Black Excellence: Awards Season

The people who know me best know that I LOVE award shows and award show season. I think there is something so special about seeing people so proud of themselves and their peers. I enjoy seeing people on the red carpet that look like me. It makes me incredibly happy to hear how happy they are to be living out their dreams. That is what black excellence looks like

♥

“…thanks for this award, especially on behalf of my daughters, who I want to know, with this nose, this height, this color skin, these arms.. look what you can accomplish.” 

-Chandra Wilson

Culture: The Wire

The Wire: 2002 - 2008

---

Goodnight Moon:

Goodnight moon
Goodnight stars
Goodnight po-pos
Goodnight fiends
Goodnight hoppers
Goodnight hustlers
Goodnight scammers
Goodnight to everybody
Goodnight to one and all.

---

Recommended Watching:

• Out of Character: Gbenga Akinnagbe
• Out of Character: Andre Royo
• Out of Character: Tristan Wilds
• Out of Character: Sonja Sohn
• Out of Character: Reg E. Cathey
• Out of Character: Corey Parker Robinson
• The Wire: Audtions
• The Wire's Snoop Opens up to Michael K. Williams
• Jamie Hector: GIANT Magazine Interview
• Cast of The Wire visits Harvard
• JD Williams Interview
• Snoop on Larry King Live
• Snoop Talking About Her Book, Grace After Midnight
• Bubbly Over The Wire
• Omar's Killer on the Morning Show
• Funny Moments
• The Wire Conversation: TEDxMidAtlantic 2011
• Tapping The Wire
• David Simon and Dominic West Interview
• The Wire: The Musical
• Anthony Bourdain meets Snoop from The Wire
• David Simon: What's Behind the US War on Drugs
• Behind the Scenes: It's All Connected

---

Recommended Reading:

• The Wire: Truth Be Told
• The Corner: Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood
• Grace After Midnight by Felicia Pearson
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
• The Wire and Philosophy: This America, Man
•  The Wire: Race, Glass, and Gender
• Why we're teaching The Wire at Harvard
• What Do Real Thugs Think of The Wire
• What Makes The Wire So Special
• Omar Little: The Wire
• The Wire: Urban Decay and American Television
• Why The Wire is the best show on television 

Black Excellence Month: Day 28

Gabrielle Union
Actress
1972 - 

"We give a lot of others significance in our lives even when they don't deserve it. It doesn't matter if they're family or if you've known them forever. If they're not good for you, they've got to go."

-Gabrielle Union

---

Recommended Watching:

• Bring it On
• Being Mary Jane
• Deliver Us From Eva
• Breakin' All the Rules
• Think Like A Man
• Bad Boys II
• ESSENCE Hangout 
• Gabrielle Union Discusses Her "Mean Girl" Evolution
• Oprah's Next Chapter
• Gabrielle Union on the Queen Latifah Show
• "I'm Cool With Being 40"
• Learning to Love Herself

---

Recommended Reading:

• Gabrielle Union's Aha! Moment
• How Gabrielle Union Inspired Oprah
• Living Her Best Life

Black Excellence Month: Day 27

Whoopi Goldberg
Actress  Comedian  Political Activist  Singer
1953 - 

"It's being willing to walk away that gives you strength and power - if you're willing to accept the consequences of doing what you want to do."

-Whoopi Goldberg

"Well, when I was nine years old, Star Trek came on, I looked at it and I went screaming through the house, 'Come here, mum, everybody, come quick, come quick, there's a black lady on television and she ain't no maid!' I knew right then and there I could be anything I wanted to be.”

-Whoopi Goldberg

---

Recommended Watching:

• The Black List Vol. 3
• The Color Purple
• Ghost
• Sister Act
• Sister Act 2
• For Colored Girls
• The Lion King
• Cinderella
•  Captain Planet and the Planteers
• Moms Mabley: I Got Somethin' to Tell You
• Back to Broadway
• Stand Up Comedy
• Whoopi Goldberg on the Arsenio Hall show
• 1999 Academy Awards Opening
• Howard Stern Show
• College Tour

---

Recommended Reading:

• Sugar Plum Ballerinas (series) by Whoopi Goldberg
• Is it Just Me? Or is it Nuts Out There by Whoopi Goldberg
• Alice by Whoopi Goldberg

Black Excellence Month: Day 26

Alfre Woodard
Actress
1952 - 

“Everybody has a part of her body that she doesn’t like, but I've stopped complaining about mine because I don’t want to critique nature's handiwork...My job is simply to allow the light to shine out of the masterpiece.” 

