Stylist Tyrone “Ty” Hunter was born on August 20, 1972 in Austin, Texas. He attended Pearce Junior High School in Austin before completing coursework in music video production at the Art Institute of Dallas in 1990.

Following his studies, Hunter met designer Tina Knowles, who would become his mentor, when he was working at the boutique Bui-Yah-Kah in the Galleria Mall in Houston. After gaining additional experience at the clothing store Bebe, he was hired as a stylist for the girl group Destiny’s Child. This would lead to Hunter styling Destiny’s Child for their music video Survivor and the Total Request Live Tour, followed by their Destiny’s Child World Tour in 2002. He also styled Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland for their solo projects. Then, when Beyoncé Knowles launched her solo career, Hunter became her primary stylist, beginning with the 2003 release of Dangerously in Love. Over the next eleven years, Hunter styled Beyoncé for every major album cycle and tour, including the Dangerously in Love Tour (2003), B’Day (2006), The Beyoncé Experience Tour (2007), I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008–2009), 4 (2011), The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013), and the On the Run Tour with Jay-Z (2014). Hunter also collaborated on Beyonce’s Met Gala appearances from the years of 2008 to 2015.

After leaving Parkwood Entertainment in 2014, Hunter launched ServedFresh, a streetwear clothing line; and in 2015, he introduced a lighting phone case accessory, a tech gadget designed to enhance smartphone photography. Hunter joined President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative in 2015. Then, in 2017, he collaborated with Foot Locker to design an athletic shoe and later partnered with Hyundai to create a capsule clothing collection. In 2022, Hunter published his memoir, Makeover from Within: Lessons in Hardship, Acceptance, and Self-Discovery, with Chronicle Books.

Hunter has a daughter, Trezure Hunter, and resides in New York, New York.

Tyrone “Ty” Hunter was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on October 10, 2025.

Actress and comedian Marsha Warfield was born on March 5, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois, to Josephine and James Warfield. She was raised in the city’s South Side Englewood neighborhood and graduated from Calumet High School in 1971. She was known for her wit and writing ability before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment in 1976.

In 1977, Warfield landed a role on The Richard Pryor Show, appearing in three episodes before the show was canceled that same year. She was then cast in the 1978 television movie That Thing on ABC, an hour-long comedy special featuring performances by Shelley Long, Mandy Patinkin, John Ritter, and Warfield. In 1979, Warfield gained recognition by winning the San Francisco National Stand-Up Comedy Competition and went on to appear in the 1981 film The Marva Collins Story. She also had a brief role in the 1982 Kung Fu parody They Call Me Bruce. Her television career continued to grow in 1984 with a recurring role as Max in four episodes of the series Riptide. That same year, she made a guest appearance in an episode of season three of Family Ties, followed by a 1985 guest spot in season three of Cheers. Warfield’s breakout role came in 1986 when she was cast as bailiff Rosalind “Roz” Russell on the courtroom comedy series Night Court where she remained until 1992, appearing in a total of 136 episodes. From 1990 to 1991, Warfield produced and hosted the daytime talk show The Marsha Warfield Show, which featured guests such as Rosie O’Donnell, Brooke Shields, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. The show aired for ten months with over 200 episodes. Later, in 1997, she made guest appearances in one episode of Moesha and two episodes of Living Single.

From 2021 to 2023, Warfield was cast in the role of Toni Wilson on the Fox Network television series 9-1-1. In 2023, she reprised her role as Roz Russell in three episodes of the rebooted Night Court on NBC. In 2024, Warfield performed her stand-up comedy at the Comedy Cellar in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at Tommy T’s Comedy Club in Pleasanton, California, alongside comedians George Wallace and Ron G.

Warfield resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with her wife, Angie.

Marsha Warfield was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 8, 2024.

Law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw was born on May 5, 1959 in Canton, Ohio to Marion Williams and Walter Crenshaw. She attended Akron Community College in Ohio before transferring to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 1978, where she earned her B.A. degree in government and Africana studies in 1981. She attended Harvard Law School, where she obtained her J.D. degree in 1984. Crenshaw went on to receive her LL.M. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1986.

