Category:African-American

The category: African-American, highlights the ethnic and cultural identity of American people of African descent.

Bibliography; see Category:African-American (books)
Art; see Category:African Americans (art subject)
Cinema; see Category:African Americans (film subject)

See also: United States

Most Famous African-Americans

Born in the 18th century

1720s

Crispus Attucks (1723–1770) -- Crispus Attucks was an American whaler, sailor, and stevedore of African and Native American descent, who is traditionally regarded as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre, and as a result the first American killed in the American Revolution.

1730s

Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806)
Prince Hall (1735–1807)

Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), poet

1760s

Richard Allen (1760–1831), minister -- A minister, educator and writer, this Philadelphia native founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first independent Black denomination in the United States. He opened the first AME church in Philly in 1794. Born into slavery, he bought his freedom in the 1780s and joined St. George's Church. Because of seating restrictions placed on Blacks to be confined to the gallery, he left to form his own church. In 1787 he turned an old Blacksmith shop into the first church for Blacks in the United States.

James Forten (1766–1842) -- Forten was an African-American abolitionist and wealthy businessman in Philadelphia. Born free in the city, he became a sailmaker after the American Revolutionary War. Following an apprenticeship, he became the foreman and bought the sail loft when his boss retired. Based on equipment he developed, he established a highly profitable business on the busy waterfront of the Delaware River, in what's now Penn's Landing. Having become well-established, in his 40s Forten devoted both time and money to working for the national abolition of slavery and gaining civil rights for Blacks. By the 1830s, his was one of the most powerful African-American voices in the city.

1790s

David Walker (1796–1830) -- David Walker was an American abolitionist, writer, and anti-slavery activist. Though his father was enslaved, his mother was free; therefore, he was free as well. In 1829, while living in Boston, Massachusetts, with the assistance of the African Grand Lodge (later named Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Jurisdiction of Massachusetts), he published An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World, a call for black unity and a fight against slavery.

Sojourner Truth (1797–1883) -- Truth was born into slavery but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. She then sued and won the return of her 5-year-old son who was illegally sold into slavery. In 1851, Truth began a lecture tour that included a women's rights conference where she delivered her famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech, challenging prevailing notions of racial and gender inferiority and inequality. She collected thousands of signatures petitioning to provide former slaves with land. Religion was a focal point of Truth’s efforts. She played a major part in recruiting African American soldiers to fight for the Union (northern states) against the Confederacy (southern states) in the Civil War.

John Russwurm (1799–1851) -- John Brown Russwurm was an abolitionist, newspaper publisher, and colonist of Liberia, where he moved from the United States. He was born in Jamaica to an English father and enslaved mother. As a child he traveled to the United States with his father and received a formal education, becoming the first black person to graduate from Hebron Academy and Bowdoin College.

Born in the 19th century

1800s

Nat Turner (1800–1831) -- Nat Turner was a Black American slave who led the only effective, sustained slave rebellion (August 1831) in U.S. history. Turner eluded his pursuers for six weeks but was finally captured, tried, and hanged.

Ira Aldridge (1807–1867) -- Ira Frederick Aldridge was an American-born British actor, playwright, and theatre manager, known for his portrayal of Shakespearean characters. James Hewlett and Aldridge are regarded as the first Black American tragedians.

Benjamin "Pop" Singleton (1809–1900) -- Benjamin "Pap" Singleton was an American activist and businessman best known for his role in establishing African American settlements in Kansas. A former slave from Tennessee who escaped to freedom in Ontario, Canada in 1846, he soon returned to the United States, settling for a period in Detroit, Michigan. He became a noted abolitionist, community leader, and spokesman for African-American civil rights.

1810s

Martin R. Delany (1812–1885) -- Martin R. Delany was an American abolitionist, journalist, physician, military officer and writer who was arguably the first proponent of black nationalism. Delany is credited with the Pan-African slogan of "Africa for Africans."

Henry Highland Garnet (1815–1882) -- Henry Highland Garnet was an American abolitionist, minister, educator and orator. Having escaped as a child from slavery in Maryland with his family, he grew up in New York City. He was educated at the African Free School and other institutions, and became an advocate of militant abolitionism.

