#becauseofthemwecan

[afriblaq]

She lived and died free.

Assata Shakur has joined the ancestors at 78.

A revolutionary. A mother. A writer. A symbol of resistance. Born JoAnne Deborah Byron, she dedicated her life to Black liberation. First through the Black Panther Party, then the Black Liberation Army. In 1973, she was involved in a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that left a state trooper dead. She was arrested, convicted, and later escaped prison. Assata always maintained her innocence, and many believed her trial was deeply flawed. Shaped by the government’s efforts to silence and criminalize Black activists.

In 1984, she was granted asylum in Cuba, where she lived for over 40 years.

To some, she was a fugitive. To us, she was a freedom fighter.

Her life in exile was quiet but never hidden. Her story became a syllabus. Her words became gospel. Her name became a call to action.

ASSATA.

Check out her autobiography at your local library or bookstore to learn more about her story.

1947 - 2025

[trascapades]

📸🖤 #ArtIsAWeapon YES @laylahb!!! Shine, Sis!!

#WomensHistoryMonth

#YallGonnaGetThisBlackExcellence

📷Images and ✍️🏾story by @becauseofthem (reposted) She’s helping to shape our narrative!⁠

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#LaylahAmatullahBarrayn constructs narratives, curates history, and amplifies the voices of the African diaspora with a lens sharpened by decades of experience. As a documentary and portrait photographer, writer, and curator, @laylahb's work is a force that preserves Black stories with reverence and precision.⁠

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Her name is etched in some of the most influential publications of our time—The New York Times, Vogue, National Geographic, The Washington Post, BBC, NPR, The Nation, and Le Monde. She has traveled the world, documenting Black communities in Minneapolis, Senegal, Martinique, and beyond, always centering culture, tradition, and the nuanced experiences of Black women. ⁠

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Barrayn’s photography isn’t about spectacle; it’s about presence. She understands that representation means nothing without dignity, depth, and truth. Her 2020 monograph, We Are Present, is a testament to that philosophy, capturing portraits of resilience in a year that challenged everything."⁠

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🔗 Click the link 👇🏾 to learn more about Laylah Amatullah Barrayn and the Because of You: Legacy in Focus project from @becauseofthem and @mostincrediblestudio.⁠

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Meet Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, the Award-Winning Portrait Photographer Documenting the Diaspora With Power & Purpose - Because of Them We Ca

*This story is brought to you by Most Incredible Studio founder Syreeta Gates as a part of our Because Of You: Legacy in Focus campaign hono

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#becauseofthemwecan #homeofblackexcellence⁠

#BlackArtists

#BlackWomenArtists

#Photographers

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👉🏾Follow @becauseofthem to join our community for more positive and uplifting Black stories, news, and more ✨⁠

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[merkiesworld]

Gabby Douglas became the first Black gymnast to win the Individual All Around in the 2012 London Olympics. #GabbyDouglas #Olympian #BHM #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackGirlMagic #BlackBoyJoy #Black365 #BlackExcellence #Black #BlackHistory #BlackHistory365 #BlackExcellence365 #Trailblazers #BecauseOfThemWeCan https://www.instagram.com/p/Cod7W1DuwO3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[blackexcellence]

Amaya Jernigan (@amayaa_leigh) is a native of Waldorf, Maryland, and a junior biology major at West Virginia University. She is very active on campus, serving as a member of RISE WVU, M-Power, president of the Eta Omicron chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and previously governing as senator-at-large for the WVU Student Government Association (SGA). Now, Jernigan has made history, elected to serve as student government president. She's becoming the first Black woman to hold the title in the university’s 150-year history.⁠ ⁠ “I would like to thank every Mountaineer who has made it possible for me to hold this position. I am beyond grateful and will be forever thankful that you all were brave enough to pave the way for me,” Jernigan told reporters.⁠ ⁠ Visit the #BecauseOfThemWeCan to read the full story!

[supportblackart]

@thekinseycollection 🙏🏾 Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19th, 1865 that the Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official on January 1st, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the enslaved population in Texas due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. Freedom finally came after a proclamation by General Granger solidified the emancipation of the quarter-million enslaved people in the state. These images are from a larger selection of early ambryotypekw and tintype photographs in @thekinseycollection. Taken during the post-Civil War period of Reconstruction, these elegant portraits portray newly freed African Americans dressed in their best for the photographer. In many ways these photos represent the hopes and dreams of a people, who for so long were denied the right to even have hopes and dreams. With freedom came the urgency to find family that had been sold away, to create businesses and community, participate in the political process, and to cast off the vestiges of slavery. When The Kinsey Collection acquired these historical images they came without descriptive documentation on the subjects in the photographs - thus the names of these incredible people have been lost to history. However, when viewed together, these portraits provide a collective snapshot of African Americans seeking to achieve the American Dream, envisioning a better life for themselves and their families shortly after the end of slavery in the United States. On this day especially, we honor our ancestors who did so much, with so little. Happy Juneteenth from @thekinseycollection. #supportblackart #thekinseycollection #kinseyuntold #juneteenth #juneteenth2020 #africanamericanhistory #africanamericanart #blackhistory #mythofabsence #americanhistory #americanart #history #fineart #art #education #museum #exhibition #becauseofthemwecan #blacklivesmatter https://www.instagram.com/p/CBoltAdhLql/?igshid=1hya8g126dqoi

[designingfacez]

Honoring the Man that sacrificed everything for equality and justice. #mlkday2020 #martinlutherkingjr #thankyou #Becauseofthemwecan (at Gary, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7jguUfgQeO/?igshid=1uc1l0qaxb136

[obiwankenobi26]

Discovering Hidden Languages in the Rainforests of Borneo

For all you language nerds and linguist.

Please look into this new project by DeAndré Espree-Conaway. He was a Watson Fellow and focused on linguistic study for his project and a few years later is still kicking butt in his chosen field. If you can contribute in any way (not just financially) please do so. A black man in Boreno, Indonesia is making sure the native language is preserved. We are making a difference out there y’all. Please spread the word!

[womenruntheworld]

In 1946, Azellia White became the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license in the state of Texas.

"There weren't too many Black people flying, and I said, 'I can learn to fly,' and I learned to fly. It was easy."

She reports being inspired by a visit from former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, to the airbase of the Tuskegee Airmen in 1941. It was after this pivotal visit that Mrs. Roosevelt is said to have convinced her husband to allow the Tuskegee Airmen to be deployed to fly in World War II. More than 70 years later, White still reflects on being present during that visit with great pride and reverence for the opportunity that Mrs. Roosevelt created for Black pilots. "Mrs. Roosevelt helped us. She said, 'I'm going back and tell them to let those Black guys fly,' and she did it and we took over."

After WWII, Black pilots returned to Houston, opened their own school to teach African Americans how to fly, and it was there that White formally trained and ultimately earned her pilot’s license. Over the years, she’s received numerous awards, including being inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, having the the Avation Science Lab at Sterling High School in Houston, Texas named in her honor, and also being honored by the Houston Area Urban League Guild.