As we kick off Black History Month, TV One is celebrating by honoring the past and inspiring the future! This year’s theme REPRESENT 24/7 is all about acknowledging the legacy of Black Excellence.
The celebration journeys through the evolution of Black music and grants access to the stories behind the artists on Unsung Presents: The Decades 70s/80s, and showcases classic Black cinema every Sunday. Sit back and relax as we enjoy the legendary films: Claudine, Carmen Jones, Paris Blues, Lady Sings The Blues, Devil In A Blue Dress and A Soldier’s Story.
And it doesn’t stop there! Through the lens: “How it Started vs. How it’s Going,” we shine a light on the following trailblazers during the month of February:
Dominique Dawes
How it Started
At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, GA, Dominique Dawes became the first Black female gymnast to win Olympic Gold. Her record includes a total of three medals at Olympic Games during her career. Dawes served as the co-chair of President Barack Obama’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, where she also worked closely with First Lady Michelle Obama to help promote the Let’s Move! initiative. Today, she is an entrepreneur, a brand ambassador and highly requested motivational speaker. She continues to inspire today’s generation of gymnasts at her “Dominique Dawes Gymnastics & Ninja Academy” in Clarksburg, MD.
Simone Biles
How it’s Going
Maya Angelou
Amanda Gorman
Sidney Poitier
How it Started
The late Sidney Poitier, a legendary and trailblazing Hollywood actor, broke the color barrier in the film industry by becoming the first Black man to win an Academy Award (Oscar) for best actor. He nabbed the honor for his performance in Lilies of the Field [1963]. Some of his other notable roles were in: A Raisin in the Sun, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, To Sir, with Love and Paris Blues. He later earned two Academy Award nominations, ten Golden Globes nominations, two Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, six BAFTA nominations, eight Laurel nominations and one Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination. He died last month at the age of 94.
Mahershala Ali
How it’s Going
Mahershala Ali, born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, became the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar in 2016 for his performance in Moonlight. He followed up two years later with another Oscar win for Green Book. Ali completed New York University’s graduate acting program in 2000. He converted to Islam while attending NYU. After years of performing on theater stages and on screen, he later surfaced in major films and television series.
Althea Gibson
How it Started
Althea Gibson, a tennis player who dominated women’s competition in the late 1950s, was the first Black person to win a Grand Slam. Her record includes singles championship wins at the 1956 French Open, 1957-58 Wimbledon and 1957-58 U.S. Open. Gibson graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in 1953. She was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.
Serena Williams
How it’s Going
Serena Williams is recognized as the greatest tennis player of all time, winning more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other female or male player. Along with her sister Venus, Williams grew up in Los Angeles and learned the game of tennis from her father Richard. Many say their powerful serves, ground strokes and superb athleticism changed the sport. In January of 2020, Serena won the the ASB Classic in New Zealand. It was her first singles title since giving birth to her daughter Olympia three years prior.
US player Serena Williams reacts after winning a point against US player Alison Riske during their women’s singles quarter-final match on day eight of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 9, 2019. – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
Shirley Chisholm
How it Started
Kamala Harris
How it’s Going
Call her Madam Vice President! Kamala Harris’ election in 2020 made her the first female, first Black and first Asian-American Vice President in U.S. History. Prior to serving alongside President Joe Biden, Harris was also elected District Attorney of San Francisco, California Attorney General and United States Senator. As a Howard University graduate and longtime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Harris is an example for many Black girls and women that we can achieve great things despite the barriers we face.
Join us all month long, as we Honor the Past and Inspire the Future by looking at the icons who came before us to blaze trails, along with those who continue to make history in 2022.
Information from the Encyclopaedia Britannica was used in this story.
Who are some of your favorite Black history movers and shakers? Let us know down below.