Frederick Douglass (1817–1895) -- In Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, he outlines his life and subsequent escape from slavery, which proved instrumental to the abolitionist movement and the ultimate goal of ending slavery. Douglass lived during the Civil War in the middle of the 19th century.

Alexander Crummell (1819–1898) -- Alexander Crummell was an American minister and academic. Ordained as an Episcopal priest in the United States, Crummell went to England in the late 1840s to raise money for his church by lecturing about American slavery.

1820s

Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) -- Born into slavery in 1822, Harriet Tubman was famous for her efforts to help escaped slaves after escaping herself in 1849. She served an important part of the “Underground Railroad,” a secret path through slave-holding states for runaway slaves to escape to the north. Tubman was also referred to as “Moses.”

Hiram Revels (1827–1901) -- Hiram Rhodes Revels was an American Republican politician, minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and a college administrator. Born free in North Carolina, he later lived and worked in Ohio, where he voted before the Civil War. Elected by the Mississippi legislature to the United States Senate as a Republican to represent Mississippi in 1870 and 1871 during the Reconstruction era, he was the first African American to serve in either house of the U.S. Congress.

1830s

Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831-1895) -- Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. After attending the prestigious Massachusetts private school West-Newton English and Classical School, she worked as a nurse for eight years and applied to medical school in 1860 at the New England Female Medical College (which later merged with Boston University). She was accepted and graduated four years later. Though little is known of her career, PBS reported that she worked as a physician for the Freedman’s Bureau for the State of Virginia. She later practiced in Boston's predominantly Black neighborhood at the time, Beacon Hill, and published A Book of Medical Discourses in Two Parts.

Henry McNeal Turner (1834–1915) -- Henry McNeal Turner was an American minister, politician, and the 12th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). In 1863 during the American Civil War, Turner was appointed by the US Army as the first African-American chaplain in the United States Colored Troops.

Octavius V. Catto (1839-1871), Civil Rights Activist -- Known as one of the most influential civil rights' activists in Philadelphia during the 19th century, Catto fought for the abolition of slavery and the implementation of civil rights for all. He was prominent in the actions that successfully desegregated Philadelphia's public trolleys and played a major role in the ratification of the 15th amendment, baring voter discrimination on the basis of race. Catto was only 32 when he was shot and killed outside of his home on South Street in1871, the first Election Day that African Americans were allowed to vote. In 2017, a monument to Catto was unveiled at Philadelphia's City Hall.

1840s

Blanche K. Bruce (1841–1898) -- Blanche Kelso Bruce (March 1, 1841 – March 17, 1898) was an American politician who represented Mississippi as a Republican in the United States Senate from 1875 to 1881. Born into slavery in Prince Edward County, Virginia, he went on to become the first elected African-American senator to serve a full term (Hiram R. Revels, also of Mississippi, was the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate but did not complete a full term).

Edmonia Lewis (1844–1907) -- Mary Edmonia Lewis, also known as "Wildfire" was an American sculptor, of mixed African-American and Native American (Mississauga Ojibwe) heritage. Born free in Upstate New York, she worked for most of her career in Rome, Italy. She was the first African-American and Native American sculptor to achieve national and then international prominence.

Elijah McCoy (1844–1929) -- Elijah J. McCoy was a Canadian-American engineer of African-American descent who invented lubrication systems for steam engines.

1850s

Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), educator -- Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite.

Daniel Hale Williams (1856–1931) -- Daniel Hale Williams was an African-American surgeon who founded Provident Hospital in 1891. It was the first non-segregated hospital in the United States. Provident also had an associated nursing school for African Americans. He is known for having completed the first successful heart surgery.

Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937), artist -- Henry Ossawa Tanner was an American artist who spent much of his career in France. He became the first African-American painter to gain international acclaim. Tanner moved to Paris, France, in 1891 to study at the Académie Julian and gained acclaim in French artistic circles.

1860s

Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931), journalist -- Ida Bell Wells-Barnett was an American investigative journalist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

George Washington Carver (1864–1943) -- George Washington Carver was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the early 20th century.

