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: Tanitoluwa Adewumi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanitoluwa_Adewumi Tanitoluwa Emmanuel “Tani” Adewumi (born September 3, 2010) is a Nigerian-American chess player who currently holds the title of International Master (IM). A chess prodigy,[2] he won the 2019 K-3 New York State chess championship at the age of 8 after having played the game for only a year…
Black Excellence: Qualeasha Wood
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualeasha_Wood Qualeasha Wood (born 1996) is an American textile artist. Her work often deals with representation of African-American women in internet culture.[1] https://www.houldsworth.co.uk/artists/174-qualeasha-wood/overview In her textile practice, Wood brings together traditional craft techniques and contemporary technology. Her own image acts as a point of departure for works that explore racial,…
Black Excellence: Christiana Ine-Kimba Boyle
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/09/02/christiana-ine-kimba-boyle-gladwell-projects-harlem-pop-up Amid the recent string of large and mid-sized gallery closures, could smaller, emerging galleries step into the power vacuum? “I 100% think they are the future,” says Christiana Ine-Kimba Boyle, a New York-based dealer who has previously worked at galleries including Lehmann Maupin, Canada and Pace. “This whole idea…
Continue Reading Black Excellence: Christiana Ine-Kimba Boyle
Black Excellence: Keith T. Parker
Keith T. Parker is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Goodwill of North Georgia. One of the largest nonprofit organizations in the southeast, Goodwill spans a 45-county territory, operating 62 stores, 58 donation centers and 13 career centers. Goodwill employs nearly 3,000 people, each of whom play a direct…
Black Excellence: Nova Twins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Twins Nova Twins are an English rock duo formed in London, England, in 2014, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South.[2] Their debut album, Who Are the Girls?, was released in February 2020. Their second album Supernova, was released in June 2022. Supernova was shortlisted for the 2022…
Black Excellence: Havoc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havoc_(musician) Kejuan Waliek Muchita (born May 21, 1974), known professionally as Havoc, is an American rapper and record producer. He was one half of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep with Prodigy. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/11/nx-s1-5605547/mobb-deep-havoc-infinite-interview For Mobb Deep’s Havoc, love for Queensbridge is ‘Infinite’
Black Excellence: Ulysses Owens
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_Owens Ulysses Owens Jr. (born December 6, 1982) is an American drummer and percussionist. He was the drummer on vocalist Kurt Elling’s Grammy-winning album Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman, and on bassist Christian McBride’s Grammy-winning The Good Feeling.
Black Excellence: Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindou_Oumarou_Ibrahim Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is a Chadian environmental activist and geographer. She is the Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) and served as the co-director of the pavilion of the World Indigenous Peoples’ Initiative and Pavilion at COP21, COP22 and COP23.
Black Excellence: Jason Bolden
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Bolden Jason Bolden (born February 27, 1982) is an American entrepreneur, creative director and fashion stylist. Bolden is a co-founder of JSN Studio, along with his husband, interior designer Adair Curtis.[1][2][3]
Black Excellence: Jimmy Cliff
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/24/nx-s1-4526570/jimmy-cliff-obituary-reggae Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican musician and actor who helped propel reggae into the international spotlight, has died at 81 years old. The singer-songwriter was known for hits such as “Many Rivers to Cross,” “You Can Get It if You Really Want” and the title track in the 1972 crime…
Black Excellence: Christian Happi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Happi Christian Happi is a Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Genomics in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Director of the Institute of Genomics and Global Health[1] (formerly African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases),[2][3] both at Redeemer’s University. He is known for leading the team…
Black Excellence: Florene “Flo” Wiley
https://www.spiritandimage.org/our-team The Spirit and Image Entertainment start-up staff includes a core staff of the President/Executive Producer and Director, Sponsorships & Investor Relations, operating on a full-time basis leading up to and during production and training cycles. An outreach coordinator and a workshops coordinator, working on a freelance contractor basis, complete…
Black Excellence: Dave Carlson
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/16/nx-s1-5598472/iraq-war-bond-recovery-veteran-deployment The first I saw of Dave Carlson was his back, in a prison jumpsuit on Sept. 3, 2015. Carlson had been calling me from the cellblock payphone for a few weeks for an NPR story about incarcerated combat veterans and PTSD. I just spoke to Dave Carlson last week,…
Black Excellence: Mark Ingram
