessica A. Rucker (she/her/youngin’) is a doctoral student in the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she is studying Black radicalisms. Jessica is an instructor, a President’s Fellow, and a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Jessica was previously a 2023-2025…
Black Excellence: Rachel Gloria Adams and Ryan Adams
https://www.worcesterart.org/exhibitions/rachel-gloria-adams-and-ryan-adams/
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Rachel Gloria Adams and Ryan Adams
Black Excellence: Expedition Subsahara
https://expeditionsubsahara.com/pages/the-art-of-basket-weaving I’m Sofi, and I was born in Senegal, West Africa, to the Wolof tribe. Part of the Jolof empire that dominated the 14th -16th centuries, the Wolof became a powerful force and sought after for their trade commodities, but primarily for gold. Even today, Wolof is the primary ethnic…
Black Excellence: James Kassaga Arinaitwe
https://teachforall.org/africa-leadership/james-kassaga-arinaitwe Prior to co-founding Teach For Uganda, CEO James Kassaga Arinaitwe gained eight years of international development experience working with The Carter Center in the United States, the non-profit organization founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He was also a 2012-13 Global Health Corps Fellow in New York, and…
Black Excellence: Jeffrey Alan Peck
https://defendernetwork.com/news/w-e-b-du-bois-center-ghana/ https://www.webdbmf.org/jeffrey.alan.peck.html Jeffrey Alan Peck is the great-grandson of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois. Jeffrey continues Dr. Du Bois’ legacy by engaging in socio-political discourse, working closely with non-profit organizations that are involved in racial justice, equity, and empowerment, being an active member of Bishop James Dixon’s “Community of Faith” Church,…
Black Excellence: Biddy Mason
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biddy_Mason Biddy Mason (August 15, 1818 – January 15, 1891) was an African-American nurse and a Californian real estate entrepreneur and philanthropist. She was one of the founders of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church[1] in Los Angeles, California. Enslaved upon birth, she developed a variety of skills and developed…
Black Excellence: Latorial Faison
https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/latorial_faison LATORIAL FAISON is the author of Nursery Rhymes in Black (University of Alaska Press, June 2025), Mother to Son (2017), Amazon Kindle best-sellers, LOVE POEMS, 28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History Volumes 1-3, flesh, I AM WOMAN, Secrets of My Soul, Immaculate Perceptions, children’s books, 100 Poems You Can Write and Kendall’s Golf…
Black Excellence: Tsedaye Makonnen
https://www.tsedaye.com/bio Tsedaye Makonnen is an interdisciplinary artist-curator and cultural producer. Tsedaye’s practice is driven by Black feminist theory, firsthand site-specific research, and ethical social practice techniques, which become solo and collaborative site sensitive performances, objects, installations, and films. Her studio primarily focuses on intersectional feminism, reproductive health and migration. Tsedaye’s…
Black Excellence: The Library Dads
https://www.thelibrarydads.org/about-us The Library Dads launched in the summer of 2024 by our founder Khari Arnold. When his daughter was 4 months old, Khari took her to the library for the first time. It allowed him to get out of the house, boost his daughter’s language development and, most importantly, spend…
Black Excellence: Erica Nicole Clark
https://www.laughfactory.com/comedians/bio/EricaClark Erica Nicole Clark is a chicago native who studied at the famed Improv Olympic before deciding to venture out into Stand up. Her unique upbringing and her day job make for a style all her own in comedy. She has performed at Laugh Factory, Comedy Store, the Improv and…
Black Excellence: Davóne Tines
