Jackie Ormes is recognized at the first African American cartoonist. Ormes created positive depictions of African Americans in a time where they were typically depicted as negative stereotypes. Strong black heroines like Torchy Brown and Candy in "Dixie to Harlem." She later created "Patty-Jo 'N' Ginger," a single cartoon about two sisters, which became Ormes' longest-running panel and Patty-Jo became the first upscale black doll for children. Ormes' later comic, "Torchy in Heartbeats" explored themes that were ahead of its time, such as sexism, racism and pollution. Until 1989, Ormes was the only black woman in the male-dominated newspaper comics industry. Her work was a positive representation of black Americans and showed why representation in media is so important. She was posthumously inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2014.

February is #BlackHistoryMonth so throughout the month we'll be honoring influential African Americans whose stories you might not yet know. Some are pioneers in their field, some helped spark the civil rights movement and all have contributed incredible things to not only black history, but to the history of the United States as a whole.

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