Rayna Reid Rayford

In 1943, Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes graduated from the Catholic University of America with her PhD in mathematics.

As VP of Political Strategy for Crooked Media, Shaniqua McClendon created the Vote Save America program, which has raised millions of dollars and mobilized thousands of voters around the country.

For National Science Fiction Day, ESSENCE is paying tribute to one of the greatest sci-fi novelists of all time, Octavia Butler.

If your relationship with America is complicated right now, check out these titles.

Breathwork practitioner Jasmine Marie founded Black Girls Breathing, and she’s trying to help 1 million other Black women by 2025.

Veronica Woodruff is an Afro-Latina entrepreneur who started Travelsist, an AI-powered app that provides travel assistance on demand for those who may need additional help at the airport.

Afro-Puerto Rican historian Arturo Schomburg, after whom The Schomburg Center For Research And Black Culture in Harlem is named, was one of the greatest influences preserving our history in the U.S.

"Failure does not need to be forever…People are bigger than their mistakes in life and it doesn't define who they are,” Jones told ESSENCE.

“My children and I should be able to feel safe and secure in our own home, but…persistent and horrendously racist and sexist intimidation and harassment has made that impossible,” stated Amanda David.

"At West End Gin, our commitment to the Louisville community is more than just a mission—it's our passion,” stated the husband and wife team Dr. Dawn and Stacey Wade.