We are highlighting examples of Black excellence throughout the year! Feel free to send suggestions to Rachel at rstoler@frcog.org.
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Black Excellence: Mary H. Dickerson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_H._Dickerson Mary H. Dickerson (October 22, 1830 – July 1, 1914) was an African American businesswoman and clubwoman. Dickerson founded several women’s groups in the New England area and in Newport, Rhode Island. Her dress shop catered to prominent clients in Newport and she was the first Black woman to…
Black Excellence: Ken Griffey Jr.
https://www.si.com/golf/ken-griffey-jr-explains-how-he-became-a-photographer-at-this-years-masters Ken Griffey Jr.’s surprise presence at this year’s Masters as a photographer is inspiring. The 55-year-old who eclipsed baseball’s precipice is still learning on the job, which he admits. Griffey took up photography as a second career years ago following his Hall of Fame baseball career. He’s been credited…
Black Excellence: We Want the Funk!
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5312006/we-want-the-funk-pbs-documentary We Want the Funk!, an expansive, emotive, celebratory documentary looking at one of history’s most important musical genres, begins simply. Legendary studio musician Marcus Miller picks up his bass guitar and thumps out a funky, percussive rhythm. Which then builds into a full-on groove by James Brown, leading to…
Black Excellence: Melissa Samuel
https://finesseyourclaws.com/pages/about-us The FinesseYourClaws brand was established in 2020 by Nail Artist Melissa Samuel. Originally from London, Melissa moved to the United States in 2015. She has always had a passion for art and started Nail artistry 12 years ago. After attending Nail school she quickly established herself as an Editorial…
Black Excellence: Daryl Fairweather
https://www.redfin.com/news/author/darylfairweather Daryl Fairweather is the chief economist of Redfin. Her insights have been featured on 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News, as well as in the New York Times and Washington Post.
Black Excellence: Kevin Young
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Young_(poet) Kevin Young (born November 8, 1970)[1][2] is an American poet and the director of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture since 2021. Author of 11 books and editor of eight others,[3] Young previously served as Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black…
Black Excellence: Jamila Norman
https://www.patchworkcityfarms.com Jamila Norman, a.k.a (Farmer J) is a first generation daughter to Caribbean parents whose history is rooted in agriculture. She is an internationally recognized urban farmer, food activist and mother based in Atlanta, GA. She is a University of Georgia graduate with a degree in Environmental Engineering. After 10…
Black Excellence: Dacia Petrie
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/dacia-petrie-the-jamaican-whose-app-is-connecting-people-to-over-3000-black-owned-businesses
Black Excellence: Lydia Polgreen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Polgreen Lydia Frances Polgreen (born 1975) is an American journalist. She was editorial director of NYT Global at The New York Times, and the West Africa bureau chief for the same publication, based in Dakar, Senegal, from 2005 to 2009. She also reported from India.[1][2] She spent much of her…
Black Excellence: Ryan P. Haygood
https://njisj.org/staff/ryan-haygood/
Black Excellence: Major Handy
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/26/1240892110/acadiana-music-showcase-major-handy Louisiana’s Cajun Country is one of the most unique areas of the United States. It’s officially called Acadiana, after the French-speaking Acadians — or Cajuns — who settled there after being exiled from Canada by the British in the 18th century. Our monthly series, Acadiana Music Showcase, is produced…
Black Excellence: Tituss Burgess
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tituss_Burgess Tituss Burgess (born February 21, 1979)[1] is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in several Broadway musicals and is known for his high tenor voice. He is best known for starring as Titus Andromedon on the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020), for which he received…
Black Excellence: Zakia Abul Gassim Abu Bakr
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/interview-with-sudan-s-first-professional-female-guitarist-the-ministry-of-culture-neglects-sudanese-art
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Zakia Abul Gassim Abu Bakr
Black Excellence: Michael A. Walrond
https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/03/23/nx-s1-5336793/mental-health-harlem-black-church-pastor It was his own mental health crisis that helped Michael A. Walrond, Jr. to understand and embrace mental health care. “Out of nowhere, I had a suicidal ideation,” Walrond recalls. He was in his late 30s at the time, already busy building a life and expanding his congregation at…
Black Excellence: Natasha Rothwell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Rothwell Natasha Rothwell (born October 18, 1980)[1][2] is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is best known for her work on the HBO series Insecure as Kelli Prenny, and The White Lotus as Belinda, for which she earned a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress…
Black Excellence: Marian Anderson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993)[1] was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965.
