Public Servants
She was the first Black female to be elected to the U.S. Congress. She represented New York's 12th congressional district.
Who is Shirley Chisholm?
In 2002, she became the first African American female EGOT winner. She starred in movies such as Ghost and The Color Purple.
Who is Whoopi Goldberg?
Debuting on April 15, 1947, for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the first African American to star in a MLB game.
Who is Jackie Robinson?
A major street honoring a civil rights leader. It runs east-west through downtown Chicago. Renamed in the summer of 2018, making it the first downtown Chicago Street named after a woman of color.
Who is Ida B. Wells?
Nominated to the Supreme Court in 2022, she is the first Black female and the first former federal public defender to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Who is Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson?
Starring in roles such as Raisin in the Sun, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Lillies of the Field. In 1964, he became the first African American male to win an Oscar.
Who is Sidney Poitier?
The youngest to win a heavyweight championship at the age of 20, and the first heavyweight to win all three major boxing belts.
Who is Mike Tyson?
A former constitutional law professor and a U.S. Senator, from Chicago. On January 20, 2009, he was inaugurated as the 44th President of the U.S.
Who is former President Barack Obama?
A civil rights leader and congressman. In 1986, he won his election to the House of Representatives and was reelected 16 times. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, coined the phrase, "good trouble."
Who is John Lewis?
A controversial filmmaker, he is known for powerful films such as She's Gotta Have it, School Daze, Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X.
Who is Spike Lee?
Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, at the age of 18. He leads the NBA as the highest scorer with 41,641 points.
Who is Lebron James?
He was a lawyer and politician. In 1983, he was elected as the first African American mayor of Chicago.
Who is Harold Washington?
A former First Assistant District Attorney in Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He went on to reinvent himself in the private practice. He is one of the lawyers who made up the "Dream Team."
Who is Johnnie Cochran?
After starring in the film, "Coming to America," this comedian broke late night barriers by becoming the first Black late-night talk show host in 1989.
Who is Arsenio Hall?
In 1988, he was the first African American quarterback to win a Superbowl. He was a quarterback for the Washington Redskins.
Who is Doug Williams?
Born in Haiti, later he traveled to North America and settled on the shores of Lake Michigan, an area that was developed into the city of Chicago.
Who is Jean Baptiste Point du Sable?
An all-Black female military unit that was tasked with delivering a back log of poorly addressed mail. This battalion exceeded all expectations, developed a new tracking system for mail and completed the task three months earlier than projected.
Who are the 6888th ("6 triple 8") Battalion?
An actress and producer. She became the first Black actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a drama series for her role as a lawyer, Annalise Keating, in How to Get Away with Murder.
Who is Viola Davis?
He served as a head coach in the NFL for 13 seasons with Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. He led the Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI, making him the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl.
Who is Tony Dungy?
As a poet, one of her most well-known works is, "What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black." She taught at DuSable High School for 20 years and founded numerous cultural institutions, including the South Side Community Arts Center and what is now the DuSable Museum of African American History.
Who is Margaret Burroughs?