Sharolyn Gailliard

[Black Journals @blackJournals01]

Every time your phone tells you where you are, it is using a mathematical model of the shape of the Earth.

A Black woman from rural Virginia spent decades building that model by hand, and almost nobody knew her name until she was in her eighties.

Gladys West. She grew up in a sharecropping family in Dinwiddie County and understood early that the alternatives were the tobacco fields or the factory. She finished top of her high school class, which came with a scholarship, and took it.

Her work was satellite geodesy: taking the raw data coming down from orbit and using it to compute, correction by correction, the true irregular shape of the Earth. Not a sphere. Not even a neat ellipsoid. A lumpy thing with gravitational highs and lows.

That model is the foundation the Global Positioning System sits on. You cannot locate a point on a surface until you know precisely what the surface is.

She did this for decades, largely unremarked, and retired in 1998.

She was recognised in 2018, when her sorority mentioned her biography at a function and someone realised what was in it.

The Air Force inducted her into its Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame. She earned a PhD in her seventies.

[Reverend Jordan Wells @WellsJorda89710]

🚨 BREAKING: Detroit Pistons star Jaden Ivey is retiring from the NBA at age 24 to answer God's call and become a pastor.

"I felt the Lord speaking to my heart," Ivey said. "Basketball was my dream, but God has called me to leave the game and serve Him fully as a servant of the Lord."

More to come as this story develops. Prayers up for Jaden on this bold faith journey. 🙏🏾

What a powerful testimony — the NBA's loss is the Kingdom's gain.

[Africa First @AfricaFirsts]

Little Barack Obama with his grandmother in Kenya 🇰🇪, 1987.

[Los Angeles Lakers @Lakers]

The one and only D-O-DOUBLE-G.

[Abdulaziz @AzoozAbdullah7]

@NBA We are the champion this season x18
Let’s go LAKERS

[TheCompany™️©️ @The_Real_Yay]

Black American Nostalgia 😎✊🏾🇺🇸

[Protect Kamala Harris ✊ @DisavowTrump20]

RETWEET to wish @BarackObama a Happy Presidents Day!

[The Jennifer Hudson Show @JHudShow]

Can you feel the love, @JohnnyGill? 😁

[Samuel L. Jackson @SamuelLJackson]

You all lift me up‼️🙏🏾 Thank you for sharing your skills 🔥 Much love to you 🫵🏾

@artthatinspiresme @drawbysena @storyboardartistnyc @sibusiso_the_creator

[Ben Crump @AttorneyCrump]

The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, led by A. Philip Randolph and made up of porters employed by the Pullman Company, was the first Black-led union to secure a contract with a major U.S. company. Fighting low wages and harsh conditions, these men paved the way for labor and civil rights victories that reshaped America. Here’s a look back at one of their triumphant fights—that began in 1934—for better working conditions. #BlackHistoryMonth

🎥: WTTW News, Chicago Stories, 2001

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

From our earliest days, Black history has always been American history – and Black folks have profoundly shaped our American culture through music, art, literature, sports, and beyond. One month a year is not sufficient to celebrate the power of the movements and the people who have fought for the rights we enjoy today. That’s something that we have to do each and every day, as we strive to live up to their example and make sure our children and grandchildren remember their stories.

[Rep. Stacey Plaskett @StaceyPlaskett]

February is Black History Month, a time to reflect on the invaluable contributions of Black Americans to our nation. Let us honor and recognize the extraordinary achievements of Black Americans in every part of American life and culture.

[NFL on FOX Presents: Rearview @FOXNFLRearview]

Your 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year is @Commanders' QB Jayden Daniels, as voted on by NFL on FOX fans! 🔥

[Ana Lucia Araujo, PhD @araujohistorian]

RIP ❤️ Professor Kiah Duggins was among those lost in the mid-air plane collision at Reagan National Airport. Professor Duggins was set to begin a new chapter as a professor at Howard University School of Law this fall. May her memory be a blessing.

[Hakeem Jeffries @RepJeffries]

Bodies are still being pulled from the Potomac.

The President and extreme MAGA Republicans are blaming women and people of color for the deadly plane crash.

At the same time, they are dismantling the Federal Aviation Administration as we know it.

Disgusting.

[Washington Commanders @Commanders]

.@JayD__5 has officially tied the record for most Rookie of the Week awards 👏

@pepsi | #ProBowlVote

[BET @BET]

"While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”

We’ve always been true to the fight, and we’re here to hold this nation accountable for its promises to the people, our rights, and the true meaning of democracy. #WeVoteBET

[EBONY @EBONY]

Thank you, @KamalaHarris for always showing up and fighting for us. As an HBCU graduate, you haven’t just risen to the occasion—you’ve shattered barriers and set a whole new standard for leadership.
 
Thank you for being a powerful voice for justice and equality, and never backing down when it comes to protecting what matters most: our freedoms. Whether it’s fighting for women’s rights, defending voting rights, or standing up for those who too often don’t have a seat at the table, you’re there, leading the charge.
 
Thank you for being real about the struggles Black women face—the exhaustion so many of us feel, doing the hard work every day while rarely getting the support or recognition we deserve. But despite it all, you continued to lead with grace, courage and determination—reminding us all of what true resilience looks like.
 
Your leadership is a light for many of us who carry so much on our shoulders. We're grateful for the example you set, for serving with integrity and compassion, and for never giving up on us. Thank you, Madam Vice President 🖤