ALL THAT IS AND ENCOMPASSES BLACK BRILLIANCE.
THESE ARE THE PUBLIC NAMES THAT HAVE MADE BLACK & BLACKNESS SO BRILLIANT, ENCOURAGING AND INSPIRING OTHERS.
Maya Angelou - Ai Generation (Leonardo Ai)
This list was inspired by the Instagram account @AAResilience (Profiles of Resilience).
SHARON THOMPSON - DR. CARTER G. WOODSON - EARL G. GRAVES SR. - HENRY O. FLIPPER - BUFFALO SOLDIERS - CATHY WILLIAMS - OLAUDAH EQUIANO - PERCY JULLIAN - SERENA WILLIAMS - IBN BATTUTA - ROBERT SMALLS - JESSE OWENS - ZORA NEALE HURSTON - DORIE MILLER - MARY BOWSER - ANITA BAKER - TUSKEEGEE AIRMEN - LANGSTON HUGHES - YAA ASANTEWAA - DUKE ELLINGTON - MAE JEMISON - AVERY BROOKS - MANSA MUSA - NINA SIMONE - DOROTHY DANDRIDGE - JOE LOUIS - GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER - CINQUE - HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS - THURGOOD MARSHALL - JIMI HENDRIX - ERYKAH BADU - MAYA ANGELOU - BENJAMIN BANNEKER - WILLIAM JACKSON - JOHN LEWIS - FATS WALLER - CRISPUS ATTUCKS - CHUCK BERRY - PHILLIS WHEATLEY - CAB CALLOWAY - GABRIEL PROSSER - MILES DAVIS - HATTIE MCDANIEL - DESMOND TUTU - TAHARQA - ALEXANDRE DUMAS - BESSIE COLEMAN - VERNICE ARMOUR - AUGUSTA SAVAGE - BILLIE HOLIDAY - SIDNEY POITIER - COLIN POWELL - U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK H. OBAMA - U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA - LENA HORNE - NELSON MANDELA - CHARLES ALSTON - PETER SALEM - QUEEN AMINATU - PRINCE - GEORGE FOREMAN - CORETTA SCOTT KING - MENELIK I - MARIAN ANDERSON - SAVION GLOVER - MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. - AMIRI BARAKA - ALVIN AILEY - JEAN MICHEL BASQUIAT - COUNTEE CULLEN - HANNIBAL BARCA - QUINCY JONES - THELONIOUS MONK - ABU BAKR II - NAT TURNER - ELLA FITZGERALD - SNOOP DOGG - PAUL ROBESON - JOHN COLTRANE - AARON DOUGLAS - JULIAN BOND - PEARL BAILEY - MICHAEL JACKSON - PAPS SINGLETON - JOHN SINGLETON - TEWODROS II - ASA PHILIP RANDOLPH - SUNDIATA KEITA - W.E.B. DU BOIS - HARRIET JACOBS - DAVID WALKER - HENRY OSSAWA TANNER - EMMIT TILL - HIRAM RHODES REVELS - MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE - ALICE WALKER - LEO AFRICANUS - NEFERTITI - NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA ANN JAMES - NAT LOVE - MAULANA KARENGA - CORNEL WEST - ARTHUR ASHE - ZARA YAQOB - LOUIS ARMSTRONG - MOLEFI ASANTE - BUSTA RHYMES - ELIZABETH CATLETT - AUGUST WILSON - FRANCIS HARPER - IDA B. WELLS - WHITNEY YOUNG - MOS DEF - SHIRLEY CHISOLM - RALPH ELLISON - EDMONIA LEWIS - OBA EWUARE - JEAN BAPTISTE DU SABLE - TALIB KWELI - JACK JOHNSON - GREGORY HINES - HAILE SELASSIE - JAMES VAN DER ZEE - LIONEL HAMPTON - PRINCE HALL - ALTHEA GIBSON - HURBERT JULIAN - RUBY DEE - JAMES BROWN - BARBARA JORDAN - GWENDOLYN BROOKS - MUHAMMAD ALI - A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - ASKIA MUHAMMAD - BILL PICKETT - CHADWICK BOSEMAN - ROMARE BEARDEN - SONEQUA MARTIN-GREEN - ARTURO SCHOMBURG - SPIKE LEE - MARVIN GAYE - PHARRELL WILLIAMS - MATTHEW HENSON - CARL LEWIS - CLEOPATRA VII - MARTIN DELANY - HENRY LOUIS GATES - CHARLES DREW - JEAN TOOMER - OSCAR MICHEAUX - MARTIN LAWRENCE - TONI MORRISON - LORRAINE HANSBERRY - COMMON - NIKKI GIOVANNI - KWAME NKRUMAH - HENRY HIGHLAND GARNET - JAMEL SHABAZZ - QUEEN NZINGA - KATHERINE JOHNSON - NEIL DEGRASS TYSON - LEVAR BURTON - BLACK PANTHERS - GRANVILLE T. WOODS - HALE WOODRUFF - ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR. - WYNTON MARSALIS - BRADFORD MARSALIS - TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE - EDDIE MURPHY - HATSHEPSUT - KATHERINE DUNHAM - PAUL MOONEY - BENJAMIN E. MAYS - ROY WILKINS - MARY CHURCH TERRELL - JA RODGERS - SIMONE BILES - JAMES MCCUNE-SMITH - KWAME TURE - HENRY MCNEAL TURNER - DAVE CHAPPELLE - MIRIAM MAKEBA - OW GURLEY - SAMUEL L. JACKSON - MICHAEL JORDAN - SPENCER WILLIAMS - DOROTHY WEST - RICHARD WRIGHT - ANGELA BASSET - ERIKA ALEXANDER - OSEI TUTU - ANGELA DAVIS - JAMES WELDON JOHNSON - WILLIAM MONROE TROTTER - BLANCHE BRUCE - GUION BLUFORD - KENNETH CHENAULT - LEBRON JAMES - WALTER WHITE - SHAKA ZULU - KENDRICK LAMAR - PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR - HARRIET TUBMAN - RONALD MCNAIR - HERBIE HANCOCK - BAYARD RUSTIN - HUBERT HARRISON - CLAUDE MCKAY - RAY CHARLES - FANNIE LOU HAMER - U.S. VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS - NELLA LARSEN - JAMES BALDWIN - AMENHOTEP III - CHINUA ACHEBE - JESSE JACKSON - SATCHEL PAIGE - CHARLES MINGUS - ANNA JULIA COOPER - MARCUS GARVEY - DENMARK VESEY - JACKIE ROBINSON - MIKE TYSON - DAVID FAGEN - CHARLES HAMILTON HOUSTON - RAMSES THE GREAT - P.B.S. PINCHBACK - GARRETT MORGAN - HANK AARON - BOOKER T. WASHINGTON - LENNY KRAVITZ - FREDERICK DOUGLASS - AHMAD BABA AL-TIMBUKT - U.S. REPRESENTATIVE MAXINE WATERS - RICHARD ALLEN - ASSATA SHAKUR - ARTHUR LEE - WILLIAM “BILL” HENRY COSBY JR. - BUTTERFLY MCQUEEN - MOS DEF - ANDREW YOUNG - SELMA BURKE
A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - AKHENATEN - SOJOURNER TRUTH - ARCHIBALD MOTLEY - BENJAMIN O. DAVIS SR. - KEHINDE WILEY - CETSHWAYO KAMPANDE - AMINATTA FORNA - AUDRE LORDE - DEBBIE ALLEN - AMOS WILSON - ALMA THOMAS - BELL HOOKS - AVA DUVERNAY - BARABARA CHASE-RIBOUD - ARNA BONTEMPS - JIM BROWN - GORDON PARKS - PEARL BAILEY - KIAH DUGGINS - BEHANZIN HOSSU BOWELLE - MEDGER EVERS - MALCOM X - LEWIS LATIMER - NARMER MENES - ALICIA KEYS - IMHOTEP - ELLA BAKER - KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR - DOROTHY HEIGHT - RALPH BUNCHE - RICHARD PRYOR - THUTMOSE - FRANTZ FANNON - DIANA ROSS - NORMAN LEWIS - DANIEL HALE WILLIAMS - MARIAN ANDERSON - PHYLICIA RASHAAD - ALEXANDRE DUMAS - OUTKAST - GWENDOLYN BROOKS - AARON DOUGLAS - DENZEL WASHINGTON - HALLE BERRY - RUBY DEE - JAMES VAN DER ZEE - JEAN BAPTISTE DU SABLE - PAUL