• Saving lives. Southern University — an HBCU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — made history by graduating its largest-ever group of Black male nursing students. Research shows Black patients are more likely to have better health outcomes when treated by Black practitioners. The 33 graduates mark an important step toward progress in closing the racial divide in health care.
  • Laila Edwards keeps making history. The University of Wisconsin star is set to become the first Black woman to represent Team USA in hockey at the Olympics during the 2026 games in Milan, Italy.
  • “Sinners” keeps reaching new heights. Ryan Coogler’s bluesy vampire epic led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards, setting a record for the most in Oscar history. The nominations include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan.
  • Creating second chances. Kerwin Pittman knows firsthand how difficult it can be to thrive after spending time in prison. Now, he’s the first formerly incarcerated person in U.S. history to purchase a decommissioned prison, which he is transforming into the Recidivism Reduction Campus. The campus will serve individuals transitioning home from jail and prison by providing trauma-informed care, transitional residency, workforce development, job placement, and more.
  • Do you know about the “Grandmother of Juneteenth?” At 89, Dr. Opal Lee bravely walked hundreds of miles from Fort Worth, TX, to Washington, DC, to petition for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday. Now, she’s the newest Barbie Inspiring Women honoree. Lee’s look-alike doll will help introduce a new generation to the Black leader, preserving Black history in the process.
  • Preserving Black land. McIntosh County voters overturned a 2023 zoning decision that would have increased maximum home sizes in Hog Hammock from 1,400 to 3,000 square feet — a change residents feared would invite luxury development and raise property taxes beyond what longtime families could afford. Hog Hammock is one of the last remaining Gullah-Geechee communities in the South, where descendants have owned land for generations despite ongoing development pressure. The referendum victory represents a significant win for cultural preservation and preventing displacement, allowing the community to maintain control over its future.
  • Collaboration is key. Music icons Usher and Big Sean are using their collective power to support Detroit’s youth. Their $1 million innovation hub, located inside the new Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club of Greater Detroit, offers “a suite of immersive, industry-aligned spaces designed to prepare youth ages 14–24 for high-growth careers across the creative economy, technology, and mobility sectors,” according to a press release.
  • Reaching new depths. 11 days, 19 hours, and 23 minutes. Memphis scuba enthusiast Corhonda Dawson entered the Guinness Book of World Records for completing dives from the coasts of all seven of the world’s continents faster than any other human. Though she shattered the old record in 2025, Dawson’s story is going viral on social media this year, with many Black women and girls finding inspiration in her accomplishment. On Feb. 9, Dawson was formally honored by the Shelby County Commission.
  • Healing communities. Five surgeons — Drs. Valentine S. Alia, Lawrence B. Brown, Ivy Mannoh, Zachary Obinna Enumah, and Ifeoluwa “Ife” Shoyombo — have made history as the first all-Black team to lead the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Service at Johns Hopkins Hospital. “Equity has to remain at the forefront of how we deliver patient care,” Brown said in an interview with ABC News.
@abcworldnews For the first time, five #AfricanAmerican #surgeons now lead the Trauma Service at the preeminent Johns Hopkins Hospital. This #milestone, recognized during #BlackHistoryMonth, proves generations of determination behind every title. Linsey Davis reports. #WorldNewsTonight ♬ original sound – ABC World News Tonight
  • Black bookstores are here to stay. The National Association of Black Bookstores launched the National Black-Owned Bookstore Directory, a first-of-its-kind listing of 306 Black-owned bookstores across the U.S., including mobile stores, brick-and-mortar shops, and online sellers. The directory plans to keep growing, and readers can suggest additions or updates.