Matthew Henson (1866–1955) -- Matthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on seven voyages to the Arctic over a period of nearly 23 years. They spent a total of 18 years on expeditions together. Henson said he was the first of their party to reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909.

Maria P. Williams (1866-1932) -- Thanks to the early accomplishments of Williams, who has been called the first woman of color producer, we have female directors and producers like Oprah, Ava DuVernay, and Shonda Rhimes. Williams's 1923 film The Flames of Wrath had a team of all people of color, and beyond that, the former Kansas City teacher was an activist and writer (she detailed her leadership skills in My Work and Public Sentiment in 1916).

Madame C.J. Walker (1867–1919) -- Madam C. J. Walker was an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Robert Sengstacke Abbott (1868-1940) -- Without Abbott's creative vision, many of the Black publications of today—such as Ebony, Essence, Black Enterprise, and Upscale—wouldn't exist. In 1905, Abbott founded the Chicago Defender weekly newspaper. The paper originally started out as a four-page pamphlet, increasing its circulation with every edition. Abbott and his newspaper played an integral part in encouraging African Americans to migrate from the South for better economic opportunities.

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963) -- W.E.B. Du Bois made his name as an author, academic, and activist in the generation before Rosa Parks and MLK. Du Bois is one of the founders of the NAACP, which remains one of the premier organizations for African American rights and activism.

1870s

James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938)
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906)
William Monroe Trotter (1872–1934)
Arturo Schomburg (1874–1938)
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875–1955)
Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950)

Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. (1877-1970) -- Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., was the first Black general in the U.S. Army. He served for 50 years, beginning as a temporary first lieutenant during the Spanish American War. Throughout his service, Davis was a professor of military science at Tuskegee and Wilberforce University, commander of the 369th Infantry of the New York National Guard, and Special Assistant to the Commanding General, among other positions. He received the Bronze Star Medal and the Distinguished Service Medal and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Garrett Morgan (1877–1963)
Jack Johnson (1878–1946)

1880s

Ernest Just (1883–1941) -- Ernest Everett Just was a pioneering biologist, academic and science writer. Just's primary legacy is his recognition of the fundamental role of the cell surface in the development of organisms. In his work within marine biology, cytology and parthenogenesis, he advocated the study of whole cells under normal conditions, rather than simply breaking them apart in a laboratory setting.

Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951) -- Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was an American author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films.

Alain Locke (1885–1954) -- Alain LeRoy Locke was an American writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts. Distinguished in 1907 as the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, Locke became known as the philosophical architect —the acknowledged "Dean"— of the Harlem Renaissance.

Marcus Garvey (1887–1940) -- Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. ONH was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, through which he declared himself Provisional President of Africa.

A. Philip Randolph (1889–1979) -- Asa Philip Randolph was an American labor unionist and civil rights activist. In 1925, he organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first successful African-American-led labor union. In the early Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement, Randolph was a prominent voice.

1890s

Claude McKay (1890–1948) -- Festus Claudius "Claude" McKay OJ was a Jamaican-American writer and poet. He was a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), author -- Hurston became an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker but as a child she was unable to attend school after her father stopped paying her school fees. In 1917 she opted to attend a public school but had to lie about her age in order to qualify for a free education. She studied hoodoo, the American version of voodoo, and found her way to Hollywood by working as a story consultant. One of her most notable works, Their Eyes Were Watching God was turned into a film in 2005.

Bessie Coleman (1892-1926), Civil Aviator -- Coleman was the first Black woman to fly an airplane. When American flying schools denied her entrance due to her race, she taught herself French and moved to France, earning her license from Caudron Brother's School in just seven months. She specialized in stunt flying and performing aerial tricks. Reading stories of World War I pilots sparked her interest in aviation. Coleman wasn’t recognized as a pioneer in aviation until after her death.

Hattie McDaniel (1893-1952) -- Hattie McDaniel was an American actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. For her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first African American to win an Oscar.

Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961) -- Frederick McKinley Jones was orphaned at a young age and raised by his Catholic priest until he dropped out of school at age 11. After a range of odd jobs, he became a janitor in the auto industry, eventually starting work as a auto mechanic teaching himself electronics until he was drafted into WWI. After the war, Jones returned to working on and inventing machines, building a transmitter for his town's new radio system in the process. He also invented a system that overlaid sound and motion pictures. From this, he was hired to develop sound equipment for the movie industry. One day while driving, he thought up the idea of a system that could keep perishable food cool and fresh while in the car. This idea led to a patent (one of an eventual 60-some patents) for a vehicular refrigeration system. Not only did his idea change how we looked at seasonal foods but also the medical industry and transportation of lifesaving supplies such as blood and medicine.

Walter F. White (1893–1955) -- Walter Francis White was an American civil rights activist who led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for a quarter of a century, from 1929 until 1955. He directed a broad program of legal challenges to racial segregation and disfranchisement.

Benjamin E. Mays (1894–1984) -- Benjamin Elijah Mays was an American Baptist minister and American rights leader who is credited with laying the intellectual foundations of the American civil rights movement.

Charles Hamilton Houston (1895–1950) -- Charles Hamilton Houston was an American lawyer. He was the dean of Howard University Law School and NAACP first special counsel.

Ethel Waters (1896-1977) -- Waters first entered the entertainment business in the 1920s as a blues singer and then became a Broadway star. Later in life, she made history for her work in television—she was the first African American to star in her own TV show, The Ethel Waters Show, and she was nominated for an Emmy in 1962.

Marian Anderson (1897–1993) -- Though she’s considered one of the greatest contralto singers in the world, Anderson was often denied the opportunity to show off her unique vocal range because of her race. However, in 1955, she became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, and in 1957, she went on a 12-nation tour sponsored by the Department of State and the American National Theatre and Academy. She documented the experience in her autobiography, My Lord What a Morning. In 1963, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her last major accomplishment before her death was receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys in 1991.

Elijah Muhammad (1897–1975) -- Elijah Muhammad was an American religious leader, black separatist, and self-proclaimed Messenger of Allah who led the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975. Muhammad was also the teacher and mentor of Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Muhammad Ali, and his son, Warith Deen Mohammed.

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898-1989) -- Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was a pioneering Black professional and civil rights activist of the early-to-mid-20th century. In 1921, Mossell Alexander was the second African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. and the first one to receive one in economics in the United States.

Ann Lowe (1898-1981) -- Born in Clayton, Alabama, Ann Lowe is considered to be one of America's most influential clothing designers. She was taught to sew at an early age by her mother and grandmother—both skilled dressmakers who created clothing for wealthy white families around the state. Lowe quickly took to collecting fabric scraps, which she used to create flowers fashioned after the ones in her family's garden—patterns that later became a part of her signature designs. Her career took off after she accepted a position as an in-house gown maker in Florida, then completed design school in NYC. Lowe established a shop in Tampa, Florida, where she hired 18 seamstresses. In addition to designs that showed up in Vogue and at Academy Award shows, one of Lowe's most historical pieces of work was the wedding dress Jacqueline Bouvier wore when she married then-senator (later president) John F. Kennedy.

Paul Robeson (1898–1978) -- Paul Leroy Robeson was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political stances.

Duke Ellington (1899–1974) -- Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life.

Percy Julian (1899–1975) -- Percy Lavon Julian was an American research chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants.

Born in the 20th century

1900s

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) -- Louis Daniel Armstrong, nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz.[3] He received numerous accolades including the Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance for Hello, Dolly! in 1965, as well as a posthumous win for the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972, and induction into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.

Roy Wilkins (1901–1981) -- Roy Ottoway Wilkins was a prominent activist in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Langston Hughes (1901–1967) -- Langston Hughes was a poet and a novelist during the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes’ first pook of poetry, The Weary Blues, and subsequent works, helped outline the economic situation of lower-class African Americans.

Arna Bontemps (1902–1973) -- Arna Wendell Bontemps was an American poet, novelist and librarian, and a noted member of the Harlem Renaissance.

Ella Baker (1903-1986) -- Baker was an essential activist during the civil rights movement. She was a field secretary and branch director for the NAACP and cofounded an organization that raised money to fight Jim Crow laws. Additionally, Baker was a key organizer for Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. But what was perhaps her biggest contribution to the movement was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which prioritized nonviolent protest, assisted in organizing the 1961 Freedom Rides, and aided in registering Black voters. The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights exists today to carry on her legacy.

