2020s

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.

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes. The murder, captured on video, sparked the largest protest movement in American history, with demonstrations in all 50 states and dozens of countries, reigniting global conversations about anti-Black police violence.

The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020 triggered protests in all 50 states and more than 60 countries, with estimates of 15 to 26 million participants making it potentially the largest movement in American history. The uprising accelerated corporate diversity commitments, toppled Confederate monuments, and drove lasting conversations about policing, race, and justice.

Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a Black immunologist at the NIH's Vaccine Research Center, was a lead scientist in developing the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine used by Moderna and contributed critical research that informed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Her work, conducted before many people had heard of mRNA vaccines, helped protect hundreds of millions of lives worldwide.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman and first public defender in the Court's history. Her confirmation hearing drew massive viewership and her composed responses to hostile questioning became widely shared.

Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed by the Senate as an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, becoming the first Black woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court. Her confirmation was a landmark moment in American legal and political history.

Vice President Kamala Harris was officially nominated as the Democratic Party's presidential candidate after President Biden withdrew from the race, becoming the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to be nominated for President by a major American political party.

Louisville police officers shot and killed emergency medical technician Breonna Taylor in her apartment during a botched no-knock raid. Her killing became a focal point of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and her name became a rallying cry for justice and accountability for police violence against Black women.

Colson Whitehead became only the fourth author in history to win two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction, receiving the award for 'The Nickel Boys,' a novel based on the Dozier School for Boys abuse scandal. He had previously won in 2017 for 'The Underground Railroad,' making him one of the most decorated living American novelists.

Stacey Abrams' decade of voter registration work through her organization Fair Fight Action was widely credited with registering hundreds of thousands of new voters in Georgia, helping flip the state for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election — the first time Georgia voted Democratic for president since 1992. Her organizing model became a national template for grassroots democracy efforts.

Stacey Abrams' voter registration and mobilization organization Fair Fight Action was widely credited with registering hundreds of thousands of new voters in Georgia, flipping the state blue in the presidential election for the first time since 1992 and setting the stage for two Democratic Senate wins.

Raphael Warnock became the first Black senator from Georgia and the first Black Democrat elected senator from the South, while Jon Ossoff became the first Jewish senator from Georgia. Their dual victories flipped the Senate to Democratic control and represented a historic shift in Southern politics.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all three counts — second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter — in the killing of George Floyd. The conviction, seen as rare accountability for police violence against Black Americans, was met with relief and cautious hope by civil rights advocates across the country.

Forbes declared Rihanna a billionaire, with her Fenty Beauty cosmetics line — launched in 2017 with 40 foundation shades emphasizing inclusivity — valued at over $2.8 billion. She became the wealthiest female musician in the world and one of the wealthiest Black women in history.

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.

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.

WNBA players, the majority of whom are Black women, organized one of the most coordinated athlete social justice efforts in American sports, dedicating the 2020 season to Breonna Taylor and wearing her name on jerseys throughout the bubble season. Their activism elevated the public profile of the league and set a template for athlete-led advocacy.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson published 'Caste,' a landmark work arguing that a hidden caste system underpins racial inequality in America, drawing comparisons to India and Nazi Germany. The book became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and shifted intellectual discourse on race.

Cardi B's 'WAP' featuring Megan Thee Stallion debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first female rap collaboration to debut at the top position and breaking first-day streaming records. The song became a cultural flashpoint and feminist anthem.

Chadwick Boseman, star of 'Black Panther' and multiple other films including '42' and 'Get On Up,' died at age 43 after a private battle with colon cancer, having continued working through treatment. His death prompted an outpouring of tributes that underscored how profoundly his roles — particularly as T'Challa — had affected Black audiences globally.

Tyler Perry officially opened his 330-acre Tyler Perry Studios on the grounds of the former Fort McPherson military base in Atlanta, making him one of the few Black owners of a major film studio. The campus featured 12 soundstages and represented a landmark in Black ownership of entertainment infrastructure.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover launched to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon as part of Crew-1, spending nearly six months in space — the longest duration of any Black astronaut at that time. He was also the first Black astronaut to live aboard the ISS on a long-duration mission.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover launched to the International Space Station on the first operational SpaceX Crew Dragon mission (Crew-1), spending 168 days in space — the first long-duration ISS mission by a Black astronaut. He performed multiple spacewalks and later was named to the Artemis II crew for a lunar flyby.

