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Part 8 of our Black History Month illustrations ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

I’ve never been interested in being invisible and erased. - Laverne Cox

Born: May 29, 1984 (age 32 years) Mobile, AL

Laverne Cox is an American actress‚ reality television star‚ television producer‚ and LGBT advocate. 

She is best known for her portrayal of Sophia Burset on the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black‚ for which she became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the acting category‚ and the first to be nominated for an Emmy Award since composer/musician Angela Morley in 1990. 

In April 2014, Cox was honored by GLAAD with its Stephen F. Kolzak Award for her work as an advocate for the transgender community. On June 9‚ 2014‚ Cox became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.

Follow Laverne Cox’s work on her official site.

Part 7 of our Black History Month illustrations ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

This moment is so much bigger than me. This is for every nameless‚ faceless woman of color who now has a chance tonight because this door has been opened. - Halle ‘Maria’ Berry

Born: August 14, 1966 (age 50 years), Cleveland, OH

Halle ‘Maria’ Berry is an American actress‚ film producer‚ and former fashion model. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in the romantic drama Monster’s Ball (2001)‚ which made her the only woman of color to win a Best Actress Academy Award to date‚ as of 2016. 

In accepting her award‚ she gave an acceptance speech honoring previous black actresses who had never had the opportunity.

Berry was one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood during the 2000′s and has been involved in the production of several of the films.

Keep up with Halle Berry on her official FB page.

Part 4 of our Black History Month illustrations ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. 

- Martin Luther King Jr. 

Born: January 15, 1929, Atlanta, GA Assassinated: April 4, 1968, Memphis, TN

Martin Luther King‚ Jr. was an American Baptist minister‚ activist‚ humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. 

He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957‚ serving as its first president. King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington‚ where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. There‚ he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. 

He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.

Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. on the official MLK Jr. site.