From 1985 to 1986, Crenshaw worked as a law clerk for Wisconsin Supreme Court Judge Shirley Abrahamson. In 1986, she began serving as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, where she remained for over thirty-five years, becoming a Distinguished Professor of Law in 2017. Crenshaw was appointed professor of law at Columbia University School of Law in 1992. While at Columbia, she founded and became executive director of the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies (CISPS) in 2011. Crenshaw held joint appointments at both Columbia and UCLA, while also serving as a visiting professor and fellow at various national and international universities. In 1998, she co-founded and became executive director of the African American Policy Forum (AAPF), a social justice think tank dedicated to dismantling structural inequality. In 2014, Crenshaw launched the #SayHerName campaign with AAPF and CISPS to raise awareness of Black women who are victims of police violence.

Crenshaw became a member of the Society of American Law Teachers and the Law and Society Association in 1987. She was also a founding scholar in the development of critical race theory and intersectionality. She coined the term “intersectionality” in her 1989 essay, “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics.” Since 1989, she has authored and edited numerous articles and books on critical race theory and intersectionality, including Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement and On Intersectionality: Essential Writings.

Crenshaw has received honorary doctorates from multiple academic institutions, including John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2016, Smith College in 2018, KU Leuven in Belgium in 2020, and the University of Bayreuth in 2021. She was also the recipient of the Women’s Equality & Intersectional Gender Equity Award from the National Organization for Women in 2015. That same year, she was honored in Ebony magazine’s “Power 100” list. In 2021, Crenshaw was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 2023, she received the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Award from the women’s section of AALS.

Crenshaw resides in Los Angeles, California.

Kimberlé Crenshaw was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 9, 2024.

Art consultant Valerie A. Cooper was born on October 18, 1961, in Stamford, Connecticut, to Harley and Mary Cooper. She graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, with her B.S. degree in mental health and computer science in 1983 and earned her M.B.A. degree in corporate relations and finance from Columbia University Business School in New York City in 1987.

Cooper began her career at Travelers Insurance Company in Hartford, Connecticut, where she worked as a computer programmer from 1983 to 1985. After completing her M.B.A., she joined Goldman Sachs in 1987 as vice president of risk technology, later serving as corporate curator for the Americas, Europe, and Asia. During her fifteen-year tenure, she developed and managed Goldman Sachs’ corporate art collection, overseeing acquisitions and exhibitions that emphasized cultural representation and global engagement.

In 2002, Cooper founded Picture That, LLC, an art consulting and curatorial services firm specializing in corporate art acquisition, art-based branding, and workplace design. Through Picture That, she has advised corporations, healthcare systems, and educational institutions nationwide. Her firm has received multiple honors, including the WorkPlace Company Partner of the Year Award (2017) and the Arts & Culture Empowerment Corporate Award (2018).

Beyond her entrepreneurial work, Cooper has served as an adjunct professor of business at Norwalk Community College from 2016 to 2023, and in 2020, she became national director of the HBCU Digital Art Project (H-DAP), advancing digital access and representation of African American artists. In 2023, she joined the Smithsonian American Art Museum as a community outreach consultant.

Cooper has received numerous awards and honors, including the Leadership Award from Congressman Jim Himes in 2010, the Women Making an Impact Award from the Fairfield County Business Journal in 2014, the MGM Resorts Women’s History Month Award in 2018, the Powerful Woman Leaders Award from the Westchester County Business Journal in 2019, and the Exemplary Service Award from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Atlantic Region Chapter in 2021. Cooper received numerous Supplier of the Year awards including the Connecticut Supplier of the Year Award from the State of Connecticut Office of the Treasurer in 2006, the National Supplier of the Year Award from the Minority Supplier Development Council in 2008, the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council’s Supplier of the Year Award in 2014, and the National Minority Supplier Development Council’s Regional Supplier of the Year Award in 2015. Cooper was included on The Network Journal’s “25 Most Influential Black Women in Business” list in 1999. Picture That, LLC has received numerous awards including the WorkPlace Company Partner of the Year Award in 2017 and the Arts & Culture Empowerment Corporate Award in 2018.