Black Excellence: Timothy Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey
https://detroithives.org/our-story/ The idea for Detroit Hives was sparked in the winter of 2016 when Timothy Paule Jackson discovered that local raw honey was able to cure a cold that no other remedy had. After learning about the medicinal properties of honey and seeing how it was able to provide his…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Timothy Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey
Black Excellence: Ashley Jackson
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/25/nx-s1-5272887/ashley-jackson-harpist-new-album Some of Ashley Jackson’s earliest memories took place at church services she attended with her grandmother. The rising harp player leaned into those experiences for her sophomore album Take Me to The Water. Spirituals, and their coded messages of freedom for the enslaved, are at the heart of her…
Black Excellence: Islam Elbeiti
https://www.yamaha.com/en/inspired/019 Fighting to Eradicate the Prejudice Against Female Musicians. Islam Elbeiti is one of only a few female bassists from Sudan. From early in life she has lived in many countries, experiencing cultures that by contrast reveal the deep-rooted prejudice against female musicians in her motherland. “Life is tough for…
Black Excellence: Ethel Waters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her notable recordings include “Dinah”, “Stormy Weather”, “Taking a Chance on…
Black Excellence: Rhandi Altidor
https://www.givingbroadly.com/the-better-buggy How did you come up with the idea for The Better Buggy? It was Day 73 of pandemic quarantine and my husband Jonathan and I had just put Baby J, my busy toddler, down for bed. We were lying on our living room floor, and my husband asked me…
Black Excellence: Bessie Smith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the “Empress of the Blues” and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and Roll…
Black Excellence: Keli McLoyd
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/10/nx-s1-5306937/as-fentanyl-deaths-drop-fast-experts-say-more-survivors-need-help PHILADELPHIA — On a blustery winter morning, Keli McLoyd set off on foot across Kensington. This area of Philadelphia is one of the most drug-scarred neighborhoods in the U.S. In the first block, she knelt next to a man curled on the sidewalk in the throes of fentanyl, xylazine…
Black Excellence: Tyler Mitchell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Mitchell_(photographer) Tyler Mitchell (born April 12, 1995)[1][2][3] is an American photographer. He is based in Brooklyn, New York, and is best known for his cover photo of Beyoncé for the cover of Vogue.[4]
Black Excellence: Black Hikers Unite
https://blackhikersunite.org/
Black Excellence: Roy Ayers
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/05/833528769/roy-ayers-whose-everybody-loves-the-sunshine-charmed-generations-dies-at-84 Roy Ayers, the vibraphonist, composer and jazz-funk pioneer behind “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” has died at the age of 84. He died Tuesday in New York City after a long illness, according to a statement shared on his Facebook page. Ayers was born in Los Angeles on Sept. 10,…
Black Excellence: Shamayim “Shu” Harris
https://detroitinnovation.org/fellow/shamayim-shu-harris/
Black Excellence: Dr. Kathy Bullock
https://www.kathybullock.com/about-me Dr. Kathy Bullock is an educator, scholar, singer, accompanist, arranger and choral conductor who specializes in gospel music, spirituals and classical works by composers from the African diaspora. A Professor Emerita of Music from Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, she currently teaches, performs, and conducts workshops and other programs on African…
Black Excellence: Rungano Nyoni
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/07/nx-s1-5307290/on-becoming-a-guinea-fowl-movie-review Filmmaker Rungano Nyoni’s spellbinding melodrama On Becoming a Guinea Fowl begins with a woman named Shula (Susan Chardy) happening upon the dead body of her Uncle Fred on the side of an empty dirt road in Zambia one evening. Shula is eerily unmoved. She in fact appears more inconvenienced…
Black Excellence: Grace Wales Bonner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Wales_Bonner Grace Wales Bonner MBE is an English fashion designer.[1] Her designs blend sportswear and tailoring.[2] In 2014, she founded the London-based label Wales Bonner, originally specializing in menswear.[1][3] Since founding her eponymous brand, Wales Bonner awards include Emerging Menswear Designer at the British Fashion Awards (2015), the LVMH Young…
