Archive

Patricia Hill Collins

Sociologist & Academic Professor

Toni Morrison

Novelist

Charley Frank Pride

Singer, Guitarist, & Professional Baseball Player

DMX

Hip-Hop Recording Artist & Actor

Mahalia Jackson

Gospel Recording Artist

Ursula Rucker

Spoken Word Recording Artist

Stokely Carmichael

Civil Rights Activist

Rosa Parks

Civil Rights Activist

James Edward Maceo West

Inventor & Acoustician

Chadwick Boseman

Actor & Playwright

Lamont Dozier

Singer, Songwriter, & Record Producer

Etheridge Knight

Poet

Henry Armstrong

Professional Boxing Athlete

Roger E. Mosley

Actor, Director, & Writer

Lynn Whitfield

Actress

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander

Lawyer

John Hope Franklin

Historian

Kimbo Slice

Mixed Martial Artist, Boxer, Professional Wrestler & Actor

Bobby Brown

Singer, Hip-Hop Artist, & Actor

LL Cool J

Hip-Hop Artist, Record Producer, & Actor

Richard Wright

Author

Kool Moe Dee

Hip-Hop Recording Artist, Writer & Actor

Ishmael Reed

Poet, Novelist, Essayist, Songwriter, Playwright, Editor & Publisher

Margaret Walker

Poet & Writer

Rita Dove

Poet & Essayist

Bell Hooks

Author, Professor, Feminist, & Social Activist

Ice T

Hip-Hop Recording Artist, Actor, Songwriter, & Producer

Brand Nubian

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Tom Lister, Jr.

Actor & Professional Wrestler

UGK

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Keith David

Actor, Voice Artist, & Producer

Flo Hyman

Professional Volleyball Athlete

Milton Lee Olive III

United States Army Soldier

Jackson 5

R&B & Pop Band

Wendell Pierce

Actor & Businessman

Roxanne Shante

Hip-Hop Recording Artist

Roy Ayers

Funk, Soul & Jazz Composer, Vibraphone Player, & Music Producer

D.L. Hughley

Comedian, Actor, Political Commentator, Radio Host, & Author

Living Colour

Rock Band

Cedric The Entertainer

Actor, Comedian, & Game Show Host

Irma P. Hall

Actor, Singer, & Activist

Lisa Leslie

Professional Basketball Athlete

Outkast

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Mary J. Blige

Singer, Songwriter, Actress, & Philanthropist

Starletta Dupois

Actress

Edward Joseph Dwight, Jr.

Sculptor, Author, & Former Test Pilot

Dr. Patricia Bath

Ophthalmologist, Inventor, Humanitarian, & Academic

Thomas L. Jennings

Inventor, Tradesman, Entrepreneur, & Abolitionist

Pernell Whitaker

Professional Boxing Athlete

James Farmer

Civil Rights Activist & Leader

Hosea Williams

Civil Rights Leader, Activist, Ordained Minister, Businessman, Philanthropist, Scientist, & Politician

Roy Wilkins

Civil Rights Activist & Leader

Chinua Achebe

Novelist, Poet, & Critic

Mary Mahoney

Nurse

Fats Waller

Pianist, Organist, Composer, Violinist, Singer, & Comedic Entertainer

Eddie Griffin

Comedian & Actor

Patti LaBelle

Singer, Actress, & Businesswoman

Ma Rainey

Singer

Steve Harvey

Television Presenter, Comedian, Actor, Broadcaster, Author, Game Show Host & Businessman

Horace Pippin

Artist

Naomi Sims

Model, Businesswoman, & Author

Dr. Alexa Canady

Pediatric Neurosurgeon & Educator

Loretta Devine

Actress & Singer

Elijah McCoy

Inventor & Engineer

Marie Van Brittan Brown

Nurse & Innovator

Eugene Jacques Bullard

Pilot

Terry McMillan

Novelist

Lead Belly

Singer, Musician, & Songwriter

Barbara-Rose Collins

Politician

Shirley Ann Jackson

Physicist

Henrietta Lacks

‘HeLa Cell Line’

