Literary Legends
This Nobel Prize-winning author of "Beloved", "Song of Solomon", and "The Bluest Eye" was the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature
Toni Morrison
Known as the "Moses of her people", this courageous woman escaped slavery and made at least 19 return trips to rescue hundreds of enslaved individuals through the Underground Railroad.
Harriet Tubman
In 1968, this groundbreaking politician became the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress, and in 1972, she became the first Black woman to run for president of the United States.
Shirley Chisholm
This legendary performer and civil rights activist became a star in 1920s Paris, known for her iconic dance performances, and later used her fame to support the French Resistance and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
Josephine Baker
This self-made millionaire built a haircare empire and became one of the richest Black women in early 20th-century America, using her wealth to support African American education and social causes.
Madam C.J. Walker
This Harlem Renaissance poet, known for works like "The Weary Blues", had eclectic tastes, working as a ranch hand, busboy, cook, and seaman before becoming one of America's leading men of letters.
Langston Hughes
This fearless investigative journalist used the power of the pen to expose the horrors of lynching in America, even taking her campaign abroad despite threats to her life.
Ida B. Wells
In 1960, at just six years old, this brave girl became the first African American student to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, escorted by federal marshals.
Ruby Bridges
In 1957, this trailblazing athlete became the first Black woman to win a singles title at Wimbledon, breaking racial barriers in the world of tennis.
Althea Gibson
Born into slavery, this powerful orator and activist became famous for her 1851 speech "Ain't I a Woman?", advocating for both abolition and women's rights.
Sojourner Truth
This author and anthropologist, best known for Their Eyes Were Watching God, documented African folklore and was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
Zora Neale Hurston
This Jamaican-born activist and leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association promoted Black pride, economic self-sufficiency, and the "Back to Africa" movement in the early 20th century.
Marcus Garvey
He was born into slavery but became a leading educator, author, and founder of the Tuskegee Institute, advocating for vocational training and economic self-reliance for Black Americans.
Booker T. Washington
This pioneering 20th-century dancer and choreographer fused anthropology with dance, studying African and Caribbean movement traditions and bringing them to global audiences.
Katherine Dunham
Known as the "Father of Black History," this historian founded Negro History Week in 1926, which later became Black History Month.
Carter G. Woodson
This playwright made history in 1959 as the first African American woman to have a play produced on Broadway with "A Raisin in the Sun", a landmark work about a Black family's struggles in Chicago.
Lorraine Hansberry
This co-founder of the NAACP and author of The Souls of Black Folk was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard and was a leading voice in the fight for racial equality.
W.E.B. Du Bois
In 1901, this African American educator and activist founded the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington D.C., championing black female empowerment at a time when it seemed "wholly impossible".
Nannie Helen Burroughs
Before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, this UCLA football star broke the racial barrier in professional football when he signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 1946.
Kenny Washington
This scientist and educator revolutionized farming practices with crop rotation and developed hundreds of products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other crops.
George Washington Carver
As the literary editor of Crisis magazine, this writer and critic helped nurture the Harlem Renaissance and was one of the first African American women to graduate from Cornell University.
Jessie R. Fauset
This trailblazing activist, lawyer, and priest was the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest and co-founded the National Organization for Women in the 1970s.
Pauli Murray
This trailblazing attorney became one of the first Black female judges in the U.S. and later served as an alternate delegate to the United Nations.
Overcoming polio as a child, this track and field star became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Wilma Rudolph
In 1987, this entrepreneur made history as the first African American to build a billion-dollar company when he acquired TLC Beatrice International.
Reginald F. Lewis