Netflix released 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' adapted from August Wilson's play, featuring Viola Davis as the Mother of the Blues and Chadwick Boseman in his final film role before his death from colon cancer. Boseman received a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins was assigned to the Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station, making her the first Black woman to serve on a long-duration ISS crew. She launched in April 2022 and spent six months aboard the station.

Retired Army General Lloyd Austin was confirmed by the Senate as the 28th U.S. Secretary of Defense, becoming the first Black American to hold the position. A former Commander of U.S. Central Command, Austin's confirmation represented a historic milestone in civilian military leadership.

The film about Fred Hampton and the FBI's counterintelligence program premiered, featuring Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton and Lakeith Stanfield as informant William O'Neal. Kaluuya won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and used the stage to celebrate Hampton's legacy.

Barry Jenkins' adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel premiered on Amazon Prime as a limited series. The visually stunning miniseries won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series and brought national attention to the novel's surrealist retelling of slavery and escape.

Haitian-Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open and later the Wimbledon tournament, publicly disclosing her struggles with depression and anxiety. Her decision sparked a global conversation about athlete mental health, particularly the pressures faced by Black women athletes.

Poet and journalist Clint Smith published 'How the Word Is Passed,' a meditation on slavery's legacy through visits to sites across America and beyond. The book became a New York Times bestseller and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, hailed as essential American reading.

FX's 'Pose,' the drama set in New York's LGBTQ+ ballroom culture of the 1980s and 90s created by Ryan Murphy, Janet Mock, and Steven Canals, aired its series finale. The show featured the largest cast of transgender actors in a scripted television series and won numerous awards for centering Black and Latino trans lives.

Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a 50-point performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship since 1971, winning Finals MVP. His performance, including a crucial block late in the game, was immediately considered one of the great Finals performances in history.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles withdrew from the team final and several individual events, citing mental health and a case of the 'twisties.' Her decision sparked a global conversation about athlete mental health and the pressures placed on Black women in sports. She returned to win a bronze on balance beam.

Quinta Brunson premiered 'Abbott Elementary' on ABC, a workplace comedy set in a Philadelphia public school. Brunson became the youngest Black woman to create and star in a network sitcom, and the show became ABC's highest-rated comedy in years, winning multiple Emmy Awards.

Stephen Curry broke Ray Allen's all-time NBA record for three-pointers made, surpassing 2,974 career threes in a game against the New York Knicks. The milestone cemented Curry's legacy as the greatest shooter in basketball history and transformed how the game is played at all levels.

Ariana DeBose won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in 'West Side Story,' becoming the first Afro-Latina and the first openly queer woman of color to win an acting Oscar. Her victory speech, in which she named her intersecting identities, was widely celebrated as a historic moment of representation.

Will Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father and coach of Venus and Serena Williams, in 'King Richard.' The win was overshadowed by Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock on stage, creating one of the most discussed moments in Oscar history.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins launched to the International Space Station on Crew-4, spending approximately six months aboard as a mission specialist. She became the first Black woman to serve on a long-duration space mission, conducting scientific research and spacewalk preparations.

Beyoncé released 'Renaissance,' a genre-defining act one album centering Black queer dance music, ballroom culture, and house. The album was a critical phenomenon, debuting at number one globally, and was widely recognized as a tribute to the Black and LGBTQ+ foundations of electronic dance music.

Beyoncé released 'Renaissance,' a dance and house album that explicitly honored the Black and LGBTQ+ origins of club music, dedicating the album to her late uncle Johnny and the broader ballroom and house communities. The album debuted at number one and was widely praised as a landmark reclamation of Black music history.

After announcing in Vogue that she was 'evolving away' from tennis, Serena Williams played her final professional match at the 2022 US Open in a third-round loss, retiring as the owner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Her career farewell was a global media event celebrating the greatest female tennis player of all time.

