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, kale and scallion seeds in seed starting trays — just a few of the vegetables Livingstone is growing this spring.

“It’s a pretty tedious, lengthy process,” she says.

Trained as an accountant, Livingstone turned to farming about 15 years ago to grow her own food. She started with five-gallon buckets, pierced holes at the bottom and filled them with soil and seeds.

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 syndicated comic strips to feature a mostly Black cast. Today, the strip is widely read in print and digital platforms. However, as a young Black cartoonist, Billingsley struggled to get the chance to portray his people through his work.

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 Team. But the real hero at the 2015 ESPYs was Army veteran and wounded warrior Danielle Green.

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). He has been involved in other types of motion pictures including shorts, documentaries, and a TV series.

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 still an active, albeit no longer competitive, bodybuilder.^[2]

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, reveal interwoven layers of story and sound. But the dude’s also an incredibly thoughtful and powerful live performer. At the Tiny Desk, he’s got the range, with crunching rock riffs, spitting bars and bringing us to the brink of tears.

Seven Black Leaders Appointed to Administrative Roles in Higher Education

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. Mr. Adams served in Vietnam also as a senior language advisor to both the U.S. Army and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). He was one of the final NSA’ers to escape before the fall of Saigon in 1975.

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 New York Knicks, the NHL’s New York Rangers, and the NFL’s league office.

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 other local theaters.

His compositions include works for orchestra and for various voices with orchestra or piano, as well as an opera Morgiane, for which the score was unknown until 2007. Morgiane is the earliest known opera by an African American composer.^[3] It received its first complete concert performances in February 2025.

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/03/nx-s1-4868011/oldest-black-american-opera-premiere

Until recently, the music of Morgiane only existed in a single handwritten manuscript.

Composer Edmond Dédé, a Black American living in exile in France, completed the nearly 550-page score in 1887. He thought of it as his greatest achievement. But the four-act, French grand opera based on themes from the folktale “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves” would never be performed in his lifetime. Instead the manuscript was tucked away and nearly forgotten.