IT Figures exhibit at the MDOT Youth Development & Mentorship Program
MDOT Youth Development & Mentorship Program
Featured Superheroes
Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman dreamed of learning how to fly a plane however she was plagued by race and gender discrimination at flying schools in Chicago, Illinois. To overcome her adversity, she decided to leave the United States and move to France in 1920. In France, she became the first African American…
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman (1822-1913), known as the “Moses of her People” for delivering slaves of African descent to the North to freedom, was an American abolitionist and political activist. She used the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses and antislavery activists and supporters willing to provide shelter, food and guidance,…
Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson
It was Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson (born August 26, 1918), an African-American mathematician, who played a crucial role in launching the first Americans into space and bringing them home safely. She performed calculations that were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. manned spaceflights during her time…
Colin Powell
The first and only African American to serve on the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Luther Powell (born April 5, 1937) is a retired four-star general in the United States Army. Born in Harlem as the son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell’s military career included serving as National Security…
Simone Biles
Simone Arianne Biles (born March 14, 1997) is an American artistic gymnast and the 2016 Olympic individual all-around, vault and floor gold medalist, and balance beam bronze medalist. Among her many accomplishments, she was part of the gold medal-winning team dubbed the “Final Five” at the 2016 Summer Olympics in…
Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Aaron Boseman (born November 29, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for portraying a variety of African American heroes who have persevered in the face of adversity, including Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get on Up and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. But he’s also well…
Barack Obama
Need we say any more: Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th President of the United States for two terms, from 2009 to 2017. Mr. Obama was the first African American to assume the presidency. A community organizer from the…
Serena Williams
“Ever since I was a little girl, my dream was to be the best tennis player in the world. Luck has nothing to do with being good at the sport. I have spent many, many hours… countless hours… on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when…