Ralph Bunche (1903–1971) --
Countee Cullen (1903–1946) --
Charles Drew (1904–1950) --

Jane Bolin (1908-2007) -- A pioneer in law, Jane Bolin was the first Black woman to attend Yale Law School in 1931. In 1939, she became the first Black female judge in the United States. One of her significant contributions throughout her career was working with private employers to hire people based on their skills, as opposed to discriminating against them because of their race. She served on the boards of the NAACP, Child Welfare League of America, and the Neighborhood Children’s Center.

Thurgood Marshall (1908–1993), Supreme Court justice --

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (1908–1972) --
Richard Wright (1908–1960) --
Katherine Dunham (1909–2006)

1910s

Annie Lee Cooper (1910-2010) -- The Selma, Alabama, native played a crucial part in the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement. But it wasn't until Oprah played her in the 2014 Oscar-nominated film Selma that people really took notice of Cooper's activism. She is lauded for punching Alabama Sheriff Jim Clark in the face, but she really deserves to be celebrated for fighting to restore and protect voting rights.

Romare Bearden (1911–1988) --
Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (1912–2002) --

Dorothy Height (1912–2010) -- Hailed the “godmother of the women’s movement,” Height used her background in education and social work to advance women’s rights. She was a leader in the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and the president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) for more than 40 years. She was also among the few women present at the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Gordon Parks (1912-2006) -- Parks was the first African American photographer on the staff of Life magazine, and later helped found Essence. He also was the first Black writer and director of a studio film, and his second movie, Shaft, helping to shape the blaxploitation era in the '70s. Parks famously told Life in 1999: "I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera."

Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) -- Dr. King is usually credited for the March on Washington in August 1963. But it was Rustin who organized and strategized in the shadows. As a gay man who had controversial ties to Communism, he was considered too much of a liability to be on the front lines of the movement. Nonetheless, he was considered to be one of the most brilliant minds, and served his community tirelessly while pushing for more jobs and better wages.

Jesse Owens (1913–1980) -- Owens was a track-and-field athlete who set a world record in the long jump at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin—and went unrivaled for 25 years. He won four gold medals at the Olympics that year in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, along with the 100-meter relay and other events off the track. In 1976, Owens received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1990.

Rosa Parks (1913–2005) -- Best known for refusing to move to the back of a bus after being demanded she give up her seat to a white person, Rosa Parks was labeled as the “Mother of the Freedom Movement” following her bold disobedience subsequent arrest.

Daisy Bates (1914-1999) -- Daisy Bates was an American civil rights activist, publisher, journalist, and lecturer who played a leading role in the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957.

Kenneth B. Clark (1914–2005) -- Kenneth B. Clark began his education in the Harlem public schools and was later graduated from Howard University and received his Ph. D. from Columbia University.

Joe Louis (1914–1981) -- Joseph Louis Barrow was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 until his temporary retirement in 1949.

John Henrik Clarke (1915–1998) -- John Henrik Clarke was an African-American historian, professor, prominent Afrocentrist, and pioneer in the creation of Pan-African and Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the late 1960s.

John Hope Franklin (1915–2009) -- John Hope Franklin was an American historian of the United States and former president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Southern Historical Association.

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) -- Today, Brooks is considered to be one of the most revered poets of the 20th century. She was the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize (in 1950, for Annie Allen), and she served as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress, becoming the first Black woman to hold that position. She was also the poet laureate of the State of Illinois, and many of her works reflected the political and social landscape of the 1960s, including the civil rights movement and the economic climate.

Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983) -- With her husband (John Henrik Clarke), Mamie Phipps Clark was an American psychologists. As a married team they conducted research among children and were active in the Civil Rights Movement. They founded the Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem and the organization Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (HARYOU).

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977) -- Fannie Lou Hamer was an American voting and women's rights activist, community organizer, and a leader in the civil rights movement. She was the vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party, which she represented at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

John H. Johnson (1918–2005) -- John Harold Johnson was an American businessman and publisher. Johnson was the founder in 1942 of the Johnson Publishing Company, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois

Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) -- Creola Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights.