Zendaya won her second Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for 'Euphoria' Season 2, becoming the youngest two-time Emmy winner in the category's history at age 26. The show's second season was a cultural event and her performance its emotional anchor.

Viola Davis starred as General Nanisca in 'The Woman King,' a historical epic about the Agojie, the all-female warriors who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey. The film was a rare major-budget Hollywood production centered on Black women warriors and became a box office success.

Karen Bass, a former U.S. Representative and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was elected Mayor of Los Angeles, becoming the first Black woman and second Black person to lead the nation's second-largest city. Her election came amid a crisis of homelessness and housing affordability.

Marvel's 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' was released, honoring the late Chadwick Boseman by weaving his T'Challa's passing into the narrative. The film introduced Riri Williams and Namor, grossed over $850 million worldwide, and featured Angela Bassett receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

SZA released 'SOS,' which spent ten consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 — the longest run for any album by a Black woman in the chart's history. The album's commercial dominance and emotional depth across R&B, pop, and alternative genres made it one of the defining records of the decade.

SZA released 'SOS,' which spent weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and became the longest-charting album by any woman in the chart's history at that time, surpassing records held by Adele and others. The album's genre-blending success — spanning R&B, pop, and alternative — demonstrated the expansive commercial and artistic reach of Black women in contemporary music.

Viola Davis won the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book for 'Finding Me,' her memoir, completing the rare EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) achievement. She became only the third Black woman to achieve EGOT status, joining an extremely exclusive group of entertainers who have won all four major awards.

LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. The milestone, achieved in Los Angeles against the Oklahoma City Thunder, was celebrated as the crowning achievement of a generation-defining career.

LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 career points to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, a record that had stood for nearly four decades. The milestone cemented James's place alongside the greatest athletes in American sports history and highlighted a legacy built on both on-court brilliance and social activism.

Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime performance drew over 118 million viewers, the most-watched halftime show in history at that time, and she performed while visibly pregnant. The show sparked the largest single-day sales increase in music streaming history, affirming her status as the most commercially successful Black female musician of her generation.

Viola Davis completed the EGOT — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony — when she won a Grammy for Best Audio Book for 'Finding Me,' her memoir. She became the first Black woman in history to achieve all four major American entertainment awards, cementing a career of extraordinary range and artistic achievement.

Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French phenom of Central African and Caribbean descent, was selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Draft, the most hyped draft prospect in decades. He went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year and was widely described by coaches and analysts as a generational talent unlike any seen before.

French-born Victor Wembanyama was selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs, drawing comparisons to no player in history for his unique combination of size, wingspan, and skill. His arrival in the NBA was described by LeBron James and others as the most anticipated debut of any player ever.

Sha'Carri Richardson won the 100-meter title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, completing a redemption arc after her Tokyo Olympics ban. Running 10.65 seconds in the final, she became World Champion and set the stage for her Paris Olympics campaign.

Cori 'Coco' Gauff won the US Open singles title at age 19, becoming the youngest American woman to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999. Gauff, who had grown up idolizing Serena, wept on court and became the face of a new generation of American tennis.

Coco Gauff won the US Open women's singles title, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to claim her first Grand Slam championship at 19 years old. The win placed her in the lineage of Serena and Venus Williams as a dominant Black American force in women's tennis.

Netflix released 'Rustin,' a biopic of Bayard Rustin, the openly gay Black civil rights organizer who masterminded the 1963 March on Washington. Colman Domingo received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal, bringing renewed attention to Rustin's largely erased legacy.

Colman Domingo received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for 'Rustin,' becoming the first openly gay Black man nominated in the category. The nomination was seen as a dual milestone for Black and LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood's most prestigious awards.

With the release of 'Texas Hold 'Em' from her album 'Cowboy Carter,' Beyoncé became the first Black woman ever to top the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The achievement drew widespread attention to the deep roots of Black musicians in country and American roots music and sparked a national conversation about race and genre gatekeeping.

