Figures in Black History

5. A hip-hop artist whose album To Pimp a Butterfly is widely studied for its political and social commentary
7. A former NFL quarterback who became a national symbol of protest after kneeling during the national anthem
9. A Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist whose works, such as Beloved, interrogate memory, trauma, and the legacy of enslavement
11. A pioneering astronaut and physician who became the first Black woman to travel to space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour
12. A filmmaker who directed 13th, a documentary analyzing the intersection of race and mass incarceration
14. An Olympic gymnast known not only for record-breaking medals but also for redefining athlete advocacy and mental health awareness
15. An NBA legend whose “Mamba Mentality” philosophy emphasized discipline, focus, and relentless self-improvement

1. A humanitarian lawyer and public health leader who founded Partners In Health and advocated for global health equity
2. A civil rights advocate and politician who famously declared she was “unbought and unbossed” during her historic presidential campaign
3. The first Black woman elected Vice President of the United States, whose career spans prosecution, Senate service, and executive leadership
4. The first African American president of the United States, elected in 2008
6. The youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, whose poem “The Hill We Climb” was delivered at a presidential inauguration
8. A U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor who was the first Black woman to hold both roles
10. This author of Between the World and Me explores systemic racism through epistolary reflection addressed to his son
13. A climate activist who began protesting outside the Swedish parliament and sparked a global youth movement