https://www.markingramatelier.com/meet-mark Upon graduating from prestigious NYU with a business degree, Mark Ingram’s fashion career began at the legendary Fifth Avenue specialty stores, Bonwit Teller and Bergdorf Goodman. As a young merchandising executive at these venerable institutions in the early 80’s, Mark was exposed to the world’s top designers and arbiters…
Black Excellence: Gary Tyler
Gary Tyler is a fiber artist, living and working in Los Angeles, California. For over four decades, Tyler has been working at the intersection of art and social justice, teaching himself how to quilt to support the Angola Prison Hospice program, where he was a volunteer. For three decades, Tyler…
Black Excellence: Robert “Sput” Searight
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Searight Robert “Sput” Searight (born March 18, 1975)[1] is an American drummer, composer and producer best known for his work with jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy and as co-founder of the percussion-based band Ghost-Note. His background spans several genres including jazz, funk, hip-hop and gospel. He has toured and recorded…
Black Excellence: Elani and Enyia Johnson
https://abc7ny.com/post/gridiron-girls-twin-sisters-elani-enyia-johnson-thriving-asbury-park-high-school-football-team/15358422 ASBURY PARK, New Jersey (WABC) — This version of Hard Knocks features some football history and twin sisters Elani and Enyia Johnson. In the middle of a smashing, bashing practice is a set of twin sisters who play some of the toughest positions on the field. They are on…
Black Excellence: David Exumé
https://www.davidexume.com Telling narrative stories through audio and print. I currently work as a Story Producer for the KQED-affiliated podcast Snap Judgment. And in 2024, I served as a Series Producer for the Snap/Lemonada Media podcast Mind Your Own, hosted by Lupita Nyong’o.
Black Excellence: Nia DaCosta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nia_DaCosta Nia DaCosta (born November 8, 1989) is an American filmmaker. She rose to prominence when she made her feature-length debut as a writer and director with the crime thriller film Little Woods (2018), winning the Nora Ephron Prize for Female Filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Festival. After working on…
Black Excellence: Braylon Browner
https://dancemagazine.com/braylon-browner/#gsc.tab=0 Since finishing in the Top 8 of “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 18, Braylon Browner has continued to carve out a dynamic presence both on and off the stage. Currently a sophomore at University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, he’s balancing teaching opportunities at…
Black Excellence: Artis Stevens
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artis_Stevens Artis Stevens is an American executive and the president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Prior to that, he was senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the National 4-H Council.
Black Excellence: Habib Koité
https://worldlisteningpost.com/2020/05/19/habib-koite-kharifa If you seek wisdom in entertainment it’s useful to look beyond the market driven universe. A good place to start is with Habib Koité, the Malian singer-songwriter, born into a griot family of 17 siblings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habib_Koit%C3%A9 Habib Koité (Bambara: ߤߊߓߌߓ ߞߎߥߊߕߍ, romanized: Habib Kuwatɛ, born 1958 in Thiès, Senegal) is…
Black Excellence: Jack DeJohnette
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/27/nx-s1-5587549/jack-dejohnette-obituary Jack DeJohnette, one of the most daring and dynamic jazz drummers of the last 60 years, with a loose-limbed yet exacting beat that propelled a limitless range of adventurous music, died on Sunday October 26 at HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston, N.Y. He was 83. DeJohnette had a singular voice…
Black Excellence: Dave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_(rapper) David Orobosa Michael Omoregie (born 5 June 1998), known professionally as Dave or Santan Dave, is a British rapper and actor. He is known for his socially conscious lyricism and wordplay. Dave released his debut extended play Six Paths in 2016, after the release of several successful singles including…
Black Excellence: Elizabeth Catlett
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Catlett Elizabeth Catlett, born as Alice Elizabeth Catlett, also known as Elizabeth Catlett Mora (April 15, 1915[1] – April 2, 2012)[3][4] was an American and Mexican sculptor and graphic artist best known for her depictions of the Black-American experience in the 20th century, which often focused on the female experience.…
Black Excellence: Latrenda Knighten
https://www.nctm.org/president Latrenda Knighten is President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), an international mathematics education organization with more than 25,000 members. She has been an educator for more than 30 years and recently retired as Mathematics Curriculum Supervisor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has been a classroom…
Black Excellence: Everett Kelley
https://www.afge.org/about-us/afge-national-leadership/national-officers-executive-bios/Everett-Kelley Everett Kelley is the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which is the largest union representing federal and D.C. government employees. He began his first term of service as national president in February 2020, was elected to another term during the 42nd National Convention in June…
Black Excellence: Erica Qualls-Battey