https://www.afarcry.org/davone-tines Davóne Tines, heralded as an artist “changing what it means to be a classical singer (The New Yorker) and “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” (Los Angeles Times), is a pathbreaking artist whose work encompasses a diverse repertoire, ranging from early music to new commissions by…
Black Excellence: Ben Arrindell
https://www.oldmillroadrecording.com/ben GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Ben Arrindell began his career in the late Eighties by working in the advertising industry for Look & Co, a top NY jingle house, after graduating from the Center for the Media Arts in New York City. Within 2 years, he rose from Intern to Production…
Black Excellence: Antoinette “Toni” Harris
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Harris Antoinette “Toni” Harris (born July 29, 1996) [1] is an American former college football player who was a safety for Central Methodist University in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).[2] She is the first woman to receive a full college football scholarship as a non-specialist, and the second…
Black Excellence: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/22/nx-s1-5492391/questlove-lara-downes-interview Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is a timekeeper by profession. As a drummer, he’s the co-frontman of the Grammy-winning hip-hop band The Roots. He is also a historian, an author of books and a maker of films that illuminate the ways in which music is shaped by time and culture, and…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Black Excellence: Vivian Ayers Allen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivian_Ayers_Allen Vivian Elizabeth Ayers Allen (July 29, 1923 – August 18, 2025) was an American poet, playwright, cultural activist, museum curator and classicist.[1][2
Black Excellence: Mike Phillips
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Phillips_(writer) Michael Angus Phillips OBE FRSL (born 8 August 1941),[1] is a British writer and broadcast journalist of Guyanese descent. He is best known for his crime fiction, including four novels featuring black journalist Sam Dean.[2]
Black Excellence: Halima Aliko Dangote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halima_Dangote Halima Aliko Dangote is a Nigerian businesswoman. She is the executive director, commercial operations of Dangote Group, an African industrial conglomerate. She is the second daughter of Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote. She is on the board of Dangote Group, NASCON Allied Industries Plc, Aliko Dangote Foundation, Endeavor Nigeria, and…
Black Excellence: Deatrich Wise Jr.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deatrich_Wise_Jr. Deatrich Wise Jr. (born July 26, 1994) is an American professional football defensive end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Black Excellence: Mayor Brandon M. Scott
https://mayor.baltimorecity.gov Brandon M. Scott serves as the 52nd mayor of Baltimore, the youngest person to hold his position in over a century. Mayor Scott is committed to ending gun violence, investing in our youth, restoring trust in government, and building a better, more equitable Baltimore for all. In November 2024,…
Black Excellence: Dr. Alieu Kamara
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/08/17/g-s1-82000/neurosurgeon-neurosurgery-sierra-leone Dr. Alieu Kamara is the first and only neurosurgeon in Sierra Leone. After starting his practice at the beginning of January 2025, Kamara carries the neurosurgical disease burden — traumatic injuries, spinal paralyses, seizures, brain tumors — of an entire country of eight million people.
Black Excellence: Viola Fletcher
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_Fletcher Viola Fletcher (née Ford; born May 10, 1914), also known as Mother Fletcher, is an American woman who is the oldest known living survivor of the Tulsa race massacre and a supercentenarian. One hundred years after the massacre, she testified before Congress about the need for reparations.