Gerald Wilson (1918-2014) -- Born in Shelby, Mississippi, Gerald Wilson was a trumpeter, jazz composer, arranger, and bandleader known for "redefin[ing] Big Band." He began taking piano lessons from his mother before taking formal lessons in Memphis. His family moved to Detroit around 1932, where he extended his training at the lauded music program at Cass Technical High School. Known for his unique voice, the hallmark of Wilson's sound involved the use of multiple harmonies. His band was considered to be one of the greatest in the jazz world, with a sound heavily influenced by the blues mixed with other styles. His work has influenced artists ranging from Duke Ellington to Ella Fitzgerald.

Dorie Miller (1919–1943) -- Doris Miller was the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. As a mess attendant second class in the United States Navy, Miller helped carry wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Edward W. Brooke (1919–2015) -- Edward William Brooke III was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 to 1979. A member of the Republican Party, he was the first African American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote

Jackie Robinson (1919–1972) -- Like Ali in the 60s, Jackie Robinson was one of the most influential sports figures of his day. Robinson became the first African American to play for a Major League Baseball team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, which broke the league’s color barrier. Robinson’s career spanned a decade. His jersey number, 42, was “retired” by all MLB teams, meaning no player may ever use that number again, in 1997.

1920s

Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951) -- After being diagnosed with cervical cancer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951, a sample of Lacks's cancer cells were taken without her consent by a researcher. And though she succumbed to the disease at the age of 31 that same year, her cells would go on to advance medical research for years to come, as they had the unique ability to double every 20 to 24 hours. "They have been used to test the effects of radiation and poisons, to study the human genome, to learn more about how viruses work, and played a crucial role in the development of the polio vaccine," Johns Hopkins said. In 2017, Oprah starred in and executive produced HBO's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, adapted from the book by Rebecca Skloot.

Rose Marie McCoy (1922-2015) -- McCoy’s name may not be instantly recognizable, but she wrote and produced some of the biggest pop songs in the 1950s. In an industry dominated by white males, McCoy was able to make her mark through her pen, even if she couldn’t through her own voice. Her songs “After All” and “Gabbin’ Blues” never quite took off on the charts, but she was courted by music labels to write for other artists, including hit singles for Big Maybelle, Elvis Presley, and Big Joe Turner. So now when you hear Presley’s “Trying to Get You,” you’ll remember the name of the African American woman who wrote it.

Alice Coachman (1923-2014) -- Growing up in Albany, Georgia, the soon-to-be track star got an early start running on dirt roads and jumping over makeshift hurdles. She became the first African American woman from any country to win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She set the record for the high jump, leaping to 5 feet and 6 1/8 inches. Throughout her athletic career, she won 25 national titles—10 of which were in the high jump. She was officially inducted into the National Track-and-Field Hall of Fame in 1975 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004.

James Baldwin (1924–1987) -- Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright and activist, most notably known for "Notes of a Native Son", "The Fire Next Time" and "The Devil Find's Work". One of his novels, If Beale Street Could Talk, was adapted into an Academy Award-winning dramatic film in 2018. "It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have."

Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) -- Congress is more diverse now than it's ever been. However, when Chisholm was attempting to shatter the glass ceiling, the same couldn't be said. During the racially contentious period in the late '60s, she became the first Black woman elected to Congress. She represented New York's 12th District from 1969 to 1983, and in 1972, she became the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Her campaign slogan "Unbought and unbossed" rings even louder today. Senator Kamala Harris paid tribute to Chisholm in her 2020 presidential campaign announcement by using a similar logo to Chisholm's.

Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990) -- Samuel George Davis Jr. was an American singer, actor, comedian and dancer. At age three, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally, and his film career began in 1933.

Malcolm X (1925–1965) --
John Coltrane (1926–1967) --
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) --

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) -- Angelou was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist with a colorful and troubling past highlighted in her most famous autobiography, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings", in which she tells a coming-of-age tale that shows how racism affected a young girl, transforming her into the proud author she would later become. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies and television shows spanning over 50 years. Angelou worked with MLK and other civil rights leaders to put a permanent end to segregation. Her works have been considered a defense and celebration of Black culture.

