Black Inventors
This person made traffic stops more safe by inventing the traffic light
Garret Morgan
She was the first Black woman to win a Noble Prize in Literature
Toni Morrison
Who is Destiny's Child?
He was the first Black heavy weight Champion.
Jack Johnson
This borough is the birthplace of drill music.
Brooklyn
This person enhanced security by inventing closed-circuit television.
Marie Van Brittan Brown
This person wrote, "If we are truly a great nation, the truth cannot destroy us," in their book The 1619 Project.
Nikole Hannah Jones
She was the first Black woman to win a grammy
Ella Fitzgerald
In 1948, she was the first Black woman to win an olympic gold medal.
Alice Coachman
During this time period, there was a cultural explosion in Black music, literature, and art. Iconic venues like the Apollo Theater emerged as centerpieces of this era.
Harlem Renaissance
A physicist whose work contributed to the invention of the portable fax, touch-tone telephone, and fiber-optic cable.
Dr. Shirley Jackson
The author of this song wrote it as a freedom hymn that represented Black liberation in 1900. It is now known as the Black National Anthem.
James Weldon Johnson
Music by Black artists was not played on MTV until this musician broke the barrier.
Michael Jackson
He was the very first Black man in the MLB
Moses Fleetwood Walker
After surviving and escaping enslavement, this author settled in Rochester, New York, in 1846.
Frederick Douglas
This inventor made this meeting possible by creating the very first personal computer
Mark Dean
"We remain silent because silence is easier... When we say nothing, when we do nothing, we are consenting to these trespasses against us," is a popular quote from this author's book, Bad Feminist.
Roxanne Gay
This group was the first hip-hop group to win an Oscar for best original song.
Three 6 Mafia
This professional sports league was racially integrated in 1946.
NFL
In 1853, the state legislature authorized the use of “eminent domain” to destroy a historically Black neighborhood to create Central Park.
Seneca Village
This inventor made it possible for people to ride in an elevator safely by creating a mechanism that automatically closes and opens elevator doors.
Alexander Miles
This author wrote, “It was his hatred and his intelligence that he cherished, the one feeding the other.” In their book, Go Tell It On The Mountain.
James Baldwin
This artist had their song "Hound Dog" stolen and made popular by Elvis Presley.
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton
Despite making up roughly 13% of the US national population, 41% of this group is comprised of Black athletes.
Professional Athletes
In 1850, this union was the first black labor union in the United States, was established in New York City.
American league of Colored laborers