Black Excellence: Black Women Survivalists
https://capitalbnews.org/black-women-survivalists-preppers-homesteading/
Black Excellence: Adelaide Hall
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide_Hall Adelaide Louise Hall (20 October 1901 – 7 November 1993) was an American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer. Her career spanned more than 70 years from 1921 until her death. Early in her career, she was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance; she became based in the UK…
Black Excellence: Sam Nujoma
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/09/g-s1-47457/sam-nujoma-namibia-first-president-dies Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s fiery freedom fighter and first president, dies aged 95 WINDHOEK, Namibia — Sam Nujoma, the fiery freedom fighter who led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years, and was known as the father of the…
Black Excellence: Frankie Price
https://members.usagym.org/pages/athletes/women.html?id=277503 Frankie Price is an American gymnast: How did you get involved in gymnastics: My parents were athletes. My dad was an all around athlete and even played for the KC Royals before he was killed tragically in a motorcycle accident in 2009. I was only 6 years old but…
Black Excellence: Monica L. Miller
https://barnard.edu/profiles/monica-l-miller Monica L. Miller, Professor of Africana Studies, joined the faculty of Barnard in 2001. Professor Miller specializes in African-American and American literature and cultural studies. Her research interests include twentieth- and twenty-first-century African-American literature, film, and contemporary art; contemporary literature and cultural studies of the black diaspora; performance studies;…
Black Excellence: Dr. Okello “Paul” Aliker
https://agln.aspeninstitute.org/profile/2301 Okello “Paul” Aliker is a general dentist and CEO of The Dental Studio in Kampala, Uganda. A second generation dentist, Paul practiced briefly in Illinois before pursuing his dream of returning to Africa and setting up a practice in his own country. The Dental Studio is acknowledged as a…
Black Excellence: Alice Walker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Walker Alice Malsenior Tallulah-Kate Walker (born February 9, 1944)[2] is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and social activist. In 1982, she became the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she was awarded for her novel The Color Purple.[3][4] Over the span of her…
Black Excellence: Mary Elizabeth Williams
https://www.maryelizabethwilliams.com Mary Elizabeth Williams is a native of Philadelphia. Her career has taken her all over the globe in a careening zig-zag pattern—and she is grateful for every moment. Not long after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Luther College in Iowa, she began her…
Black Excellence: Dr. Kenya Key
https://events.ncchc.org/national-conference/speaker/1417735/kenya-key Dr. Kenya Key is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience in the mental health field. Dr. Key has extensive experience in correctional mental health having worked in various roles and settings. She is currently the Deputy Director of Health Services for the Department of Youth…
Black Excellence: LaToya Duckworth
https://events.ncchc.org/national-conference/speaker/1333202/latoya-duckworth Ms. LaToya Duckworth is a Nurse Administrator for Kansas University Medical Center which ensures that quality healthcare services are provided to the prison population under the Kansas Department of Corrections jurisdiction. Ms. Duckworth’s passion for the multifaceted field of nursing led her to a career that she describes as…
Black Excellence: James West
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/01/1077362195/without-inventor-james-west-this-interview-might-not-have-been-possible James West has been a curious tinkerer since he was a child, always wondering how things worked. Throughout his long career in STEM, he’s also been an advocate for diversity and inclusion — from co-founding the Association for Black Laboratory Employees in 1970 to his work today with The…
Black Excellence: Joshua Conyers
https://www.joshuaconyers.com/about.html Grammy-nominated Baritone Joshua Conyers has been singled out by Opera News for his “deliciously honeyed baritone that would seduce anyone” by The New York Times as having “a sonorous baritone” that “wheedled and seduced” and by The Washington Post for have a “show stealing” performance. A native of Bronx,…
