Barack & Michelle Obama: President Barack Obama was elected as the 44th president of the United States. He made history in 2009 as the first African American president of the United States. This year, President Obama served his second and final term. His wife and First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, is the first African American first Lady in the United States. Her focus on health with “Let’s Move” and humanitarian efforts such as “Bring Back Our Girls” galvanized and changed the outlook of the nation. First Lady Michelle Obama is known as the one of the greatest First Ladies of all time.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Cathy Hughes: Cathy Hughes, who started her career in radio at Howard University, is a dynamic, media pioneer who demonstrates the power of one – one woman, one vision, one company – Radio One. As Founder and Chairperson of Radio One, Inc., the largest African-American owned and operated, broadcast company in the nation, Hughes’ unprecedented career has spawned a multi-media conglomerate that generates original content across the spectrums of radio, television and digital media. This year, Howard University honored Hughes with the unveiling of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications. Also, The Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame named her as one of its 2016 Hall of Fame inductees and the sole recipient of its Music Living Legends Award. (Sentinel File Photo)
Chris Paul: NBA superstar Chris Paul has been an exceptional multitasker. All the while Paul is helping the Clippers be a contending, playoffs-bound team, he has funded several community outreach and philanthropy events. From giving out glasses to students of the Inglewood district with teammate Paul Pierce to providing a pair of shoes to an entire elementary school in Compton, Paul knows how to assist people both on and off the hardwood. In July, Paul was recognized for his efforts with the Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award. (Sentinel File Photo)
Jesse Williams: To most, actor Jesse Williams is known for his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on the hit TV show “Grey’s Anatomy.” This year, Williams made headlines for his work off camera as a civil right activist. At the annual Black Entertainment Television (BET) Award show, Williams received the Lifetime Achievement Award and gave a powerful speech highlighting police brutality, and the injustice and killings of Blacks. (Sentinel File Photo)
Kamala Harris: California Attorney General Kamala Harris made history for women of color after beating her opponent Loretta Sanchez in the 2016 primary election. Not only did Harris become the second Black woman elected to the Senate, she also became the sixth Black U.S. Senator in the country’s history and she is the first Black and third woman to represent the California U.S. Senate. (Sentinel File Photo)
Clarence Avant: On October 7, 2016, the city of Los Angeles deemed it “Clarence Avant Day.” During his recent Hollywood Walk Of Fame induction ceremony, Avant was celebrated for the sixty years of trailblazing work he’s done behind the scenes as a music executive. Renown as the “Godfather of Black Music” Avant, 85, began his career as a music manager in the 50s for the likes of R&B singer Little Willie John, jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, as well as rock and roll pioneer Tom Wilson. In the 60s, his knack for spotting talent led to the founding of Venture Records Inc. backed by MGM Records, the label would become the first joint venture between an African American-owned music company and a major record label. (Photo by Valerie Goodloe)
Colin Kaepernick: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested against police brutality in a way that rocked the NFL. His act of kneeling during the play of the national anthem was either seen as heroic or disrespectful. Players throughout the NFL had a diverse range of reacting to Kaepernick’s stance, some kneeled, while teams linked arms. Some disagreed with his methods, but continued the conversation of police brutality. His protest led Kaepernick to have the top jersey sales in the NFL in September. He has donated money to many organizations throughout the U.S. since the start of his protest. (Sentinel File Photo)
Simone Biles: The 2016 Rio Olympics was historic for Blacks across the U.S. USA women’s gymnast Simone Biles dominated the competition earning her a gold medal. Biles left Rio with four gold medals and one bronze medal. The Olympian is one of many Black athletes who broke Olympic boundaries. (AP Photo)
Serena Williams: Tennis icon Serena Williams best displayed her mastery of the sport during her seventh Wimbledon title run. Williams defeated Angelique Kerber 7-5 6-3 in the title match. Along with legendary tennis player and sister, Venus, they won their sixth Wimbledon title in women’s doubles. Williams now matches tennis player Steffi Graf’s number of grand slam titles. (AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)
Minister Tony: Minister Tony Muhammad (Brother Tony) is known for bringing peace to the streets of Los Angeles. This year Brother Muhammad demonstrated his love for the Black community by holding the United Hoods plus Nation peace and unity summit at Mosque #27. There he asked Bloods and Crips to have an open dialogue to unite and stop killings in the Black community. (Sentinel File Photo)
Herb Wesson: Since 2005 Herb Wesson has served on Los Angeles’ City Council. He is the leader of the tenth district as well as the Council president. The L.A. Times referred to him as the second most powerful politician in Los Angeles, wielding huge authority over the city’s $8.8-billion budget, which governs spending on police, firefighters and an array of services. Wesson is the first African American to hold the position of Council President in the city’s history and has been re-elected three times to lead the city’s legislative body. During his tenure as Council President, Wesson has presided over monumental policy initiatives making Los Angeles a better place to live, work and raise a family. Not only have local policy initiatives —which include raising the minimum wage, pension reform and consolidating city elections to increase voter turnout— positively affected local residents, but in many cases the city’s actions have spurred state and national response and served as a model for similar policies. (Courtesy Photo)
Mark Ridley Thomas: Since he was overwhelmingly elected in November 2008 and reelected in June 2012 to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Mark Ridley-Thomas has distinguished himself as a strong advocate for more than two million Second District residents. He presently serves as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and President of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission. He has promoted the District’s interests on a variety of fronts, including transportation, job creation and retention, and local hiring. In the area of health policy, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas has overseen the construction of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, as well as a network of cutting-edge health care facilities throughout the District. He has facilitated the use of technology and encouraged an integrated approach to wellness that includes mental health care and a prominent role for school-based clinics. His advocacy has helped secure an equitable share of funding for public-private partnership health clinics in underserved areas. (Courtesy Photo)
Mayor James Butts: Inglewood Mayor James Butts took office in 2011. Since then, crime has been reported as the lowest level in the history of the city. Mayor Butts has also revamped city services, reconstructed the Forum, and helped brokered a deal which lead to the NFL returning to Los Angeles area. (Sentinel File Photo)
E.J. Jackson: South L.A. business owner E.J. Jackson was known for his successful transportation service Jackson Limousines, his humanitarian work and his famous turkey giveaways. In early November, Jackson passed away from a heart attack. (Sentinel File Photo)
William Scott: Soon to be former Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief William Scott will take the new position as San Francisco’s police chief. For the last 27 years, the 52-year-old officer has led Los Angeles’ South Bureau working assignments in patrol, detectives, gangs, Operations West Bureau, Internal Affairs, Professional Standards Bureau, the Office of Operations, Patrol Commanding Officer and Area Commanding Officer. He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute of Policing (SMIP), and has a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. According to news reports from San Francisco, Mayor Lee may garner criticism of himself for choosing an outside candidate for the position as opposed to the perceived front runner Toney Chaplin, currently SFPD’s acting police chief. Sixty one candidates applied to the job in San Francisco, according to news reports from SFGATE.com. His longtime administrative experience plus his work dealing with police reform in Los Angeles, figured into Lee’s decision. (Courtesy Photo)