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) -- No single African American in history is perhaps as famous as Martin Luther King, Jr. A federal holiday on the third Monday each January celebrates his legacy. Entire sections of textbooks are devoted to his civil rights activism in the 1950s and 1960s. Dr. King made his mark by preaching nonviolent means of protesting segregation in the United States. MLK’s assassination at the hands of a white man in 1968 sparked riots and mourning across the world.

1930s

Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965) -- Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was an American playwright and writer. She was the first African American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Her best-known work, the play A Raisin in the Sun, highlights the lives of black Americans in Chicago living under racial segregation.

Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) -- Ailey was an acclaimed dancer and choreographer who earned global recognition for his impact on modern dance. After honing his technique at the Lester Horton Dance Theater—and acting as its director after Horton passed away—Ailey wished to choreograph his own ballets and works, which differed from the traditional pieces of the time. This inspired him to start the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958, a multiracial troupe that provided a platform for talented Black dancers and traveled around the world. His most popular piece, "Revelations," is an ode to the Southern Black Church. Ailey died of AIDS at 58, but his company lives on in New York City.

Toni Morrison (1931–2019), novelist --

Quincy Jones (1933) --

Hank Aaron (1934–2021) --

Audre Lorde (1934-1992) -- Audre Lorde was a lauded writer and poet known for her radical honesty and fight against racism and sexism. Self-described as a "Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," Lorde wrote often about the intersections of her identities. After earning both a BA from Hunter College and a masters from Columbia University, Lorde spent the 1960s working as a librarian in New York. In the 1970s she worked as a poet-in-residence at Tougaloo College in Mississippi and began publishing poetry collections. The works were informed by the intersections of race, class, and gender, and became increasingly more political. Some of her most famous works are "The Master's Tools Won't Dismantle The Master's House" and "Martha." Lorde passed away in 1992; her first full biography, Warrior Poet, was published by Alexis De Veaux in 2006.

Amiri Baraka (1934–2014) --
Bill Cosby (1937) --
Colin Powell (1937–2021)

Claudette Colvin (1939), Civil Rights Pioneer -- Colvin was arrested at the age of 15 for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman. She was the first woman to be detained for her resistance, nine months before Rosa Parks' more famous protest. Because of her age, the NAACP chose not to use her case to challenge segregation laws. Despite a number of personal challenges, Colvin became one of the four plaintiffs in the Browder v. Gayle case. The decision in the 1956 case ruled that Montgomery's segregated bus system was unconstitutional.

1940s

Richard Pryor (1940-2005), comedian --

Jesse Jackson (1941) --

Maulana Karenga (1941) --

Kwame Ture (1941–1998) -- Kwame Ture (born Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael) was a prominent organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the United States. He was a key leader in the development of the Black Power movement, first while leading the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), then as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party (BPP), and last as a leader of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP).

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay, 1942–2016) -- Born Cassius Clay in 1942, Muhammad Ali made his name in the sport of boxing as one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all-time. He changed his name in the early 1960s from “Cassius Clay,” which he associated with slavery, and adopted a new one from the Islamic tradition that symbolized a new black separatist movement in the United States. Ali was an objector to the Vietnam War, which moved him into the realm of left-wing activism and intersected race with a larger counterculture movement.

Guion Bluford (1942) -- Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. is an American aerospace engineer, retired United States Air Force officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut, in which capacity he became the first African American to go to space. While assigned to NASA, he remained a USAF officer rising to the rank of colonel.

Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) -- Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and pianist.[2] Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", Rolling Stone twice named her as the greatest singer of all time.[3][4] With global sales of over 75 million records, Franklin is one of the world's best-selling music artists

Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) -- James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as the greatest and one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century.

Arthur Ashe (1943–1993) -- Ashe's resume includes three Grand Slam titles and the title of the first Black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only Black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. In July 1979, Ashe suffered a heart attack while holding a tennis clinic in New York. His high profile drew attention to his condition, specifically to the hereditary aspect of heart disease. In 1992, Ashe was diagnosed with HIV; he and his doctors believed he contracted the virus from blood transfusions he received during his second heart surgery. After Ashe went public with his illness, he founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, working to raise awareness about the disease and advocated teaching safe sex education. On June 20, 1993, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) -- Before Netflix brought Johnson's story to life with the documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, many people were unfamiliar with the influential role she had on drag and queer culture. Johnson, a Black trans woman and activist, was at the forefront of fighting for LGBTQ rights in the 1960s and 70s (including partaking in the resistance at Stonewall). In addition to being the cofounder of STAR, an organization that housed homeless queer youth, Johnson also fought for equality through the Gay Liberation Front.

