After 57 years, Barbie finally gets the makeover that really matters.

She still can't bend her arms, but it's a start.

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If you're one of the millions of people who've bought Barbie dolls and wished for them to look a bit more like you do, today is your lucky day.

For the first time in her 57-year history, Barbie comes in different body shapes: petite, tall, curvy, and original.

Meet Barbie, Barbie, Barbie, Barbie, and Barbie. Image Image from Mattel.

The new dolls are part of Barbie's Fashionista 2016 line. In total there are four body types, seven skin tones and 18 eye colors and hairstyles available — plus some dolls who can wear flat shoes! You can pre-order the new Barbies online or find them in stores everywhere starting in March.

This is a really big deal, and it happened because consumers made it happen.

Consumers have long been asking Mattel to offer Barbie dolls with realistic measurements and received little response. So, they started spending their money elsewhere. In 2014, Barbie doll sales dropped a record 16%. The same year, Barbie lost her title as the world's best-selling doll to Hasbro's Queen Elsa doll. It seems it was finally time for Mattel (Barbie's parent company) to listen to consumers and give them the realistically-shaped dolls they'd been asking for since the last century. After two years of development, we're meeting them for the first time.

They're all still named Barbie, though, which is definitely going to create confusion at the next toy family reunion. Image Image from Mattel.

This isn't the first time Barbie's had a big makeover.

For the first nine years she was on sale, Barbie was only available in one color: white. Christie, a black doll, debuted in 1968, but the first black doll named Barbie wouldn't appear on store shelves until 1980.

Even then, the black, Latina, and Asian dolls weren't really accurate — just Caucasian Barbie dolls in new colors with new hair. It would take Mattel another 20 years to better embrace diversity and release different facial styles.

Celebrate, but not too much, 'kay, girl?

Over the past few decades, Barbie has run for president several times, broken up with Ken, experimented with temporary tattoos, and even renovated her dream house after it turned out her wheelchair-using friend "Share a Smile Becky" couldn't fit in the elevator. Last year Mattel ran their first commercial featuring a boy (gasp! but not really) playing with Barbies and loving every second of it.

All of these, no matter how long they've taken to materialize, are good changes. But none of them addressed the biggest issue people have had with Barbie for decades: her body shape.

The silhouette of the original Barbie doll and Barbie's new curvy body type couldn't be more different. Image from Composite/Time Magazine.

Barbie's body shape isn't just an unrealistic stereotype — it's also physically impossible. If you were shaped like that; you'd die.

In 2013, Rehabs.com decided to show what Barbie's quality of life would be like if she were a real human. The results were ... unsettling.

You can see the full infographic here, but be warned, it's going to make you feel really bad for a plastic doll. Image from Rehabs.com.

Here's what Barbie would be like if she were real:

• She'd be 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weigh about 110 pounds, and have measurements of 32-16-29.
• She'd only have half a liver and a few inches of intestine, making digesting food pretty much impossible.
• Her size-3 feet and little ankles would be unable to support her frame, forcing her to walk on all fours.
• Her tiny neck is too spindly to hold up her giant head, so she'd be forever staring at the ground.

So, instead of being an aspirational symbol of femininity with a great career and a handsome boyfriend ... she'd be a weird demon creature that people take blurry night vision photos of in the woods and make horror movies about.

Can you imagine a skinny, bobble-headed creature shambling out of the woods on all fours? That's IRL Barbie, and she's terrifying.

Today's announcement is a step forward, but it's not the end of the road.

Now don't get me wrong. Growing up, I loved my Barbies. Some of them still live in an old naugahyde suitcase in my parent's garage. I'm delighted to see Barbie starting to look more like a person, like me, like you, and like the people we love. And I'm hopeful that with these changes, we'll see even more inclusivity from Mattel in the future — like trans Barbie, or elder Barbie, or veteran amputee Barbie, or pierced punk Barbie with a shaved head, among so many others. But most of all, this announcement reminded me that no mass-produced doll, in whatever shape and with whatever ethnicity, can be fully representative of the multitudes in all of us.

And I'm pretty sure Barbie would give me a high-five for that. You know, if she could bend her arms.

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This lovable grandma turned her daily 3-mile walk into a personal crusade against litter.

Litter is more than just ugly — it can be dangerous too.

