“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.

“Owners, Sean, a United States Gulf War Vet, and Cammal Walker are Natives of the Island of Jamaica. Since 2010, they have combined their native Jamaican food spices and recipes with the southern California Hispanic influence

“Born and raised in Los Angeles, the daughter of a teacher and an electrical engineer (her parents divorced when she was eight), King seems to have moved smoothly from teenage sitcom stardom into the flowering black cinema scene of the 1990s, making her movie debut in John Singleton’s seminal Boyz n the Hood…”

“Martin Robison Delany was a jack-of-all-trades. He was at times a physician, dentist, abolitionist, Underground Railroad agent, military officer, [B]lack nationalist, and coeditor (with Frederick Douglass) of the North Star newspaper. His mother…”

“Vocalist Madison McFerrin is a genre-bending singer/songwriter known for her understated yet emotionally open mix of a cappella, electronic pop, jazz, and soul. The daughter of acclaimed vocalist Bobby McFerrin, she issued two a cappella-based EPs before…

“A prolific author, [Julius] Lester had more than four dozen books for adults and children to his credit. He was also variously a literary and cultural critic, folklorist, photographer, civil rights worker and professional musician. As an essayist…