Local Legends
Residing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for over thirty years, this civil rights activist and author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and served as the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University before retiring from a career in education.
Who is Maya Angelou?
This rising tennis star became famous at the age of 15 for beating Venus Williams in the first round at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
Who is Coco Gauff?
She is the first woman and African American to serve as the vice president of the United States.
Who is Kamala Harris?
(Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.)
After moving to LA with $700 in her bank account, two years of failed auditions, and an office job, she landed a recurring role on the television show Smart Guy. She has also recently starred as "Shug Avery" in The Color Purple (2023) and “Cookie” in the Fox television series, Empire.
Who is Taraji P. Henson?
This lifelong Davidsonian and educator continues to inspire many through her zealous advocacy for children and her commitment to improving race relations and social mobility throughout the Greater Charlotte area.
Who is Ruby Houston?
During the late 1980s, this California native became a popular figure in the world of track and field due to her record-setting athleticism and eclectic personal style.
Florence "Flo-Jo" Griffith Joyner
The following is an excerpt from her 2007 Grammy award-winning song: “...Should I send an email at home? You're the number one topic on the phone, I wonder if you know or do you have a clue, yeah...”
Who is Fantasia (Barrino)?
(Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.)
Despite only releasing one studio album in 1998, this Black rapper and singer-songwriter won 5 Grammys throughout her career and has even been regarded as one of the greatest artists of her generation.
Who is Lauryn Hill?
After growing up near Raleigh, North Carolina, she became a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and an inspiring force behind the creation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Through these organizations, she helped organize many successful voter registration drives and promoted student-led activism in schools during the Civil Rights Movement.
Who is Ella Baker?
Less than one year after giving birth to her daughter by emergency c-section, this Nike track athlete won gold medals in both the 4x400-meter relay and the 4×400-meter mixed relay at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Who is Allyson Felix?
In 2022, she was sworn in as an associate justice to the United States Supreme Court, becoming the first Black woman to take a seat on the high court.
Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson?
(Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.)
Starring as the main actor in Coffy, she is known as the queen of 1970s Blaxploitation cinema. Her hit role helped address the impact of drugs in the Black community and used film as a way to engage and speak specifically to urban Black audiences.
Who is Pam Grier?
After receiving her B.S. degree in biology from Johnson C. Smith University and obtaining her M.S. degree in biology from North Carolina Central University, she became the first African American woman to represent North Carolina in the United States House of Representatives following a special election in 1992.
Who is Eva Clayton?
In 2020, she led the WNBA for the third time in rebounds per game, was named Defensive Player of the Year, and earned first-team All-WNBA honors for the sixth time in her career.
Who is Candace Parker?
In 1993, she became the first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Who is Toni Morrison?
(Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.)
She is broadly recognized as the first African American woman and only the third woman in the United States to publish a book of poems.
Who is Phillis Wheatley?
Starting her career as a teenager on the WGIV AM radio station in 1946, she became the first Black female to become a DJ in Charlotte.
Who is "Chatty" Hattie Leeper?
As a young athlete from the island nation of Curacao, she quickly became the best swimmer to represent the Netherlands in the 1970s and the first Black woman to medal in Olympic swimming, winning bronze in both the 100 and 200-meter freestyle in 1976.
Who is Enith Brigitha?
In addition to writing a book that would become known as a Harlem Renaissance classic, this author traveled to Haiti and Jamaica to study the religions of the African diaspora to promote and explore Black culture internationally.
Who is Zora Neale Hurston?
(Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.)
She is a painter who is most famously known for her portraits of Breonna Taylor and Former First Lady Michelle Obama. She uses her art to address issues of injustice regarding Black people in America.
Who is Amy Sherald?