August Wilson (1945–2005), playwright -- August Wilson was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called The Pittsburgh Cycle, which chronicle the experiences and heritage of the African-American community in the 20th century.

Minnie Riperton (1947-1979) -- Mariah Carey is heralded for her whistle register, which is the highest the human voice is capable of reaching. But Riperton perfected the singing technique years before and was best known for her five-octave vocal range. The whistling can be heard on her biggest hit to date, “Lovin’ You.” The infectious ballad was originally created as an ode to her daughter, Maya Rudolph (of Bridesmaids and Saturday Night Live fame). However, before she could become a household name, Riperton died from breast cancer at the age of 31.

Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011) -- Gil Scott-Heron was a New York City–based writer, spoken word performer, poet, and musician whose 1970s songs are known for laying the groundwork for rap music. If you have heard the phrase "The revolution will not be televised," you have heard the words of Gil Scott-Heron. While both true and timeless, it's the title of Scott-Heron's poem that depicted the disconnected relationship between television/media representation and demonstrations in the street. He has been called the "godfather of rap," and his music and words have been sampled by rappers like Common and Kendrick Lamar. Even if you haven't heard of him, his work may sound more familiar than you think. One of his most famous pieces is "Whitey on the Moon" where he criticizes America's interest in space taking precedence over the well-being of African American citizens.

1950s

Stevie Wonder (1950) -- Stevland Hardaway Morris, known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include R&B, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz.

Ruby Bridges (1954) -- At age 6, Bridges embarked on a historic walk to school as the first African American student to integrate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana. She ate lunch alone and sometimes played with her teacher at recess, but she never missed a day of school that year. In 1999, she established The Ruby Bridges Foundation to promote tolerance and create change through education. In 2000, she was made an honorary deputy marshal in a ceremony in Washington, DC.

Oprah Winfrey (1954) -- Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011.

Whoopi Goldberg (1955) -- Caryn Elaine Johnson, known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg, is an American actor, comedian, author and television personality. A recipient of numerous accolades, she is one of 18 entertainers to win the EGOT, which includes an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award.

Mae Jemison (1956) -- Mae Jemison isn’t just the first African American woman who orbited into space aboard the shuttle Endeavour. She's also a physician, teacher, and Peace Corps volunteer; after her work with NASA, she founded the Jemison Group, which develops scientific and technological advancements. Jemison continues to work toward helping young women of color get more involved in technology, engineering, and math careers.

Michael Jackson (1958-2009) -- Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Known as the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century.

1960s

Eddie Murphy (1961) -- Edward Regan Murphy is an American actor and comedian. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has also worked as a stand-up comedian.

Barack Obama (1961), U.S. President -- Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African-American president.

Micheal Jordan (1963) -- Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His profile on the official National Basketball Association website states that "by acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."

1970s

Tiger Woods (1975) -- Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. Woods is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time and is one of the most famous athletes in modern history.

Kobe Bryant (1978-2020) -- Drafted right out of Lower Merion High School at the age of 17, Bryant won five titles as one of the marquee players in the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. men's basketball teams at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2015 Bryant wrote the poem "Dear Basketball," which served as the basis for a short film of the same name he narrated. The work won an Academy Award for best animated short film. A vocal advocate for the homeless Bryant and his wife, Vanessa started the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation aimed to reduce the number of homeless in Los Angeles. Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven other passengers died in a helicopter crash in late January.

1980s

Serena Williams (1981) -- Williams emerged straight outta the streets of Compton to become the world's No. 1 player. She has won 23 major singles titles, the most by any man or woman in the Open Era. The Women's Tennis Association ranked her world No. 1 in singles on eight separate occasions between 2002 and 2017. She has competed at three Olympics and won four gold medals.