-Alfre Woodard

---

Recommended Watching:

• Freedom Road
• How To Make An American Quilt
• Miss Evers' Boys
• Steel Magnolias
• 12 Years a Slave
• Black Panther
• The Family That Preys
• Beauty Shop
• Crooklyn
• Race to Freedom
• Passion Fish
• Down in the Delta
• Mandela
• Holiday Heart
• Love and Basketball
• Radio
• Memphis Beat
• A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story
• Alfre Woodard on 12 Years a Slave
• Alfre Woodard's Prayer Cloth
• Alfre Woodard Reading Sojourner Truth
• Alfre Woodard's Pre-Oscars Dinner
• Alfre Woodard winning Golden Globe in 1998
• Alfre Woodard Reads Chris Abani's Graceland
• Alfre Woodard reads Maria Stewart
• NAACP Image Awards 2013
• Alfre Woodard talks about the importance of Reproductive Rights

---

Recommended Reading:

• Alfre Woodard's Aha! Moment 
• You're Never Too Young for the Truth 
• Alfre Woodard is committed to fighting injustice

Well Suited Wednesday

Michael B. Jordan
Actor
1987 - 

"I want to do everything. I'm a producer at heart. Eventually, when I can produce the way I want to, my acting's going to help fuel that. And not just vehicles for myself - I'm a member of this film society, and I want to contribute. If you're in the industry, you can't just take from it; you have to deposit something back to keep it going for the next generation."

-Michael B. Jordan

---

Recommended Watching:

• The Wire
• Fruitvale Station
• That Awkward Moment
• Friday Night Lights
• Chronicle
• Red Tails
• Full Uncensored Actors Roundtable
• Oprah's Next Chapter
• Bill Simmons Full Podcast
• DP/30 Michael B. Jordan
• Michael B. Jordan Discusses Fruitvale Station
• Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler
• When Oscar Meets Trayvon

---

Recommended Reading

• Michael B. Jordan on the George Zimmerman Verdict
• Comic Book Masculinity and the New Black Superhero
• Black Masculinity: The Black Male's Role in Society
• We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity by bell hooks
• Black Men on Race, Gender, and Sexuality: A Critical Reader
• Why The Human Torch's Race Doesn't Matter

Black Excellence Month: Day 25

Shonda Rhimes
Screenwriter  Director  Producer
1970 - 

"I’m a black woman every day, and I’m not confused about that. I’m not worried about that. I don’t need to have a discussion with you about how I feel as a black woman, because I don’t feel disempowered as a black woman.”

-Shonda Rhimes

---

Recommended Watching:

• Scandal
• Grey's Anatomy
• Private Practice
•  The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement 
• Introducing Dorothy Dandridge 
• Shondra Rhimes and Sandra Oh
• Kerry Washington Presents an Award to Shonda Rhimes
• Shonda Rhimes talks about the men of Grey's Anatomy
• Oprah tours the set of Scandal
• Work and Personal Life Balance
• 42nd NAACP Image Awards
• Oprah's Next Chapter 
• Celebrity Conversation: Adoption and Creating an Adoptive Family

---

Recommended Reading:

• Shonda Rhimes on TV's Lack of Diversity
• Honored With Diversity Award
• Shonda Rhimes to Release Memoir in 2015
• Shonda Rhimes Talks Diversity Award
• Shonda Rhimes Tweets About Lack of Diversity on Bunheads
• Life Lessons from a Hollywood Rule Breaker

Black Excellence Month: Day 24

Octavia E. Butler
Writer
1947 - 2006

"You don't start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence. It's just so easy to give up!"