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau’s (ACVB) board of directors elected Erica Qualls-Battey as its chair in 2025. Qualls-Battey is the area general manager for Marriott International – Atlanta and general manager for Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Georgia’s largest hotel. “Erica is extremely well respected within our industry and city, and her…
Black Excellence: Trina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trina Katrina Laverne Kearse[3] (née Taylor; born December 3, 1974),[4][5] is an American rapper who rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/07/1168460191/trina-tiny-desk-concert Decked out in leather, diamonds and a wavy jet-black bussdown, the vet got comfortable behind the Desk quickly, ready to give…
Black Excellence: Chandra Jack
Chandra Jack Assistant Professor, Biology My broad research interests are the evolution and ecology of complex biotic interactions between individuals and their subsequent effect on fitness and population structure. It has long been accepted that ecology influences evolution but only recently has is it become recognized that evolution can influence…
Black Excellence: Kaska Yawo
https://www.africancommunityeducation.org/About-ACE/?view=team Kaska Yawo EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER Kaska came to the United States as a refugee from Liberia in 1998. Before his arrival, Kaska earned his Bachelor\’s degree in French and Linguistics from the University of Abidjan in Côte d′Ivoire. He has earned various certifications and taught programs in global…
Black Excellence: Emmanuel Akinwotu
https://www.npr.org/people/1141550443/emmanuel-akinwotu Emmanuel Akinwotu is an international correspondent for NPR. He joined NPR in 2022 from The Guardian, where he was West Africa correspondent. He has reported in Africa since 2016, covering a wide range of prominent and under-reported stories, from the war in Sudan that has torn through the country…
Black Excellence: Glynn Washington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glynn_Washington Glynn Washington (born 1970) is a media personality and producer. He is the host, creator and executive producer of Snap Judgment, a radio / podcast/ stage / television show distributed by PRX. Before creating the Snap Judgment radio show, Glynn Washington worked as an educator, diplomat, community activist, actor,…
Black Excellence: Dr. Katherine Y. Brown
About 20 years ago, Dr. Katherine Y. Brown launched a freestanding CPR company on the South Side of Chicago, knowing the underserved people living there were the least likely to get CPR. She thought, If you build it, they will come. They didn’t come. So she went to them. At…
Black Excellence: Asake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asake Ahmed Ololade (born 13 January 1995), known professionally as Asake,[1] is a Nigerian singer, rapper and songwriter.[2][3][4][5][6] His debut album, Mr. Money with the Vibe (2022) broke the record for the biggest opening day for an African album on Apple Music at the time, and debuted at number 66…
Black Excellence: Tananarive Due
https://www.tananarivedue.com/bio-contact TANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA. A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in…
Black Excellence: Kyle Abraham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Abraham Kyle Abraham (born August 14, 1977)[1] is an American choreographer and dancer. He founded his own company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham (formerly Abraham.In.Motion) in 2006 in New York City and has produced many original works for A.I.M such as The Radio Show (2010), Absent Matter (2015), Pavement (2012), Dearest…
Black Excellence: Kai Ashante Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Ashante_Wilson Kai Ashante Wilson is an American author of speculative fiction active since 2013.[1] Wilson was the 2010 Octavia Butler scholar at the San Diego Clarion Writing Workshop.[2] His work has appeared in various periodicals, podcasts and anthologies, including Apex Magazine, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year:…
Black Excellence: Kacen Callender
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kacen_Callender Kacen Callender (born September 19, 1989) is a Saint Thomian author of children’s fiction and fantasy, best known for their Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award—winning middle grade debut Hurricane Child (2018).[1] Their fantasy novel, Queen of the Conquered, is the 2020 winner of the World Fantasy Award,[2]…
Black Excellence: Rena Barron
Rena Barron grew up in small-town Alabama, where stories of magic and adventure sparked her imagination. After penning her first awful poem in middle school, she graduated to writing short stories and novels by high school. Rena loves all things science fiction and fantasy, ghosts, and superheroes. Rena is the…
Black Excellence: Kyrstin Johnson
Kyrstin Johnson Women’s Gymnastics • All Around Hi, I’m Kyrstin Johnson — a Division I gymnast at Temple University from Baltimore, Maryland! Before competing for Temple, I made history at Talladega College as a 4x All-American gymnast and National Vault Champion, helping lead the inaugural gymnastics team to national recognition.…
Black Excellence: N.E. Davenport
https://www.nedavenport.com/about Nia “N.E.” Davenport is an award-winning Science Fiction/Fantasy author who writes stories that blend magic, mayhem, and deadly heroines. She attended the University of Southern California and studied Biological Sciences and Theatre Arts. She also has an M.A. in Secondary Education.