Black Excellence: Morgan Price
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Price Morgan Price (born June 28, 2005) is an American artistic gymnast for Fisk University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Coua7j7mJUQ
Black Excellence: Clarence Maclin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Maclin Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin (born November 29, 1966)[1] is an American actor, youth counselor, creative arts specialist, and gang intervention specialist. He portrayed a fictionalized version of himself in the 2023 film Sing Sing. His performance earned him nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTA Awards, Critics’ Choice…
Black Excellence: Joy Reid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Reid Joy-Ann M. Lomena-Reid (née Lomena; born December 8, 1968) is an American political commentator and television host.[3][4] She was a national correspondent for MSNBC[5] and is best known for hosting the political commentary program The ReidOut from 2020 to 2025. Her previous anchoring credits include The Reid Report (2014–2015)…
Black Excellence: Kevin Curry
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/27/1152155481/meal-prep-made-easy When Kevin Curry was growing up, he never had to think about cooking meals for himself. His parents were in charge of dinner. As he got older, he realized, “Whoa. I have to feed myself. How do I do that?” he says. What’s more, he wanted to eat healthy…
Black Excellence: Abel Selaocoe
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/24/nx-s1-5203031/abel-selaocoe-hymns-of-bantu South African cellist Abel Selaocoe fosters dialogue across time and cultures in a new album Strings and wood become harp and drum accompanying cellist Abel Selaocoe’s chants and throat singing in his new album Hymns of Bantu, out this month. It’s just one of the many ways he makes…
Black Excellence: Angela James
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_James Angela James OC[1] (born December 22, 1964) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played at the highest levels of senior hockey between 1980 and 2000. She was a member of numerous teams in the Central Ontario Women’s Hockey League (COWHL) from its founding in 1980 until 1998…
Black Excellence: Stephanie Terry
https://teamevansville.com Mayor Stephanie Terry, the 35th Mayor of Evansville, is the first woman and the first African American to serve in this position. Prior to being elected Mayor, Terry served on the Vanderburgh County Council and was the Executive Director of the Louis J. Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville…
Black Excellence: Roberta Flack
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/24/834223765/roberta-flack-killing-me-softly-dead Singer Roberta Flack, who broke through as one of the most important and beloved singers of the 1970s and beyond with a sound that combined soul, jazz, rock and pop, died Monday at the age of 88.
Black Excellence: Donna Dear and Paulette Greene
https://www.theaunties.farm/the-aunties-film “The Aunties (film) shares the story of Black land stewards & culture bearers Donna Dear and Paulette Greene. Told alongside the lands of The Underground Railroad, this historic tale also interweaves the indelible legacies of Harriet Tubman and Mt. Pleasant Acres Farms.”
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Donna Dear and Paulette Greene
Black Excellence: Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest
https://www.bwiclafffest.com/2025-laff-fest The 6th Annual Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest takes place over a herlarious (5) five-days featuring 25+ #FunnyBlackWomen during the historic Black History and Women History months. Our #comedic voices matter. From Moms Mabley, LaWanda Page, Whoopi Goldberg, black women have always found the funny!
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Black Women in Comedy Laff Fest
Black Excellence: Jakayla Armstrong
https://www.wkrg.com/news/i-made-history-meet-the-first-african-american-female-eagle-scout-in-alabama ‘I made history’: Meet the First African-American female Eagle Scout in Alabama MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — In tonight’s What’s Working, a huge honor for a Murphy High School senior. Jakayla Armstrong of Troop 283 at Liberty Missionary Baptist Church has become the first African American female in the Mobile…
Black Excellence: Gale Livingstone, John Boyd Jr.
