Queen Latifah Makes History as First Woman Rapper to Earn Prestigious Kennedy Center Honors Award
She’s still paving the way for women in hip-hop! Celebrities gathered in the nation’s capital this weekend for the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors Award, NPR reports. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed the Honorees with a reception at The White House and a dinner hosted by the State Department before the main […]
Renowned Food Journalist Toni Tipton-Martin Releases New Book of Cocktails
Toni Tipton-Martin is chronicling how Black people contribute to American cocktail culture. Tipton-Martin’s new cocktail book, Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs and Juice: Cocktails From Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks, shares 200 years of African American drinking history. “This is really a work of investigative journalism. It’s not just a book of cocktails,” Tipton-Martin, a James […]
Jordyn Foster Makes History as the Youngest & First Woman Director of Football Operations at NC A&T
She’s the first ever in the university’s history! A Prince George’s County, Maryland native, Jordyn Foster, remembers being a fan of football since she was a young girl, Andscape reports. She often cheered on the Denver Broncos in her family’s living room and took slack in school for not being a fan of either the […]
HBCU Lane College Holds Historic Graduation Inside Tennessee Prison
Lane College is making history. The HBCU partnered with Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (THEI) to help educate men and women behind the wall. THEI is a non-profit organization working to disrupt systems of harm and create opportunities for autonomy and success. It achieves its goal by providing college access to people inside Tennessee prisons, preparing […]
Meet the Owner Behind This Michigan City’s First Black-Owned Record Store
She’s bringing a new community hub to Grand Rapids! Della Marie Levi can remember falling in love with music as a little girl, WOOD TV reports. Inspired by her late father, that passion stayed with her through adulthood, driving Levi to eventually become a DJ. “I’ve always loved music. My father was a record collector […]
Minnesota Installs First Black Chief Justice to the Supreme Court
Natalie Hudson just became the first person of color and the first Black woman to serve as chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. “In an age when people of color, especially (Black people), are often viewed with suspicion and seen as threats and are simply relegated to otherness, today sends a powerful message that […]
Virginia State University Makes History As First HBCU to Host a General Election Presidential Debate
Virginia State University will become the country’s first historically Black college or university to host a general election presidential debate come 2024. According to NBC News, Virginia State University in Petersburg will host the second debate of the 2024 general election cycle on Oct. 1. “We are honored and grateful to have been chosen as […]
Brett Peterson Makes History as First Black Manager of U.S. NHL National Team
He’s rising through the ranks! Peterson got his start as a player agent and former vice president of hockey for Wasserman Media Group. Prior to that, he was a defender at Boston College, where he led the Eagles to the 2001 NCAA Division I national title, beginning his work off the ice in 2009 with […]
Alabama A&M Makes History as First HBCU Band to Lead Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
They’re the first HBCU to kick off the parade! 256 students from Alabama A&M University’s Marching Maroon and White are set to travel more than 900 miles to kick off the 97th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, USA Today reports. Held annually in New York City, Alabama A&M is not the first HBCU band to […]
Howard University Alumna Named First Ever Beyoncé Reporter
This is a huge moment for the culture! Howard University graduate Caché McClay has just been named as the first-ever Beyoncé reporter for The Tennessean and USA Today Network. A Cleveland, Ohio, native, McClay has worked as a writer and digital producer at Hearst Television, NBC News, BBC News, and most recently at TMZ covering […]