It's Black History Month! We have an entire month dedicated to remembering the extensive struggles and hardships that African Americans have faced in this country whilst highlighting the impressive accomplishments that have been made in spite of said history. Before February comes to a close, it's only right to recognize some of the modern day trailblazers that dominate our daily conversations and control our Twitter timelines. Whether it's Steph Curry leading the Warriors to unthinkable heights, Taraji P. Henson excelling on the silver screen, or Oprah Winfrey continuing to build her media empire, I've got it all here for you, and then some. Check out the list below:

The Black-tors and Black-tresses

Kerry Washington

Although Kerry Washington currently stars on ABC's hit show "Scandal," she has received plenty of recognition long before for her roles in "Save The Last Dance," "Django Unchained," and most notably, "Ray," which earned her a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. Additionally, Washington has acted on Broadway and will star and executively produce the HBO film "Confirmation," which centers around Anita Hill's sexual harassment claims against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991. It's her fearless way of tackling controversial roles and overall acting ability that has landed her on this list.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis has been seen in films such as "The Help," "Get On Up," and "Lila and Eve." Her incredible acting ability, however, is best shown on ABC's "How to Get Away With Murder," where she plays lawyer Annalise Keating. The Tony award-winning actress recently made history as the first black actress to take home an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, where she boldly stated, "The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity." It's apparent that Davis knows her purpose as a black woman and an actress, and I'm excited to see her acting journey unfold.

Michael B. Jordan

Michael B. Jordan has been on the rise since his breakout role in the 2013 film "Fruitvale Station." Since then, he's landed roles in "That Awkward Moment," "Fantastic Four," and most recently 2015's "Creed," for which he earned an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. With the momentum of his career in his favor, I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of Michael B. Jordan for years to come.

Idris Elba

Idris Elba was everywhere in 2015. He starred in both "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and in Netflix's first original movie, "Beasts of No Nation," as well as flourished on the small screen as John Luther in the wildly popular British drama series "Luther." He's also responsible for K. Michelle's last album (thank you Idris!) and took home two Screen Actor's Guild Awards this past January. With a host of new roles to prep for in the coming months, Idris Elba isn't going anywhere in the year of 2016.

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson first broke into the acting scene in 2001 alongside Tyrese in the John Singleton film "Baby Boy." From there she's had roles in Hustle & Flow, Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. It wasn't until her groundbreaking role as Cookie in Fox's "Empire," however, that the world finally took notice of her undeniable talent. Putting up Super Bowl-esque numbers from week to week, it was inevitable that Henson's role would eventually lead to a Golden Globes Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Drama Television Series. With Empire returning next month, I'll be sure to tune in for more of Cookie and the Lyon family drama.

The Millennials

Amandla Stenberg

Amandla Stenberg had a big 2015, but not for reasons you might expect. Last July, Stenberg openly criticized Kylie Jenner for wearing her hair in cornrows, citing it as an example of cultural appropriation. This not only got Twitter in a frenzy, but it more importantly opened a much needed dialogue on the dangers of cultural appropriation, which is the adoption of another group of people's customs and culture for profit, exploitation, or trend. Before this incident, Stenberg played Rue in the wildly successful "Hunger Games" movie, as well as a guest role on Fox's "Sleepy Hollow." I'll definitely keep an eye out for Ms. Stenberg, as she continues to inspire the younger generation of activists and actresses of color.

Zendaya Coleman

Zendaya Coleman has been the epitome of excellence since we first met her on Disney Channel in 2010. She's had not one, but two leading roles during her time on Disney Channel, a second place finish on ABC's "Dancing With The Stars," and a platinum selling single, all before the age of 18. After last February's educated and classy response to Guiliana Rancic's stereotypical comments about her dreadlocks hairstyle, Zendaya has become the one to watch on red carpets, and has even has her own Barbie doll. Recently, the 19-year-old released a new single, and with the album on the way, we'll be seeing more of this young woman for sure.

Maria Borges

This 23-year-old Angolan model has been on the rise since 2012. In two short years, Maria Borges has posed for Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, and Vogue Italia, in addition to her walking for Givenchy, Versace, Oscar de la Renta, and Balmain. Most recently, Borges set Twitter ablaze when she wore her natural hair in last year's Victoria Secret Fashion Show. Even though she already has impressive credits on her resume, 2016 is still hers for the taking.

