Girl Dresses Up As Powerful Historical Figures Every Day For Black History Month
February, as well all know, is Black History Month. It's a time to celebrate powerful black voices and people in history as well as recognize their struggles and how they have contributed to building America.
Nobody knows this better than Cristi Smith-Jones' daughter Lola. From 2017 onwards, she has dressed up as historical black figures. Read on to see how much this super kid has learned and see how great of a job she and her mom did in honoring these inspirational people.
What A Star! Here's Lola As The First Female Astronaut
Here Lola portrays Dr. Mae Jemison. Dr. Jemision became the first black woman in space in 1992 when she orbited Earth for eight days. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in chemical engineering and has a medical degree from Cornell. I'm completely star struck.
The First Black Person To Have Their Own TV Show
Hazel Scott, born 1920, was a jazz singer, actress, and classical pianist. She was also the first black person to have their own TV show in the U.S. She was an advocate for ending racial discrimination in the music industry and could even play two pianos at once.
The Color Purple Jumped Off The Palette Onto Our Screen
Pulitzer prize winner Alice Walker's novel and Oscar-nominated film, The Color Purple, follows the character of Celie as she struggles to find and love herself despite being caught in the cycle of abuse.
Get Your Claws Out! Black Panther Is Here
Not only is Black Panther the first Marvel movie to feature a black lead superhero, but its city Wakanda stands as a symbol for powerful black voices and believing in yourself. Lola is dressed as Shuri, arguably the coolest character in the film.
Lola Got To Play James Hemings, Who Popularized Mac N Cheese And Chef To Thomas Jefferson
If you're an American who enjoys baked mac & cheese, ice cream, and French fries, then you have to thank James Hemings. He was a slave owned by Thomas Jefferson and worked as his personal chef. He trained in Paris as a chef and brought his creations and ideas over to America.
Lola Got Political As The First Black Woman Senator
Carol Moseley Braun was the first black woman in the American senate and the first female senator from Illinois. She majored in political science and has a Juris doctor degree from Chicago Law School.
SciFi Got A Cover Shot With Octavia Butler's Kindred Tribute
The novel Kindred by award-winning science fiction author Octavia Butler expertly weaves together themes of time travel and slave narratives. Butler has won many awards for her science fiction works, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in Writing from the PEN American Center.
Lola Took A Page From Civil Rights Activist And Newspaper Editor Beatrice Morrow Cannady's Book
Cannady used her platform as the assistant editor then chief editor and owner of The Advocate to fight racism, oppression, and inform readers of KKK activity in the area. In 1922, she became the first black woman to graduate from Northwestern College of Law in Portland.
Lola Is Nearly Neon In Kehinde Wiley's Signature Portrait Style
Wiley is an accredited artist known for his bold and beautiful colors and patterns on his portrait paintings. Obama picked him to paint his official portrait for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Lola Really Came Out Of Her Shell With This Recreation Of Charles White's Photograph
Charles White, an African American painter, artist, and lithographer is recreated here by Lola. His work, "Love Letter III" is a tribute to the strength and beauty of black women.
Ntozake Shange's Play Took Center Stage
Lola's photo here is dedicated to Ntozake Shange's theatre piece "for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf." The piece dramatically follows through movement, poetry, and acting out the struggles of seven women suffering racialized oppression.
The Future Is Bright Thanks To Young Voices Like Actor Marsai Martin's
American actor, Marsai Martin, was only born in 2004, but she stars in critically acclaimed TV show Black-ish and in the 2016 film An American Girl Story—Melody 1963: Love Has To Win. She recently became the youngest person in history to produce a Hollywood film, as she's the executive producer of and star of Little.
The Earth Revolves Around The Sun And This Beautiful Tribute To Entertainer Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt was born in 1927 to a black mother and white father and was sent away to live with a relative after her mother's death. In 1940s Harlem, Eartha was a popular entertainer and singer with many hits on television and the radio. She played Catwoman in Batman and in the 1970s won two Tony awards.
Lola Shows Us The Power Of Kids With A Homage To The First Youth Poet Laureate
Amanda Gorman first became a youth delegate for the UN, and in 2014, became LA's first Youth Poet Laureate. In 2017, she became the National Youth Poet Laureate. She's currently studying at Harvard where she continues to inspire others with her words and empowerment.
