In 2000 she landed the lead role in a true hit show: “Girlfriends.” She played a successful attorney named Joan Clayton navigated through life with her three best friends (and William), looking for love, adventures and overcoming obstacles. She won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in 2007 and a second award for her role in 2009. The show came to an end in 2008 after being canceled.

The ninth of twelve children, Bayard was raised by his mother’s parents, Julia and Janifer Rustin, and grew up with the belief that his mother was his older sister. He grew up in a large home, as his grandparents were well off, and the likes of WEB Du Boid and James Weldon Johnson were constant guests in the home because of his grandmother’s active member participation in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Through this exposure, he began an early career in civil rights, campaigning against Jim Crow laws during his adolescence.

He’s been in some super well known movies that we all know and have enjoyed at some point in out lives, including “Glory,” “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Malcom X,” “The Preacher’s Wife” (aka my jam in the 90s), “He Got Game,” “Remember the Titans” (A CLASSIC), “Inside Man,” Man on Fire,” “American Gangster,” “Deja Vu,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Fences,” and, one of my favorites, “John Q” (DENZEL, ALWAYS CRYING KIMBERLY ELISE, AND THAT KID FLEXING AT THE END AND SAYING “THANKS DAD” BYE. GET ME SOME TISSUES, OKAY? I. AM. CRYING.) And that’s just to name a few.

The youngest of seven, her career began in musicals on Broadway, appearing in Eubie. As a result of working as a backup singer for Bette Midler, she was able to land her first screen role in the film Beaches. During this time, she also developed her autobiographical comedy and musical, The Diva is Dismissed” for nightclubs.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928, Marguerite Annie Johnson—that’s Maya Angelou to you—made her grand entrance into the world. This legend was a poet, singer, civil rights, activist and memoirist.

When I tell y’all that we don’t deserve Terry Crews, I MEAN WE DON’T DESERVE TERRY “FLEX THE PECS” CREWS. Did I just give him a nickname I made up myself? YES. I. DID.

Terry Crews is an artist, a former pro-athlete, and an actor. He’s an activist, speaking out against sexual assault and harassment, writing a memoir concerning toxic masculinity and using his social status and platform to have the conversations that matter.

Prince Rogers Nelson was born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father was a pianist and songwriter, his mother a jazz singer. Growing up, Prince suffered from seizures caused by epilepsy. 

The amazing, iconic and incomparable Grace Beverly Jones was born in Jamaica on May 19, 1948…or was it 1952? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW! (Grace, when asked, responded “I don’t keep track of my age.”) She first attended the Pentecostal All Saints School (She was raised Pentecostal) in Jamaica before being sent to the local public school. At the age of 13, she and her siblings moved to Syracuse, NY to be with her parents. Upon graduating from high school, Grace began classes at Onondaga Community College, where she majored in Spanish.

Born January 24, 1993, Sudanese-American model Nyakim Gatwech used to be made fun of for her dark skin. Growing up in a refugee camp up until the age of 14, Nyakim first fell in love with modeling and acting while watching ANTM (that’s “America’s Next Top Model” for all of you that don’t know) and perusing fashion magazines. She never felt different, nor was she ever made to feel as though her skin was something “dirty.” No, no. It wasn’t until she moved to America that she questioned her looks.

During the 20 years of her career as a model, Liris Crosse has been a proponent of plus size women in the modeling industry. She represents “curvy Black girl magic,” appearing in campaigns for Lane Bryant and Ashley Stewart, as well as film and TV projects, and international magazine spreads.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 10, 1982, Misty Danielle Copeland was the fourth of six children. She and her siblings endured both physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their mother’s fourth husband, while also having to hear him refer to them using racial slurs for their mixed ethnicities. But ya girl Misty overcame and absolutely thrived, becoming the first African American to be appointed as a principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). THAT’S A BIG DEAL, FAM!

Shaun Ross and Diandra Forest are two models that both hail from the Bronx. They are known for being the first male albino pro model and the first female albino model to be signed to a major modeling agency, respectively.

Rosalind Brewer was born in 1962 in Detroit, Michigan, where she attended Cass Technical High School. She continued her education at Spelman College and received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry before going on to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Stanford Law School, and The Wharton School as well. (I see you smarty pants!)

Edward Alexander Bouchet was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1852. He attended New Haven High School. He then graduated valedictorian from Hopkins Grammar school in 1870, where he studied math, history, Latin, and Greek.

Robyn Fenty aka Rihanna aka RiRi was born in Saint Michael, Barbados and raised in Bridgetown. Ya girl rose to fame with the release of her first studio album, “Music of the Sun,” which gave the world “Pon de Replay” (a single that my brother says he thought would be the end of RiRi’s career and would make her just another one hit wonder—but nevertheless, she persisted!) Then she made a follow up album titled, “A Girl Like Me” and c’mon, “SOS” and “Unfaithful”? BOPS!

Born August 14, 2004, 13-year-old Marsai Martin is already pretty much an icon. Best known for her role as cutthroat Diane on “Black-ish,” you could also know Marsai as the little girl that sang her heart out to Beyonce’s “Love on Top” but couldn’t quite hit those high notes. (It’s adorable, you should find it and watch it, if you haven’t already seen it.)

Queen Laverne Cox was born in Mobile, Alabama (thank Heavens she got out of there) and was raised by her single mom and grandmother within the AME Zion Church (ME TOO GIRL! The AMEZ part.) Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 5 years, you know Laverne rose to fame through her role as Sophia Burset on Orange is the New Black.