Jericho Brown grew up in Louisiana and worked as a speechwriter for the Mayor of New Orleans before earning his PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Houston. He also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans and graduated magna cum laude from Dillard University … Brown is the author of three collections of poetry:

Ella Jo Baker was born on December 13, 1903, in Norfolk, Virginia. Growing up in North Carolina, she developed a sense for social justice early on, due in part to her grandmother’s stories about life under slavery … Baker studied at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a student she challenged school policies that she thought were unfair.

“Anna Pauline “Pauli” Murray (1910-1985), great grand-daughter of enslaved persons, was a talented poet, thoughtful autobiographer and historian, perceptive social commentator, dedicated political organizer, compassionate attorney, inspiring professor, brilliant legal theorist and a ground-breaking Episcopal priest…

Dirt Don’t Hurt specializes in non-toxic and naturally based products for personal care and cleaning. This business was created by three sisters, Martiza, Sativa, and Kaya Murray, who are San Diego residents. In their own words, here’s how their business came to be…

“As a Black, gay artist, Wolfe has faced ... hurdles, even if he’s cleared them with astounding frequency. He established himself as a playwright (“The Colored Museum,” “Jelly’s Last Jam”), then earned great acclaim and his Tonys, as the director of Tony Kushner’s landmark play about the AIDS crisis…

“Warren Shadd is truly one of a kind. He’s an exceptional jazz drummer with a bona fide pedigree of musically gifted family members who deeply influenced him. His father, [James H. Shadd], was a piano technician for the famed Howard Theatre, and his aunt is the celebrated jazz pianist and vocalist Shirley Horn. Using his own flair, Shadd developed himself into a rarity: a musician who makes pianos…

“For more than forty years, Gil Scott-Heron generated an international following with his dynamic, revolutionary musical performances, unforgettable voice, and profound lyrics that address the human condition with passion, humor, and unvarnished truth. Born on April 1, 1949, Scott-Heron was raised by his grandmother, Lily Scott, in Jackson Tennessee, but moved to New York City at age twelve…

Octavia E. Butler was a renowned African American author who received a MacArthur “Genius” Grant and PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work. Born in Pasadena in 1947, she was raised by her mother and her grandmother. She was the author of several award-winning novels including Parable of the Sower (1993), which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and…

Corbett is an expert on the front lines of the global race for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and someone who will go down in history as one of the key players in developing the science that could end the pandemic. She is one of the National Institutes of Health's leading scientists behind the government's search for a vaccine.

“Very few religious leaders are able to inspire political action on the part of large numbers of people who don’t share their church, their denomination or their faith. Yet the Rev. Dr. William Barber, senior pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C., has done just that.