Black Excellence: Daphne Maxwell Reid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Maxwell_Reid
Daphne Etta Reid (née Maxwell; July 13, 1948) is an American actress, comedian, designer, and former model. She is best known for her role as the second Vivian Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1993 to 1996.
Black Excellence: Lillie Cunningham
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/03/nx-s1-5133287/lillie-cunningham-110-year-old-alabama-woman
At 110 years old, an Alabama woman credits one thing for her long life: faith
She may be one of the world’s oldest people. But age is just a number to Lillie Cunningham.
Black Excellence: Celia Benvenutti
Celia Benvenutti
Celia Benvenutti is an Afro-Latina dance artist, native Detroiter, and Howard University alumna.
Black Excellence: Adegoke Steve Colson
https://www.steinway.com/artists/adegoke-steve-colson
Steinway Artist, ADEGOKE STEVE COLSON is a Grammy® nominated pianist and composer – a native of East Orange, NJ – who has performed internationally as a leader of jazz ensembles ranging from trios to orchestras. His work has been recorded on labels that include Columbia/Sony, Evidence, and Black Saint. His Solo Piano recording Tones For, reflecting on the lives and work of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, was his most recent release on his label, Silver Sphinx.
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 says. Over 50 years, Njoki McElroy, who died last year in October, wrote 15 plays, two books and a plethora of short stories. She directed and produced performances throughout the United States, Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean.
Black Excellence: Dr. Brandon Nichols
https://pulitzercenter.org/people/brandon-nichols
Dr. Brandon Nichols serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Olive-Harvey College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. He describes himself as being a mission-driven, students-first educator through civic engagement. The Illinois native resides from the southeast side of Chicago.
Black Excellence: George Benson
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/19/nx-s1-5114356/jazz-night-in-america-george-benson
Few musicians have seen the success that guitarist, vocalist and cultural icon George Benson has: platinum records, a record of the year Grammy, four Top 10 hits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Benson
George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943)[3] is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist.
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 psychologist and identity scholar, she is interested in social and educational inequities and the mechanisms through which macro-level disparities are both perpetuated and disrupted at the micro-level of identities and relationships.
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.