Black History Month

An abolitionist, land owner and business operator, Gloucester was said to be the wealthiest Black woman in the nation at the time of her death in 1883.

Dr. Aprille Ericsson is a leader in science and aeronautical engineering.

Wallace was one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time.

Eddie Murphy was listed as one of the "100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time" by Comedy Central.

About.com ranked the Grammy Award-winning artist #3 on its list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time."

Dr. Josephine English, a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics, was the first Black woman to open a private practice in the state of New York. She is said to have delivered about 6,000 babies, many of them in Brooklyn.

Jay-Z pulled himself up by his bootstraps to eventually become the reigning rapper of New York City.

Raised in Crown Heights, Dr. McKinney Steward was the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in New York.

The award-winning director, producer, actor and writer is known for addressing the uncomfortable truths of American politics and race relations.

MC Lyte forged the way for other female MCs to find their path in the often-sexist, male-dominated world of Hip-Hop.