Black Excellence: Toni Scott
https://www.toniscott.com/about1 Toni Scott’s exhibitions and installations weave together artistically powerful stories presented through installations, multi-media, photography, painting, sculpture and digital ingenuity, often referencing fraught histories. “Learning of my multicultural family heritage has inspired me to give life to the lost images and stories of history.” Scott’s “Bloodlines” series is a…
Black Excellence: Nduduzo Makhathini
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/18/g-s1-81562/nduduzo-makhathini-tiny-desk-concert Whether through his recordings, live in concert or at the Tiny Desk, South African pianist and Zulu healer Nduduzo Makhathini has the ability to transfix an audience with his deeply meditative and engaging music. His work is lush with ancestral invocation, meditations on Blackness and spiritual exploration. Here, Makhathini…
Black Excellence: Rep. Nicole Collier
https://house.texas.gov/members/95 https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/19/nicole-collier-texas-house-dps-escort-redistricting-quorum A Texas House Democrat was confined in the Capitol overnight after she refused a police escort that Republican leaders imposed on lawmakers who participated in a two-week walkout over a GOP mid-decade redistricting plan. Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, declined on Monday afternoon to sign a slip giving…
Black Excellence: Pastor AJ Johnson
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/for-the-love-of-community-profiling-hartford-pastor-aj-johnson/2229600 In a church in Hartford’s North End, you can find Pastor AJ Johnson on any given Sunday preaching the gospel, leading the congregation his father built. “He believed the church should be so much more than just singing and dancing on a Sunday. It should change the community where…
Black Excellence: Samuel Kangethe
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/19/nx-s1-5506209/too-much-to-pack-not-enough-hugs-a-kenyan-mans-last-48-hours-in-america-trump-self-deportation LANSING, Mich. — Five suitcases are scattered around Samuel Kangethe’s living room in his home in West Lansing, a neighborhood lined with tall trees and big front yards in Michigan’s capital. Clothes mixed with finance and accounting books, and somewhere in the chaos are his Air Jordan sneakers. “I…
Black Excellence: Taylor Townsend
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Townsend Taylor Townsend (born April 16, 1996) is an American professional tennis player. She is the current WTA world No. 1 in doubles, achieved on 28 July 2025.[1][2] Townsend won two major doubles titles, at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships and the 2025 Australian Open, both with Kateřina Siniaková.[3] In addition,…
Black Excellence: MIKE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_(musician) Michael Jordan Bonema (born October 13, 1998), known professionally as Mike (stylized in all caps), is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer based in New York City. Bonema’s atypical upbringing, having experienced life in New Jersey, England, Philadelphia and New York City, has had an audible influence on…
Black Excellence: Royce West
https://senate.texas.gov/member.php?d=23 Royce West is a lawyer and public servant who was first elected to the Texas Senate in 1992, where he has represented the 23rd Senatorial District. During his tenure, he has been named by Texas Monthly as one of the 25 most powerful people in Texas politics, and he…
Black Excellence: Chef Sonya Yelder
https://www.soupersweetsandwichshop.com/about I have loved everything about food since I can remember. I spent the summers with my granny in Georgia. She had a garden (or should I say fields) of food that she grew, a smokehouse for her meats, and pecan, lemon, and plum trees. She made biscuits that would…
Black Excellence: Eniola Shokunbi
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/middle-schooler-leads-11-5-million-project-build-air-filters-schools/3415312 Eniola Shokunbi said she wants to be president of the United States, but first she’s making an impact on her local community. “Eniola is fabulous,” State Senator Matt Lesser said. “She wows every room she’s in front of. She’s a real rock star.” In fifth grade, she led the…
Black Excellence: Victoria Mboko
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Mboko Victoria Vanessa Mboko (born 26 August 2006) is a Canadian professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 24, achieved on 11 August 2025 and a doubles ranking of No. 540, achieved on 3 March 2025. Mboko has won one WTA Tour singles title,…
Black Excellence: Zainab Storms
Hi, I’m Zainab, the voice behind this blog. Welcome to A Classic Twist, a blog that shares everyday classic recipes with bold twists and flavors. Here you will find recipes from classics with modern twists to more challenging recipes that require a little more guidance. The recipes are familiar, seasonal,…
Black Excellence: Britney Breaks Bread
Hey there!I’m Britney! I am a self-taught baker, recipe developer, and food lover behind Britney Breaks Bread! Welcome to my blog – let’s make something delicious together. 🙂 What started as a creative outlet quickly turned into a full-blown obsession with all things delicious—from golden, buttery pound cakes to cozy…
Black Excellence: Jocelyn Delk Adams
https://grandbaby-cakes.com/about Jocelyn Delk Adams is the founder, author, television personality, brand ambassador and authority behind the award winning cookbook Grandbaby Cakes and the food website Grandbaby-Cakes.com, which gives her family’s, particularly her grandmother’s, cherished generational recipes her modern spin while preserving their original charm and spirit.