Mary Ellen Pleasant

Civil Rights Activist & Entrepreneur

Della Reese

Singer, Actor, & Minister

Jesse Jackson

Civil Rights Leader, Minister, & Politician

Charlie Murphy

Actor & Comedian

Muddy Waters

Songwriter, Guitarist, & Singer

De La Soul

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Doug E. Fresh

Hip-Hop Recording Artist, Record Producer & Beatboxer

Sinbad

Comedian & Actor

Septima Poinsette Clark

Civil Rights Activist & Educator

Frank Robinson

Professional Baseball Athlete & Manager

Scarface

Hip-Hop Recording Artist

Daisy Bates

Civil Rights Activist, Publisher, Journalist, & Lecturer

Kobe Bryant

Professional Basketball Athlete

Althea Gibson

Professional Tennis & Golf Athlete

James Meredith

Civil Rights Activist, Writer, Political Adviser, & Veteran

Cheryl Miller

Collegiate Basketball Athlete, Coach, Reporter, & Analyst

Wilma Rudolph

Professional Track & Field Athlete

Junkyard Dog

Professional Wrestling & Collegiate Football Athlete

Ernie Ladd

Professional Wrestling & Football Athlete

Alain Leroy Locke

Writer, Philosopher, Educator, & Patron of the Arts

Robert Sengstacke Abbott

Lawyer, Newspaper Publisher, & Editor

Rudy Ray Moore

Comedian, Singer, Actor, & Film Producer

Floyd Patterson

Professional Boxing Athlete

Fats Domino

Pianist & Singer

Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller

Sculptor, Painter, & Poet

Ricky Harris

Actor, Comedian, & Producer

Scatman Crothers

Actor, Dancer, Singer, & Musician

Ethel Johnson

Professional Wrestling Athlete

Flip Wilson

Actor & Comedian

Rocky Johnson

Professional Wrestling Athlete

Kelly Jo Minter

Actor

Lou Rawls

Singer, Songwriter, Actor, & Producer

Richard Allen

Minister, Educator, & Writer

Josiah Henson

Author, Abolitionist, & Minister

Junior Wells

Blues Vocalist & Harmonica Player

Hawthorne James

Actor & Director

Jenifer Lewis

Actor, Singer, & Activist

Rosetta Sharpe

Singer, Songwriter, & Guitarist

Heavy D and The Boyz

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Salt ‘n Pepa

Hip-Hop Recording Group

The Temptations

R&B/Soul Music Group

Digital Underground

Hip-Hop Recording Group

EPMD

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Gap Band

R&B/Funk Music Group

James Armistead Lafayette

Spy

Crispus Attucks

Civil Rights Activist & Dock Worker

Alfre Woodard

Actor, Political Activist, & Producer

Carol Moseley Braun

Diplomat, Politician, & Lawyer

James Earl Jones

Actor

Pharoah Sanders

Musician, Composer, & Bandleader

Geoffrey Holder

Actor & Choreographer

‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard

Professional Boxing Athlete, Motivational Speaker, & Actor

Esther Rolle

Actor & Singer

Matthew Henson

Explorer

Donna Summer

Singer & Songwriter

Mary Wells

Singer

Jay Hawkins

Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Actor, Film Producer, & Boxer

Danitra Vance

Actor & Comedian

Jimmie Walker

Actor & Comedian

Mum Bett

Civil Rights Activist, Midwife, Herbalist, & Servant

Riddick Bowe

Professional Boxing Athlete

Herbie Hancock

Pianist, Keyboardist, Bandleader, Composer, & Actor

Mae Jemison

Scientist, Astronaut, & Doctor

Audre Lorde

Poet

RuPaul

Television Personality & Singer

Ernie Davis

Football Athlete

Marvin Hagler

Professional Boxing Athlete

Alice Walker

Author & Civil/Women's Rights Activist

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Author

Martin Lawrence

Actor & Comedian

Wynton Marsalis

Songwriter & Trumpet Player

Pat Cleveland

Model

Ron O’Neal

Actor, Director, & Screenwriter

Mike Tyson

Professional Boxing Athlete & Actor

Kid ‘N Play

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Nona Hendryx

Singer, Producer, Songwriter, Musician, Author, & Actor

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Actor, Singer, Author, & Activist

George Clinton

Singer, Songwriter, Bandleader, & Producer

Nichelle Nichols

Producer, Actor, & Singer

Desmond Tutu

Archbishop, Civil Rights Activist, & Educator

Oprah Winfrey

Philanthropist, Producer, Talk Show Host, & Actor

Yaphet Kotto

Actor

Wesley Snipes

Actor, Director, Producer, Martial Artist, & Author

Obba Babatunde

Actor

Jack Johnson

Professional Boxing Athlete

Phylicia Rashad

Actor

Muhammad Ali

Professional Boxing Athlete

Joe Frazier

Professional Boxing Athlete

Delroy Lindo

Actor

Wilt Chamberlain

Professional Basketball Athlete & Actor

Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Professional Basketball Athlete & Actor

