1. Telling our stories. The stage-to-screen adaptation of “The Color Purple” became an instant hit in theaters, earning over $32 million at the domestic box office in less than a week.

2. She can do it all. Megan Thee Stallion officially added fitness guru to her impressive résumé after announcing a collaboration with Nike. We’re definitely feeling inspired to meet our wellness goals this year!

3. Making history. Delegate Don Scott is now the first Black Speaker in Virginia’s 405-year legislative history. Scott beat the odds by overcoming a federal prison sentence to return to practicing law — and it paid off BIG!

4. From Hillman to the Emmy Awards! Congratulations to Jasmine Guy for winning her first Emmy for her role as Barbara in “The Chronicles of Jessica Wu.”

5. Get ready to buy! Sales for the 2024 Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coins opened on Jan. 4  and are now available from The United States Mint. Learn more about how you can celebrate the legacy of this Black hero here.

6. Way to go, Keke! Actress and media personality Keke Palmer is the first woman in 15 years to win an Emmy for Best Game Show Host for her role on “Password.” She joined NBC’s revamped show in 2022 and is already taking it to new heights.

7. Breaking barriers. Janice Pettyjohn made history as the first woman to be hired in a full-time football role at Howard University.

8. Saving lives. Racha Tahani Lawler-Queen, a fourth-generation midwife turned entrepreneur, founded Gather Grounded Midwifery as the first and only Black-owned birthing center in the state of Virginia. The center will provide support to expanding families. 

9. Country music is Black music. Country music has strong roots in Black culture, and now Beyoncé has become the first Black woman artist to reach the top of Apple Music US Country chart in history. Keep going, Bey!

10. Black excellence on ice! Howard University students have formed the first figure skating team at an HBCU.

11. Swish! Lebron James becomes the first NBA player in history to score 40,000 career points.

12. Representation matters. CBS has teamed up with the NAACP to develop “The Gates,” the first Black daytime soap opera in 35 Years.

13. Community ties. A Black couple — Gus Thompson, a former slave, and his wife, Emma — rented to a Chinese American family, the Dongs, in 1939 when nobody else would. Now, the Dongs are selling the home and donating $5M to Black students.

14. From the mecca to the big stage. Former Miss Howard University Cecily Davis landed the first-ever Black Princess Fiona role in “Shrek” The Musical. Davis credits the lessons of perseverance she learned at HU for helping her obtain this dream role. Congrats!

15. This is just the beginning. LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese announced that she’s taking her talents to the WNBA during an exclusive interview with Vogue. Reese has already won a national championship, gotten SEC Player of the Year, and been an All-American. We can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next!

16. Where tech meets social justice. Jillian Anderson and DeVynne Starks break ground as the first Black-women-owned rideshare company to secure a contract with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. HERide promises to prioritize women’s safety.

17. Turning struggle to triumph. Hanif Johnson, 27, becomes Pennsylvania’s youngest elected judge, motivated by his personal experiences with law enforcement. After being jailed three times in his youth, Johnson saw firsthand how the legal system disproportionately impacts Black people, and he hopes for his story to serve as a symbol of hope.

18. Shattering ceilings. Fisk University student Morgan Price becomes the first HBCU gymnast to win a national title. Congratulations, Morgan. Your dedication is sure to inspire Black youth for generations to come.

19. OK, 50! 50 Cent’s television empire adds another point to the scoreboard with the official launch of G-Unit Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana.

20. Vanessa Williams is still killing the pop game! Her latest single “Legs” shows beauty and talent know no age — and it’s sure to keep you dancing all summer long.

21. Diverse books matter. That’s why Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon are launching JVL Media, a book publishing company.⁠ Their mission is to provide a platform for marginalized groups to share their stories.

22. HU, you know! Howard University elects its first-ever transgender student body president in the institution’s 157-year history with the appointment of political science major Jay Jones. Congratulations, Jones!

23. Living legend. Simone Biles wins her 9th all-around national title at the US Gymnastics Championships.

24. Giving today for a better tomorrow. Melinda Gates has announced that she’s distributing $240 million to leaders to give to non-profits focused on women’s health and wellbeing. Black activists including Ava DuVernay will be supported through the fund.

25. Go, Meg! Go, Meg! Megan Thee Stallion is set to replace Tyler the Creator at this year’s Lollapalooza in Chicago, making one of few Black women to ever headline the festival.

26. Being the change. Atlanta native Nicky Crawford is supporting the city’s growing unhoused population through a school bus turned mobile laundry service.

27. Meet the new Miss Texas USA! Annette Addo-Yobo — born in Ghana — was crowned Miss Texas, making history as the first immigrant-born representative to hold the title.

28. Making room for Black voices in anime! Quintin Dorsey, a Black anime writer, has raised over $100,000 to launch an indie, investor-owned anime, “Knight of Abyss.” You can donate to support his cause here.