The Entertainers

Beyoncé

Beyoncé has been topping the charts since the late 1990s, and even though she didn't release any new music last year, she still had the "internet streets" waiting for her next move. That next move came in the form of her new song "Formation," which quickly became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter after the release of its pro-black video, and angered many people in the process, including some members of the police force. Immediately after the game, Bey dropped the ultimate bomb of the Formation World Tour, which had her selling out stadiums in less than 10 minutes. The Beyoncé train is definitely revving up, so get right or get left!

Rihanna

The Bajan beauty has already had a monster year, thanks to the long awaited release of her eighth studio album, "ANTI." Even after its sloppy release, the album went on to become certified platinum in just fifteen hours. Her lead single "Work," is her 14th No. 1 single, it has just been reported that she made Puma almost a billion dollars in revenue last year, and she's the first artist to be RIAA certified with 100 million song awards. Wow. What a time to be Rihanna (and happy belated birthday!)

Drake

Speaking of "Work," this list wouldn't be complete without the Canadian rap star himself. Drake had not one, but two No. 1 albums last year, and at one point, he had 14 songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. 2015 was also a year of beefs for him, one that resulted from his smash hit song "Hotline Bling" and another that ended in a Grammy nomination for his diss song "Back to Back." With his upcoming album, "Views from the 6," due for release this April, Drake is headed for another unstoppable year. In the words of the rapper, "Rap must be changing cause I’m at the top and ain’t no one on top of me."

Jazmine Sullivan

First, Jazmine Sullivan is currently the most underrated singer in the music industry. She has garnered 8 Grammy nominations since she first entered the music scene in 2008, with two of those nominations being from her last album Reality Show, which she released last January. Although she hasn't earned a Grammy quite yet, Sullivan gets stronger, both vocally and artistically, with each album she puts out, and I firmly believe that if she decides to put out some more heat this year, the masses will finally pay attention. I'm ready, Jazmine!

The Power Players

Stephen Curry

The Warriors star point guard and MVP shoe-in has been unstoppable all season long. Fresh off last season's NBA championship victory, Stephen Curry has led the team to an incredible 47-4 record through the All-Star break, which puts them ahead of pace of besting the NBA record for most wins in a season, set by the legendary 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls squad. Simply put, the dude is a beast.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams has dominated tennis courts all over the world since 1999. Over the course of her career she has earned a whopping 21 grand slam titles, and is currently ranked as the No. 1 female tennis player in the world. When she's not crushing the competition on the court, she's giving back to the community with the Serena Williams Fund, through which she just finished building a school for under-privileged kids in Jamaica. Whether she's winning on the court or off the court, one fact remains true: Serena Williams is amazing.

Cam Newton

Cam Newton has certainly made headlines this past football season for his flashy touchdown dances, but more importantly for his contributions on the field, which led to his regular season MVP Award this past January. Even though he suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, and took major flack from a certain "demographic" of people for his alleged arrogant attitude, we'll most definitely celebrate his unapologetic display of blackness and cheer him on in his quest to give the Carolina Panthers their first championship. Dab away, Cam Newton.

The Moguls

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah, Oprah, Oprah! The media mogul has been a trailblazer for African Americans everywhere since her groundbreaking daytime talk show aired in 1986. She's had magazines, countless television programs, and even her "OWN" television network. Her most recent endeavor has been buying stock in Weight Watchers, which made her an impressive $70 million on her first day as a stock holder. Oprah just continues to win, and will be sitting pretty as one of the world's richest women for a long time to come.

John W. Thompson

I had to throw in one extra person for the extra day in Black History Month! Florida A&M University alum John W. Thompson has had a very successful and extensive career in the tech industry. He was the vice-president of IBM before joining software company Symantec in 1999. After his eventual rise to chief executive officer, Thompson left Symantec in 2009 and joined the Microsoft Board in 2012. In February of 2014, he was named chair of the Microsoft Board, and still holds the position today. Last year, Thompson received a BET Honor for his efforts in the business and tech industry. I'll leave you with a quote of his, "It's all about education, it's all about integrity and it's all about a life long pursuit. If you can find that long life pursuit and passion, nothing is impossible."