Why celebrating the best things to happen to Black people in 2025 matters
The best things to happen to Black people in 2025 span music, sports, education, business, fashion, activism, and community leadership. From historic achievements by Black women and HBCU students to cultural milestones in film, art, and innovation, these moments highlight progress, pride, and power worth celebrating.
- Cover girls. WNBA star Angel Reese and Olympic track and field phenom Gabby Thomas graced the cover of VOGUE for the magazine’s “When Sports Met Fashion” release. Decked in Versace and Tory Burch, Reese and Thomas shared how fashion has played a crucial role in their lives, with Reese proclaiming, “It’s always been both: Basketball and fashion.”
Bringing home the gold. Actress Zoe Saldaña won her first Golden Globe for Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture for her role in the hit film “Emilia Pérez.”
Looking for a new social media home? With Black folks fleeing from Elon Musk’s increasingly hostile X and threats of TikTok bans still looming, Detroit-based Rahmaude Stringfield created Rueblur — a platform free from the limitations of traditional algorithms — to help redefine what it means to connect in the digital age.
Black history is American history. New York City Public Schools will launch the Education Equity Action Plan (EEAP), a groundbreaking pre-K-12 Black studies curriculum, in the 2024-25 school year. As the first of its kind in the nation’s largest public school system, the EEAP aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of race for over 1 million students and provide resources for educators nationwide.
Building Black wealth. Greenwood — a Black-founded, Black-led mobile financial platform — is empowering the Black community with tools to build, sustain, and grow wealth for a brighter future. Inspired by the legacy of the early 1900s Greenwood District, the platform aims to address how the financial system continues to fall short of supporting Black folks.
The Super Bowl just got Blacker. New Orleans artist Tahj Williams used Black Masking Indian methods of beading to build the Super Bowl LIX logo by hand. The stunning creation marks the first time the NFL has collaborated with a local artist on the creation of a Super Bowl logo.
That’s how you do it. Fisk University junior Morgan Price became the first gymnast from an HBCU to score a perfect score — also known as a “perfect 10” — for her bar routine in a tri-meet at Temple University.
Get ready to shop. Winchel and Felicia Elibert are the first Black couple to open a shopping center in Fayetteville, Georgia. Just three months after Kingdom Corner’s grand opening, all of its commercial spaces are fully leased.
Who said Black folks can’t swim? The Howard University swim team — the nation’s only Division I HBCU swim program — won the Men’s Northeast Conference Championship for the second time in 3 years. The women’s team also secured a 2nd place finish.
Making a difference. Comedian, actor, and writer Cedric The Entertainer partnered with the nonprofit Brotherhood Crusade to provide new Fiat cars to victims of the Altadena, California wildfires.
Black women make history, together. Congratulations to actor and producer Issa Rae and music icon Tems on becoming the new San Diego Football Club owners. The move ushers in history as Tems becomes the first African-born woman to own a Major League Soccer team.
Record-breaker. Denzel Washington’s “Othello” set four house records at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City, grossing $2.6 million in its first week and topping the Broadway box office.
The sky’s the limit. Spelman College student Kamora Freeland makes history as the youngest Black woman pilot in the country and one of the youngest licensed aviators in U.S. history. She is licensed to fly a single-engine plane with up to 12 passengers.
Way to go, TSU. The Texas Southern University debate team won the 35th Annual International Forensics Association’s Speech and Debate Tournament in Incheon, South Korea. This marks the team’s 5th international championship.
Learning knows no age. At just 13 years old, Joshua Suddith was accepted into Morehouse College. This incredible achievement breaks Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s record for the youngest student enrolled, who attended the HBCU at age 15 in 1944.
Cover boy. Vogue’s May edition showed it recognizes A$AP Rocky’s status as a global fashion icon. Styled by famed African American image architect Law Roach, Rocky made history as the first Black male rapper to grace the fashion mag’s cover.
Going, going, gone. LeBron James became the first professional athlete to receive his own Ken doll, and his signature figurines quickly sold out in retailers nationwide following the April 14 release. Barbie explained the choice in an Instagram post, saying: “LeBron emerged from humble inner-city beginnings to become a basketball legend and activist, vowing to give back to the community that raised him.”