Black Excellence: Denise Crittendon
Denise Crittendon is an Afrofuturist. A Dreamer. A Creator of new and enchanting Black worlds. In her debut novel, Where It Rains In Color (Angry Robot Books, December 2022) she unveils Swazembi, a glitzy resort planet of floating colors and bizarre tourist attractions. Before conjuring up this paradise, she was…
Black Excellence: Georges Collinet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Collinet M’vam Georges Collinet[1] (born 1940?[2]), also known in his early career by the nickname Maxi Voom Voom,[3] is a Cameroonian-French-American broadcaster. He is known for hosting radio shows, such as the internationally distributed radio program Afropop Worldwide; and for hosting and creating documentary television shows and films. From 1965…
Black Excellence: Michael Wimberly
https://www.bennington.edu/academics/faculty/michael-wimberly Wimberly was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio during the civil rights era surrounded by the toxic fumes of steel mills buoyed by a sea of blue-collar workers. This is where Wimberly’s early beginnings in soul, funk, rock, jazz, and classical music began. Beating rhythms on the hoods of…
Black Excellence: Kokoroko
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/20/g-s1-81563/kokoroko-tiny-desk-concert The timing couldn’t be better for this Tiny Desk. The themes and motivation behind Kokoroko’s latest album, Tuff Times Never Last, speak directly to what many people are going through right now, but also convey a radical mission to choose joy. Musically, Kokoroko takes a massive leap and shows…
Black Excellence: Kristina Douglass
https://people.climate.columbia.edu/users/profile/kristina-douglass Kristina Douglass is an award-winning archaeologist whose research explores the dynamic co-evolution of people, land, and seascapes. She is a 2025 MacArthur Fellow and a 2021 Carnegie Fellow, and currently serves as an Associate Professor of Climate in Columbia University’s Climate School. Before joining Columbia, she was the Joyce and Doug…
Black Excellence: William Tarpeh
https://cheme.stanford.edu/people/william-tarpeh Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, by courtesy, of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Center Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy and, by courtesy, at the Woods Institute for the Environment Reimagining liquid waste streams as resources can lead to recovery of valuable products and more efficient, less costly…
Black Excellence: Lynette Woodard
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/17/nx-s1-5550270/harlem-globetrotters-lynette-woodard-first-woman In 1926 the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team was founded, more than 20 years before Black men were allowed on professional basketball teams. But this squad composed of only African American players gradually gained popularity in the basketball world. When their founder, Abe Saperstein, died 40 years later, the team…
Black Excellence: Craig Taborn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Taborn Craig Marvin Taborn (/ˈteɪˌbɔːrn/; born February 20, 1970) is an American pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer. He works solo and in bands, mostly playing various forms of jazz. He started playing piano and Moog synthesizer as an adolescent and was influenced at an early stage by a wide range…
Black Excellence: D’Angelo
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/14/nx-s1-5574071/dangelo-dead-at-51-obituary D’Angelo, the visionary R&B singer who helped pioneer the neo soul sub genre, has died following a battle with cancer, according to a statement from his family published by multiple outlets. He was 51. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Angelo Michael Eugene Archer[1] (February 11, 1974 – October 14, 2025), better known by his…
Black Excellence: Tonika Lewis Johnson
https://www.tonijphotography.com/about Tonika Johnson is a photographer, social justice artist and life-long resident of Chicago’s South Side neighborhood of Englewood. She is also co-founder of the Englewood Arts Collective and Resident Association of Greater Englewood, which seek to reframe the narrative of South Side communities, and mobilize people and resources for…