Black Excellence: Mike Johnson
https://mikebakesnyc.com/about Hi everyone! Welcome to Mike Bakes NYC—I’m glad you’re here! I’m Mike Johnson, the recipe developer, cookbook author, food photographer, and content creator behind @mikebakesnyc.
Black Excellence: Ghian Forman
https://emeraldsouth.org/ghian-forman Ghian Foreman is the President and CEO of the Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative, which generates community wealth and amplifies local culture through shared pride, power, and investment for Chicago’s mid-South Side. Emerald South attracts and coordinates investment through community convening and collaborative partnerships that increase local ownership and…
Black Excellence: Kim Lewis
https://emeraldsouth.org/kim-lewis Some may call her a risk-taker. Others still may label her a gambler. But only one title suits Kimberly Lewis: entrepreneur. Kim Lewis is the CEO and co-founder of CurlMix, a clean beauty brand for curly hair.
Black Excellence: Fireboy DML
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireboy_DML Adedamola Oyinlola Adefolahan (born 5 February 1996),[2][3] known professionally as Fireboy DML, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. In 2018, he signed a record deal with YBNL Nation, a record label founded by rapper Olamide.[4] His debut studio album, Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps, was released in 2019.[4] He won…
Black Excellence: District Attorney Jason Williams
District Attorney Jason Williams was born in New Orleans in 1972 to Sidney Williams, a master carpenter, and Janice Rogers, a school teacher. He spent much of his childhood in Georgia, where he attended high school at Woodward Academy (formerly the Georgia Military Academy). Throughout his four years of high…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: District Attorney Jason Williams
Black Excellence: Jason Mott
https://jasonmottauthor.com/author/ Bestselling author, National Book Award Winner, Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction Winner, Pushcart Prize nominee, NAACP Image Award nominee, and Carnegie Medals For Excellence Longlist nominee, Jason Mott has a BFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His…
Black Excellence: Pearl Bailey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Bailey Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer, comedian and author.[1] After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946.[2] She received a Special Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello,…
Black Excellence: Brittany Luse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittany_Luse Brittany Luse (born 1986 or 1987)[1] is an American podcast host. In October 2022, she became the host of NPR’s current events and culture podcast, It’s Been a Minute. She previously hosted the podcasts For Colored Nerds and The Nod, both about Black culture, and Sampler, about other podcasts.…
Black Excellence: Cleo Laine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleo_Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927 – 24 July 2025) was an English singer and actress known for her scat singing.[1] She was the wife of jazz composer and musician Sir John Dankworth and the mother of bassist Alec and singer Jacqui Dankworth.…
Black Excellence: Leikeli47
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leikeli47 Leikeli47 (or Leikeli) is an American rapper[1] signed to RCA Records. In 2018, she released her second full-length album, Acrylic.[2] Until 2024, she was known for concealing her face with a bandana or balaclava at all performances and professional appearances.[3]
Black Excellence: Waris Dirie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waris_Dirie Waris Dirie (Somali: Waris Diiriye; born 21 October 1965) is a Somali model, author, actress and human rights activist in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). From 1997 to 2003, she was a UN special ambassador against FGM. In 2002 she founded her own organization in Vienna, the…
Black Excellence: Andrew Hawkins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Hawkins Andrew Austin Wyatt Hawkins[1] (born March 10, 1986) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns and two seasons for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), where he was…
Black Excellence: Dr. Marcia Faustin
Dr. Marcia Faustin (BS ’07) vaults Team USA gymnastics to success It was a moment that shocked the world. Simone Biles, widely regarded as one of the best gymnasts in Olympic history, withdrew from most of her planned events in the 2021 Tokyo Games due to a debilitating case of…
Black Excellence: Professor Olawale Sulaiman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olawale_Sulaiman Professor Olawale Sulaiman CON (born 1969/1970) is a Canadian and american-trained neurosurgeon, academician and physician executive of nigerian heritage.[1][2] He is the CEO and chief medical director of RNZ Global Ltd, a healthcare development, operations and management company he started in 2010.[3][4][5] He is also the chief medical officer…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Professor Olawale Sulaiman
Black Excellence: Remoshay Nelson
https://greatergood.com/blogs/news/remoshay-nelson-thunderbirds United States Air Force Captain, Remoshay Nelson, a native of Douglasville, Georgia, has achieved the heights of her profession in the Air Force. She recently became the first Black American woman to become a member of the elite Air Force demonstration team, the Thunderbirds.
