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: Tony D. Hansberry

https://theblackhistorychannel.com/2014/9th-grader-invents-new-surgical-procedure/ Tony D. Hansberry, II was a 9th grader at Carnell Cookman School of Medical Arts in Jacksonville, Florida when he invented a project that allows him to “reduce the time it takes to perform hysterectomies.” https://milwaukeecourieronline.com/index.php/2012/02/11/african-american-youth-invents-surgical-technique-at-age-14/

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Black Excellence: Zaytoven

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/26/698086054/zaytoven-tiny-desk-concert The Lord works in mysterious ways. It might sound cliché, but there’s really no better way to describe the circumstances that led to prolific producer Zaytoven’s impromptu Tiny Desk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaytoven Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), known professionally as Zaytoven, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia.[1][2][3][non-primary…

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Black Excellence: Booker T. Jones

https://www.npr.org/2011/05/02/135840639/booker-t-jones-tiny-desk-concert I’m pretty sure this is the coolest thing we’ve ever done behind the Tiny Desk. There was a bit of furniture-moving and finagling, but when all the heavy lifting was done, there it was: A Hammond B3 organ and its sturdy wooden Leslie speaker cabinet sat waiting for its…

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Black Excellence: Belle da Costa Greene

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/28/nx-s1-5159998/the-true-story-of-a-famed-librarian-and-the-secret-she-guarded-closely The true story of a famed librarian and the secret she guarded closely The name Belle da Costa Greene might not ring a bell, but New York’s historic Morgan Library and Museum is trying to change that. A new exhibit called “A Librarian’s Legacy” opened this month, just in…

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Black Excellence: O.W. Gurley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O.W._Gurley O. W. Gurley (December 25, 1867 – August 6, 1935) was once one of the wealthiest Black men and a founder of the Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as “Black Wall Street”.[1][2] Ottaway W. Gurley was born in Huntsville, Alabama to John and Rosanna Gurley, formerly enslaved persons,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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.

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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…

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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 -…

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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…

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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…

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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.

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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.

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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…

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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.

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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.

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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…

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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).

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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

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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”…

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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…

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