- Scientific Achievement: Mary Jackson becomes NASA’s first black female engineer
- In a time with strong racial and gender barriers in all careers, especially careers in STEM fields, Mary Jackson defied such odds by becoming NASA’s first black female engineer. She worked at NASA in one of the United States’ most defining historical eras, the Cold War, but more specifically, during the Space Race. Her work heavily contributed to general aeronautics research, but particularly aircraft safety. Jackson continued to advocate for equal racial and gender representation within NASA until her death in 2005 at the age of 94.
- Educational Achievement: The Little Rock Nine successfully desegregate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas
- In 1957, a group of nine students in Little Rock, Arkansas successfully integrated Little Rock Central High School. Despite the harsh verbal and physical threats the group faced, the act was seen as a test of the extent of federal desegregation policies. The integration process ended in federal intervention for the group to be able to attend Little Rock Central. The act was ultimately seen as courageous, and it later became one of the flagship demonstrations of the modern American Civil Rights Movement.
- Political Achievement: Shirley Chisholm is the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress
- Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to hold a seat in the United States Congress. She was elected in 1968 to represent New York’s 12th Congressional District which mainly serves the Brooklyn area. She ran on the slogan “Unbought and Unbossed”, which highlighted her commitment to serving the people of her district and to refusing money from corporate donors. She was a big advocate for racial and gender equality during her time in Congress.
- Athletic Achievement: Jesse Owens makes history at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin by winning four gold medals
- Jesse Owens competed in one Olympic Games his whole career, but at those 1936 games in Berlin, Germany, he made history. Owens won four gold medals, which directly challenged the extremist ideology of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party that was ruling Germany at the time. Owens’s gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and long jump were not just a symbol of his athleticism, but as a method of standing up against Hitler and the Nazi party on an international stage.
- Artistic Achievement: Paul Tazewell wins Best Costume Design for Wicked at the 97th Academy Awards
- At the 97th annual Academy Awards in 2025, Wicked’s head costume designer Paul Tazewell made history as the first black man to win Best Costume Design in the Academy’s history. One of Wicked’s main talking points is its beautiful costumes, which are Tazewell’s speciality. Tazewell’s designs are not only fun to look at, but they deepen the stories of Wicked and Wicked: For Good as well. By winning this award, Tazewell successfully deepens and expands diverse recognition across behind-the-scenes film work.