Black Excellence: Gevin Fax
https://russbrown.com/meet-gevin-fax-a-fearless-spirit-in-the-motorcycle-world Gevin Fax is a versatile and accomplished individual who has made significant contributions in various fields. From being a musician and actress to starting her career as a motorcycle model, motorcycles have played a pivotal role in her life. Her passion for motorcycles and her mantra of “live your…
Black Excellence: Art Carrington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Carrington Arthur Carrington is an American former professional tennis player. Born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Carrington attended Hampton College on an athletic scholarship.[1] Carrington competed in the American Tennis Association (ATA), which was a version of the USTA for African-American players. He finished runner-up in 1972 and his…
Black Excellence: Malcolm-Jamal Warner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm-Jamal_Warner Malcolm-Jamal Warner (August 18, 1970 – July 20, 2025) was an American actor, musician and poet. He rose to prominence for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992), which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the…
Black Excellence: Terri Lyne Carrington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Lyne_Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington (born August 4, 1965) is an American jazz drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets, and many others. She toured with each of Hancock’s musical configurations (from electric to…
Black Excellence: Indë Francis
https://www.zone3westernave.com/artinprint-7/inde-francis/ https://valleyadvocate.com/2025/07/18/i-have-to-be-the-role-model-that-i-wish-i-had-in-mirror-mirror-multidisciplinary-artist-inde-reclaims-space-for-their-identity/
Black Excellence: Omar Bailey
https://www.fctrylab.com/pages/about OUR SNEAKER STUDIO & LAB IN LOS ANGELES HELPS CREATORS IN ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS & BUSINESS BUILD THEIR BRANDS THROUGH EXCITING FOOTWEAR. State of our Art At FCTRY LAb, we constantly innovate to create exciting footwear that turns heads – from fashion models to pro athletes. We’ve setup an end…
Black Excellence: Ufuoma Okharedia
https://www.nerridofoods.com/about We’re glad you’re here. Our passion is to bring the taste of traditional African foods to your tables with little or no hassle. Preparing authentic African dishes could take hours on the stove. Over time, as many Africans migrated from the villages, cities and countries of birth, they left…
Black Excellence: Jim and Sheila Wallace and Karla Trotman
https://www.electrosoftinc.com/about/ Electro Soft, Inc. (ESI) was founded by Jim and Sheila Wallace in 1986. ESI is dedicated to the creation and demonstration of linked component product lines, quality, and service. The company strives for the very best in all three areas and is dedicated to operating on a sound financial…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Jim and Sheila Wallace and Karla Trotman
Black Excellence: Howard Allen
https://www.maroonsausage.com/our-story Maroon Sausage was created in a collision of cultures that can only happen in a place like New York City, where people from around the country, and the world, come to share in each others’ cultural experiences. That being said, the jerk chicken spice blend used in our sausages…
Black Excellence: Hannah Mayree
https://creativesonoma.org/artist/hannah-mayree/ A banjoist, multi-instrumentalist, producer and vocalist, Hannah shares original and traditional banjo compositions as well as harmonies through acoustic live vocal looping and reminds us of the power found in our relationship to the earth, music and community. They co-founded and creatively direct the Black Banjo Reclamation Project which…
Black Excellence: Calvin Duncan
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/14/nx-s1-5464700/the-jailhouse-lawyer-calvin-duncan Wrongly convicted, he became ‘The Jailhouse Lawyer’ — and helped free himself Calvin Duncan was 19 in 1982 when the police arrested him for a murder-robbery in New Orleans. The eyewitness testimony at his trial was unreliable, but Duncan’s lawyer offered only a minimal defense, and he was sentenced…
Black Excellence: Michaela Rose
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaela_Rose_(athlete) Michaela Rose (born 13 June 2003) is an American track and field athlete.[1] Rose set a US collegiate indoor track record in 2024 over 600 yards.