Bill Russell

Professional Basketball Athlete

David Dinkins

Professor & Mayor

Coretta Scott King

Writer, Women's Rights Activist, & Civil Rights Activist

Nancy Wilson

Television Personality & Singer

Henry Ossian Flipper

Military Leader

Evander Holyfield

Professional Boxing Athlete

Fela Kuti

Songwriter, Pianist, Civil Rights Activist, & Drummer

Bernie Casey

Actor, Poet, & Professional Football Athlete

Ron Glass

Actor

Sade

Singer & Songwriter

Michael Clarke Duncan

Actor

Grace Jones

Model, Actor, & Singer

Naughty By Nature

Hip-Hop Recording Group

The Isley Brothers

R&B & Soul Music Group

Paul Mooney

Comedian, Writer, Social Critic, & Actor

Tina Turner

Actor & Singer

Billy Dee Williams

Actor, Artist, & Singer

Chris Tucker

Comedian & Actor

Cicely Tyson

Actor

Antonio Fargas

Actor

Arsenio Hall

Actor, Comedian, & Talk Show Host

Bishop T.D. Jakes

Pastor, Author & Filmmaker

Morgan Freeman

Actor, Director, Narrator, & Producer

Florence Griffith Joyner

Track & Field Athlete

NWA

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Chris Rock

Comedian, Director, Producer, & Actor

Lavar Burton

Director, Actor, Producer, & Television Personality

Earth, Wind & Fire

Funk/Soul/R&B Music Group

Thelonious Monk

Pianist & Songwriter

John Coltrane

Composer, Saxophonist, & Musician

MC Lyte

Hip-Hop Recording Artist, Actor, DJ, & Model

Peter Tosh

Musician & Singer

Babyface

Singer, Guitarist, Producer, & Songwriter

Gwen Ifill

Journalist & News Anchor

George Wallace

Comedian & Actor

George Foreman

Professional Boxing Athlete & Minister

Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson

Professional Basketball Athlete

Keenan Ivory Wayans

Actor, Comedian, Producer, & Director

Bernie Mac

Comedian & Actor

Miriam Makeba

Singer & Civil Rights Activist

Diana Ross

Singer & Actor

Freddie Jackson

Singer

Nipsey Russell

Comedian & Actor

John Witherspoon

Comedian & Actor

Whoopi Goldberg

Comedian, Actor, & Talk Show Host

Michael Jordan

Professional Basketball Player & Businessman

Jackie Joyner Kersee

Track & Field Athlete

Chuck Berry

Guitarist, Singer, & Songwriter

Dick Gregory

Author, Civil Rights Activist, Comedian, & Entrepreneur

Eddie Murphy

Actor, Director, & Comedian

Count Basie

Pianist & Songwriter

Moms Mabley

Comedian

The Miracles

R&B Music Group

Bob Beamon

Track & Field Athlete

Ralph Ellison

Academic, Author, Educator, & Literary Critic

Gladys Knight & The Pips

R&B & Soul Music Group

Barry White

Music Producer & Singer

Guion Bluford

Astronaut, Pilot, & Scientist

Diahann Carroll

Actor & Singer

Nat King Cole

Actor, Pianist, Singer, & Television Personality

Rod Carew

Coach & Professional Baseball Athlete

Sam Cooke

Singer, Songwriter, & Entrepreneur

Cynthia Mckinney

Civil Rights Activist & U.S. Representative

Death

Punk/Garage Band

Patrice O'Neal

Actor, Comedian, & Radio Personality

Richard Roundtree

Actor

Julian Bond

Government Official, Educator, & Civil Rights Activist

Duke Ellington

Pianist, Conductor, & Songwriter

Issac Hayes

Actor, Musician, & Singer

Wally Amos

Entrepreneur

Ella Baker

Civil Rights Activist

Run DMC

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Dorothy Height

Civil Rights Activist & Women's Rights Activist

Jimi Hendrix

Guitarist, Songwriter, & Singer

Bob Marley

Singer, Songwriter, Musician, & Guitarist

Arthur Ashe

Professional Tennis Player & Activist

Betty Shabazz

Civil Rights Activist, Nurse & Educator

Bobby Womack

Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Producer, Instrumentalist, & Sideman

Aaliyah

Actor & Singer

Julius Erving

Professional Basketball Athlete

Grandmaster Caz

DJ, Singer, Songwriter, & MC

Ray Charles

Pianist, Songwriter, Composer, Arranger, & Singer

Whitney Young, Jr.