-Octavia Butler

---

Recommended Reading:

• Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
• Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
• Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
• Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler
• Seed to Harvest by Octavia E. Butler
• Wild Seed by Octavie E. Butler
• We Keep Playing the Same Record
• Octavia Butler on the Poetics of Narrative Embodiment

---

Recommended Watching:

•  Women Writing Sci-Fi: from Brave New Worlds
• Octavia E. Butler Cosby Chair Event
• On Charlie Rose
• Hour 25
• Octavia Butler in LA

Black Culture: A Different World

A Different World: 1987 - 1993

Denise, Dwayne, Whitley

Ron, Kim, Jaleesa, Freddie

Mr. Gaines, Col. Taylor, Walter

Lettie, Stevie

Lena, Gina, Charmaine

Dorian, Terrance 

---

Recommended Reading:

• A Different World was the last black sitcom to be a hit--but why?
• A Different World Finale: 20th Anniversary
• "It's a Different World" State of HBCUs
• The Cosby Show and A Different World: Impact on HBCU Enrollment
• Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Harrison talk about the Impact of A Different World

 

My Favorite Episodes:

• War of the Words
• Rudy and the Snow Queen
• Gift of the Magi
• Mr. Hillman
• If Only For One Night
• Those Who Can't...Tutor
• Three Girls Three
• Radio Free Hillman
• It Happened One Night
• It's Greek to Me
• No Means No
• There's No Place Like Home
•  Strangers on a Plane
• To Have and Have Not
• Answered Prayers
• The Power of the Pen
• Pride and Prejudice
• Ms. Understanding
• If I Should Die Before I Wake
• Do You Take This Woman
• Mammy Dearest
• Cats in the Cradle
• Save the Best for Last
• Honeymoon in L.A. parts 1 and 2
• Homie, Don't Ya Know Me
• A Rock, A River, a Lena
• Love Taps

♥

Black Excellence Month: Day 23

Madam C.J. Walker
Entrepreneur  Philanthropist
1867 - 1919 

"I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them."

-Madam C.J. Walker

---

Recommended Watching:

• Creating Beauty From Within
• Madam C.J. Walker in the National Archives
• Georgette Tutt Talks About Buying From Madam C.J. Walker
• Stanley Nelson Interview's Madam C.J. Walker's Great Grand Daughter
• Sunkissed Girlz Interviews Madam C.J. Walker's Great Grand Daughter
• First Female Millionaire "First Black Millionaire"

---

Recommended Reading:

• The History of Black Business in America by Juliet Walker
• Madam C.J. Walker: Building a Business Empire by P. Coleman
• On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker

Black Excellence Month: Day 22

Nichelle Nichols
Actress  Singer
1932 - 

 "I was very blessed in always knowing what I wanted to do, and by the grace of God, I've been able to succeed in my chosen career."

-Nichelle Nichols

---

Recommended Watching:

• Star Trek
• Truck Turner
• Heroes
• On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
• Pheonix Comicon 2013
• Breaking Barriers
• Beyond Antares
• On Meeting President Obama
• First Interracial Kiss on Television
• FanExpo 2013
• Pioneer Women of Television

---

Recommended Reading:

• Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories
• Black Space: Imagining Race in Science Fiction Films
• Professional Women in Star Trek

Black Excellence Month: Day 21

Wangari Maathai
Environmental and Political Activist
1940 - 2011

“I’m very conscious of the fact that you can’t do it alone. It’s teamwork. When you do it alone you run the risk that when you are no longer there nobody else will do it.” 

-Wangari Maathai

---

Recommended Reading:

• Unbowed by Wangari Maathai
• The Challenge for Africa by Wangari Maathai
• The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience by Wangari Maathai
• The Canopy Of Hope: My Life Campaigning For Africa, Women, And The Environment by Wangari Maathai
• Nobel Peace Prize Biography
• Death of a Visionary

 ---

Recommended Watching:

• Tribute Film
• The Green Belt Movement
• Life and Times of Professor Wangari Maathai
• World Forum Lille 2008
• Planting Trees is Planting Hope
• Resources and Conflict
• Climate Change Message
• Democracy Now Interview
• Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture 2005
• Global Forum on Freedom of Expression
• Earth Focus
• The Power of Study Abroad

Black Excellence Month: Day 20

Staceyann Chin
Spoken-Word Poet  Performing Artist  Activist
1972 -

“Hungry people make the best revolutionaries. Because when you’re hungry, it’s easy to get angry about things that aren’t right.” 