CUFFEE - OSSIE DAVIS - JAY-Z - MARY ELIZA MAHONEY - NICHELLE NICHOLS - WILLIAM STILL - DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. - INDIA.ARIE SIMPSON - ABDOULAYE SADJI - ROBERT DUNCANSON - SUNNI ALI - ARCHIE SHEPP - ABSALOM JONES - IDA B. WELLS - BARKLEY L. HENDRICKS - JA RODGERS - VIRGIL ABLOH - ABU BAKR II - LOIS MAILOU JONES - AMIRI BARAKA - NAT LOVE - ADDISON SCURLOCK - KOBE BRYANT - JILL SCOTT - BILLIE HOLIDAY - ALICE WALKER - BARKLEY L. HENDRICKS - MARY CHURCH TERRELL - CHARLES WHITE - CHADWICK BOSEMAN - JUBILEE DAY - MUHAMMAD ALI - MATTHEW HENSON - CHESTER HIMJES - ALBERT AYLER - BETYE SAAR - DUTTY BOUKMAN - NAT TURNER - ALTHEA GIBSON - JAMES ARMISTEAD LAFAYETTE - PETER SALEM - SERENA WILLIAMS - TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE - BEN OKRI - CRISPUS ATTUCKS - STEVIE WONDER - COCO GAUFF - JEAN-JACQUES DESSALINES - BUCHI EMECHETA - JOHN FOX - FATS JENKINS - EULACE PEACOCK - SOL BUTLER - DEHART HUBBARD - HENRY O FLIPPER - SAM LANGFORD - MARSHALL “MAJOR” TAYLOR - JOHN SINGLETON - JACK JOHNSON - FRED V. CHERRY - DIANE LINDSAY - WILLIAM “BILLY” LEE - TUSKEGEE AIRMEN - WILLIAM A. CAMPBELL - OSCAR MICHAEUX - BENJAMIN O. DAVIS JR. - JOHN LAWSON - BILL GOINES - SAMORY TOURE - MENELIK II - BLACK PANTHERS - YOSEF BEN-JOCHANNAH - JAMES MONROE TROTTER - CHARLES REMOND DOUGLAS - DORIE MILLER - WILLIAM H. CARNEY - ZORA NEALE HURSTON - HENRY LOUIS GATES JR. - MARCIA ANDERSON - CHARLOTTE HAWKINS BROWN - NEEDHAM ROBERTS - CLARENCE SASSER - LT. COLONEL CHARLES YOUNG - ABDELKA DER ELL DJEZAIRI - LESTER WALTON - SEPTIMA POINSETTE CLARK - T.G. STEWARD - MICHELE S. JONES - WILLIAM THOMPSON - FANNY JACKSON COPPIN - EMMETT J. SCOTT - VERNON BAKER - ELIZABETH EVELYN WRIGHT - MOLEFI KETE ASANTE - BENJAMIN E. MAYS - JAMES H. HARRIS - SAMUEL GRAVELY JR. - DENNIS BELL - WHITNEY HOUSTON - BERNIE MAC - MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER - QUEEN LATIFA - JOY ANGELA DEGRUY - CHANCELLOR WILLIAMS
As a part of our BLACK BRILLIANCE project, we’re striving to develop artworks, content and media to further showcase and celebrate those individuals that have helped to make African Americans, Africans, Hispanics, Black and Brown People and Communities of Color, Ethnicity and Culture powerful and significant. The above list will be used as our guide for what we plan to develop.
As contributing to our NūHUMAN PROJECT, we believe that the effort of Art to encourage and influence growth and innovation, we believe that a healthy review and reflection upon the past is important. As we compel each other to move towards newer forms of identity thru growth and innovation, they must come from while resonating within an appreciation and celebration of those who came before and paved a way.
CONNECTED: ALL THAT IS AND ENCOMPASSES BLACK BRILLIANCE.
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