Innovators. The Atlanta legends of OutKast earned their rightful place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, cementing André 3000 and Big Boi’s pioneering, Southern hip-hop sound in music history. Their induction represents a crucial acknowledgment of Black cultural innovation beyond traditional rock boundaries, showcasing hip-hop’s profound impact on music.
Setting the stage. Known for her roles in “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Gypsy,” actress Audra McDonald has become the most Tony-nominated performer in Broadway history, with 11 nominations. McDonald is also the only performer to win top honors in leading and featured categories for both musicals and plays.
Omaha’s first Black mayor. Defeating a three-term GOP incumbent in a key political battleground, Democrat John Ewing Jr. made history as the first Black mayor of Omaha.
Getting her flowers. The American History Museum awarded filmmaker Ava DuVernay the Great Americans Medal for exemplifying “the highest ideals of artistry, altruism, and advocacy,” the museum’s director said in a statement.
Another win for Angel Reese. The Chicago Sky sophomore is now the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 500+ points and 500+ rebounds — doing it in just 38 games. She broke the previous 44-game record held by Tina Charles.
Rebuilding Black neighborhoods. As residents of Altadena work to restore thousands of homes lost in January’s devastating Eaton Fire, a coalition of Black architects, engineers, and other professionals has founded the Altadena Rebuild Coalition to help with the rebuilding effort.
A historic moment in L.A. Los Angeles unveiled a new street sign at the intersection of King Boulevard and Malcolm X Way, dedicating a 5-mile section of Crenshaw Boulevard to honor the late civil rights icon.
Viola Davis makes cinematic history. The award-winning actress’s films — including The Woman King and Fences — have grossed over $15 billion worldwide, making her the highest-grossing Black film actress in Hollywood history.
“Sinners” keeps reaching new heights. The hit movie, directed by Ryan Coogler, is scheduled to air on HBO Max on July 4, offering viewers the chance to watch in Black American Sign Language. It’s the first time a streaming service has interpreted a film into BASL, Warner Bros. says.
Reebok unveils Angel Reese’s signature shoe. The Chicago Sky forward is the first WNBA player in nearly three decades to receive a signature sneaker from Reebok. “Just a kid from Baltimore, turning dreams into reality and hoping I can inspire young women and men everywhere to do the same,” Reese wrote on X. “The most brilliant diamonds take pressure, polish, and time. Reebok is back — and the diamonds are shining brighter than ever.”
Not all heroes wear capes. Fousseynou Cissé is being honored after risking his life to save several people from a fire in Paris. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said he would be awarding Cissé a medal “in recognition of his courage and dedication.”
Beauty and talent. Grammy-winning musician Doechii graced the cover of British Vogue. In an Instagram post, the magazine praised her as “a creative visionary, a commensurate rapper, a singer worth her salt.”
A legend on and off the court. NBA legend Michael Jordan is providing medical access to the uninsured and underserved with a free clinic in North Carolina. The facility, which is one of four health centers Jordan has opened in the city, is expected to help thousands of residents receive much-needed care.
Making her mark. Ayo Edebiri, known for her role on “The Bear,” has carved her name into Emmy history by becoming the youngest Black woman to secure three acting nominations. Edebiri’s also the first woman to be nominated for acting and directing in the comedy categories in the same year for her directing work on the “Napkins” episode.
Landmark status preserves Black history in Los Angeles. A barber shop, a historic LGBTQ+ disco club, and the home of Los Angeles’ first Black mayor are among six buildings that have received Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) status as part of a project led by Getty and the City of Los Angeles’ Office of Historic Resources to preserve the city’s Black heritage.
10-year-old farmer receives full ride to HBCU. While on a visit to South Carolina State, Kendall Rae Johnson impressed the university’s president with her knowledge of microorganisms and crop counts, earning an $83,500 scholarship to attend the university.
Black books matter. Bowie State University grad Araba Maze — also known as “The Radical Street Librarian” — is increasing literary access in underserved communities and helping kids learn to love reading. At her bookfairs and in her book vending machines, Maze prioritizes selections featuring diverse characters and voices so that all young readers can see themselves reflected in stories.
A haven for Black travelers. Once a refuge for Black families seeking a safe place to rest and stop while traveling across the country during the Jim Crow era, Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma, is now honored with a Route 66 monument.
