The People Who Paved the Way

Trailblazers

Pioneers, barrier-breakers, and history-makers who changed what's possible.

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Madam C.J. Walker

Born to parents who had been enslaved, Sarah Breedlove became Madam C.J. Walker and built a beauty empire that made her the first self-made female millionaire in American history.

Marcus Samuelsson is the most celebrated Black chef in America — a James Beard Award winner, restaurateur, and culinary storyteller who has made Harlem the center of a global food narrative. His flagship restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem, is both a dining destination and a community institution, blending African American, African, Caribbean, and Swedish cuisines in […]

Mellody Hobson

Business & Entrepreneurship

Mellody Hobson is co-CEO of Ariel Investments — one of the largest Black-owned investment firms in America — and one of the most powerful women in corporate America. She serves as chair of the board of Starbucks, making her one of the few Black women to chair the board of a Fortune 500 company. Her […]

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Trailblazers

Madam C.J. Walker

Marcus Samuelsson

Mellody Hobson

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