Meet 17 Rising Stars Who Personify Black Excellence During Black History Month

After the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the landscape of American activism was forever changed. Local issues began to erupt into nationwide uprisings. Social media helped curate a collective feeling of solidarity and stewardship even with people we’ve never met before. As police brutality launched into the headlines with a force unseen in decades, two young women in New York, Synead Nichols and Umaara Elliott, organized one of the biggest and most prominent anti-police brutality marches the city had ever seen: the Millions March NYC.

“When I was 21, I couldn’t make sense of the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Mike Brown, black men who were killed by law enforcement because of the color of their skin,” Synead recalls to Teen Vogue. “I decided to go to a Mike Brown rally at Union Square [in Manhattan] the day the verdict came. When I discovered that no one would be indicted for his murder, I was distraught. I protested all the way to East Harlem. At the end of the night I kept thinking, What can I do?”

Synead turned her frustration into action. She used social media to spread word of the march she and Umaara intended on having, and despite having little to no experience with organizing a protest action, they received a huge response.

Since the march, Synead has used her artistic endeavors as a method of expression and resistance.

“Incorporating music, creativity, and more of who I am into my activism has helped me understand that there are many powerful ways to fight for equality. I want to be a household name and win an EGOT [Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony], tour in 6 continents, and visit as many countries [as possible] in the next upcoming years of my life,” says Synead.

Women such as Toni Morrison, Erykah Badu, Angela Davis, Michelle Obama, Lauryn Hill, Eartha Kitt, Angela Bassett, Misty Copeland, and Maya Angelou are the black trailblazers that Synead looks up to. “These women are not only artists, but educators and innovators. They’ve taught me about womanhood, strength, perseverance, education, equality, individualism, community, social economics, the power of words, and so many other things. Together they also show me that I can be creative and be an individual, while still being powerful in my activism.”