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I try to keep my desk organized. There are my books to my left, my computer in the middle, and my lamp and notebook to the right. I like it that way — being tidy just feels right.

Larie's also a fan of tidy.

GIF from Jenny Kane/Vimeo.

Larie McKeever is 80 years old. Every day she dons an orange safety vest, grabs a couple of trash bags, and takes a three-mile walk along Golf Course Road in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Along the way, she makes her neighborhood more beautiful by picking up litter and garbage.

“I try to leave the house as soon as it’s light outside,” Larie told the Northwest Herald. “But if I open my door and it’s pouring down rain, I won’t walk. Then again, if it starts raining while I’m on my walk, I won’t turn back.”

Larie finds all kinds of things.

You'd be amazed at what people throw away. Some of it is pretty normal — candy wrappers, for instance — but Larie's found driver's licenses and credit cards, too. She turns them in, of course. She also picks up aluminum cans, which are sold for recycling (the money goes to a local food pantry).  

GIF from Jenny Kane/Vimeo.

Her walks are even good for her heart.

Larie has a condition known as aortic stenosis. One of the valves out of her heart doesn't work quite right. But the daily exercise is great for her.

Larie's instinct for picking up trash has been with her for years, handed down from her father.

As she and her dad walked to his work every day in Story City, Iowa, they'd pick up any litter they'd come across. 

"I think about my dad a lot when I'm walking," Larie told the Northwest Herald. "I think about how proud he would be that I'm still picking up litter, all these years later."

Now, years later, this particular walk started as Larie going to meet her granddaughter Kate's middle-school bus.

Wouldn't it be amazing if we had a million of her?

Because we could certainly use them. If you're a neat freak like me, you might not want to read this next sentence.

According to Keep America Beautiful, the average mile of roadway in the United States has over 6,500 pieces of litter on it.

GIF from "Parks and Recreation."

That's more than one piece per foot! All together, that adds up to more than 50 billion styrofoam 44-ounce soda cups, grease-stained fast food bags, and cigarette butts mucking up our beautiful country. 

Litter is more than just ugly — it can be downright dangerous.

"There's AAA research that shows that people have accidents as a result of litter," said Cecile Carson, senior director of affiliate development at Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit dedicated to making littering unacceptable. 

If a piece of trash flies out of the back of a pickup truck, for example, it could hit another car and cause a crash. 

Of course, litter hurts the environment, too. Broken glass and bits of metal can cut people and pets. Plastic and cigarette butts end up in animals' stomachs. And anything on the road can end up in our water supply. 

"Everything leads downstream," said Cecile. 

When you really love a place, you want to keep it clean. And this can have a big effect.

Keep America Beautiful has done a lot of research on this fact, and they say the problem is mostly individual people's behavior.

"Littered environments attract more litter," said Mike Rosen, a senior VP at Keep America Beautiful. "So if you can decrease the amount of visible litter, you can begin to change attitudes and change behaviors."

Before and after a cleanup. I wouldn't want to walk down "before," but I'd be real happy to have "after" in my neighborhood. Image used with permission from Keep America Beautiful.

Furthermore, if people see their neighbors and community members making an effort to go out and clean up, that also makes people think twice before littering.

"It personalizes it," said Cecile. A litterer might say, "Oh, that's the Kiwanis Club, that's the 4-H – I'm not going to litter on those people."

Image used with permission from Keep America Beautiful.

People like Larie — and anyone dedicated to stopping litter — deserve some recognition for keeping our country beautiful.

It's one thing to decry litter and trash, but it's quite another to go out and do something about it yourself. Larie's already inspired others in her community to pick up junk as they walk too, but imagine what America's streets would look like if everyone were as dedicated as Larie.

"I just like seeing the parks and streets cleaner," Larie said. "I don't like litter; I never have."

Watch Larie in action below.

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Thumbnail image from Jenny Kane/Vimeo.

In 1972, he was put in solitary confinement. He's been there since, but now there's hope.

If the goal is to bring an end to solitary confinement, this is a big step in the right direction.

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For more than 40 years, Albert Woodfox has lived in solitary confinement at Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Originally convicted along with two others of armed robbery in 1971, Woodfox — who is now 68 years old — would later be accused and convicted of murdering one of the prison's guards.

