Dr. Bernice Albertine King (born March 28, 1963) is a lawyer, minister, and the youngest child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She chose to work towards becoming a minister after having a breakdown from watching a documentary about her father. She was 17 when she was invited to speak at the UN. She preached her trial sermon 20 years after his assassination. She was elected president of the SCLC in 2009. Her elder brother Martin III and her father had held the position. She was the first woman elected to the presidency in the organization's history, amidst the SCLC holding two separate conventions. She became upset with the actions of the SCLC, amid feeling that the organization was ignoring her suggestions and declined the presidency in January 2010. She became CEO of the King Center only months afterward. Her primary focus is to ensure that her father's nonviolent philosophy and methodology are integrated into various sectors of society, including education, government, business, media, arts, entertainment, and sports. She believes that Nonviolence 365 is the answer to society's problems and promotes it being embraced as a way of life. She is the CEO of First Kingdom Management. She was born in Atlanta. She holds a JD from Emory University, an MDIV from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and a BA in Psychology from Spellman College. She received an honorary DDiv from Wesley College and Clinton She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia. She was honored by the Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys with the "Commitment to Community" award for her work as an attorney and community leader. She received an award for her "lifetime of service to women and other causes" at the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Convention. As part of the "Celebrating the Dream”, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the, I Have a Dream speech, she received the Legend Award as a tribute to his legacy after she delivered a speech. Ebony magazine named her one of their Ten of Tomorrow future leaders of the African American community. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqVoPXArnnp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Debra Janine Thomas (born March 25, 1967) is a former figure skater and physician. She is the 1986 World champion, the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist, and a two-time US national champion. Her rivalry with East Germany's Katarina Witt at the 1988 Calgary Olympics was known as the Battle of the Carmens. She was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, and grew up in San Jose, California. Her parents divorced when she was young. Her mother worked as a computer programming analyst in Sunnyvale, California. She expressed interest in becoming a doctor from an early age. She studied at Stanford University during her competitive career until her move to Boulder and resumed her studies. She graduated from Stanford with a BS in Engineering and from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She followed this with a surgical residency at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Hospital and an orthopedic surgery residency at the Martin Luther King Jr./Charles Drew University Medical Center. She went on to become a practicing orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement. She spent the next year preparing for Step I of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons' exam and working at King-Drew Medical Center as a junior-attending-physician specialist. She began a one-year fellowship at the Dorr Arthritis Institute at Centinela Hospital in Inglewood, California, for sub-specialty training in adult reconstructive surgery. She began working at Carle Clinic in Urbana, Illinois. During her medical career, she was skilled at doing procedures and well-liked by patients. She married Brian Vander Hogen (1988-). She married sports attorney Chris Bequette (1996-?) and they had a son. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqOGgl1LgCa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Starlet Marie Jones Lugo (born March 24, 1962) known as Star Jones, is a lawyer, journalist, television personality, fashion designer, author, and women's and diversity advocate. She is known as one of the first co-hosts of The View, which she appeared in for nine seasons. She was one of sixteen contestants in the fourth installment of The Celebrity Apprentice, coming in fifth place. Divorce Court, would enter its milestone 24th season on September 19, 2022, with her, a former Brooklyn prosecutor and district attorney, as the show's next arbitrator. The move will be her return to the court show genre, having served as an arbitrator on Jones & Jury. The broadcast made her the first African American person to preside over her court show and the first female to preside over arbitration-based reality court shows in particular. She was born in Badin, North Carolina and grew up in Trenton, with her mother, a human services administrator, and her stepfather, a municipal security chief. She earned a BA in Administration of Justice at American University, where she was initiated into the Lambda Zeta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She earned a JD from the University of Houston Law Center and was admitted to the New York state bar in 1987. She is the President of the National Association of Professional Women. She created the organization's philanthropic endeavor, NAPW Foundation, to benefit the American Heart Association, of which she is a National Volunteer; the Breast Cancer Research Foundation; Dress For Success and Girls, Inc. She conducts regular visits to NAPW Local Chapters and hosts the organization’s annual National Networking Conference. She is the president of the Professional Diversity Network. She is a member of its board of directors, becoming the youngest of a small circle of African-American women in the US leading a public company. In 2022 President Joe Biden named her to serve as the chair of the US Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. She married investment banker Al Reynolds (2004-2008). She married Attorney Ricardo Lugo (2018). #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqLM7oAMcJg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Vanessa Bell Calloway (born March 20, 1957, is an actress and dancer. Beginning her career as a dancer, she became known for her film roles as Princess Imani Izzi in Coming to America and Coming 2 America, as well as for her roles in What's Love Got to Do with It, The Inkwell, Crimson Tide, Biker Boyz, Harriett, and Daylight. She had several starring roles in television series and movies, including the first African American prime-time soap opera, Under One Roof, the first drama series that feature African-American lead characters, she was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. She played recurring roles in Hawthorne and Shameless. She appeared