Cooper resides in Stamford, Connecticut.

Valerie A. Cooper was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 7, 2024.

Civic leader Dometrice “Dee” Clemmons was born on January 4, 1969 in Atlanta, Georgia to Margie Holmes and Walter Clemmons. She graduated from Gordon High in Decatur, Georgia in 1987 and went on to earn her B.A. degree in English from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1991 and her M.A. degree in leadership from Beulah Heights University in Atlanta in 2001. In 2021, Clemmons received a certified executive coach license from the Center for Executive Coaching.

In 1987, Clemmons was hired as a center director with the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, where she worked until 1990. During this time, she also served as a student appointee to the first board of the White House’s Points of Light Foundation. After graduating from Spelman, Clemmons worked as a teacher with the City Schools of Decatur until 1993. That same year, she was hired as chief executive officer of the College for Kids Child Care Center, where she remained until 2020. In 2010, Clemmons founded DCL Public Private Solutions Group, a consulting firm, where she has served as chief executive officer and business consultant. From 2016 to 2023, she served as the first African American female commissioner of Henry County, Georgia and was re-elected in 2022 before her resignation in 2023. In 2019, she became a franchisee of Painting with a Twist, a paint-and-sip company. In 2021, she also worked as a franchise owner of Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services. In 2022, Clemmons became an independent contractor and business coach for Accion Opportunity Fund, a small business lender.

Clemmons has been active in numerous organizations including the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. MECCA Chapter from 2017 to 2018 and the NCNW Henry Clayton organization from 2020 to 2023. She also served as founder and board chair of the Shaquille O’Neal Henry County Boys & Girls Club between 2021 and 2023.

Clemmons received the Commissioner of the Year Award from the Georgia Minority Business Awards in 2018; and she was awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award by the Biden administration in 2024.

Clemmons has two adult children, India and Angel Scandrick, and one grandchild, Brooklyn Myers. Clemmons resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Honorable Dometrice “Dee” Clemmons was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 3, 2024.

Judge Harry T. Edwards was born on November 3, 1940 in New York, New York to George Harrison Edwards, Jr. and Arline Ross. He received his B.S. degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 1962 and his J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor in 1965.

That year, Edwards joined the law office of Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson in Chicago as an associate, where he worked for five years. He returned to the University of Michigan Law School, as an associate professor in 1970. In 1975, Edwards joined Harvard Law School, first as a visiting professor and then as a tenured member of the faculty. After two years, he and his family returned to Ann Arbor, where he rejoined the faculty at the University of Michigan. In 1976, President Gerald Ford appointed him to serve as a member of the National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year. He was reappointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. That same year President Carter appointed him to serve on the board of directors of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK), and in 1979, he was elected chairman of the board. In 1980, Edwards was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to serve as a circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where he was chief judge from 1994 to 2001. As chief judge, he received high praise from members of the bench, bar, and press for fostering collegial relations among the members of the court. He took senior status on the court in 2005. In 2025, he became the longest serving judge in the history of the court. During his time on the bench, he served as a visiting professor of law at Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Michigan, University of California at Irvine, and the School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen, China. He also served as Professor of Law at the NYU School of Law between 1990 and 2026.

During his career, Edwards has been a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, the American Judicature Society, and the National Academy of Arbitrators. In 2006, he was appointed by the National Academy of Sciences to serve as co-chair of the Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Science Community. On February 18, 2009, the Committee published a widely circulated study that reported serious deficiencies in the nation’s forensic science system and called for major reforms and new research.

Edwards has received numerous awards and honors, including membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1989, Fellow of the American Bar Foundation in 1999, the Judicial Honoree Award from the Bar Association of the District of Columbia in 2001, the Robert J. Kutak Award from the American Bar Association in 2004, the Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Michigan Law School in 2011, the Marshall-Wythe Medallion from the William & Mary School of Law in 2015, and the Champion of Justice Award from the Innocence Project in 2019. He has also received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from several institutions, including the City University of New York, Lewis & Clark College, State University of New York, University of Connecticut, Georgetown University, Williams College, University of Detroit, and St. Lawrence University.