If Beale Street Could Talk, It Would Only Have Good Things To Say About This Image
This day Lola and her mother decided to recreate the film poster of If Beale Street Could Talk. Directed by Barry Jenkins, the film follows the challenges and love faced by a black couple when the husband is falsely accused of assault. The film received many nominations and awards.
A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words And One Poem By Audre Lorde
Here Lola visualizes "Coping" by African American poet Audre Lorde. Lorde was an active member of the civil rights movement, anti-war organizations, and feminist movements. She was nominated for a National Book Award in 1973.
Sweet Potato Pie! Today Lola Created The Queen Of Creole Cooking, Dooky Chase
Born and raised in New Orleans and helping manage her family farm, food has always been an integral part of Leah Chases's life. After expanding her husband's street corner sandwich stall into a full-restaurant, Chase became an active part of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. was known to hold strategy meetings in her restaurant.
The World Looks And Sounds A Little Better Thanks To Singer Marian Anderson
Despite facing racist opposition, singer Marian Anderson toured in the 1930s United States. She was friends with Albert Einstein and in 1955 became the first black person to ever perform at The Metropolitan Opera. She was dedicated to fighting for civil rights and became a delegate for the UN Human Rights Committee.
Lola Is Singing In The Snow In Honor Of Composer James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson wrote and composed the iconic black empowerment song "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" in 1900. In 1919 it became the official NAACP song and they dubbed it the Black National Anthem and Beyoncé even performed it at Coachella in 2018.
Elizabeth Catlett's Sculptures Are As Beautiful As They Are Still
Born in 1915, sculptor and printmaker Elizabeth Catlett was the first student to receive a master's degree in sculpting from the University of Iowa. She was an art professor at many colleges and universities throughout her life and moved to Mexico where she used her art to promote social equality for impoverished Mexican people.
Lola Shed A Tear In Tribute To Tupac's Poetry
Most people know Tupac Shakur for his music, but he was also a talented poet, actor, and ballet dancer. His poem "Sometimes I Cry" was the inspiration for Lola's tearful photo.
Lola Peeked Behind The Curtain At Titus Kaphar's Art
Titus Kaphar is a multimedia artist whose paintings are held at the MOMA and the Brooklyn Museum, among others. He incorporates history into his art and doesn't shy away from addressing the truths we're not always taught.
Girl Power! Lola Recreates Celebrated Feminist, Professor, And Writer Bell Hooks
Bell Hooks is an acclaimed intellectual, feminist theorist, cultural critic, artist, and writer, and has published works that span genres and media. She's published several books and is the founder of the Bell Hooks Institute.
Ballerina Raven Wilkinson Was So On Point
Born in 1935, Raven Wilkinson was the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company. This trailblazer became a soloist in only her second year with the company and later went on to mentor principal dancer Misty Copeland.
Alex Haley's Roots Helped Grow This Photo Of Lola
Alex Haley's 1976 novel Roots is a story about lineage and the impact slavery has had on tracing one's own. Lola's mother says by dressing Lola as the mother Binta Kinte, who was separated from her son and never knew her grandchildren, she hopes to honor ancestry.
Things Got Magical With The Wiz
If you haven't heard of or seen The Wiz, the all-black stage production of the classic The Wizard of Oz, then you really need to. Lola looks fantastic and like she's ready to follow the yellow brick road.
Four Is Better Than One, Especially When It's A Tribute To Nina Simone's Song "Four Women"
Nina Simone, born 1933, was a singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. She attended Julliard in New York City, and played piano at a nightclub in Atlantic City. This job let her launch more than 40 albums and establish herself as a prominent musician.
Lola's Portrayal Of Rosalee From "Underground" Deserves Its Spot In The Limelight
"Underground" is a television show following the lives of slaves who use the underground railroad to escape to the north from their Georgian plantation. The show features many well-known historical leaders like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.
Lola Donned Black And White For The Oreo Novel By Fran Ross
Oreo was inspired by the Greek tale of Theseus, except the titular role is a 14-year-old biracial Jewish girl who's called Oreo by her family. The story is a humorus, touching, and poignant reframing of an old myth under modern circumstances.