Beyoncé released 'Cowboy Carter,' a country and Americana album that featured collaborations with Linda Martell, Dolly Parton, and Willie Nelson while centering the often-erased history of Black contributions to country music. The album debuted at number one across multiple charts and became a cultural flashpoint about inclusion, heritage, and the definition of American music.

Beyoncé released 'Cowboy Carter,' a sweeping country-rooted album that made her the first Black woman to reach number one on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The album reclaimed the Black roots of country and folk music, sparked debate about genre gatekeeping, and won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Kendrick Lamar released 'Not Like Us,' a devastating diss track in his feud with Drake, which became one of the fastest-rising songs in Spotify history. The song dominated the summer cultural conversation, won five Grammy Awards including Record of the Year, and was performed at Kendrick's Super Bowl halftime show.

Three years after withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics to protect her mental health, Simone Biles returned to the Paris Olympics and won gold medals in the team final, individual all-around, and vault, adding a silver on floor. At 27, her dominance and redemption arc were celebrated worldwide.

Noah Lyles won the men's 100-meter final at the Paris Olympics by five thousandths of a second in one of the closest finishes in the event's history, claiming the title of world's fastest man. Lyles, who is openly dyslexic and has spoken candidly about mental health, became a prominent voice for Black athletes beyond sport.

Noah Lyles won the men's 100-meter gold medal at the Paris Olympics by just five thousandths of a second over Kishane Thompson, becoming the first American man to win the Olympic 100m title since Carl Lewis in 1984. The photo-finish victory was immediately one of the most dramatic moments in sprint history.

Simone Biles returned to Olympic competition at the 2024 Paris Games after withdrawing from the Tokyo 2020 finals to prioritize her mental health, winning gold in the team, all-around, and floor events, plus silver on beam. Her comeback became a global story about athlete wellbeing, resilience, and Black women's excellence under scrutiny.

Sha'Carri Richardson, who had been banned from the Tokyo Olympics after a positive marijuana test, anchored the United States women's 4x100-meter relay to gold at the Paris Olympics. Richardson also reached the 100m final, completing a redemption story that captivated track and field fans globally.

Kendrick Lamar was announced as the halftime performer for Super Bowl LIX in February 2025, the first West Coast hip-hop artist to headline the show. The announcement came at the height of his beef with Drake and was seen as the ultimate cultural validation of his year-long dominance.

When Bronny James made his NBA regular-season debut for the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James and his son became the first father-son duo to play simultaneously in the NBA. The historic first was an emotionally significant milestone for LeBron, who had publicly stated his goal was to play with his son.

Beyoncé won the Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year for 'Texas Hold 'Em,' the lead single from 'Cowboy Carter.' The win marked a significant moment in country music's relationship with Black artists and audiences, decades after the genre systematically excluded its Black progenitors.

Beyoncé won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for 'Cowboy Carter' at the 2025 Grammy Awards, her first Album of the Year win after years of high-profile losses. The win was widely seen as both a personal vindication and a Grammy correction after decades of overlooking Black women in the top category.

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.

Megan Thee Stallion's 'Savage' remix featuring Beyoncé reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Megan's first chart-topper and raising awareness for Bread of Life Houston food bank amid the pandemic. The song solidified Megan as a defining voice in rap.

HBO's 'Lovecraft Country,' produced by Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams and starring Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett, premiered to significant critical acclaim. The genre series, blending Jim Crow horror with supernatural fiction, became a cultural conversation about the terror of American racism.

Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as progressive challengers, joining the Squad. Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist and nurse, became the first Black woman elected to Congress from Missouri.

Regina King's directorial debut 'One Night in Miami,' imagining a meeting between Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown after Clay's 1964 heavyweight championship win, was released on Amazon Prime. King became one of the few Black women to direct a major awards-contending film.

After a six-year hiatus, Jazmine Sullivan released 'Heaux Tales,' a critically acclaimed EP centering Black women's sexuality, desire, and worth. The project earned Grammy nominations and was lauded as one of the defining R&B works of the era, marking Sullivan's triumphant return.

