As we close out the month of February and the celebration of Black History Month, I want to celebrate the list of my favorite blacks. This list includes individuals from a variety of fields from politics, education, sports, and movies. These are the people who spearheaded the movement of black excellence and those that have continued to carry the torch into the future. The individuals listed here are ones I can say have inspired and motivated me. I selected the number 44 to pay respect to “My Man Barack.” The list will be displayed throughout four blogs. This first list highlights 44-35:
#44- Richard Allen– Founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). This was the first independent black denomination in the country.
#43- Katherine Johnson– She broke barriers in two fields for black women: The first in math with her brilliant mind and the second in NASA with her willingness to not shatter the glass ceiling.
#42- Henrietta Lacks– I thank Oprah who will get her praise later in this list for introducing me to Henrietta Lacks. Her cells HeLa are still saving lives today.
#41- Malcolm X– With a simple phrase “By Any Means Necessary,” he made it ok to stand up for oppression and injustice.
#40- Jackie Robinson– Because of him, we have Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Bob Gibson, and Willie Mays.
#39- Madam CJ Walker– She helped make black women feel confident and beautiful about their hair. She paved the way for Oprah.
#38- Booker T Washington– He was one of the most famous influential black male educators.
#37- Serena Williams– She is THE GOAT when it comes to women tennis and women in sports black or white
#36- Langston Hughes– He taught me that a Dream is never Deferred.
#35- Ida B Wells– She led in journalism and newspaper and she was one of the founding members of the NAACP
Be on the lookout for the list of 34-23.