Notable Black Figures in History

A political activist and minister, he is one of the most important leaders of the Civil Rights Movement

Her 1st book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, made literary history as the 1st nonfiction bestseller by a black woman

Nicknamed the Black Mamba, he won five titles as a Los Angeles Lakers and a member of the US Olympic basketball team

Titled the Queen of Soul, she has won 18 Grammys & is the first female inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

an influential Civil RIghts Leader of the 20th century who gave the infamous "I have a dream" speech

First African American to write a play to be produced on Broadway; author of Raisin in the Sun

"Arguably the greatest fighter of all time", he is the only man to win three boxing heavyweight titles

The most famous African American painter in history, he contributed to the rise in popularity of grafitti

An activist, entrepreneur, and Grammy Award winning rapper, he focused on putting an end to gang violence in LA

First black millionaire businesswoman -- created the world's first hair-straightening formula and the hot comb

Named Rookie of the Year in 1947, he is the first African American baseball player to see his team to the World Series

The first African American president of the USA who was elected in 2008

Made history at the 2012 London Olympics as the first black gymnast to win individual all-around champion

She has won 23 major singles tennis titles, the most of any man or woman in the Open Era

She became the first black female host of a nationally broadcasted daily talk show

A leader of the Harlem Renaissance, he wrote countless poems, novels, plays, and more

She made history as the first female, African American, & Southeast Asian vice president elected to office

Hailed as the "greatest instrumentalist of all time" this musician changed the face of music

At 6 years old, she was the first black student to integrate into a white elementary school in 1960.

Famous trumpet player who revolutionized jazz music

An agricultural scientist who invented over 400 peanut and sweet potato products

This woman refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white woman, thus sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Track and field star who took home four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics

The 1st black woman to be admitted into NASA's astronaut training program and eventually the 1st black female astronaut

Known as the famous conductor of the Underground Railroad where she led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom