In the summer of 1908, the country was shocked by the account of the race riots at Springfield, Illinois. Here, in the home of Abraham Lincoln, a mob containing many of the town's "best citizens," raged for two days, killed and wounded scores of Negroes, and drove thousands from the city. And because of this the NAACP was born.

Venus and Serena Williams have been on top of their game for a long time, and have made a name for themselves in more than just the tennis world. Serena with her own fashion line and the two of them becoming part owners of the Miami Dolphins. Take a look back at how the sisters started their career here.

Bessie Coleman, the daughter of a poor, southern, African American family, became one of the most famous women and African Americans in aviation history. "Brave Bessie" or "Queen Bess," as she became known, faced the double difficulties of racial and gender discrimination in early 20th-century America but overcame such challenges to become the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license. Read more on her story here.

Haeley Vaughn is an ambition young girl who has set her eyes on being the first African American Pop Country Mainstream singer, and she has gotten herself off to a good start. Check out her American Idol audition that had Simone Cowell enamored with her.

Remember Hootie & The Blow Fish? See what lead singer Darius Rucker is up to now.

When she moved to the nation’s most prestigious address, Michelle Obama’s husband told her that rough times were ahead. The country was in recession, people were out of work, the political parties were in open warfare — and the man who was going to be blamed for it all was President Barack Obama. But you won’t hear the first lady utter a peep of complaint. Watch her interview with Matt Lauer here.

Alex Haley, a master story teller brought us our first glimpse into the lives of slaves with his critically acclaimed book Roots. Read about Mr. Haley's story here.

A revolution can occur in many ways. Some choose to protest with marches and picket signs. Bill T. Jones chose dance. Read his story here.

In 1928 Oscar DePriest became the first African American congressman elected to the House of Representatives from a northern state and a national symbol for racial pride. Read more on Oscar DePriest here.

Eight-year-old Amirikis Smith has been saving for college for the past two years. He has already deposited more than $300. But when he saw the devastation in Haiti, he decided it was time to make a withdrawal. Read about this young hero here.

Identical twin brothers Albert and Allen Hughes became celebrities when they completed their first feature-length movie, Menace II Society. Their age when the film was released in May of 1993--they had just turned 21--put them in the company of celebrated young black directors like John Singleton, who was 23 in 1991 when Boyz N the Hood was released. Read their amazing story here.

On July 2, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. See his remarks on this historic day here.