Edwards and his wife, Pamela Carrington-Edwards, reside in Washington D.C.

The Honorable Harry T. Edwards was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 8, 2024.

Entertainment executive Valeisha Butterfield was born on January 30, 1978 in Wilson, North Carolina to Jean and George Butterfield, Jr. She graduated from Ralph L. Fike High School in Wilson, North Carolina in 1996. She went on to receive her B.A. degree in political science from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000.

In 1999, Butterfield was hired as an executive assistant at Mike Tyson Enterprises by Shawnee Simms, Mike Tyson’s long-time entertainment manager. In 2000, Butterfield returned to North Carolina and began working on Judge Henry Frye’s re-election campaign. In 2001, Butterfield moved to Los Angeles, California when she was cast in a recurring role on the soap opera All My Children opposite actress Susan Lucci. Butterfield was hired at Gersh Talent Agency in New York City as an executive assistant to the vice president of HBO Sports in 2002. Then, Butterfield was hired by record executive Russell Simmons’ media firm, Rush Communications, in 2004, serving as its executive director and working in collaboration with Simmons’ companies: Def Jam Enterprises, Baby Phat, Phat Farm, and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. In 2007, Butterfield was promoted to executive director of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network; and at the same time, founded the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network. In 2009, Butterfield was hired as the deputy of public affairs at the Department of Commerce during the Obama administration. Then, in 2011, she went to work for the Obama for America campaign as the national youth vote director. In 2016, Butterfield was hired at Google as the global head of women engagement. In 2020, Butterfield was appointed chief diversity and inclusion officer of The Recording Academy, becoming co-president in 2021. In 2022, Butterfield left the academy to return to Google as vice president of partnerships on the diversity team. Founder of the production company Seed Media, Butterfield produced the film The Memo, staring Kyla Pratt, in 2024.

In 2017, Butterfield was a 14th Annual McDonald's 365Black Awards honoree, and in 2020, she was a 14th Annual ADCOLOR Awards honoree.

Butterfield has two children, Dahntay Jr. and Dillon Jones. They reside in Los Angeles, California.

Valeisha Butterfield was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 7, 2024.

Athletics director and basketball coach Charlie Titus was born on April 8, 1950 in Boston, Massachusetts to Ann and Edward Titus. He graduated from Boston Technical High School in 1968. He went on to earn his B.A. degree in political science from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont in 1972, where he played basketball for three years.

From 1974 to 2015, Titus was hired as the head men’s basketball coach of the University of Massachusetts, Boston’s club-varsity basketball team, the Beacons. He also worked as the director of the youth affairs division at Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. in 1976. In 1980, Titus began serving as director of athletics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, a position he held for nearly twenty-four years. He returned to coaching in 1981 and led the Beacons to a 19-9 record and a spot in the NCAA tournament. In 1986, Titus aided in the establishment of the NCAA Division III Little East Conference and the Beacons reached the ECAC New England championship in 1997, tying the school record for wins. That year, Titus travelled to Niamey, Niger, as part of Niamey Hoops, an international basketball clinic for players and coaches. In 2002, he began yearly trips to West Africa to teach basketball with YES Africa. In 2003, Titus earned his 300th combined club-varsity victory and was named interim vice chancellor of student affairs the following year, and vice chancellor of athletics, recreation, special projects, and programs from 2006 to 2020. In 2014, Titus led the Beacons to their first 3-0 start since 1997. He retired from coaching after forty years with the UMass Beacons, working as the special assistant to the chancellor of University of Massachusetts, Boston from 2020 to 2022.

Titus has served on the boards of Saint Michael’s College, the Urban College of Boston, and Bay State Games. He previously served on the Governor’s Advisory Committee and the Roxbury Community College Advisory Board. In 2012, he joined the 3Point Foundation’s board of directors; and, in 2013, served as board chair of Boston’s Higher Ground. From 2012 to 2022, he was a member and chair of the board of the Grimes King Foundation for the Elderly. In 2022, he joined the Mayor’s Commission on Black Men and Boys as a commissioner.