After receiving a new sentence of life in prison, Woodfox was moved into solitary confinement, where he spent the next 43 years. In June of last year, an appeals court ordered Woodfox released from prison, citing a lack of evidence, only to have that decision reversed. In November, a federal appeals court ruled that Woodfox could be made to stand trial for a third time; his first two convictions were overturned.

In the meantime, he remains in solitary confinement, living out his days in a 6-foot-by-9-foot cell, punished for a crime he argues he did not commit. There's no telling what 43 years away from other people has done to him, and it's hard to imagine what sort of life he will have if and when he is released back into the world, having been away from it for so long.

After 40+ yrs in solitary confinement @LouisianaAGO MUST free #AlbertWoodfox! #Write4Rights https://t.co/0Rn63oAnDU http://pic.twitter.com/zKkJgFwJ97— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) December 11, 2015

There are a few things we know about solitary confinement — none of them good.

In 2011, the United Nations called on countries to do away with solitary confinement. The argument is that the mental abuse prisoners in solitary undergo as the result of their placement can amount to torture.

“Solitary confinement is a harsh measure which is contrary to rehabilitation, the aim of the penitentiary system,” said UN special rapporteur on torture Juan E. Méndez.

"Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary confinement may cause," he added, "it can amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment when used as a punishment, during pretrial detention, indefinitely or for a prolonged period, for persons with mental disabilities or juveniles."

A detainee makes a call from his "segregation cell" at the Adelanto Detention Facility in Adelanto, Califoria. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images.

We know studies have shown solitary confinement doesn't actually make anyone any safer. In fact, some find that people held in solitary confinement for extended periods of time actually become more likely to become violent.

We know that somewhere around 80,000 prisoners are being held in solitary confinement at any given time.

We know that it costs three times as much to house someone in solitary confinement than in the general population.

No matter how you look at it, keeping people in solitary confinement for extended periods of time simply doesn't make sense.

In July, President Obama ordered the Department of Justice to review the use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons.

He showed skepticism for the practice, calling it "not smart."

"I’ve asked my attorney general to start a review of the overuse of solitary confinement across American prisons," said Obama during a speech at the NAACP conference. "The social science shows that an environment like that is often more likely to make inmates more alienated, more hostile, potentially more violent. Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for 23 hours a day, sometimes for months or even years at a time?"

Obama meets with Attorney General Loretta Lynch in the Oval Office on May 29, 2015. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

The review has been completed, and the president is adopting its recommendations.

In an editorial from The Washington Post on Jan. 25, the president outlined exactly what that means:

• Banning solitary confinement for juveniles
• Banning solitary confinement as a punishment for "low-level infractions"
• Reducing the amount of time inmates in solitary must stay in their cells
• Expanding on-site mental health resources

By the president and Department of Justice's estimate, this will affect somewhere around 10,000 inmates.

It's stories like Woodfox's that makes Obama's latest action so huge.

It's rarely "necessary" to hold someone in solitary, and Obama's new guidelines clearly state that inmates should be "housed in the least restrictive setting necessary to ensure their own safety, as well as the safety of staff, other inmates, and the public."

The president's move doesn't go so far as to eliminate the use of solitary confinement, but it does set the framework for future reviews of the system, which could in turn bring an end to the practice.

For now, though, Woodfox remains in solitary, awaiting yet another trial and, perhaps, freedom.

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Scientists have found a smart new way to fight mosquito-borne illnesses: more mosquitoes.

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Let's be honest: No one likes mosquitoes.

I try to avoid broad sweeping generalizations like that — but c'mon. Mosquitoes? Seriously? Gross. And unless you're a frog prince (in which case you're dealing with some other issues), you probably share my distaste for the little bloodsuckers.

Best-case scenario? They're just plain annoying.

They show up invited and ruin your picnic, leaving behind a wretched rash of itchy red bumps in their wake.

GIF via thegatesnotes/YouTube.

Worst case? They gift you some disease like malaria, West Nile virus, or the recently-relevant Zika virus. And if you thought bug bites were awful, try putting up with something called breakbone fever.

Or, ya know, death. Did I mention that mosquito-borne illnesses kill more than half a million people every year, making them the deadliest creatures on the planet? And climate change is making it increasingly easier for them to spread their once-tropical sicknesses to the rest of the world.

Not bad for a bug that only lives around 10 days and hardly travels the length of two football fields in its lifetime.