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/20/nx-s1-5258105/black-farmers-among-those-left-in-limbo-amid-federal-funding-freeze Black farmers among those left in limbo amid federal funding freeze UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – On a recent snowy afternoon, Gale Livingstone, a first generation farmer, is working in the propagation greenhouse at Deep Roots Farm, which she owns and operates. Four volunteers are putting collard greens, bok choy,…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Gale Livingstone, John Boyd Jr.
Black Excellence: Ray Billingsley
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/27/1082938670/cartoonist-ray-billingsley-profile For decades, cartoonist Ray Billingsley has depicted Black family life in ‘Curtis’ Ray Billingsley’s story is one of great tenacity and passion. A veteran cartoonist and comic artist, Billingsley is best known as the creator of the strip Curtis. Debuting in 1988, Curtis was one of the first nationally…
Black Excellence: Danielle Green
https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/Bouncing-Back-Stronger-Woman-Warrior-and-Purple-Heart-Recipient-Overcomes-Adversity-to-Live-with-Purpose From the Streets of Chicago to the Notre Dame Basketball Court to a Battleground in Iraq, Danielle Green’s Story is One of Determination and Inspiration LeBron James was there. Peyton Manning was, too. So were Derek Jeter, Stephen Curry, and the reigning World Cup champion U.S. Women’s National Soccer…
Black Excellence: Charles Burnett
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Burnett_(director) Charles Burnett (/bɜːrˈnɛt/; born April 13, 1944) is an American film director, film producer, writer, editor, actor, photographer, and cinematographer. His most popular films include Killer of Sheep (1978), My Brother’s Wedding (1983), To Sleep with Anger (1990), The Glass Shield (1994), and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007).…
Black Excellence: Ernestine Shepherd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernestine_Shepherd Ernestine Shepherd (born June 16, 1936) is an American bodybuilder who is best known for being, at one point, the oldest competitive female bodybuilder in the world, as declared by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 and 2011;[1] as of 2023, she is 88 years old and…
Black Excellence: Bartees Strange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartees_Strange Bartees Strange, is an English-born American musician. Strange was born in Ipswich, England,[1] raised in Mustang, Oklahoma, and is now based in Washington D.C.[3] https://www.npr.org/2025/02/18/g-s1-45838/bartees-strange-tiny-desk-concert Density is built into the music of Bartees Strange — he packs his tracks with lyrical insight and sonic gestures that, upon closer listen,…
Black Excellence: Black Leaders in Higher Education
https://jbhe.com/2024/09/seven-black-leaders-appointed-to-administrative-roles-in-higher-education/
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Black Leaders in Higher Education
Black Excellence: Ralph W. Adams, Jr.
https://www.nsa.gov/History/Cryptologic-History/Historical-Figures/Historical-Figures-View/Article/1620636/ralph-w-adams-jr Ralph W. Adams, Jr., a graduate of the University of Nebraska, served in the Army Security Agency in Vietnam as a linguist in 1961, and came to NSA in 1965. Widely recognized for his near-native language skills, he served multiple tours in Vietnam as a language analyst for NSA.…
Black Excellence: Chidozie Ibeabuchi
https://www.mlssoccer.com/playerengagement/bios/chidozie-ibeabuchi Chidozie Ibeabuchi leads a team responsible for providing holistic player care resources, creating career pathways, and spearheading player commercial efforts to advance the league. For over a decade, Chidozie has worked with professional athletes across various sectors of the sports industry for several major sports leagues including the NBA’s…
Black Excellence: Edmond Dédé
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmond_D%C3%A9d%C3%A9 Edmond Dédé (November 20, 1827 – January 5, 1901)[a] was an American musician and composer. A free-born Creole, he moved to Europe in 1855. He worked in Bordeaux for more than forty years, first as assistant conductor at the Grand Théâtre and then as a conductor of orchestras at…
Black Excellence: Givonna Joseph and Opera Créole
https://www.operacreole.org/givonna-joseph Ms. Joseph is committed to the culture of New Orleans, the city of her birth. This is most evident in her research on 19th-century classical music of New Orleans’s Free People of Color. As Founder and Artistic Director of the award-winning OperaCréole, Ms. Joseph’s research has recently been featured on…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Givonna Joseph and Opera Créole
Black Excellence: Roberta Hoskie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_Hoskie Roberta Hoskie is an American real estate broker, writer, and media personality based in New Haven, Connecticut. She is the author of the book Poverty Curse Broken, president and CEO of Outreach Realty Servicing, Outreach School of Real Estate, and the 1000 Black Families National Homeownership Program. She is…
Black Excellence: Photo portraits of Black Americans
https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2022/01/02/how-black-americans-used-portraits-and-family-photographs-to-defy-stereotypes/
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Photo portraits of Black Americans
Black Excellence: Kimberley Rudd and David C. Rudd
https://ruddresources.net/our-team Kimberley has 35 years of writing, strategic marketing and communications, and coaching experience. A skilled project manager, she is trusted to provide counsel, support and ideas to clients. David is a writer and senior counselor. A communications professional with journalism, corporate communications and PR agency experience.
