As black lawmakers entered the House of Representatives in increasing numbers during the 1960s, they sought a formal organization. A predecessor of the caucus, the Democratic Select Committee, was founded in 1969 — and its chairman, Rep. Charles Diggs of Michigan, subsequently earned a spot on President Richard Nixon’s Enemies List. The group was renamed…

In 1948 high-flying Coachman, a Tuskegee Institute all-American, became the first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal and the first American woman to capture gold in track and field when she won the high-jump competition in the London Olympics. Her winning jump — 5 feet 6¼ inches — also set an Olympic record…

Before she played the glamorous Dominique Devereaux on the 1980s prime-time soap Dynasty, before her hilarious turn as Whitley’s mom on A Different World, before she became a breast cancer survivor and activist, Carroll broke down barriers as the star of the show Julia, which ran from 1968 to 1971. The solidly middle-class Julia, a…

After conservative talk show host Glenn Beck called President Barack Obama a racist, McClain, a writer and staff member of the online activist group Color of Change, worked to get companies to pull their ads from his show. More than 285,000 people complained and signed online petitions. As a result, a number of major corporate…

Glenn Ligon (born 1960), Hands, 1996. Silkscreen ink and gesso on unstretched canvas, 82 × 144 inches (208.3 × 365.8 cm). Collection of Eileen Harris Norton. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen. © Glenn Ligon. Malcolm X (Version 1) #1, 2000. Vinyl-based paint, silkscreen ink and gesso on canvas, 96 × 72 inches (243.8 × 182.9 cm).…

Senior adviser and assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement When President Obama took office, Jarrett was mostly known as his closest confidante, but the attorney and former real estate developer is now one of the White House’s most visible forces. In addition to serving as a go-between with the public and…

Created in 1871 to raise money for a struggling Fisk University, the school’s choral ensemble, the Jubilee Singers, quickly won national acclaim. They performed for President Ulysses S. Grant at the White House in 1872. Many years later, President George W. Bush awarded the Jubilee Singers the National Medal of Arts. Captions by Lauren Williams…

From left: Sheryl Huggins Salomon of The Root with panelists and special guests Cheryl “Coko” Clemons, Tamara “Taj” George, Leanne “Lelee” Lyons, Beverly Bond, Tracey Ferguson, Terri J. Vaughn and Jacque Reid. Photographs by Jason Chunn Captions by The Root Editorial Staff Sisters With Voices’ Tamara “Taj” George (left) shared stories of sisterhood, Survivor and (professional)…

Carib Indians were some of the original inhabitants of the islands between North and South America — hence the sea named after them: the Caribbean. Captions by Rebecca Theodore It is generally accepted that Columbus “discovered” the West Indies, although the debate still rages as to whether he was an explorer or a colonist. Here,…

In 2010, revenue rose 45 percent to $3.2 billion as demand from the public and private sectors soared for this Maryland Heights, Mo., firm’s technology products and consulting services. David L. Steward, chairman of the board, founded World Wide Technology in 1990. Prior to working at WWT, Steward, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business…