January 2020

Black virologist Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett of the NIH Vaccine Research Center was the scientific lead on the team that developed the Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, one of the most consequential scientific achievements of the 21st century and a cornerstone of the global pandemic response.

Whitehead became only the fourth novelist ever to win two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction, joining Booth Tarkington, William Faulkner, and John Updike. The Nickel Boys, based on the real Dozier School for Boys in Florida, was praised as one of the most important novels about American carceral violence.

Following the George Floyd protests, Ibram X. Kendi's 'How to Be an Antiracist' (2019) returned to the top of bestseller lists, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and reshaping the national conversation on race, racism, and reform. Kendi became one of the most influential public intellectuals in America.

Billionaire Robert F. Smith fulfilled his surprise pledge to pay off the student loan debt of the entire Morehouse College graduating class of 2019, totaling approximately $34 million. The gesture was the largest single gift to an HBCU class and sparked national debate about student debt and Black philanthropy.

Kasi Lemmons's biographical film about Harriet Tubman starred Cynthia Erivo, who received Academy Award nominations for both Best Actress and Best Original Song. Erivo became one of the youngest EGOT candidates in history as a result. The film was the first major Hollywood production centered on Tubman's life.

Lizzo won three Grammy Awards at the 2020 ceremony for Truth Hurts and Cuz I Love You, becoming the most-nominated artist at that year's ceremony. As a classically trained flutist who built her career independently, Lizzo represented a new visibility for plus-size Black women in mainstream pop and body-positive self-expression.

Igor debuted at number one and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album despite defying traditional rap categorization, blending synth-pop, R&B, and soul. Tyler's victory signaled the genre's expanding boundaries and his emergence as one of the most inventive composers in contemporary Black music.