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Kimberley Rudd and David C. Rudd
Black Excellence: Jehana Ray
https://www.packlesstravel.com/about Welcome toPackLess Travel! Headquartered in Boston, a city known for its casual vibe and inclusive atmosphere, we’re building a community that values a more relaxed, efficient, and eco-friendly approach to travel. We’re proud to serve a diverse group of explorers who share our vision for a simpler and more…
Black Excellence: Sharon Y. Bowen
https://www.cftc.gov/About/Commissioners/SharonY.Bowen/index.htm Sharon Y. Bowen was sworn in as a Commissioner of the U. S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on June 9, 2014 for a five year term. She serves as Sponsor of the CFTC Market Risk Advisory Committee.
Black Excellence: Mary T. Washington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_T._Washington Mary T. Washington (April 21, 1906 – July 2, 2005) was the first African-American woman to be a certified public accountant in the United States.[1] Mary Thelma Morrison was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Daisy and William Morrison.[2] Her father was a carpenter, and her mother passed when she…
Black Excellence: Alantha Miles
https://breakthrough.org/alantha-victim-advocates-create-ripple-effect After incidents of violence in the Garfield Park neighborhood, Breakthrough’s victim advocates respond to support victims and their families. Alantha Miles, victim services coordinator, hopes her team leaves an impression that inspires participants to show that same love, grace, and understanding to others. https://www.cornersresearch.org/team/alantha-miles In 2020, Alantha Miles was…
Black Excellence: Juliet Barnes
https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/chicago-stars-fc-appoints-juliet-barnes-director-of-medical/n-6182038 CHICAGO – Chicago Stars FC General Manager, Richard Feuz, has named Juliet Barnes as the club’s new Director of Medical, the Chicago Stars announced today. “We are excited to have Juliet join Chicago Stars FC,” said Feuz. “Juliet’s decades of experience across sports, most recently with the United States…
Black Excellence: Braxton Cook
https://www.braxtoncook.com/bio Braxton Cook (born March 27, 1991 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an Emmy Award Winning Artist and one of this generation’s most exciting emerging voices in the Jazz world. Not only does he exhibit world-class virtuosity on the alto saxophone but he is also a uniquely talented vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist…
Black Excellence: Martin Aliker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Aliker Martin Jerome Okec Aliker (21 October 1928 – 15 April 2024) was a Ugandan dental surgeon, businessman, and community leader. He was a senior adviser to the President of Uganda and sat on the board of directors of nearly forty Ugandan companies. He was the chancellor of Victoria University…
Black Excellence: Monique Clesca
https://haffd.org/blog-2-2/blog-post-title-three-p3yc8 Monique Clesca is currently an international consultant after a career of more than 25 years specializing in high-level policy dialogue, human rights, youth and women programming, development, and crisis communication and writing. A feminist pro-democracy, pro-social justice activist, she is also a member of the Civil Society Commission to…
Black Excellence: Vincent McCoy
Paving the Way for LGBTQ+ Students When Vincent McCoy ’75 responded to a newspaper ad for a small, private meeting of Northwestern’s Gay Liberation Front, he never imagined it would lead to him becoming an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ students. McCoy became the first Black president of the Gay Liberation…
Black Excellence: Roderick Cox
https://roderickcox.com Winner of the 2018 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award by the U.S Solti Foundation, Berlin-based American conductor, Roderick Cox, has been praised as a conductor who is “paving the way” (NBC News) and recognised as a “trailblazer… a conductor who will be amongst the vanguard” (Minnesota StarTribune). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderick_Cox_(conductor) Roderick…
Black Excellence: Renetta McCann
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renetta_McCann Renetta McCann (born December 8, 1956) is an American advertising and public relations executive who previously served as chief executive officer of Starcom Mediavest Group in North America.
