Raven Cook

Diahann Carroll was born Carol Diann Johnson in the Bronx in 1935. At a young age, she won a music scholarship and began modeling as a teen. While studying at New York University, she won a TV talent show and sang at the famed Latin Quarter nightclub in 1954. She soon started acting in Hollywood and Broadway productions, and received a Tony award for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in No Strings. She would later perform on Hollywood variety shows such as The Tonight Show and others.

Born in 1898, Septima P. Clark was a civil rights activist and educator. She worked with the NAACP and other civil rights organizations, and she was a teacher for more than 40 years. This is her story. This segment originally aired on March 6, 2019.

James Hal Cone, born in Fordyce, Ark. in 1938, grew up in Bearden and earned a Master's of Divinity from Garrett Theological Seminary as well as a Master's and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He developed the concept of Black Liberation Theology, which is defined as a theological identity that was accountable to the life, history, and culture of African-American people. He also wrote Black Theology and Black Power in 1969 as well as other critical texts. This is his story. This segment originally aired on April 17, 2019.

Born in 1851, Ella Sheppard was enslaved on the Hermitage Plantation in Hermitage, Tenn. After learning that her daughter was being trained to spy on her, Ella's mother went to the river to drown both of them to escape the bonds of slavery. On approaching the river, Ella's mother was stopped by an elderly enslaved woman who insisted that no harm come to the child. Ella was eventually bought by her father and sent to Nashville. They then eventually moved to Cincinnati, where she began her musical training. She worked with distinguished music teachers to learn piano and singing.

Sonia Sanchez was born in Birmingham, Ala. in 1934. She got her bachelor's degree from Hunter College in 1955 and pursued a graduate degree under the mentorship of poet Louise Bogan. In the 1960s, she worked with the Congress of Racial Equality before hearing Malcolm X and taking a separatist posture instead. She began a career as a professor at Downtown Community School in New York, later moving to San Francisco State College. As a professor, she pioneered in the fields of Black Studies and Women's Studies.