-Staceyann Chin

---

Recommended Reading:

• The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin
• Staceyann Chin's Views on Homophobia, Jamaica, and Motherhood
• Staceyann Chin: Open Letter to My Unborn Daughter (or Son)
• A Single Lesbian's Quest for Motherhood
• "Truth.Be.Told." Tv Series Highlighting Black LGBT Pioneers
• Resistance Through Poetry
• A Def Poetry Jam of Her Very Own
• Mutha Magazine Interview
• Oprah: Memoirs We Love
• Staceyann Chin: "I have walked long hard roads to get here"
• Staceyann Talks Trayvon Martin and a Feminist Perspective

---

Recommended Reading:

• Staceyann Chin Poetry Performance: April 2013
• Tweet This You Small Minded Motherfucker
• If Only Out of Vanity
• Stand Up With Jamaica
• National Equality March Rally
• There is Power in the Pen
• Feminist or Womanist
• All Oppression is Connected
• NEST: Interview with Staceyann Chin
• A City in Tragedy
• Catalog the Insanity
• Poem about Equality
• Navigating Change: From Cunt to Collarbone
• Chat with Staceyann Chin: Brooklyn Review

Black Excellence Month: Day 19

Gabrielle Douglas
Gymnast  Olympian
1995 - 

“Never give up and always keep fighting, because though times may be tough, the sacrifices do pay off, so just keep pushing towards your dream and just love it at the same time and enjoy it.”

-Gabby Douglas

---

Recommended Watching:

• The Gabby Douglas Story
•  Gabby Douglas Olympic Trials 2012
• Gabby Douglas Trials & Tribulations 
• Raising an Olympian
• Gabby's Story
• Seventeen Girl Power Tag
• Gabby Douglas on Sway in the Morning
• Oprah's Next Chapter
• Workout of the Week
• Olympic Victory Street
• Gabby Douglas Responds to Her Hair Critics

---

Recommended Reading:

• Do Something: Quote of the Day
• "Raising the Bar" Book Debuts
• Raising the Bar by Gabrielle Douglas
• How Did Olympic History Turn into a Hair Debate

Well Suited Wednesday

Forest Whitaker
Actor  Producer  Director
1961 - 

"As a kid, I never had dreams of becoming an actor or director. Even when I was already working professionally, it took me a long time to know whether this was what I really wanted to be. Now I feel comfortable about what I'm doing, but I see that I can continue to make it better, that I can create a deeper balance in my life, and I'm still working on that. I didn't plan for things to turn out this way at all. But I have to say, I feel good about it. I do."

-Forest Whitaker

---

Recommended Watching:

• Lee Daniels' The Butler
• The Last King of Scotland
• Two Men in Town
• Zulu
• The Great Debaters
• Black Nativity
• Brick City
• Fruitvale Station
• Waiting to Exhale
• Full Actors' Roundtable 
• Movie Star Bios
• Bad Books
• Forest Whitaker at Hope North
• Fruitvale Station Interview
• Raise Your Vote
• Conflict and Reconciliation
• March on Washington 50th Anniversary
• Inspired by Dr. King
• My Dream: Forest Whitaker

Black Excellence Month: Day 18

Laverne Cox
Actress  Producer  Transgender Advocate 

"If you're passionate about something, if you love something, don't ever ever give up."

-Laverne Cox

---

Recommended Watching:

• Orange is the New Black
• Musical Chairs
• glaad Media Awards 2013
• True Transgender Stories
• I AM: Trans People Speak
• Acting Reel
• Laverne Cox Shares Make-Up Tips
• Breaking the Trans Glass Ceiling
• Orange is the New Black on MHP
• On the Stigma of Loving Transgender Women
• Creating Change: Keynote Address 2014
• More Laverne Cox on MHP
• On 2nd Amendment Rights
• On Musical Chairs
• Ain't I A Woman

---

Recommended Reading:

• Laverne Cox on "The Katie Show" Appearance 
• Free CeCe Documentary
• Laverne Cox Huffington Post Entries
• 'Stay in the Love' Interview
• "I'm Good With Myself": A Conversation with Laverne Cox

Black Men Monday

Jesse Williams
Actor 
1981 - 

"We often grow up being told that we can do this or that, but if you don't see anybody that looks like you doing it, you don't believe you can do it. But I had great teachers, and I wanted to be a great teacher."