Black Excellence: Willard “Will” S. Evans Jr.
https://www.alumni.northwestern.edu/s/1479/02-naa/16/landing.aspx?sid=1479&gid=2&pgid=45863 Willard “Will” S. Evans Jr. is a seasoned leader in both the public and private sectors. Known for his collaborative personal style and business acumen, he has extensive leadership experience that encompasses business, government, academic, civic, emergency, and social service organizations.
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Willard “Will” S. Evans Jr.
Black Excellence: Demi Johnson
https://www.wlox.com/2024/05/30/gulfport-teen-receives-national-geographic-award-plan-save-mississippis-oyster-reef-population GULF COAST, Miss. (WLOX) – Remember Demi Johnson? The now ninth grader is headed to the nation’s capital in just a few days for the National Geographic Explorers Festival. Her well-deserved trip to Washington D.C. comes after she became a top-15 finalist for her award with the Slingshot Challenge…
Black Excellence: Samuel E. Davis
https://theblackhistorychannel.com/2016/samuel-e-davis-the-man-who-could-do-anything/
Black Excellence: Mikaila Ulmer
https://theblackhistorychannel.com/2015/mikaila-ulmer-a-honey-of-an-entrepreneur/
Black Excellence: Diahann Carroll
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diahann_Carroll Diahann Carroll (/daɪˈæn/ dy-AN; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. Carroll was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards for her stage and screen performances, including a Tony Award in 1962, Golden Globe Award in 1968, and…
Black Excellence: Victor Boniface
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Boniface Victor Okoh Boniface (born 23 December 2000) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Nigeria national team. Boniface is renowned for his pace, strength, dribbling ability, finishing and work ethic.[2][3][4][5]
Black Excellence: Alaysia Black Hackett
https://alaysiablackhackett.com As an expert with 20 years of executive-level diversity leadership in public, private, and academic sectors, Dr. Lacy’s expertise focuses on fostering inclusive and equitable environments, with a drive for social and economic development. Dr. Lacy has a track record of building diverse and equitable infrastructures in organizations of…
Black Excellence: Gass Iyacu and Emma Jackson
https://magazine.northwestern.edu/innovation/invention-expandable-bike-helmet-gass-iyacu-emma-jackson A More Inclusive Bike Helmet Gass Iyacu ’24 rode a scooter across Northwestern’s Evanston campus to get to class every day. Emma Jackson ’24 rode her bike. But neither regularly wore a helmet. Why? “They just don’t fit!” says Iyacu, who wears his hair in various styles, such as…
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Black Excellence: Giannis Antetokounmpo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giannis_Antetokounmpo Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo[a] (né Adetokunbo;[b] born December 6, 1994) is a Greek and Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His size, speed, strength, and country of origin have earned him the nickname “Greek Freak”. He is widely regarded as one…
Black Excellence: Hazel Scott
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Scott Hazel Dorothy Scott (June 11, 1920 – October 2, 1981) was a Trinidadian jazz and classical pianist and singer. She was an outspoken critic of racial discrimination and segregation. She used her influence to improve the representation of Black Americans in film.[1]
Black Excellence: Ena Hartman
https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/ena-hartman-7784 Ena Hartman is an unsung trailblazer of Hollywood whose smaller roles in 1960s media productions helped create a path for African Americans in film and television. Black actresses working in the 1970s benefited from the trail Hartman helped blaze.
