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Young Black Americans in the 2013 Spotlight - A number of young African-Americans gained the national spotlight in 2013 for a brief moment for reasons of their own making or situations they were plunged into. Those moments ranged from protesting school closures in Chigago to speaking at the March on Washington anniversary. (Photo: Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune/ MCT /LANDOV)

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A Suit That Ignited the Shop-and-Frisk Controversy - Trayon Christian, an 18-year-old college student, sued Barneys New York for being stopped after purchasing an expensive Ferragamo belt. His suit against the giant retail store for what would soon become known as “shop-and-frisk” was one of the first of several that were yet to come and that would engage civil rights leaders and a number of stores. (Photo: Trayon A. Christian via Facebook)

Photo By Trayon A. Christian via Facebook

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A Witness in the Zimmerman Trial Who Stood Up for Trayvon - After becoming the center of one of the year's most high-profile cases, Rachel Jeantel became both the target of stinging criticism and the beneficiary of praise for her testimony in the trial of George Zimmerman, who was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin. The 19-year-old friend of Martin served as the prosecution’s key witness. (Photo: Jacob Langston-Pool/Getty Images)

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Leading a Protest Against School Closures in Chicago - Brian Stirgis, a 17-year-old senior at Paul Robeson High School in Chicago, made headlines as the coordinator of a student protest against school closures in that city. Roughly 200 students, angry about the city’s plan to close 54 schools in largely African-American and Latino areas of Chicago, boycotted state standardized tests to send a message to the school district. They also rallied at the Board of Education headquarters. (Photo: Jonathan Hicks/BET)

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UCLA Student Gains Fame after a Video Critical of School’s Diversity Record - Sy Stokes, a 20-year-old student at the University of California at Los Angeles, drew national attention for his role as a critic of the diversity record of his college. It started with a video he and other Black students posted that included a spoken word poem about the low number of African-American students at UCLA. In the video, Stokes, a cousin of Arthur Ashe, states that only 3.3 percent of the school’s population is comprised of African-American male students. He added that 65 percent of those Black male students are athletes. (Photo: Sy Stokes via YouTube)

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Victim of Stop and Frisk Became a Star Witness - Nicholas Peart, a 25-year-old African-American man who had been stopped by New York City police several times, was a leading witness in the stop-and-frisk trial in 2013. Peart began caring for his three siblings after their mother died of cancer two years ago. He said that being stopped by the police was a humiliation that made him feel “degraded” and “criminalized” for doing nothing other than being in the neighborhood where he lives. (Photo: Courtesy of Nicholas K. Peart via Facebook)

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The Youngest Speaker at the March on Washington Commemoration - Nine-year-old Asean Johnson became a sensation when he served as the youngest speaker at the 50th anniversary celebration of the March on Washington. The young Chicago elementary school student spoke on the need for renewed funds and resources for the nation’s public schools. “Every school deserves equal funding and resources,” he said to the crowd of thousands. (Photo: Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune/ MCT /LANDOV)

Photo By Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune/MCT/LANDOV

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Dissident Detroit Official Makes Waves - John Olumba, a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, made headlines this year as a dissident voice in the state, perturbing politicians for his attention to corruption and his criticism of incumbent politicians. He alienated his fellow Democrats for his criticism and eventually became an independent. The 32-year-old launched an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Detroit this year. (Photo: Courtesy of John Olumba)

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One of the Central Park Five Continues to Speak Out - Yusef Salaam was one of the Central Park Five, a group of Black and Latino teenagers who went to prison for the rape of a white woman jogging in Central Park in 1989. They were later released on evidence that they didn’t commit the crime. Salaam has been a frequent speaker throughout the country in 2013 on his. He now works as a wireless administrator with a health care company in Long Island. (Photo: Roger Walsh /Landov)