Happy Black History Month! This month has been a wonderful time to celebrate and remember the contributions of different Black leaders in society as well as honor African American culture. It’s a time for us as a society to be educated on events and work together to build stronger connections to history. As the month comes to a close, I thought it would be a good time to remember just a couple of Black leaders who left a mark on entertainment, sports and American culture.
- Chadwick Boseman
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Boseman starred as Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall,” Jackie Robinson in “42” and T’Challa in “Black Panther.” It is evident through these films that he portrayed many Black icons and was a true example of Black Excellence. Many people know him from his role in “Black Panther,” where he became an inspiration for many young people — that they too could become superheroes. Boseman gave a powerful speech at Howard University’s Commencement in 2018 and even devoted time to working with kids who had terminal illnesses. A real-life Black superhero.
- Cicely Tyson
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Cicely truly is an icon to all Black women and has paved a way for Black women in film. Starring in popular films like “The Help,” “How to Get Away with Murder” and “Diary of a Mad Black Women,” Tyson used her roles to showcase the beauty and resilience of Black women. Nominated for multiple Emmy awards, Tyson made herself known in film at a time when Black people were not portrayed much on screens. I actually learned of this recently, but she was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama in 2016.
- Kobe Bryant
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One of my all-time favorite NBA players, Bryant was part of the reason I never finished my homework as a child. Back then, I was an avid fan of basketball, the NBA and even had aspirations of going pro, so it was essential to watch every game. Kobe was a symbol of greatness on and off the court. Outside of basketball, he supported the homeless through his family foundation and also became a mentor for youth to achieve academic and athletic success. You may know of him through his “Mamba Mentality,” which is a term for working hard and having a good mindset. Fun fact: In his last game before retiring, he became the oldest player to ever score 60 points in a game.
I hope you learned a little bit about some of these legends in the Black community. While Black History Month is an important time to remember and reflect on greatness, let us not forget that we can do this every day. You cannot learn all of Black history in just one month, but over time you can immerse yourself in the culture and get educated on important events. I will end with a quote from Kobe: “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do.” Take those words and let that be you.