This year we’re running a competition through schools and youth groups to invite children and young people to tell us about inspirational Black figures from history and today, and who most inspires them. Here are a few examples to consider:
RuPaul Andres Charles is the most commercially successful drag queen. He has received fourteen Prime Time Emmy awards which is the most wins for an outstanding host of a reality/ competition programme and for any Black Artist in History! RuPaul was born and raised in San Diego and later in life moved to Atlanta, GA to study performing Arts. After completing his studies, he settled in New York City where he first became popular on the night club scene and then reached international fame with the release of ‘Supermodel’ (you better work) in 1993. In 1995 RuPaul became the first spokesperson for MAC cosmetics. He became the first man to lead a major cosmetics campaign and raised millions of dollars for the MAC AIDS fund which helps support people living with AIDS/HIV. He is an actor, singer, model, song writer, television personality and author who continues to empower the queer community.
Cynthia Erivo is an outstanding vocalist, actress and advocate for diversity in the arts. Cynthia’s break out role in the world of musicals was when she played Celie in ‘The Colour Purple’. She won a Tony Award for this role for Best Actress and became the first Black British woman to achieve this honour. Cynthia recently starred in Wicked as Elphaba where she took the world by storm with her incredible performance. Many members of the Black community resonated with Cynthia’s portrayal of Elphaba and felt that a Black woman playing a character, excluded and belittled because of her skin colour, was vital to understanding the story and mirroring the fight for equality in real life. Cynthia utilises her platforms to promote diversity and uplift marginalised community groups, encouraging young Black girls to dream big.
Mary Jackson was the first African American female engineer at NASA (1958) and is well known for advocating for women in Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM), and her contributions to aerospace engineering. After graduating from high school with honours, she earned a dual degree in physical science and mathematics from the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University). She later went on to work in NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics). She was a member of the West Area Computing Unit with the West Computers compromising of African American female mathematicians. These women provided data that later was essential to the early success of the US Space program. At this time NACA was segregated, which meant Black employees had to use separate toilets and dining areas. She went on to become a trained engineer, although to obtain this training had to request permission to take classes alongside white students. She gained the required qualifications and became the first Black female engineer at NASA; despite all the barriers she faced. Mary worked as an aerospace engineer for some 20 years but was denied management level positions and promotions. Mary took a demotion to work as the manager of the Federal Women’s Programme and the Affirmative Action Programme at NASA where she worked to improve the opportunities for women and minority groups in the organisation, and further advocated for women in STEM. She overcame the barriers of segregation and gender bias and became a leader in ensuring equal opportunities for future generations.
Serena Williams is a professional American tennis player born in 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan. She was firstly introduced to tennis by her dad Richard Willliams who strictly coached her and her sister Venus Williams when they were children. Serena revolutionised women’s tennis with her powerful play style and has won more grand slam singles titles than any other woman or man during the open era. She challenged traditional and typical conservative dress codes on the courts with bold outfits when on the court that reflected her personality making her stand out. The clothing brand Nike and Serena partnered to create the Serena Williams Design Crew, which is an apprenticeship program founded in 2019 to promote diversity in design and to support emerging designers. It gives 10 different designers every year the opportunity to create a Serena inspired performance and lifestyle collection ranging from trainers to accessories with unique patterns, colours and designs. This apprenticeship program has helped launch the career of many of the designers.
Sir Billy Boston is now 91 years old, however at 19 he was scouted by Wigan Warriors and became the first non-white player to be selected for Great Britain’s tour of Australia and New Zealand and now is the first rugby league player to receive a knighthood. Boston grew up playing rugby union in Cardiff, Wales where he was raised. He began playing at the Cardiff Internationals Athletics Club, but his dream was to play for Cardiff RFC and then Wales internationally. However, in 1953 Sir Billy Boston was asked to join Wigan Warriors by Wigan chairman Joe Taylor and vice- chairman Billy Gore. If he were to take this offer, he would have been banned from playing rugby union due to the conflict between union and league and so initially, he declined. After Boston’s mother told the delegation he would sign for a higher offer, the board immediately accepted it and soon after Sir Billy Boston joined the Cherry and Whites. After less than a year at the club, Boston was selected for the Australia and New Zealand tour, making him the first ever Black player to have been selected. On this tour he set several records such as setting a try record of 36 tries in 18 games. Throughout his 15-year career at Wigan Warriors he scored 478 tries, and scored 571 tries throughout the entirety of his rugby league career across 564 appearances. This makes him one of the highest try scorers of all time. Boston overcame prejudice and opened the door to more diversity in rugby league and is a trailblazer for Black athletes in sport. In early 2025 it was announced that Billy Boston would be knighted for his contributions to sport. He was knighted on the 10th of June by King Charles in Buckingham Palace. This made him the first rugby league player to be knighted in the sport's 130-year history.