Black Excellence: RaMell Ross
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RaMell_Ross RaMell Ross is an American filmmaker, photographer, academic, and writer best known for his 2018 documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening and the 2024 film adaptation of the novel The Nickel Boys (2019), the latter of which he directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Joslyn Barnes, for which…
Black Excellence: Rhyuhn Green
https://www.rhyuhn.com/about Lauded by NPR as a “sartorially resplendent 18-year-old from Philadelphia [who] lives a double life as both an extraordinary pianist and a composer”, Rhyuhn Phallon Green (b.2006) began his musical studies at the age of 2. He is a student of Dean and Director David Ludwig at the Juilliard…
Black Excellence: Albert S. Broussard
https://www.blackpast.org/author/broussardalbert Albert S. Broussard is professor of History at Texas A&M University, where he has taught since 1985. Professor Broussard has published six books, Expectations of Equality: A History of Black Westerners (2012), Black San Francisco: The Struggle for Racial Equality in the West, 1900-1954 (1993), African American Odyssey: The…
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025
Photo credit: LBJ Library photo by Yoichi Okamotowww.lbjlibrary.net/collections/photo-archive.html, serial no. W418-5. A large (40MB) TIFF version of this image is available at this link. Monday, January 20, 2025, is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King is best known for his work in the United States Civil rights movement,…
Black Excellence: Nancy Leftenant-Colon
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/15/g-s1-42698/nancy-leftenant-colon-military-army-tuskegee-obituary Nancy Leftenant-Colon, the first Black woman to serve in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps when it was desegregated after World War II and the sister of one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen pilots, died Jan. 8 in Amityville, N.Y. She was 104.
Black Excellence: Machel Montano
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machel_Montano Machel Montano (born 24 November 1974)[2] is a Trinidadian soca recording artist and record producer. Known for his high energy, fast-paced, and often unpredictable on-stage performances, he is one of the genre’s most popular artists.[3][4] https://www.npr.org/2025/01/13/g-s1-41268/machel-montano-tiny-desk-concert The first law of soca music according to Machel Montano is: “it’s dancing…
Black Excellence: Jaye Davidson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaye_Davidson Jaye Davidson (born Alfred Amey; 21 March 1968) is an English model, fashion stylist, and retired actor. He made his acting debut as Dil in the thriller film The Crying Game (1992),[1][3] for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Following his breakthrough, he portrayed…
Black Excellence: Gordon Parks
https://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/gordon-parks/biography Gordon Parks, one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, was a humanitarian with a deep commitment to social justice. He left behind an exceptional body of work that documents American life and culture from the early 1940s into the 2000s, with a focus on race relations, poverty,…
Black Excellence: Marianne Jean-Baptiste
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Jean-Baptiste Marianne Raigipcien Jean-Baptiste (born 26 April 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her role in Mike Leigh’s drama film Secrets & Lies (1996), for which she received acclaim and earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award…
Black Excellence: Laurence Clifton Jones
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_C._Jones Laurence Clifton Jones (November 21, 1882 – July 13, 1975),[1] was the founder and long-time president of Piney Woods Country Life School in Rankin County, Mississippi.[2] A noted educational innovator, Jones spent his adult life supporting the educational advancement of rural African-American students in the segregated South.
Black Excellence: O-T Fagbenle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-T_Fagbenle Olatunde Olateju Olaolorun “O-T” Fagbenle Listenⓘ (Yoruba: Ọlátúndé Ọlátẹ́jú Ọláọlọ́run Fágbénlé; born 22 January 1981)[1][2] is an English actor, writer, and director. He has appeared in several films, stage, and television productions. He is best known for his role as Lucas Bankole in The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–2025), for which…