Black Excellence: Jerrelle Guy
https://www.chocolateforbasil.com/aboutus Jerrelle is an award-winning author and celebrated food photographer with a passion for cooking, baking and storytelling. She received her Bachelors from the Rhode Island School of Design and her Master’s in Gastronomy from Boston University. She merges her backgrounds to create work that explores the intersection of food,…
Black Excellence: Whitney Roberts
https://cheesegrotto.com/blogs/journal/this-giving-tuesday-10-of-our-sales-go-to-cheese-culture-coalition?srsltid=AfmBOoptu95ZjC0SoED2mzpxbZtKltfEOydiC82mzNE3yOdjYKuuSeBv Founder Whitney Roberts has spent years working in the cheese industry as a monger, maker, and educator. For years she’d seen the lack of diversity and wondered how she could make cheese more accessible to BIPOC individuals. In the summer of 2020, she founded the Cheese Culture Coalition with…
Black Excellence: Kyra James
https://www.ownyourfunk.com/about Kyra (KEER-ah) James is a Professional Food Educator, Certified Cheese Professional (C.C.P.) and innovator in the American artisan food industry with 12+ years experience introducing consumers to the world of artisan cheese and specialty goods! Her passion, or borderline obsession, for non stop food learnings began out of necessity…
Black Excellence: Leap of Dance Academy
https://leapofdanceacademyng.com/#about Daniel Ajala started dancing while in University where his passion for dance grew as he started to research and self train. After graduating university Ajala stayed in his home town to pursue teaching the local kids in his area regardless of cultural expectations to pursue a traditional career. “Dance…
Black Excellence: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melissa_Jefferson-Wooden Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (née Jefferson; born February 21, 2001) is an American track and field sprinter. She won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 100 metres.[2]
Black Excellence: Christian Euman
https://christianeuman.bandcamp.com/album/allemong In the fall of 2014, Christian Euman left his hometown of Chicago and dove headfirst into an unknown future in Los Angeles. He was one of seven musicians selected to study at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, which involved a grueling combination of graduate courses and global…
Black Excellence: Dads on Duty, Shreveport LA
These Fathers Formed “Dads on Duty” to Prevent Violence at a Local High School On Thursday, September 16, 2021, just weeks into the school year, two groups of boys brawled across the courtyard at Southwood High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. The following day, two groups of girls picked up where…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Dads on Duty, Shreveport LA
Black Excellence: Elyse Venerable
https://news.ucsc.edu/2025/06/horse-teeth-hold-historical-clues-about-military-power-and-trade-in-western-africa/
Black Excellence: Brandee Younger
https://brandeeyounger.com Among the most celebrated jazz artists to emerge in the 21st century, Brandee Younger is a harpist, composer and bandleader whose music connects spiritual jazz and classical training to the rhythmic soulfulness of R&B and hip-hop. She grew up on Long Island, where she sang gospel, studied the harp…
Black Excellence: Virgil Abloh
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/25/nx-s1-5309670/make-it-ours-virgil-abloh-robin-givan-louis-vuitton From streetwear to luxury fashion: How Virgil Abloh reshaped an industry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil_Abloh Virgil Abloh (/ˈæbloʊ/; September 30, 1980 – November 28, 2021) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. A trained architect, Abloh founded his own line of luxury streetwear clothing under the moniker Pyrex Vision in 2012, which…
Black Excellence: Masego
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masego_(musician) Micah Davis (born June 8, 1993), known professionally as Masego (/məˈseɪɡoʊ/ mə-SAY-goh), is a Jamaican-American musician and singer, known for incorporating the saxophone into his music. Masego released two EPs in 2016, The Pink Polo EP with Medasin, and Loose Thoughts. He gained widespread attention with his collaborative record…
Black Excellence: Alex Isley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Isley Alexandra Isley (born April 16, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. She released her debut EP The Love/Art Memoirs in 2012. Isley has worked with artists including Scarface, Terrace Martin, Masego, 9th Wonder, Rapsody, Tank and the Bangas, and Lucky Daye. Isley has been nominated for two Grammy…
