Athletes
This 6 time All-Star baseball player was the first african american to play in the MLB.
Jackie Robinson
This actress' first prominent role was Celie in The Color Purple, which won her a Golden Globe Award. She more recently has been a co-host of the View, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.
Whoopi Goldberg
Name this album
Thriller, Michael Jackson
The inventor of peanut products to promote the farming of peanuts as alternative crops. He was dubbed by Time magazine as the "Black Leonardo da Vinci"
George Washington Carver
The IU center for supporting African and African American members of the IU community. This center was named in honor of the first Black man and woman to graduate IU.
Neil-Marshall Black Culture Center
This athlete was one of the best NBA players of all time, winning 11 championships and 5 MVPs throughout his career. He was also the first Black professional sports coach.
This film, directed by Spike Lee, followed the story of a Brooklyn neighborhood's ongoing racial tensions. The film is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Do the Right Thing
This artist was known as the "Queen of Soul" after she gained widespread acclaim from her songs, such as "Respect" and "Think"
Aretha Franklin
The inventor of hair care products for black women.
Madam C.J. Walker
IU President who worked to end segregation practices at Indiana University
Herman B. Wells
This athlete competed in track and field at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games, becoming an icon after winning 3 gold medals and breaking 3 world records at the 1960 Olympic Games.
Wilma Rudolph
This actor has appeared in over 150 films and is the highest grossing actor of all time. He is noted to have appeared in many Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino films.
Samuel L. Jackson
Arguably the greatest guitarist in music history, this artists work includes the well known tracks "Purple Haze" and "Hey Joe".
Jimi Hendrix
The inventor of early air conditioning, carbon light bulb filament, and the electric lamp.
Lewis Latimer
IU student who was the first Black athlete to regularly play on a Big Ten varsity basketball team.
Bill Garrett
This athlete was the first Black NFL head coach and one of the first Black NFL players. At one point, he simultaneously served as the co-head coach and running back of an NFL team.
Frederick Pollard
This film, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, was a soulful twist on the film Wizard of Oz.
The Wiz
This song by Billie Holiday was named song of the century by Time in 1999 for it effectiveness in raising awareness of racial injustice, and was sampled in the Kanye West song "Blood on the Leaves"
The inventor of caller ID/Call Waiting, the Fax Machine, Fiber-Optic, and Touch Tone Telephone.
Dr. Shirley Jackson
The first Black fraternity that was founded at IU.
Kappa Alpha Psi
This athlete was the first Black woman to compete in a world tennis tour, and the first to win a Grand Slam.
Althea Gibson
This actor was the first Black actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, and is considered one of the most successful black actors of all time. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
Sidney Poitier
The artist that created the genre of house music
Frankie Knuckles
The inventor of VoIP communication.
Marian Croak
This IU alumni played a prominent role in the desegregation of IU, and was the first African American drafted into the NFL.
George Taliaferro