29. Harris 2024! Vote.org sees a 700% spike in new voter registrations since Joe Biden’s endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, with 38,500 new voters, most of whom are under age 35.

30. Bringing home the gold. Simone Biles makes history as the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast ever with eight medals.

31. Meet your new favorite author! Hephzibah Akinwale, 10, has broken the world record for the longest fiction novel written by a child. Her middle-grade adventure story, “Chronicles of the Time Keepers: Whisked Away,” consists of 58,000 words. We can’t wait to see it on bookshelves!

32. It’s still a different world! The hit show that inspired a generation of Black students to attend HBCUs is coming back. A sequel series to “A Different World” centered on Dwayne and Whitley’s daughter is in early development at Netflix.

33. Improving the athlete experience! The IOC announced that the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field history, Allyson Felix, was elected by her peers to the IOC Athletes’ Commission, where she will serve an eight-year term. “We should always strive to improve the athlete experience,” Felix said. “And ensure athlete perspective is elevated in conversations around the present and future of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.”

34. Meet the founders of Mawadda. Yasmin Samatar and Faraoli Adam felt the Muslim community was being overlooked by the current personal protective equipment on the market. That’s why they created a line of hygienic hijabs.

35. Building community with every sip. Only 1% of wineries are Black-owned. Enter Boyd Cru Wines: Maryland’s first Black American, family-owned winery. They’re crafting locally made wines and fostering community and connection.

36. Black at Sac State! The California Legislative Assembly recognized Sacramento State University as the first-ever Black Serving Institution. Black students celebrated the news by chanting on campus, “We dare to be great. We Black at Sac State.”

37. Meet our new chess master. Jessica Hyatt, 19, achieved the title of National Master in August when she participated in a tournament at Marshall Chess Club in NYC and earned the rating points needed to reach 2,200. Hyatt is the second Black woman chess master in U.S. history. Way to go!

38. Black stories matter. A new PK-12 Black Studies Curriculum for New York City Public Schools aims to expand PK-12 students’ knowledge of early African civilizations and contemporary Africa, African-American history, and the global contributions and achievements of peoples of the African diaspora, as well as to explore the enduring impact of racial inequality on society.

Black Studies Curriculum for New York City Public SchoolsDownload

39. Shoot and score! Brothers and elementary school basketball stars Henry, Ashton, and Hunter Jolly are breaking barriers as some of the youngest Black athletes to secure a major brand deal. Known as The Jolly Brothers, the siblings partnered with Ball By Myself to launch Jolly Strap, a 3-in-1 Bluetooth headband that allows athletes to listen to music without headphones during workouts.

40. Saving lives. Morehouse School of Medicine has launched a first-of-its-kind pain equity course designed to equip trainees with the knowledge and tools to understand and address racial health inequities in pain prevention, treatment, and management.

41. Way to go, Georgia! In the wake of attempts to stop votes from Georgians being counted on Election Day, Georgia voters broke records on the first day of early voting, with more than 300,000 ballots cast, according to officials.

42. Good work pays off. Star Trek star LeVar Burton was awarded the National Humanities Medal at the White House on October 22 for his work promoting literacy. As executive producer of “The Right to Read” documentary and famed host of PBS’s “Reading Rainbow,” Burton has spent years shining a spotlight on the deepening literacy crisis facing the U.S.

43. Yes, you can! After being nominated three times, A Tribe Called Quest became the 12th hip-hop act inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October. Formed in Queens, NY, in 1985, the group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip-hop, merging jazz with hip-hop, and influencing many hip-hop and R&B musicians.

44. Light, camera, action! Actor Idris Elba plans to move to Africa to bolster the sub-Saharan film industry and create movies not framed by colonialism but “own those stories of our tradition, of our culture, of our languages.”

45. Grab your cowboy boots — it’s time to dance. Music artist Shaboozey’s country-pop hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has become the longest-running chart-topper of the decade so far, having now spent 18 nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

46. Black excellence knows no age. During a sit-down on The Tonight Show, actress and business mogul Whoopi Goldberg, 69, announced the launch of AWSN — a global sports television network dedicated exclusively to women’s sports.  

47. Legacy! Billboard has named Beyoncé the #1 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st century. The ranking is based on commercial performance, music videos, live performances, social media presence, and factors like cultural importance and industry influence.

48. There’s nothing she can’t do! Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson just made history again — this time with a one-night walk-on role in & Juliet Broadway on Dec. 16. Jackson’s joy was infectious, reminding us all to uncover the moments that make us beam.

49. Have you heard? America’s oldest Black rodeo is back! Began in 1903, the annual Rodeo “celebrates the historical significance of Boley, an all-Black town representative of many towns established by African Americans who migrated from the South to northern and western communities after slavery,” according to the event website. Get your tickets for the 2025 celebration here.