Notable Black Women
This American poet and civil rights activist is known for her 1969 memoir, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman.
Who is Maya Angelou?
The first African American President of the United States.
Who is Barack Obama?
This landmark Supreme Court decision in 1954 declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
What is Brown v. Board of Education?
This genre of music, characterized by its use of blues notes, improvisation, and complex rhythms, originated in African American communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
What is Jazz?
This space at Purdue University, dedicated in 1969, serves as a cultural and educational hub for African American students and hosts a variety of events and programs.
What is the Black Cultural Center (BCC)?
An American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. manned spaceflights.
Who is Katherine Johnson?
This international icon was a boxing champion and social activist known for his fast feet, powerful fists, and quick wit.
Who is Muhammad Ali?
This 1965 march was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
What is the Selma to Montgomery March?
This was the first successful slave uprising in the modern era, leading to the independence of this Caribbean nation in 1804.
What is the Haitian Revolution?
In 1947, these twin sisters became the first African American women to enroll at Purdue University, breaking racial barriers and paving the way for future generations of students. (They now have Residence Halls named after them)
Who are Winifred and Frieda Parker?
This African American entrepreneur became the first female self-made millionaire in America due to her successful line of hair care products.
Who is Madam C.J. Walker?
This African American lawyer and civil rights activist was the first African American appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Who is Thurgood Marshall?
This Supreme Court decision of 1896 upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities under the doctrine of "separate but equal."
What is Plessy v. Ferguson?
The first African country to gain independence from colonial rule, in 1957.
What is Ghana?
In 2007, this former Purdue football player was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, recognizing his outstanding collegiate career.
Who is Leroy Keyes?
In 2021, she became the first African American female poet to perform at a presidential inauguration, reciting her poem "The Hill We Climb."
Who is Amanda Gorman?
This African American inventor and scientist developed over 300 products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other crops, significantly contributing to agricultural science.
Who is George Washington Carver?
The year Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years, marking a significant step towards ending apartheid in South Africa.
What is 1990?
This term refers to the movement of over six million African Americans from the rural Southern United States to urban areas in the North, Midwest, and West from about 1916 to 1970.
What is the Great Migration?
Founded in 1975, this organization at Purdue University is recognized as the mother chapter of a national organization aimed at increasing the number of culturally responsible Black engineers
What is the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)?
An African American astronaut who became the first black woman to travel into space in 1992.
Who is Mae Jemison?
This American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator is the current director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.
Who is Neil deGrasse Tyson?
The founding of this historically black university in 1837 marks it as the first institution of higher education for African Americans.
What is Cheyney University of Pennsylvania?
This African country was never colonized and successfully defended itself from Italian invasion in 1896.
What is Ethiopia?
In 1890, this individual became the first African American to graduate from Purdue University, earning a degree in Civil Engineering.
Who is David Robert Lewis?