James Cone, a highly regarded professor, preached about Black liberation at the center of the gospel. His elevated teaching not only inspired followers but it also provided an alternate theology that shifted the power of the church.

Black women have been no stranger to organizing since America’s earliest inception. But it would be during the Reconstruction era that Black women were able to elevate their messaging and form their own group called the Women’s Club.

While more Black students sought formal education in a university setting, white organizations were not as open to embracing them into their space. Seeing a need, Black students formed their own fraternities and sororities aimed at creating community and celebrating key principles of success.

Brenda Travis of McComb, Mississippi, encountered the dangers of merely existing in Jim Crow’s America as a child after witnessing her brother’s unlawful arrest in the middle of the night. It would be that event that inspired a young Travis to enter the arena, ready and willing to fight for injustice.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination not only further ignited the civil rights movement, but it also inspired students in the collegiate setting to revolutionize the spaces that didn’t fully accept their existence.

While the Civil Rights Movement continued to spread across the US and the feminist movement evolved, one group felt neither movement really addressed their existence: Black women. As a result, the National Black Feminist Organization (NBFO) was formed.

In 1972, Vernon Jordan became the first Black person to sit on a corporate board in the United States. As a result of his presence, he opened the door for Johnson Products, the first Black-owned business, to be listed on the American stock exchange.

From the inception of the United States, Black soldiers have answered the call to serve on the front lines. And in 1944, the US government created the GI Bill, providing benefits and offerings like job training, loans for school and access to mortgages for soldiers who serve their country.

In 1730, Job Ben Solomon — a Senegalese man and active slave trader — was captured during an excursion in the Gambian River region. Once stateside, he was imprisoned for attempting to escape from Maryland.

As Black families left the South, their migration allowed them to bring their religion and musical practices along with them. But it would be one man in particular, Thomas Dorsey, who would find himself in the middle of a Chicago community that was fertile with opportunities.