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak released their debut single as Silk Sonic, 'Leave the Door Open,' which became a number-one hit and won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 2022. The project was a celebrated homage to classic R&B and soul traditions.

H.E.R. (Gabriella Wilson) won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for 'I Can't Breathe,' written in response to the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The win was a rare example of an explicitly political protest song claiming the music industry's top songwriting honor.

Tyler the Creator released 'Call Me If You Get Lost,' a maximalist rap album that debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and won Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2022. The album, featuring DJ Drama as hype man, was widely praised as one of the decade's great hip-hop records.

Doja Cat released 'Planet Her,' which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and featured multiple hit singles. The album confirmed her status as a crossover pop and rap superstar, earning Grammy nominations and critical praise for its genre-blending ambition.

'Blinding Lights' spent a record 90 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking a record that had stood since the chart's founding. The Weeknd's achievement demonstrated the global reach of Black Canadian artists and cemented his place among the most commercially successful musicians of the streaming era.

Colson Whitehead, the only author to win back-to-back Pulitzer Prizes for fiction, published 'Harlem Shuffle,' a genre-blending heist novel set in 1960s Harlem. The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and was praised for its narrative craft and historical texture.

Eric Adams, a Brooklyn Borough President and retired NYPD captain, was elected Mayor of New York City, becoming only the second Black mayor in the city's history. A vegan and fitness advocate, Adams ran on a platform of public safety and economic recovery.

Jeymes Samuel's 'The Harder They Fall,' starring Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, and Zazie Beetz, premiered on Netflix. The stylized Western centered entirely on Black historical figures from the American West and was celebrated as a reclamation of the genre.

Summer Walker's second studio album 'Still Over It' broke the first-week streaming record for an R&B female artist upon release, topping the Billboard 200 and confirming Walker as one of the most commercially successful R&B artists of her generation.

HBO's 'Insecure,' created by and starring Issa Rae, concluded after five acclaimed seasons. The show was groundbreaking for centering the interior lives of Black women in Los Angeles and helped launch or amplify the careers of numerous Black writers, directors, and actors.

Donald Glover's surrealist comedy-drama 'Atlanta' returned for its third and fourth seasons after a four-year hiatus, to widespread critical acclaim. Season three's European arc was widely considered the show's most ambitious work, and its finale was hailed as one of television's great series endings.

Lizzo released 'About Damn Time,' a jubilant funk-pop anthem that became a worldwide hit and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year at the 2023 ceremony. The win was celebrated as a victory for body positivity and unapologetic Black joy in mainstream pop.

Jermell Charlo stopped Brian Castaño in their rematch to collect all four major belts at 154 pounds — WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO — becoming the undisputed super welterweight champion of the world. He became one of only a handful of boxers to hold all four major titles simultaneously in the modern era.

Jordan Peele's third feature film 'Nope' starred Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer and explored spectacle, exploitation, and Black cowboys. The film opened to number one at the box office and confirmed Peele's status as a singular auteur, with each of his first three films opening atop the domestic charts.

Little Simz won the prestigious Mercury Prize for her album 'Sometimes I Might Be Introvert,' beating major acts including Wet Leg and Self Esteem. The win elevated one of Black British music's most important voices to mainstream recognition and confirmed the UK rap scene's artistic vitality.

Chinonye Chukwu directed 'Till,' starring Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till-Mobley in the story of her fight for justice after the murder of her 14-year-old son Emmett Till in 1955. Deadwyler's performance was widely considered one of the year's best, though she was controversially overlooked for an Oscar nomination.

Reverend Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Herschel Walker in a Georgia Senate runoff, winning his first full six-year Senate term. The victory confirmed the durability of Georgia's new political landscape and Warnock's historic status as the state's first elected Black senator.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second NFL Most Valuable Player Award for the 2023 season, becoming only the third player in NFL history to win the award multiple times. His unanimous selection confirmed his status as the defining dual-threat quarterback of his generation.

Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy won his second Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album for 'I Told Them...,' cementing Afrobeats' arrival as a dominant global genre. The win reflected the profound influence of the African diaspora on the American music industry and Black American cultural connections to the continent.