Our Story

It Started With 28 Photos

In February 2013, one mother's idea to dress children as their heroes became one of the most celebrated Black History campaigns of all time. This is how it happened.

Days before Black History Month 2013, Eunique Jones Gibson watched her son pretend to box in the kitchen. He looked like a little Muhammad Ali. An idea took hold: What if children could see themselves in the shoes of the people who paved the way?

Twenty-eight photos. One for every day of February. Kids dressed as Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Spike Lee — each paired with a quote from the trailblazer they embodied. The campaign went viral overnight, earning over 500,000 likes and national media coverage within weeks.

Thirteen years later, those 28 photos became 365 images capturing trailblazers and movements that shaped us, a book, Nickelodeon PSAs, a White House recognition, a curriculum used in classrooms across America, and the platform you're on right now — with 5,000+ stories celebrating Black excellence — and in a moment when that work has never been more necessary.

The Original 28

Every photo from the campaign that started a movement — February 2013

Child dressed as Muhammad Ali — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Rosa Parks — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Shirley Chisholm — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Frederick Douglass — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Malcolm X — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Harriet Tubman — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Martin Luther King Jr. — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Coretta Scott King — Because of Them We Can campaign
Children dressed as The Obamas — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Maya Angelou — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Oprah Winfrey — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Nelson Mandela — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Thurgood Marshall — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as W.E.B. Du Bois — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Charles Drew — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Misty Copeland — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Kerry Washington — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Whoopi Goldberg — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Janelle Monáe — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Spike Lee — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Common — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Bob Marley — Because of Them We Can campaign
Children dressed as Run-DMC — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Savion Glover — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child dressed as Tyler Perry — Because of Them We Can campaign
Children dressed as the Tuskegee Airmen — Because of Them We Can campaign
Child representing the Divine Nine — Because of Them We Can campaign
Children dressed as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — Because of Them We Can campaign

See the Campaign in Action

The campaign brought to life through film

The Why
The first campaign video explaining it all
The Sign to Continue
The one-year recap — 2014
The Evolution
Great Big Story on how BOTWC grew
The Journey

From 28 Photos to a Movement

Thirteen years of building, creating, and celebrating Black excellence

February 2013
28 Photos That Changed Everything
Launched the Because of Them We Can photography campaign — one photo for each day of Black History Month. Over 500,000 likes and national media coverage within weeks.
March 2013
All In
Resigned from a career in advertising to pursue the campaign full-time. What started as a passion project became a mission.
2013
Taking It Nationwide
Traveled the country photographing young people as trailblazers. Launched becauseofthemwecan.com with a passionate team of contributors.
2014
The Book & The Blueprint
Self-published the Because of Them We Can coffee table book — 365 images of children reimagined as trailblazers and movements that shaped us, past, present, and future, alongside facts and quotes. Partnered with American Family Insurance to expand nationally, becoming the blueprint for going from viral campaign to platform.
2014–2015
Reimagination Labs
Brought the campaign into 3rd grade classrooms, using the book and props to teach children about trailblazers — planting the seeds for the BOTWC curriculum.
February 2015
Nickelodeon Partnership
BOTWC PSAs featuring kids as Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali, and Malcolm X aired on Nickelodeon throughout Black History Month. Billboards went up in Newark, Queens, Brooklyn, and Harlem.
2015
White House Champion of Change
Recognized by the Obama administration as a White House Champion of Change for African American History Month — honoring STEM access and diversity.
2015
BET Partnership
Campaign video content expanded to BET, bringing the message of Black excellence to an even broader audience.
~2017
BOTWC Box
Launched a curated subscription box bringing Black history and culture directly into homes and classrooms.
2013–Present
Building Every Single Day
Through it all — the partnerships, the press, the products — the daily work never stopped. Creating and curating content to make Black history and the celebration of Black people commonplace. Not just in February. Every day.
2025–2026
The Next Chapter
As efforts to erase Black history and dehumanize Black people intensify, BOTWC is answering with 13 years of work and a reimagined platform — 5,000+ stories, a Trailblazer Directory, curated collections, and the infrastructure to preserve and celebrate what others are trying to undo.

13 Years of Impact

365+
Original Images
5,000+
Stories Published
1M+
Community Members
13
Years Running

Bring BOTWC to Your Classroom

52 weeks of Black history lessons designed to educate, inspire, and empower. Born from a decade of work that started with 28 photographs and a dream.

52 Weekly Lessons
A full year of structured, engaging Black history content — because representation shouldn't be limited to one month.
Creative Activities
Hands-on projects, discussion prompts, and creative exercises that bring history to life for young learners.
Home & Classroom
Designed for both educators and families — proven to bring joy and learning into any environment.

Ready to Teach Black History Year-Round?

Our 52-week curriculum gives educators and parents the tools to celebrate Black excellence every week of the year — not just in February.

Get the Curriculum Explore Trailblazers

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