Just a chill mosquito infecting your blood stream with a horrible sickness. GIF via thegatesnotes/YouTube.

That's why we need more of them, and fast.

Wait — what?!?! How do more mosquitoes help anything?

For that answer, you'll have to ask the folks at Oxford Insect Technologies, also known as Oxitec. Founded by Hadyn Parry in 2002, Oxitec is pioneering a sustainable and environmentally-conscious method of eradicating mosquito-borne illnesses.

But instead of focusing on vaccinations for dengue, Zika, and other virus strains, Oxitec is focusing on the delivery method of these terrible diseases — the mosquitoes themselves.

What better way to do that than to release thousands of weaponized mutant mosquitoes into the wild to breed?

♫ Do a little dance. Make a little love. Get down tonight. ♫ GIF cia thegatesnotes/YouTube.

Enter: SEXYTIME FRANKENSTEIN DEATH MOSQUITOES.

(That's what I call 'em, anyway. The folks at Oxitec call them OX513A, which is decidedly less catchy.) 

As it turns out, there are more than 3,500 known species of mosquitoes on the planet, but only two of them — the Aedes aegypti and the Aedes albopictus — actually feed on human blood. And of those species, the females are the ones that actually do the biting, occasionally passing along some fatal viruses in the process.

That's why the clever folks at Oxitec found a way to breed scientifically-modified male mosquitoes whose sole purpose is weaponized reproduction. 

"Hello, ladies!" GIF from thegatesnotes/YouTube.

These lab-grown suckers have an altered gene that, without the antidote that's readily available in the Oxitec hatchery, will ultimately cause the bugs to break down and die. 

This doesn't happen immediately of course. And once the infected mosquitoes are released into the world, they still follow their natural impulse to seek out the nearest female, do the midair humpty dance, and fertilize her eggs — both sides blissfully unaware that he just passed on that same self-destructive protein. 

The unsuspecting larval mosquito babies are dead before they hatch, and whammo-blammo, problem solved!

That's what you get, ya little plague-bringin' creep! GIF from thegatesnotes/YouTube.

So if all it takes are a couple thousand mutant mosquitoes, then what's up with this Zika virus outbreak?

ICYMI, the CDC just announced a major U.S. travel ban.

Specifically, they're warning anyone who is carrying, or is planning to carry, a baby to stay far, far away from South America and the Caribbean, where the Zika virus has been linked to a sudden meteoric increase in microcephaly — that is, children born with abnormally small heads, which can lead to lots of other problems and can severely affect brain development.

In the 70 years or so since the virus was first discovered in the Ugandan jungle, the number of people affected by Zika was originally pretty small — somewhere around a hundred people, ever.

But that all changed in the last few years. And like the spread of West Nile and dengue fever before it, there is no vaccine currently available to prevent the spread of Zika — and it could take a while before anyone figures one out.

So, in the meantime, why not eradicate the virus at its source, before it has a chance to spread?

"Who, me? What? I didn't do anything. I'm just gonna go over here now..." GIF from thegatesnotes/Youtube

As it turns out, people aren't so keen on swarms of Sexytime Frankenstein Death Mosquitoes invading their communities.

After all, what happens if a female mosquito gets infected with this self-destructing protein and passes it on to a human before she dies? What happens if evolution and radical conditions eventually transform these weaponized genocidal mutant mosquitoes into, well, something worse? What kind of unforeseen damage will occur in the local ecosystem if neither of the human-biting mosquito species are present to fulfill their crucial ecological functions?

To that last point, the answer is "almost certainly none." Yes, mosquitoes can assist in the spread of pollens, and they serve as meals for certain animals. But for the most part, they're selfish self-sustaining death machines designed to breed and kill.

The rest of those questions, however, are totally valid.

Mosquitoes are basically the real-world equivalent of the xenomorph from "Aliens" (which is also where this GIF is from).

Unfortunately, those same concerns have also made it difficult for Oxitec to conduct the tests they would need to in order to produce satisfactory answers. The few controlled experiments they have conducted in Brazil and the Cayman Islands have both resulted in 80% reductions in the populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes in just a few months.

While the science fiction fan in me is still terrified of the consequences, the rational human in me understands the math.

Eliminating 80% of the mosquitoes that deliver these diseases could save nearly half a million lives every year.

