belle of the ballet {michaela deprince}

michaela deprince is the complete embodiment of a survivor.  thanks to a country in the midst of civil war, both of her parents were killed when she was very young in sierre leone.  michaela was then ostracized at the orphanage where she ended up because of a skin disease (vitiligo) that she had no control over but made her look different.  but in the orphanage is also where michaela (known then as mabinty) would find inspiration.  there was a picture of a ballerina on the cover of a magazine she came across.  michaela would become enamored with this the tear out, promising herself that if she ever got out of the situation she was in, this was what her life should look like.  as luck would have it, she would be adopted by a great family in america who encouraged her to pursue her dreams of dancing.  even in america, this wouldn't be easy. a dark skinned black girl dancing ballet was not the norm and michaela would face plenty of discrimination and ridicule.  thankfully, michaela deprince would not let the naysayers get in her way.  she would go on to become a very successful ballerina despite the obstacles.  she is now a member of the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company and is slated to join the main company next year! michaela even lived out her dream of playing the lead in the classic Swan Lake production at Lincoln Center.  and did i mention that she is only 19?!  what we love most about deprince is her need to help others.  she recognizes and relishes her position as a role model. 

"Because I’ve been through so much, I know now that I can

 make it and I can help other kids who have been in really 

bad situations realize that they can make it too.” 

ice queen {debi thomas}

debi thomas was a refreshing brown face in a sea of snow white.  in 1986, she was an inspiration to many when she became the first black Olympian to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.  a beautiful, intelligent young girl excelling at the highest level?  she certainly made us proud.  before that, the young girl from poughkeepsie, ny moved to san jose, and took up the ice skating hobby.  while competing, debi often faced racism and bias as she performed extremely well but got lower scores than her more mediocre counterparts.  debi did not let that get in the way of her goals.  she went on to win the 1986 World Championship and a two time US national champion. but thomas wasn't through yet.  debi had always dreamed of being a doctor and went on to pursue that goal fiercely.  she earned her degree in engineering from Stamford University and her medical degree from northwestern.  debi became an orthopedic surgeon and opened her own private practice in virginia.  ms. thomas proved to be a prime example of black excellence.

the boxing beauty {claressa shields}

were you aware of the fact that a seventeen year old black girl made history by becoming one of the first to win a gold medal in boxing (and the very first american woman)?    that teenager was flint, michigan native claressa shields.  you may be unfamiliar with the name since she didn't receive the press and endorsements that other olympians like gabby douglass and ryan lochte did.  honestly, she was just as deserving of that kind of attention.  
claressa, despite her turbulent circumstances growing up, has a winning personality, beauty and a great work ethic that is taking her to the top.  we wish her well in her college studies and in the 2016 Rio Olympics.  the world would benefit from a bigger dose of ms. shields in our future.