History
Technology
Music
Rule of Law
Say what?
100
On November 4, 2008, The senator of Illinois defeats Senator John McCain of Arizona to become the 44th U.S. president, and the first African American elected to the White House.
Barack Obama
100
Thanks to his work we can now designate an accurate resistance value to wiring in our electronics. This has made it possible for our TVs, PCs, and radios to move leaps and bounds to the modern devices we have today. His work also helped lead to the implantable pacemaker — a medical device that’s used by millions to treat heart conditions.
Otis Boykin
100
It’s impossible to write the story of her music without mentioning Ike, a highly influential (and controversial) figure himself in the history of Black music. However, her voice and ability as a performer were second to none both as part of a legendary duo but also as a solo performer who took the 1980s by storm. She changed the way the rock and roll industry and fans viewed African-American female performers.
Tina Turner
100
Legal throughout the United States since at least the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court (Warren Court) decision been legal throughout the United States since at least the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court (Warren Court) decision that held that "anti-miscegenation" laws were unconstitutional.[1][2] Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote in the court opinion that "the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State."
What is the Loving v. the State of Virginia Decision of 1967
100
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Who is Martin Luther King Jr.
200
a Republican U.S. Senator, minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and a college administrator. The first mixed race American European, American and African to serve in the U.S. Congress when he was appointed to the United States Senate as a Republican to represent Mississippi in 1870 and 1871 during the Reconstruction era.
Hiram Rhodes Revels
200
Each time you pick up your smartphone, think of Jesse Russell. Over decades of work in the telecommunications field, Russell played a large part in getting cell phone communications to where they are today, with numerous patents in the field for innovations like his wireless communication base station and mobile data telephone.
Jesse Russell
200
It took longer than most Motown groups were used to, but they eventually became the iconic label’s signature act. The group’s vocal harmonies, style and dancing would become the blueprint for soul groups moving forward with a collection of songs that would become some of the most coveted in music history.
The Temptations
200
sometimes called the Enforcement Act or the Force Act, was a United States federal law enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. The bill was passed by the 43rd United States Congress and signed into law by United States President Ulysses S. Grant. The act was designed to "protect all citizens in their civil and legal rights", providing for equal treatment in public accommodations and public transportation and prohibiting exclusion from jury service.
The Civil Rights Act of 1875
200
- “Revolution is a serious thing, the most serious thing…When one commits oneself to the struggle, it must be for a lifetime.”
Who is Angela Davis
300
(born November 22, 1942) is an American aerospace engineer, retired U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut, who is the first African American and the second person of African descent to go to space.
Guion Stewart Bluford Jr
300
He helped create the Fairchild Channel F console, the first cartridge gaming system, in 1976. With games like video blackjack, bowling, checkers, and slot machine, it was nothing like the games we have today. But, without his work, we might not have today’s high-graphics titles or consoles. Some people even refer to him as a father of modern gaming.
Jerry Lawson
300
It might be harder to name an artist she didn’t influence. The list includes Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Madonna, Kanye West, Bono, Lauryn Hill, Cat Stevens, Mary J. Blige, Van Morrison, Sade and numerous others. Her voice stands as one of the most versatile and powerful in music history, tackling various genres including gospel, folk, jazz, blues and R&B. She accomplished all of this while also serving as a leading civil rights activist of her time.
Nina Simone
300
is an Act of the United States Congress introduced by John Lewis (GA-5) that allows cold cases of suspected violent crimes committed against African Americans before 1970 to be reopened. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation on June 20, 2007 by a vote of 422 to 2.[1] The U.S. Senate passed the legislation on September 24, 2008 by unanimous consent, and President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on October 7.[2]
What is the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act
300
- “I am America. I am the part you won’t recognize…get used to me…my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own…”
Who is Muhammed Ali
400
In 1987, Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. became Chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF — distinguishing him as the first black CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Franklin Raines became the second black person to lead a "Fortune 500" company, when he became CEO of Fannie Mae in 1999
Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr
400
Her patented a natural gas furnace in 1919. Her invention helped modernize the HVAC industry and central heating systems, allowing for greater conservation of energy and moving us away from a reliance on wood and coal. Needless to say, our homes are now much more comfortable thanks to her revolutionary concept.
Alice H. Parker
400
As the leader of The Impressions, it marked the moment when social and political awareness invaded soul music with the group’s landmark single “People Get Ready.” It was a watershed moment in music history. That alone might be enough to put him on this list. But his solo career was equally as remarkable, redefining R&B and funk music while influencing the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone.
Curtis Mayfield
400
As Union armies entered Southern territory during the early years of the War, emboldened slaves began fleeing behind Union lines to secure their freedom. Such slaves came to be called "contraband", a term emphasizing their status as captured enemy property. Other Army commanders returned the slaves to their owners. Congress reacted by approving an act prohibiting the military from sending escaped slaves back into slavery.
What is the Prohibition Act of Returned Slaves of 1862
400
- “ Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
Who is Harriet Tubman
500
the first black person to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1950 for her book Annie Allen, which chronicles the evolution of a young Black girl into womanhood through poetry.
Gwendolyn Brooks
500
GPS is nearly ubiquitous in today’s day and age, with applications in everything from travel to weather to the military. The technology wouldn’t be possible, however, without the contributions of Gladys West. A mathematician and programmer, West programmed a computer to give calculations for a geodetic earth model, which helped make GPS possible.
Gladys West
500
An essential figure in bebop and a pioneer of modern jazz. His style and uncanny ability as a performer paved the way for future artists, while his innovation on the piano was second to none.
Thelonious Monk
500
sSmetimes called Black Laws, were laws governing the conduct of African Americans (free and freed blacks). In 1832, James Kent wrote that "in most of the United States, there is a distinction in respect to political privileges, between free white persons and free coloured persons of African blood; and in no part of the country do the latter, in point of fact, participate equally with the whites, in the exercise of civil and political rights."[1] Although these existed before the Civil War and many Northern states had them, it was the Southern U.S. states that codified such laws in everyday practice. The best known of them were passed in 1865 and 1866 by Southern states, after the American Civil War, in order to restrict African Americans' freedom, and to compel them to work for low wages.
What are the Black Codes Laws
500
“I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am also, much more than that. So are we all"
Who is James Baldwin