So what are we waiting for?

Here's a TED Talk with Oxitec founder Hadyn Parry about the real-life benefits of Sexytime Frankenstein Death Mosquitoes:

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Thumbnail photo by Fábio Rodrigues Pozzebom, Agência Brasil/Wikimedia Commons.

2 former child brides just took their country to court — and won.

Finally, a happy story about child marriage.

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In Zimbabwe, a country where an estimated 31% of all girls are forced into marriage by the time they turn 18, something unprecedented just happened.

Photo via Jessica Lea/U.K. Department for International Development/Flickr.

Two former child brides led a successful campaign to get child marriage banned.

Loveness Mudzuru and Ruvimbo Tsopodzi, who are just teenagers themselves, called on the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe to declare existing child-marriage legislation unconstitutional.

By the time they were 16, both Loveness and Ruvimbo were wives. Loveness had two kids by the time she turned 18 — an age when many teens are trying to finish high school and live that awkward teenage life. Having to drop out of school and grow up too fast, both girls knew there was more out there for them; it was just now out of their reach.

"Raising a child when you are a child yourself is hard," Loveness told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "I should be going to school."

Thankfully, she wasn't the only one with that thought. The girls and their campaign against child marriage were backed by the human rights group ROOTS and legal think tank Veritas.

And what a success effort it was: More girls will get to stay in school and have a say in their own futures now. The cycle of poverty will lessen, and girls' health outcomes will improve.

After months of deliberation, the court ruled in the girls' favor on Jan. 20, 2016.

People in Zimbabwe will no longer be allowed to enter into any marriage, including customary law unions, before they turn 18 — regardless of their gender.

This decision will help save the futures of thousands of girls. Photo via SuSanA Secretariat/Flickr.

It's a remarkable moment led by two teens who've experienced the consequences of child marriage firsthand.

"I'm delighted," Beatrice Savadye from ROOTS declared. "This is a milestone in the campaign to end this scourge in society."

If change happened because these girls spoke out, imagine what this can mean for girls in other countries where child marriage takes place.

This decision isn't just a big deal for Zimbabwe — it sets a standard for other African countries and for the rest of the world.

Real talk: Every day, an additional 39,000 young girls worldwide find themselves forced into marriage. CARE's report "Vows of Poverty" takes a close look at the 26 countries where girls are more likely to walk down the aisle than go to high school.

It's sobering but encouraging to see that with Loveness and Ruvimbo's victory in Zimbabwe, there are signs that the tide is beginning to shift.

Two children who will have a better future thanks to Loveness and Ruvimbo's victory. Photo via John Mitchell/Flickr.

Countries like Guatemala and Malawi have recently raised the minimum age for marriage, and Nepal and Zambia are developing national action plans to help girls avoid the practice. But the ultimate hurdle in any country is changing the cultural attitudes and perceptions that surround child marriage — and that takes time.

Regardless, Zimbabwe is taking a big step forward by changing its outdated law. And what may just be the best part about it?

It's because two teens went up against their government and ... won.

THAT is kickass and a great reminder that your voice matters no matter where you live.

Use it.

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Thumbnail image via Jessica Lea/U.K. Department for International Development/Flickr.

25 remarkable moments in black history from the last 25 years.

Black history is made every day.

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Being black is a wonderful thing.

Throughout history, black people have proven our courage, intelligence, and creativity time and time again. But as Black History Month approaches, you may notice the same names and faces representing African-American accomplishment and resilience. No shade to Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Medgar Evers, but there are plenty more examples of black excellence worth noting. 

There are even people whose legacies we don't confine to the limitations of Black History Month who are rumored to be black or biracial (Beethoven, Pushkin, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, to name a few) but because most records of African ancestry were hidden, scrubbed, or mentioned in hushed tones, a lot of that is speculative. 

Photo by AFP/Getty Images.

The beauty of black history is that we're still making it every single day.

It's no secret that black "firsts" happen each year, but the sheer number from the last quarter-century is both surprising and inspiring. Some of these individuals are household names while others barely received their 15 minutes of fame. But all are great moments worth commemorating and sharing. 

Photo by Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images.

Take a minute to celebrate and discover these 25 black "firsts" from the last 25 years.

1. First African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress: Halle Berry (2002)

Photo by Getty Images.

