Activists (Civil Rights Leader)
Athletes and More Activists
Abolitionist (Anti Slavery)
Authors
200
A civil rights activist who fought for equal rights.
Worked for voting rights and co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (a group fighting for African Americans' right to vote).
Lived from 1917-1977.
Fannie Lou Hamer
200
First African American in Major League Baseball (MLB, the top professional baseball league).
Broke the baseball color line (the rule that kept Black players out of white teams).
Lived from 1919-1972.
Jackie Robinson
200
An abolitionist (someone who wanted to end slavery) and political activist (someone who works to make changes in society).Helped enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad (a secret network of safe places to help people reach freedom).
Lived from 1820s-1913.
Harriet Tubman
200
Poet, writer, and activist.Known for contributions (important work) to the Black Arts Movement.
Born in 1943 passed December 9, 2024
Nikki Giovanni
300
A civil rights pioneer (someone who does something brave before others).
Refused to give up her seat on a segregated (separated by race) bus before Rosa Parks.
Born in 1939 (still living).
Kid-friendly YouTube Video
Claudette Colvin
300
Sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist.Co-founder of the NAACP.
Lived from 1868-1963.
W.E.B. Du Bois
300
An abolitionist and women's rights activist.Famous for her "Ain't I a Woman?" speech where she spoke about equal rights for all.
Lived from 1797-1883.
Sojourner Truth
300
Investigative journalist and educator.Led anti-lynching crusades.
Lived from 1862-1931.
Ida B. Wells
400
Civil rights leader and politician.
Known for his role in SNCC (a group of young people fighting for civil rights) and the Selma marches (peaceful protests for voting rights).
Lived from 1940-2020.
John Lewis
400
Civil rights activist in Mississippi.
Worked to overturn segregation and secure voting rights.
Lived from 1925-1963.
Medgar Evers
400
Abolitionist, writer, and speaker.Escaped slavery and led the anti-slavery movement.
Lived from 1818-1895.
Frederick Douglass
400
Poet, memoirist (someone who writes about their life), and civil rights activist.Wrote "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
Lived from 1928-2014.
Maya Angelou
500
Political activist, scholar, and author.Advocated for civil rights, prison reform (making prisons fairer), and social justice (fair treatment for all people).
Born in 1944 (still living).
Angela Davis
500
Political activist, scholar, and author.Advocated for civil rights, prison reform (making prisons fairer), and social justice (fair treatment for all people).
Born in 1944 (still living).
Angela Davis
500
Led a rebellion against slavery in 1831.Fought against oppression.
Lived from 1800-1831.
Nat Turner
500
Educator, author, and advisor to presidents.Led the Tuskegee Institute.
Lived from 1856-1915.
Booker T. Washington