in the comedy-drama film Southside with You and began starring as Lady Ella Johnson on Saints & Sinners. She is a nine-time NAACP Image Award nominee. She was born in Cleveland. She received a BFA from Ohio University, where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She studied dance with Alvin Ailey, George Faison, and Otis Sallid. She began her career as a dancer in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls. It was during this period that she directed the music video "Angel Man”. She was in the ensemble of the short-lived musical Bring Back Birdie. She began her acting career in All My Children. She began appearing in episodes of prime-time shows such as The Colbys, Falcon Crest, 227, China Beach, A Different World, and L.A. Law. She made her film debut on Number One with a Bullet. She co-starred in Equal Justice. She voiced her main role in Bébé's Kids. She had several leading and supporting roles in made-for-television movies. She had leading roles in Rhythm & Blues and Orleans. She married anesthesiologist Dr. Anthony Calloway (1988-). The couple has two daughters. Ashley was one of the stars of Baldwin Hills. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CqAi5T5LCoq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Faye Beverly Bryant (March 15, 1937 - February 20, 2020) 21st International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Under her leadership, the theme of the AKA Sorority became P.O.W.E.R. During her tenure, she created the Alpha Kappa Alpha Connection, completed construction on the Sorority’s national headquarters, and initiated the African Village Development Program in collaboration with Africare. After graduating from Howard University with her BA, she earned her MA in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Houston. In Houston, she worked as a teacher in the Houston Independent School District. After teaching at Booker T. Washington High School and serving as a counselor at Bellaire High School, Bryant worked as the Director of Magnet Schools for the Houston Independent School District. She was hired as the Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources and the Deputy Superintendent for School Administration. She served as Interim Superintendent of the Houston ISD. She succeeded Barbara K. Phillips as the International President of the Sorority. She initiated a governmental relations team to represent the Sorority in various government affairs. She became the first African American to serve as Deputy Superintendent for School Administration in the Houston Independent School District. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpzyzfortf_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named her as one of the 25 funniest people in America. She is known for her roles on The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–10), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001–present), and Black-ish (2015–2022). She currently stars in The Upshaws and has appeared in The Other Two, as well as playing Allegra Durado, a new, powerful, and "messy"-brained partner in a legal firm on The Good Fight. She was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Her family moved to Maryland when she was in third grade. Her mother, Marion Louise, worked as a banker, and her father, Harry Ellsworth Sykes, was an Army colonel employed at the Pentagon. She attended Arundel High School and went on to graduate from Hampton University, where she earned a BS in marketing and became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. After college, her first job was as a contracting specialist at the National Security Agency, where she worked for five years. Aside from her television appearances, she has had a career in film, appearing in Pootey Tang, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Monster-in-Law, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Evan Almighty, and License to Wed, to name a few as well as voicing characters in animated films such as Over the Hedge, Barnyard, Brother Bear 2, Rio, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Ice Age: Collision Course and UglyDolls. She attended Arundel High School in Gambrills, MD, and went on to graduate from Hampton University, where she earned a BS in marketing and became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Her first job was as a contracting specialist at the National Security Agency, where she worked for five years. She was married to record producer Dave Hall (1991-1998). She married Alex Niedbalski. The couple became parents when Niedbalski gave birth to fraternal twins, a daughter, and a son. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpf7ytBvexx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Margaret Allison Bonds (March 3, 1913 – April 26, 1972) was a composer, pianist, arranger, and teacher. One of the first African American composers and performers to gain recognition in the US, she is best remembered today for her popular arrangements of African-American spirituals and frequent collaborations with Langston Hughes. She grew up in a home visited by many of the leading African American writers, artists, and musicians of the era; among houseguests were sopranos Abbie Mitchell, and Lillian Evanti, and composers Florence Price and Will Marion Cook, all of whom would become influential to her future musical studies and career. She showed an early aptitude for composition, writing her first work, Marquette Street Blues, at the age of five. Her first musical studies were with her mother, who taught Margaret piano lessons at home. She worked as an accompanist for dances and singers in various shows and supper clubs around Chicago; she copied music parts for other composers. During high school, she studied piano and composition with Florence Price and William Dawson. In 1929, she began her studies at Northwestern University, where she earned both her BM and M.M. in piano and composition. She was one of the few African American students at Northwestern University; the environment was hostile, racist, and nearly unbearable. Although she was permitted to study there, she was not permitted to reside on campus. She recalls, in an interview with James Hatch: “I was in this prejudiced university, this terribly judiced place…. I was looking in the basement of the Evanston Public Library where they had the poetry. I came in contact with this wonderful poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” and I’m sure it helped my feelings of security. Because in that poem he tells how great the African American man is. And if I had any misgivings, which I would have to have – here you are in a setup where the restaurants won’t serve you and you’re going to college, you’re sacrificing, trying to get through school – and I know that poem helped save me.” #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha #womenhistorymonth https://www.instagram.com/p/CpU_b4UrfpR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=