Black Excellence: Ashley Allison
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/08/nx-s1-5562559/the-root-ashley-allison-black-media Black-owned media outlets are grappling with the same financial headwinds affecting much of journalism — including declining ad revenue, uncertain digital business models and the challenge of connecting with audiences through video. But their obstacles are also distinct. While Black Americans are among the country’s most engaged news consumers,…
Black Excellence: Aaron Camper
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12184078/bio Charismatic, stylish and talented – Aaron Camper is a singer/songwriter who is traveling the world, capturing the hearts of fans along the way. Having shared stages with major acts like Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and Jill Scott, Aaron has honed his craft as a dynamic performer. As a writer,…
Black Excellence: Chris Dave
https://www.npr.org/2020/02/21/807158371/chris-dave-and-the-drumhedz-tiny-desk-concert Chris Dave is reasonably described as your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer, or better yet, your favorite musician’s favorite drummer. As a veteran session artist in the music industry, he’s recorded and written with everyone from D’Angelo to Adele. The Houston native leads the Drumhedz behind a trap set, with…
Black Excellence: Cameron Oglesby
https://explorers.nationalgeographic.org/directory/cameron-oglesby Cameron Oglesby (she/her) is an environmental justice advocate, oral historian, and award-winning journalist who is dedicated to re-centering the voices, narratives, and knowledge of historically disinvested communities. She was named a National Geographic Young Explorer in 2024. Oglesby has spent the last seven years in North Carolina working with…
Black Excellence: Lisa Tutman-Oglesby
https://celebrate-creativity.com/about-lisa For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed using my hands and heart to create beautiful things for friends and loved ones. I’m Lisa Tutman-Oglesby and if you’ve spent any amount of time on this blog, you can see I’m pretty hooked on creativity. I always have been. …
Black Excellence: Benjamina Ebuehi
https://www.benjaminaebuehi.com/about Born and raised in South London, Benjamina has always had a sweet tooth and a fascination for all things baking related. She appeared on the seventh series of The Great British Bake Off in 2016 and finished as a quarter finalist, being praised for her approachable and creative recipes…
Black Excellence: Dr. Tsion Firew
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/10/06/g-s1-91435/virus-marburg-deadly-disease-rwanda Tsion Firew had just finished running a first aid training when she glanced down at her phone — and then looked up confused. The message she saw was about a colleague Firew had worked with a few days earlier in the emergency department at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali,…
Black Excellence: Robert Pierce
Robert Pierce has been practicing urban agriculture in Wisconsin for nearly four decades. During that time, he began growingand providing organic produce to local communities on Madison’s south side.In the last few decades, Pierce founded the essential Half-the-Forty-Acres Farm, which he still directs and operates. He hasalso continued to spread…
Black Excellence: Kmele Foster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmele_Foster Kmele Foster (born October 31, 1980) is an American telecommunications entrepreneur and political commentator.[1][2] He is co-founder and vice president of the telecommunications consultancy TelcoIQ[3] and is currently a co-host of the podcast The Fifth Column.[4]
Black Excellence: Lubiana
Lubiana is a a female singer, songwriter, and musician. Originally from Belgian, Lubiana’s roots are in Cameroon, in Central Africa. She has become one of the few women playing a male traditional music instrument, Kora.