Black Excellence: Steve Ray Ladson
https://www.steverayladson.net/bio Steve Ray is an artist, actor, vocalist, music producer, songwriter, arranger, and musician. His musical talents include banjo, Dobro, piano, Hammond organ, lead guitar, bass guitar, accordion, spoons, and the harmonica. He has written, produced, and is currently traveling the world with 6-time Grammy Award winners and Grammy Lifetime…
Black Excellence: Bobby Carter
https://www.npr.org/people/302983377/bobby-carter Bobby Carter is the host and series producer for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. In 2014, Carter produced his first Tiny Desk concert. Since then, his work has been at the intersection of music, technology, and engagement. He turned a modest Tiny Desk celebration of Black History Month in 2021…
Black Excellence: Titus Kaphar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_Kaphar Titus Kaphar is an American contemporary painter and filmmaker whose work reconfigures and regenerates art history to include African-American subjects. His paintings are held in the collections of Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum, Yale University Art Gallery, New Britain Museum of American Art, Seattle Art Museum, Mississippi Museum…
Black Excellence: Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation
https://www.npr.org/sections/the-picture-show/2025/06/19/nx-s1-5439338/a-former-plantation-becomes-a-space-for-healing-art-and-reparative-history NPR’s Picture Show spoke with Tyler Jones who is part of a narrative studio based in Birmingham called 1504. They have been collaborating with the Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation to recenter the stories of Black descendant communities through creative, embodied storytelling.
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation
Black Excellence: Chi Ossé
https://council.nyc.gov/district-36 Chi Ossé is the Council Member for New York City’s 36th District, representing Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights. He entered politics as an organizer and prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement. At 23 years old, Ossé was elected in 2021 as the youngest member of this Council…
Black Excellence: Lynn Hamilton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Hamilton_(actress) Alzenia Lynn Hamilton (April 25, 1930 – June 19, 2025)[1] was an American actress. She was best known for her recurring roles as Donna Harris, Fred Sanford’s girlfriend and later fiancée on the sitcom Sanford and Son (1972–1977) and Verdie Grant Foster on The Waltons (1973–1981). She also portrayed…
Black Excellence: Otis Davis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Davis Otis Crandall Davis (July 12, 1932 – September 14, 2024) was an American athlete, winner of two gold medals for record-breaking performances in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He set a new world record of 44.9 seconds in the 400 m and became the first person…
Black Excellence: Marcus Amaker
https://marcusamaker.com/bio/ https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2025/06/17/poet-laureate-charleston-church-shooting Ten years after a white supremacist killed nine parishioners of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, the community is still coping with the loss and navigating the impact of the racial attack. Marcus Amaker, the first poet laureate of Charleston, South Carolina, said many…
Black Excellence: Tia Fuller
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tia_Fuller Tia Fuller (born March 27, 1976) is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator, and a member of the all-female band touring with Beyoncé. Fuller is currently a faculty member in the ensembles department at Berklee College of Music.[1] Fuller was a Featured Jazz Musician in Pixar’s animated film Soul.…
Black Excellence: Abbey Lincoln
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010),[1] known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist and songwriter. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s.[2][3] Lincoln made a career out of delivering deeply felt presentations of standards, as well as writing and…
Black Excellence: Lil Hardin Armstrong
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lil_Hardin_Armstrong Lillian Hardin Armstrong (née Hardin; February 3, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer, and bandleader. She was the second wife of Louis Armstrong, with whom she collaborated on many recordings in the 1920s.[1] Her compositions include “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue”, “Don’t Jive…