Civil Rights Activist

Gwendolyn Brooks

Poet & Teacher

Jim Brown

Professional Football Athlete & Actor

Marvin Gaye

Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Producer, & Composer

Amiri Baraka

Actor, Teacher, Director, Producer, Writer, Activist, & Poet

Ruby Dee

Actor, Screenwriter, Civil Rights Activist, Poet, & Playwright

Janet Jackson

Producer, Dancer, & Singer

Jim Kelly

Martial Artist, Actor, & Athletic Instructor

Bayard Rustin

Civil Rights Activist

Stevie Wonder

Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Producer, & Multi-Instrumentalist

Curtis Mayfield

Singer

Queen Latifah

Singer, Songwriter, Hip-Hop Recording Artist, Actor, Model, Comedian, & Talk Show Host

Rakim

Hip-Hop Recording Artist

A. Phillip Randolph

Civil Rights Activist

Afrika Bambaataa

DJ, Producer, & Activist

Whitney Houston

Singer & Actor

Barbara Jordan

Civil Rights Activist & U.S. Representative

Redd Foxx

Actor & Comedian

Berry Gordy

Record Executive, Songwriter, & Producer

Chaka Khan

Actor, Singer, & Songwriter

Gordon Parks

Writer, Photographer, Pianist, Songwriter, & Director

Harry Belafonte

Civil Rights Activist, Actor, & Singer

Shirley Chisholm

Politician, Educator, & Author

Carter G. Woodson

Historian

Spike Lee

Actor, Director, & Producer

Joe Louis

Professional Boxing Athlete

Nelson Mandela

President (non-U.S.), Writer, & Civil Rights Activist

Augusta Savage

Sculptor, Artist, Educator, & Civil Rights Activist

Ella Fitzgerald

Singer

The Notorious B.I.G.

Hip-Hop Recording Artist

Sidney Poitier

Actor & Filmmaker

Bessie Smith

Singer

Lena Horne

Singer, Actor, Civil Rights Activist, & Dancer

Quincy Jones

Children's Activist, Trumpet Player, Producer, Songwriter, & Television Producer

Prince

Singer, Producer, & Songwriter

Harriet Tubman

Civil Rights Activist

Janet Collins

Prima Ballerina

Sammy Davis, Jr.

Actor, Singer, Comedian, & Dancer

Fannie Lou Hamer

Civil Rights Activist & Philanthropist

John Singleton

Director, Producer, & Screenwriter

Josephine Baker

Dancer, Singer, Actor, Civil Rights Activist, & Spy

DJ Grandmaster Flash

Hip-Hop Recording Artist & DJ

Public Enemy

Hip-Hop Recording Group

Faith Ringgold

Women's Rights Activist, Author, Educator, Civil Rights Activist, & Painter

Bill Cosby

Actor, Comedian, & Producer

Pam Grier

Actor

Billie Holiday

Singer, Songwriter, & Actor

Tupac Shakur

Actor & Hip-Hop Recording Artist

Jesse Owens

Professional Track & Field Athlete

Richard Pryor

Actor, Comedian, & Screenwriter

Jackie Robinson

Professional Baseball Athlete

Aretha Franklin

Singer & Actor

Lorraine Hansberry

Playwright & Writer

Michael Jackson

Singer, Music Producer, Songwriter, & Dancer

Booker T. Washington

Educator & Civil Rights Activist

Louis Armstrong

Musician

W.E.B. Du Bois

Sociologist, Historian, Activist, Author, & Editor

James Baldwin

Novelist, Essayist, Playwright, Poet, & Social Critic

Big Daddy Kane

Rapper, Actor, Producer, & Model

James Brown

Musician, Producer, Dancer, & Bandleader

George Washington Carver

Scientist, Botanist, Educator, & Inventor

“Sugar” Ray Robinson

Professional Boxing Athlete

Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Civil Rights & Women's Rights Activist

Hank Aaron

Professional Baseball Athlete

Mary McLeod Bethune

Educator, Author, & Civil Rights Leader

Madam C.J. Walker

Entrepreneur & Philanthropist

Miles Davis

Musician

Dorothy Jean Dandridge

Singer & Actor

Langston Hughes

Poet, Social Activist, Novelist, Playwright, & Columnist

Sojourner Truth

African-American Abolitionist & Women's Rights Activist

Maya Angelou

Writer, Dancer, & African-American Activist

Frederick Douglass

Civil Rights Activist

Zora Neale Hurston

Folklorist, Anthropologist, & Author

Marcus Garvey

Political Leader, Publisher/Journalist, Entrepreneur, & Orator

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Civil Rights Clergyman, Activist, & Leader

Malcolm X

Muslim Minister & Human Rights Activist

The Black Panther Party

African-American Activist/Freedom Fighters

Melvin Van Peebles

Actor, Director, Screenwriter, Playwright, Novelist, & Composer

Shaka Zulu

Military Commander