Ernest Crim III, a Chicago native and former high school history teacher of 12 years, has built one of the largest independent Black history education platforms online, reaching an estimated 4 million people a month across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, where his combined following runs into the millions. He left the classroom to teach on a global scale instead, offering live virtual courses like “The Black History Book Club” for K-5 students, an Emmy-nominated CBS series, and two bestselling books, “How Black History Can Save Your Life” and “The ABCs of Affirming Black Children.”

Crim’s path into this work traces back to a 2016 incident where he was targeted with racial slurs during a night out, which he captured on video and which sparked national conversation about racism at the time. Rather than let the moment define him, he built his career around using overlooked Black history as what he calls a tool for equity, awareness and action, working with schools and organizations to shift culture through education.