Making HERstory. Florida A&M senior Oluwamodupe “Dupe” Oloyede makes history by becoming the first female head drum major for the HBCU’s beloved Marching 100. “I am the dream fulfilled,” she said.
Climate justice is racial justice. Georgia State University received a $500,000 grant to establish the Gullah Geechee Sacred Land Project, aimed at preserving the ancestral lands and cultural heritage of the Gullah Geechee people across Georgia and South Carolina. The project will focus on maintaining genealogical records, spiritual practices, and protecting sacred burial sites from gentrification and climate threats.
Supporting HBCUs. In honor of Huston-Tillotson University’s 150th anniversary, Ross Moody, trustee and vice president of The Moody Foundation, gifted the liberal arts university a $150 million donation — the single-largest donation ever given to an HBCU. Huston-Tillotson’s president and CEO, Melva K. Wallace, said the donation is “truly going to help students.”
A win for HBCUs. Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $70 million to UNCF, the nation’s largest private provider of scholarships to minority students, as it works to raise $1 billion for HBCUs. The gift is one of Scott’s largest single donations ever.
Welcome to Saint Heron Library. Artist and entrepreneur Solange launched a free digital archive dedicated to making rare, out-of-print works by Black and Brown writers and artists accessible to everyone. You can borrow books for free for 45 days with a prepaid return label, and the library houses first editions and archival gems that are usually locked away. “We would like to play a small part in creating free access to the expansive range of critical thought and expression by these great minds,” Solange said.
So Black, so brilliant. Jason Arday is living proof that inclusion in academia isn’t just necessary — it’s possible. Diagnosed with autism and global developmental delay, Arday couldn’t speak until age 11. Now, he’s uplifting neurodivergent students and making elite spaces more inclusive as the youngest Black professor at the prestigious University of Cambridge.
Service to all mankind. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has chartered its first chapter in Puerto Rico. The new alumnae chapter, Alpha Delta Nu Omega, was unveiled in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at a special event attended by family, friends, and sorority members. The history-making move marks the first AKA chapter established in a Latin American region where Spanish is the dominant language, a major step forward in the organization’s global and cultural reach.
Dancing to the top. India Bradley has made history — again. The 27-year-old ballerina, known for her role as the first-ever Black dewdrop in Balanchine’s “Nutcracker,” is now New York City Ballet’s first Black woman principal dancer.
Black art is Black history. In a historic agreement, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston has agreed to return two works from 1857 by the Black potter David Drake, who made his beautiful jars while enslaved, to his present-day descendants. “In achieving this resolution, the MFA recognises that Drake was deprived of his creations involuntarily and without compensation,” a museum spokesperson said in a statement. “This marks the first time that the museum has resolved an ownership claim for works of art that were wrongfully taken under the conditions of slavery in the 19th-century US.”
You’re never too young to make a difference. 8-year-old Alex Anning used his birthday weekend to feed more than 150 families in need of support during the government shutdown.
Keeping students healthy. 12-year-old Eniola Shokunbi developed an air filtering system that eliminates 99% of airborne viruses, including the cold and COVID-19. The Environmental Protection Agency validated the invention’s efficacy, and shortly after, Connecticut’s State Bond Commission granted $11.5 million to install the units in schools statewide.
Ah, push it! DJ Spinderella, a member of the iconic Salt-N-Pepa trio, is now the first female DJ to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Health is wealth. Dr. Jubril Oyeyemi saw patients dying because they were unable to afford medical treatment. He founded a nonprofit clinic in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where uninsured and underinsured residents could receive primary care without worrying about cost.
Inventing the future. He created the iconic lightsaber, but you may not know his name. Lanny Smoot holds more than 100 inventions and more patents than anyone else at Disney. Now, he’s inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Yeehaw! “High Horse: The Black Cowboy,” executive produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, confronts and reclaims the Wild West while revealing the story of the Black cowboy — a history that has largely been untold. The three-part documentary features original interviews with Jordan Peele, Bun B, Blanco Brown, Pam Grier, Lori Harvey, INK, Tina Knowles, Rick Ross, Glynn Turman, Lynae Vanee, and The Compton Cowboys. Stream it on Peacock.