A retrospective on voices that shaped the culture Illustration by Jason Gorham This story was originally published in BlackBoard's Winter '25/Spring '26 issue. Learn more about our print issues here. As I sit in Northwestern Prison Education Program’s “dayroom,” watching the 2026 Grammy awards, Lauryn Hill comes to the stage. At the sight of the singer with her signature locks, my memory floats back in time. The year is 1997, and I’m in my bedroom. Getting ready for school, I

Rochelle Jordan put on an electric performance at the A&O Productions Ball last Wednesday night. The Los Angeles-based Jamaican-British artist has shaped a sound that blends alternative R&B, dance-pop and house music. Jordan’s 2025 album “Through The Wall” has been hailed by critics as a standout release in alternative electronic music.

“Black excellence” was the theme of this weekend, according to University of Chicago freshman Moturi Ondeyo. Black college students and alumni from Chicago area universities descended upon UChicago’s main quad in Hyde Park on Saturday, May 6, for the first inaugural Intercollegiate Black Cookout. Hosted by UChicago’s Organization of Black Students, in collaboration with their African Caribbean Student Association and DePaul University’s Student Government Association, the ev