2. First African-American pilot to fly solo around the world: Barrington Irving Jr. (2007)

Barrington Irving Jr. waves from his Columbia 400 aircraft named Inspiration. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

3. First African-American appointed surgeon general of the United States: Dr. Joycelyn Elders (1993)

Photo by Kort Duce/AFP/Getty Images.

4. First African-American to win the Masters golf tournament: Tiger Woods (1997)

Tigers Woods hits a putt on the 18th hole to win the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Photo by Steve Munday/Allsport/Getty Images.

5. First African-American U.S. attorney general: Eric Holder (2009) 

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

6. First African-American woman named U.S. attorney general: Loretta Lynch (2015)

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

7. First African-American to reach the peak of Mount Everest: Sophia Danenberg (2006)

10th speaker: Sophia Danenberg. 1st African-American, 1st black woman to summit @MtEverest_ -- http://t.co/Ow6iKl0BHl http://pic.twitter.com/0OudTfkc14

— TEDxUChicago (@TEDxUChicago) March 25, 2015

8. First African-American named U.S. poet laureate: Rita Dove (1993)

President Obama presents 2011 National Medal of Arts and Humanities to Rita Dove during a ceremony at the White House in 2012. Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images.

9. First African-American chess international grandmaster: Maurice Ashley (1999)

Photo by johnnyscars/Wikimedia Commons.

10. First African-American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Cheryl Boone Isaacs (2013)

Isaacs recently announced changes to diversify its membership in response to the second year of backlash for a full slate of white acting nominees. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

11. First African-American president of an Ivy League institution: Dr. Ruth Simmons (2001)

Simmons accepts the BET Honor for education during the 2010 BET Honors in Washington, DC. Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images.

12. First African-American to earn a gold medal at the Winter Games: Vonetta Flowers (2002)

Vonetta Flowers (left) and Jill Bakken after being awarded gold medals in the women's bobsled competition during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo by Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images.

13. First African-American to earn an individual gold medal at the Winter Games: Shani Davis (2006)

Gold medalist Shani Davis (center) during the 2006 Winter Olympics medals ceremony of the men's 1,000-meter speed skating in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Photo by Jean-Pierre Clatot/AFP/Getty Images.

14. First African-American to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature: Toni Morrison (1993)

Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images.

15. First African-American billionaire: Robert Johnson (2001)

Johnson is an entrepreneur and founder of BET. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.

16. First African-American woman to serve as mayor for a major U.S. city: Sharon Pratt (1991)

Bill and Hillary Clinton join hands with Martin Luther King III and Washington, D.C., Mayor Sharon Pratt to sing "We Shall Overcome" in 1993. Photo by J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images.

17. First African-American driver to qualify for the Indy 500: Willy T. Ribbs (1991)

Willy Ribbs at the Daytona 500 Speedweeks at the Daytona International Speedway. Photo by Robert Laberge/Allsport/Getty Images.

18. First African-American to lead the Environmental Protection Agency: Lisa Perez Jackson (2009)

Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images.

19. First African-American to launch his own film and television studio: Tyler Perry (2008)

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images.

20. First African-American named secretary of state: Gen. Colin Powell (2001)

21. First African-American woman named secretary of state: Dr. Condoleezza Rice (2005)

Photo by Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images.

22. First African-American to host the Academy Awards: Whoopi Goldberg (1994)

Goldberg is also the first African-American woman to win a Golden Globe in film and the first African-American to EGOT, earn a Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

23. First African-American promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre: Misty Copeland (2015)

Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images.

24. First African-American to referee a Super Bowl: Mike Carey (2008)

Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images.

25: First African-American woman in space: Dr. Mae Jemison (1992)

Photo by NASA/Flickr.

Hats off to these role models, charting new courses for black excellence each and every day.

It may seem shocking that after over 400 years in this country, we still see so many African-American firsts. That's why it's imperative we commemorate these achievements and not just for one month out of the year. 

It's important for children of all of races to see examples of African-Americans succeeding in different industries and professions. Positive representations and strong role models are vital to kids as they create themselves and craft their identity. By celebrating these individuals and the mark they made in history, we open up a world of possibility to a new generation. 

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.

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There was one more person I wanted to include, but couldn't find a great picture. Barbara Hillary was the first African-American woman to reach both poles of the Earth. Best part? She was in her 70s when she did it. Go, girl!