Join us in celebrating Black History Month! Learn about influential leaders of the last 2 decades. You'll learn about leaders from a variety of areas including government, science, athletics, and community/social movements.
Moogega Cooper is a Planetary Protection Engineer with the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, CA. Her job is to make sure the rovers sent to mars do not carry contaminants from earth.
Photo taken from her official website.
ER doctor in New York and founder of Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI). The organization is a "youth-serving organization with a mission to prevent and eliminate interpersonal violence from the lives of young people through advocacy, peer leadership, community mobilization, and social justice." (source: Kings Against Violence website)
Photo and info taken from The Root
Yashica Robinson is an OB/GYN and activist for women's reproductive rights.
Photo and info taken from The Root.
God-is Rivera is the global director of culture and community at Twitter.
Photo and info taken from by The Root.
Dr. Annette Grotheer is a doctor and founder of The Shop Docs. It aims to bring preventive health care to the barber's chair.
Image and info taken from The Root.
Dr. Foluso Faorede is a cardiologist that set-up his practice in Mississippi, where African-Americans do not receive the healthcare they need. His area has a high incidence of diabetes, leading to amputations. His practice has reduced the number of amputations by 88% by providing preventative care and education.
Images and info taken from The Root.
Kamala Harris is the first woman to serve as the Vice-President of the United States and is also the first person of color to hold this position. She is a former state senator for California.
Photo taken from U.S. Senator Kamala Harris' Official Page
President Barack Obama was the 44th President of the United States. He was the first African-American president and served 2 terms from 2008-2016.
Photo taken from The Office of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden is the first Black woman to serve in this position.
Photo taken from The Library of Congress "about" page.
First African-American Senator elected in Georgia.
Quote: "The other day, because this is America, the 82 year old hands that used to pick somebody else's cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator," Warnock said of his mother, Verlene.
Photo from Raphael for Senate page
Stacy Abrams is a politician, laywer, and voting rights activist. She is the first African-American woman to be endorsed for Governor. She did not win but continues to fight for voting rights and started a foundation to continue that work.
Image taken from Stacy Abrams for Governor site.
Colin Kaepernick is a former NFL player and activist. He knelt during the national anthem to show support for racial justice. His non-profit, Know Your Rights Camp, helps empower Brown and Black communities using education.
Photo info taken from The Root.
Lebron James is a NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is also a voting rights activist and started an initiative called More Than a Vote to help protect Black voting rights.
Photo and info taken from The Root.
Ashleigh Johnson is the first African-American woman to make the U.S. Women's Olympic Water Polo team and first to win a gold medal. She is considered one of the best water polo goalies in the world.
Photo and info taken from The Root.
Bubba Wallace is the only African-American NASCAR driver. He has criticized NASCAR for its continued use of the confederate flag and is working to remove it.
Photo and info from The Root.
Renee Montgomery is a WNBA player and activist. She took a year off (2020) to pursue social justice causes after George Floyd's death.
Image and info taken from The Root.
Raquel Willis is the director of communication for the Ms. Foundation for Women. She is an activist for the Black Trans community.
Photo and info taken from The Root.
Phillip Atiba Goff is the Co-founder and CEO of The Center for Policing Equity. They use data and science to promote justice and measure bias in policing.
Photo and info taken from The Root.
Patrisse Cullors is a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. She is also an author and activist. Her project, In Plain Sight, helps spread awareness and quashes misinformation about mass incarceration.
Photo and info taken from The Root.
Alicia Garza is a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement. She is also the head of Black Futures Lab, an organization that helps empower Black communities.
Photo and information taken from The Root.
Muffy Mendoza is the executive director of Brown Mamas, an organization that supports Black mothers.
Images and info taken from The Root.