Black Excellence: Robert Reffkin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reffkin Robert L. Reffkin[1] is an American entrepreneur who co-founded the online real estate brokerage Compass, Inc. and serves as the company’s CEO.[2]
Black Excellence: Shoppe Black
SHOPPE BLACK is a Philadelphia-based multimedia company committed to amplifying the voices of Black entrepreneurs and business leaders across the globe. Founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife team Tony O. Lawson and Shantrelle P. Lewis, SHOPPE BLACK was created to connect Black-owned businesses with the customers, strategic partners, and resources they…
Black Excellence: Tobias Harris
NBA forward Tobias Harris is making a different kind of impact in Detroit—this time, off the court. The Tobias Harris Homeownership Initiative (THHI), powered by Homium, is growing fast. It recently secured a major investment from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). This new funding allows the program to…
Black Excellence: Trina Bediako
Trina Bediako is the CEO of NHB Holdings LLC and its subsidiaries. Trina is the second-generation owner of the Company. Her father, Tim Brown, serves as the Chairman. The Brown family has owned the business for over 25 years and Trina is committed to its success and legacy. During her…
Black Excellence: Ari Lennox
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/25/763604571/ari-lennox-tiny-desk-concert When Ari Lennox entered NPR Headquarters to perform at the Tiny Desk, we soon learned she was a little under the weather. Draped in a long, leopard-print coat, she greeted the band and approached the desk. I asked her if she was in any shape to sing, and she…
Black Excellence: Kyle P. Walker
https://kylepwalker.com/about Kyle P. Walker is a critically acclaimed pianist dedicated to using music as a catalyst for social change. His artistry bridges the traditions of Western classical repertoire with the voices of historically neglected composers from around the globe, creating performances that are both deeply expressive and socially resonant. Known…
Black Excellence: Aicha Evans
Aicha Evans is one of the most accomplished and influential women in tech. She is best known for leading Zoox—the autonomous vehicle startup—to a $1.3 billion acquisition by Amazon. Her journey from Senegal to Silicon Valley is not just a story of personal ambition but of vision, resilience, and industry-defining…
Black Excellence: Brenda Marie Turner
https://www.brendamarieturner.com/about Brenda Marie Turner’s vocal artistry seamlessly spans classical, jazz, musical theater, gospel, pop, and neo-soul. A featured soloist for opera, oratorio, art song, studio recordings, and television broadcasts, Brenda is in demand as a backing vocalist who is prized for her versatility, solid musicianship, and sheer, vocal beauty. Her…
Black Excellence: AK Brown
The FASHION CONNECTOR Meet AK Brown As the ultimate multifaceted fashionpreneur, I use my journey as a way to guide and inspire fashion brands and creatives in defining their success in fashion!
Black Excellence: Harlem Hellfighters
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/06/g-s1-87313/amid-debate-about-u-s-history-harlem-hellfighters-receive-congressional-gold-medal The Harlem Hellfighters of the New York National Guard’s 369th Infantry Regiment were posthumously honored this week with a Congressional Gold Medal. They received the highest civilian honor given by Congress, decades after their service during World War I was largely ignored by top military brass — and amid…
Black Excellence: Michael Mayo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mayo Michael Mayo (born June 1, 1992) is an American singer and composer. He has performed and toured with Kneebody, Jacob Collier, Christian Sands, Josh Groban, Nate Smith and Herbie Hancock.[1][4] He released his debut studio album Bones in 2021, followed by his sophomore album Fly in 2024. https://www.npr.org/2025/09/08/g-s1-75704/michael-mayo-tiny-desk-concert Michael…
Black Excellence: Billiance Chondwe
https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/09/06/g-s1-86617/hiv-positive-aids-zambia This year Billiance Chondwe has found himself careening between grave concern for his community and guarded optimism. Chondwe — who is affectionately called Pastor Billy by his congregants in Kitwe, Zambia — knows many people who are HIV positive. So, on January 24, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio…
Black Excellence: Chef Shola Olunloyo
https://www.chefs4impact.org/post/meet-chef-shola-olunloyo Nigerian chef Shola Olunloyo is a distinguished member of the Philadelphia restaurant community, with a reputation for highly technical food and exciting flavors. Schooled in both England and Nigeria, he continued his culinary studies in a series of apprenticeships and stages across Europe, East, and Southeast Asia, working at…
Black Excellence: Luedji Luna
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luedji_Luna Luedji Gomes Santa Rita (born 25 May 1987), known professionally as Luedji Luna, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. Born in Salvador, Bahia, Luedji Luna is the daughter of an economist mother and an historian father.[1] She studied law at the Federal University of Bahia and singing at the Escola Baiana…
Black Excellence: Futures of Repair
https://www.bkreader.com/arts-entertainment/a-brooklyn-afrofuturist-art-exhibit-explores-a-new-world-with-reparations-11017376 What would the future of global reparations in America look like for Black and indigenous people? A new exhibition in Williamsburg goes deep with artwork from six Black artists. What would the future of reparations in America look like for Black and Indigenous people? In a new Afrofuturist art…
Black Excellence: Babatunde Akinboboye
https://www.babatundebaritone.com A singer of diverse talents, Nigerian American Baritone, Babatunde Akinboboye is known for his enthralling stage presence. He has performed with the Los Angeles Opera, Opera San Jose, Opera Santa Barbara, Long Beach Opera, and Utah Opera. Babatunde has also debuted the roles of Drew in the Opera Works’Arts…
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/
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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…
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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,…