Titus was named Little East Conference Coach of the Year in 1997. He was inducted into the Saint Michael’s College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999, the University of Massachusetts, Boston Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Titus has two children, Ander and Ciaren Titus. He resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

Charlie Titus was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 8, 2024.

Corporate executive Alva Adams-Mason was born on April 25, 1961 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Ella Web and Ellie Adams. She attended Walker Elementary, Plantation Park Elementary, and Plantation Middle School before graduating from Plantation High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1979. She received her B.S. degree in accounting from Howard University in Washington D.C. in 1984. She also received a certification in diversity management from the University of Houston in 2009.

After graduating from Howard University, Adams-Mason worked as a controller with the Ford Motor Company, where she served for thirteen years. In 2000, she became the dealer diversity and administration manager at Toyota Motor Sales. In 2002, she worked as an operations manager in Toyota’s retail market development department before becoming a manager of dealer representation and social responsibility in 2005. In 2014, she served as the national manager of African American Business Strategy while continuing her work at Toyota, becoming the senior manager of multicultural business strategy and dealer relations at Toyota Motor of America in 2017. In 2020, Adams-Mason began serving as Toyota Motor of America’s group manager of multicultural business strategy and held that position until 2024.

During her career, Adams-Mason served as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus’ 21st Century Council as well as on the Salvation Army National Advisory Board, becoming its secretary in 2020. She also held memberships on the National Council of Negro Women’s Advisory Council and the National Urban League’s Corporate Advisory Council. She served on the boards of directors for the International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute, the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles, and the National College Resources Foundation. Adams-Mason is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Adams-Mason has received numerous awards and honors, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award from AmeriCorp, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers in 2021, and the Women of Power Award from the National Urban Leage in 2022.

Adams-Mason has three children: Ashley Williams, Ella Cecil, and Bailey Mason. She also has three grandchildren: Cameron and Cayden Cecil and Cassius Williams.

Adams-Mason resides in Prosper, Texas.

Alva Adams-Mason was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 5, 2024.

Automobile dealer Aman Abraham was born on October 28, 1974, in Adwa, Ethiopia, to Hareghweini Elias and Samuel Abraham. He immigrated to the United States as a child and was raised in Santa Monica, California, where he attended John Adams Middle School and graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1993. Abraham went on to study marketing and finance at California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California.

Abraham began his professional career in 1999 as a finance manager at Santa Monica Nissan, before assuming the same position at Glendale Mitsubishi in Glendale, California. From 2001 to 2002, he served as finance manager at Power/AutoNation Ford Valencia, and in 2002, joined The Hankey Group in Los Angeles as financial director, overseeing loan and dealership financing operations. Between 2003 and 2005, he worked as finance manager for Airport Marina Honda, managing the dealership’s retail and lease finance operations.

In 2005, Abraham became vice president of National Mortgage Acceptance Corporation, where he led marketing and sales operations across North America. Returning to automotive retail in 2008, he joined AutoNation, Inc., one of the nation’s largest dealership groups, serving as general manager until 2016. The following year, Abraham joined Rusnak Auto Group in Pasadena, California, as general manager, managing operations for a portfolio of luxury automobile brands.

In 2017, Abraham joined Lithia & Driveway, where he served as general manager until 2022. During his tenure, the dealership earned both the Toyota Governor’s Award and the Lithia Partners Group Recipient Award in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, Abraham founded Auto Zuma Solutions/Dealer Software Solutions, LLC, an automotive analytics software company headquartered in Los Angeles.

In 2022, Abraham purchased Frontier Toyota in Valencia, California, where he serves as principal dealer and chief executive officer. A member of both the National Automobile Dealers Association and the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, Abraham continues to advocate for innovation and diversity in the automotive industry.

In 2023, Abraham was recognized with Elite magazine’s 5th Annual Ultimate Gentlemen in Business Professionals Award. He resides in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Aman Abraham was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 2, 2024.