Denzel Washington Joins Sidney Poitier and Morgan Freeman as AFI Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington is continuing to leave a lasting imprint on the film industry. Recently, Washington was honored with the American Film Institute’s 47th Lifetime Achievement Award, making him just the third African-American in history to receive the honor. According to Deadline, Sidney Poitier received the award in 1992 and Morgan Freeman received one […]
Former School Janitor Begins New Job as Principal
With a mix of determination and support, former Denver Public Schools custodian, Michael Atkins, worked his way up from janitor to his new role as principal. Part of his success can be attributed to how he approached his first full time job cleaning schools. “I took pride in the bathrooms I cleaned. I took pride in the rooms that […]
Twin Sisters to Graduate as Co-Valedictorians with Matching 4.0 GPAs
This is what we call a double dose of Black girl magic and grit! Twin sisters Tia and Tyra Smith will graduate on Saturday as co-valedictorians from Chicago’s Lindblom Math and Science Academy with matching 4.0GPAs. They both managed to earn the perfect grade point available while taking 12 advanced placement classes. As for what’s […]
Kevin Warren Becomes the First Black Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference
Kevin Warren just made history by becoming the first Black commissioner of the Big Ten Conference. It is the oldest Division 1 collegiate conference in the NCAA. Historic moves have become somewhat of a trend for Warren as he leaves his current role as COO of the Minnesota Vikings’; a position that made him one […]
Barber’s Haircuts for Homeless Initiative Brings Participant to Tears
Barber B. JaWuan Jones is working to show everyone why Philadelphia is The City of Brotherly Love. Through his Haircuts4Homeless initiative he is doing his part one fade and shape up at a time. During a recent transformation, Jones’ commitment to giving back was reaffirmed by an unexpected reaction he received after cutting a man’s hair by […]
Remembering Dr. Patricia Bath, the First Black Woman Doctor to Receive a Medical Patent
Dr. Patricia Bath, a trailblazing ophthalmologist who achieved many firsts, including becoming the first African-American woman doctor to receive a medical patent, joined the ancestors when she passed away on May 30. She was 76. On May 17, 1988 Dr. Bath received a patent for her invention, the Laserphaco Probe, which was created to dissolve cataracts. […]
Meet the HBCU Grads Who Built a $5 Million Real Estate Portfolio for Vacation Rentals
By 2020, millennials are collectively expected to spend $1.4 trillion on traveling each year, according to data from the Vacation Rental Management Association. Contributing to this growth is the $170 billion global vacation rental industry, which consists of property owners renting out their space to short-term travelers throughout the year. Working to leave their own […]
Mississippi Valley State University Appoints First Woman Band Director
Mississippi Valley State University just made history with its recent appointment of Dr. Kerry Anne Simon to band director. Simon, who was appointed on May 14, will step into her new role on July 1, 2019, is not only the first female band director in the school’s history, but she’s also the first female band […]
Camille Brown Becomes First Black Woman Choreographer to be Nominated for a Tony in Over Two Decades
Choreographer Camille Brown just became the first Black woman to be nominated for a Tony in over two decades.The last Black woman to be nominated was Marlies Yearby for Rent in 1996. The nomination came as a refreshing surprise to the Jamaica, Queens native as she recounted her own experiences with discrimination in the dance […]
Inspired by Robert F. Smith, Barber Raised Enough Money to Pay Off Debt of Local High School Students
Season Bennett, a barbershop owner in Charlotte, North Carolina, has raised $4,500 to cover the debt of 14 local high school seniors who otherwise would have been denied a diploma. The entrepreneur, who owns Headlines Barbershop with her husband, said she was inspired to pay it forward in her community after billionaire Robert F. Smith […]