-Jesse Williams

---

Recommended Watching:

• Grey's Anatomy
• Lee Daniels' The Butler
• The Cabin in the Woods
• Jesse Williams Talk Trayvon Martin
• Jesse Williams on The Chew
• Jesse Williams on Sesame Street
• NBA Finals
• Importance of History
• Jesse Williams on The Butler  

---

Recommended Reading:

• Django, in chains

---

“Feeling threatened is not the same thing as being threatened.” 

-Jesse Williams

Black Excellence: Day 17

Amber Riley
Actress  Singer  Dancer
1986 -

"I want to encourage young women to stand up for each other and speak up when they see others in a tough situation."

-Amber Riley

---

Recommended Watching:

• Glee
• Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
• Amber Riley: Nobody's Supposed To Be Here Cover
• Amber Riley on Sway in the Morning
• Amber Riley Speaks on Being from Compton and Gardena
• River Deep, Mountain High and Proud Mary
• Seasons of Love: Glee
• I'll Stand By You: Glee
• Bust Your Windows: Glee
• I Will Always Love You: Glee
• And I'm Telling You: Glee
• Sweet Transvestite: Glee
• Amber Riley: I Love My Body
• Interview in NYC
• TrevorLive!
• Beauty Peace

---

Recommended Reading:

• Airport Bathroom Incident 
• DWTS Winner
• Broadway Dreams

Black Excellence Month: Day 16

Maya Angelou 
Poet  Novelist  Activist  Educator  Producer 
1928 - 2014

"Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage, you cannot practice any of the other virtues consistently."

-Maya Angelou

“A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself, and only herself.”

-Maya Angelou

---

Maya Angelou Book List:

• I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings
•  The Heart of a Woman
• Letter to My Daughter
• Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now
• On the Pulse of Morning
• Gather Together in My Name
• All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
• Life Doesn't Frighten Me
• Mom & Me & Mom
• Even The Stars Look Lonesome
• I Shall Not Be Moved
• Just Give Me a Cool Drink A Water 'fore I Die
• Graduation
• Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes

---

Recommended Reading:

• How to Write a Poem
• 2013 Oprah Interview
• At the Table With Maya Angelou 
• Master Class Quotes
• 20 Teachable Moments from Dr. Maya Angelou 
• Voices of Our Time: Maya Angelou
• Growing Up Maya Angelou
• How I Write
• An Interview With Maya Angelou
• The African-American Grandmother in Autobiographical Works by Fredrick Douglass, Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou

---

Recommended Watching:

• Love Liberates
• TIME: 10 Questions for Maya Angelou
• The Revelation that Changed Dr. Maya Angelou's Life
• A Tribute Poem for Nelson Mandela
• If You Don't Laugh, You Will Die
• Merv Griffin Show 1982
• And Still I Rise
• Conversation With Maya Angelou
• The Powerful Lesson Maya Angelou Taught Oprah
• An Evening with Dr. Maya Angelou
• Maya Angelou and Common
• Introducing Ms Calypso 
• Book TV: Letter to My Daughter
• I'm A Rainbow in Somebody's Cloud
• Phenomenal Woman
• Heaven and Earth Show Interview
• Sesame Street: My Name
• In and Out of Time
• On the Pulse of the Morning
• Global Executive MBA Commencement 
• Poetic Justice
• How To Make An American Quilt

---

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” 

-Maya Angelou

Black Excellence Month: Day 15

bell hooks

Author  Feminist  Activist
1952 - 

“I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance.” 

-bell hooks

---

Recommended Watching:

• Black Female Voice: bell hooks and Melissa Harris-Perry
• Cultural Criticism and Transformation
• Ending Domination - The Struggle Continues
• Culture, Race, and Self Esteem
• At New College of Florida
• bell hooks at OSU
• bell hooks at University of Utah
• bell hooks at Texas A&M

---

bell hooks Book List:

• Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism
• Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics
• Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery
• Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center
• Black Looks: Race and Representation
• Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood
• Happy to Be Nappy
• We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity
• Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem