Harriet Tubman escaped her enslavement in 1849. After fleeing to Philadelphia, she returned South and led hundreds for enslaved Black people to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Harriet served as a spy, cook and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. Tubman is slated to be the first Black person on US currency in …
Nancy Morejón — Black History Month
Born in 1944, Nancy Morejón is one of Cuba's most prestigious writers. Morejón came of age during the Cuban revolution and her work thematically speak of cultural resistance and Cuban nationalism. The Cuba National Literature Prize winner is also one of the first Cuban women to celebrate Blackness and Black womanhood in poetry. Mujer Negra (Black Woman) is …
Fannie Lou Hamer — Black History Month
Fannie Lou Hamer became an active participant in the Civil Rights Movement in after being harassed and losing her job for her attempt to register to vote. By 1963, she had become a registered voter and field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She spent the next and last 14 years of her …
Ida B. Wells — Black History Month
Ida B. Wells was a journalist who bravely stepped forward to shine light on the lynching crimes during Reconstruction. The turning point in her career occurred when she bit a train conductor who attempted to forcibly removed her from a train car because she was Black. Ida immediately filed suit against the rail company and one, …
Octavia Butler — Black History Month
Octavia Butler is known for being a prolific writer in a genre dominated by white men, science fiction. Ms. Butler was the first sci-fi writer to earn the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. Rather than delving into the adventure of fantasy, Ms. Butler used her work as a mirror to reflect issues affecting humanity. …
Shirley Chisholm — Black History Month
The educator, administrator, community activist and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm made history when she became the first woman to run for the Democratic Presidential nomination. She was also the first Black woman to run for President in 1972. She combated misogynoir from all sides, including national feminist organizations who encouraged her to seek the nation's highest …
Celia Cruz — Black History Month
Celia Cruz, "The Queen of Salsa" became an iconic Afro-Latina role model known the world over for her vivacious spirit. Her career, which began in the nightclubs of Havana in the 1940s, spanned several decades and boasted three Grammy Awards, four Latin Grammy Awards, The President's National Medal of Arts and countless lifetime achievement awards. Her legacy lives …
Marsha P. Johnson – Black History Month
Crowned "The Mayor of Christopher Street" and "Patron Saint of Gays", Marsha P. Johnson was a fierce and beautiful spirit who lived out loud. We celebrate Marsha, a fearless activist for transgender people, the spark that ignited the Stonewall Riots, and a tireless advocate during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US. Learn more …
Serena Williams — Black History Month
Serving strength, determination and fierceness, Serena Williams has been called the greatest female athlete in the world. In her 22 year career, she has won 95 titles and counting. Moving on the tennis court with power, grace and speed, she's inspired girls all over the world to pick up a tennis racket and play like …
Grace Jones — Black History Month
Singer, actress, model. Grace Jones hails from Jamaica and has spent her adult life pushing boundaries and defining her own. After taking the world by storm in 1970 as an international model, she soon became known as a singer, performer, actress and fashion icon. Unique. Bold. Trendsetter. Unapologetic. Grace Jones is the embodiment of living out loud. …
Brown Girls Out Loud 