Black Excellence: Mary Lou Williams
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Lou_Williams Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981[1]) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and LP versions).[2] Williams wrote and arranged for Duke Ellington…
Black Excellence: Jeremiah Collier
https://vicfirth.com/blogs/artist/jeremiah-collier-vf?srsltid=AfmBOor03UBhozVq93KtewbyoeWjLMAE2_S2xBSZ6LjNJTOAj5WZx0xQ I started playing drums in the church at an early age. That’s the place where I molded my passion for the drums and I eventually started playing gigs professionally. Later on I started developing a desire to play other genres of music besides Gospel, RnB and Funk. Playing with…
Black Excellence: Evan Garr
https://www.aldimeola.com/news American Jazz Violinist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGJJtKfaNSk
Black Excellence: Stanley Clarke
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/17/g-s1-70053/stanley-clarke-tiny-desk-concert Clarke’s storied career has been awash with showcases in his virtuosity on the acoustic and electric basses. He’s worked with fellow music titans like Chick Corea, George Duke, Jean Luc Ponty and Al Di Meola, and has scored for film and television. From 1974–1976, Clarke dropped a series of…
Black Excellence: Isabella Whittaker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Whittaker Isabella Whittaker (born February 15, 2002) is an American sprinter. She is the North American indoor record holder for the 400 m dash with a time of 49.24 seconds, set on March 15, 2025, in Virginia Beach.[1]
Black Excellence: Saul Nash
https://saulnash.com/pages/about Raised in North East London, Saul Nash is a designer who established his eponymous brand in 2018. At the core of the brand is Nash’s desire to create technical garments for movement; his body of work oscillates between the world of fashion and dance.
Black Excellence: Nicholas Daley
https://nicholasdaley.net/pages/about Community, craftsmanship and culture lie at the heart of Nicholas Daley’s work. Having graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2013, the London-based designer launched his eponymous brand in 2015. Embedded in his lineage, his practise intertwines personal narrative with wider black British and diasporic themes, incorporating tradition, authenticity, and…
Black Excellence: Samuel Boakye
https://www.essence.com/fashion/designer-spotlight-kwasi-paul-samuel-boakye Samuel Boakye finds purpose in synthesizing the creativity of diasporic culture. It’s how he makes sense of the world. His early musical influences, Teddy Pendergrass and Fela Kuti, and his father’s affinity for the global Black musical tradition shaped Boakye’s appreciation for the diaspora’s expansive art styles.
Black Excellence: Tanda Francis
https://www.tandafrancis.com/statment-new Tanda Francis is a Brooklyn based artist with a primary focus of creating public art including monumental African heads. Her work addresses diasporic African people who are too often underrepresented in public art. She sees the rituals and customs rooted in a spiritual and ancestral past as a significant…
Black Excellence: Sly Stone
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/09/1209525990/sly-stone-obituary Sly Stone, the remarkable, eccentric frontman, singer, songwriter and producer of his family group, Sly & the Family Stone, died in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9. The musical icon had been battling lung disease, according to a statement provided by his family. He was 82.
Black Excellence: Lonnie Bunch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Bunch Lonnie Griffith Bunch III (born November 18, 1952) is an American educator and historian. Bunch is the fourteenth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the first African American and first historian to serve as head of the Smithsonian. He has spent most of his career as a history museum curator…
Black Excellence: Tunde Adebimpe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunde_Adebimpe Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe (pronunciationⓘ; born February 25, 1975) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is best known as a founding member and co-lead vocalist of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio, with whom he has recorded five studio albums. In April 2025, Adebimpe released his…