The Alexandria Library celebrates Black History Month this year by highlighting the lives and careers of six outstanding individuals in the African American community.
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Colman Domingo is an actor, playwright and director who has earned several awards for work on stage and screen, including a Primetime Emmy and two Tony Awards. Among his roles on Broadway were the play "Well," the musical "Passing Strange," and a 2014 production of "West End." He also appeared in multiple versions of the "Law & Order" TV series and was in the main cast for "The Big Gay Sketch Show," with his breakout role that of Victor Strand in the series "Fear the Walking Dead." Photo Credit: By LucaFazPhoto - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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Jasmine Crockett is a politician known for her direct and confrontational style as she fights for civil and voting rights as well as criminal justice reform. She is a Democrat who has been serving as the U.S. representative for the 30th congressional district in Texas since 2023, having served in the Texas house before that. She previously served as a public defender in Texas and formed a law firm to handle car accident lawsuits and pro bono cases for civil rights activists. Photo credit: U.S. House of Representatives |
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Mellody Hobson is the president and co-CEO of Ariel Investments. She previously served as the chair of Starbucks, which made her the first black woman to chair an S&P 500 Company. She has appeared on numerous TV financial segments, and hosted a show called "Unbroke: What You Need to Know about Money." She and her husband, George Lucas, led the financing for a residential college at Princeton University through their Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. Photo credit: Jamel Toppin for Forbes |
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Glory Edim is Nigerian-American writer and founder of the reading network, "Well-Read Black Girl". Edim started the network on Instagram in 2015, her posts highlighting photos of African-American woman writers accompanied by quotes. This network led to a Brooklyn-based book club and an annual literary festival, both of the same name. Edim has published books aimed at inspiring black women to become writers, and has won awards for her work. Photo credit: Jay L. Clendenin, LA Times |
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Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. He is also a singer, songwriter, poet and record producer who won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018, a first for any musician outside of Jazz and Classical. Growing up amid hardship and violence, Lamar persevered and built his remarkable career, including multiple successful albums and the launch of PGLang, an artist friendly service company. His prominent feud with Drake has only served to make him more popular and he continues to top the charts and draw massive crowds of listeners, in-person and online. Photo credit: Raph_PH |
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Sabrina Greenlee, mother of Deandre Hopkins of the Tennessee Titans, was blinded when attacked with acid more than 20 years ago. Despite this, Greenlee raised her four children and became a supportive presence for Deandre's football career. In 2024, Greenlee wrote the book "Grant Me Vison: A Journey of Family, Faith, and Forgiveness" to inspire others to overcome adversity. Her non-profit, S.M.O.O.O.T.H (Speaking Mentally, Outwardly Opening Opportunities Toward Healing) supports victims of domestic violence and their children. Photo credit: Angela Nixon, Clemson News |
For more information and research of African American studies please see our subject guide and research guide.
Last updated: January 2025
