Women of a Legacy

Greeks

100

Iconic role in The Cosby Show, and the first African-American actress to win a Tony Award; Woman of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Phylicia Rashad

200

Head of The National Council of Negro Women for 40 years and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom; Woman of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Dorothy Height

300

Author during the Harlem Renaissance and best known for her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God; Woman of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Zora Neale Hurston

400

First black Congresswoman that ran for President and won 151 delegates at the Democratic Convention; Woman of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Shirley Chisholm

500

Seven-time Grammy-nominated American R&B and Gospel singer and songwriter; Woman of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

Kelly Price

Innovators

100

Started her own cosmetics and hair care line after suffering from a scalp ailment, becoming the first female self-made millionaire.

Madame C.J. Walker

200

First black woman to travel in space (in 1983 and 1992, respectively).

Mae Jemison

300

She was the first African-American female doctor to patent a medical invention in May 1988.

Patricia Bath

400

First African American female pilot and hold an international pilot license.

Bessie Coleman

500

First African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. from MIT in nuclear physics

Dr. Shirley Jackson

Arts & Letters

100

Poet known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made literary history.

Maya Angelou

200

First black woman to write a Broadway play (1959) which was made into a movie, “A Raisin in the Sun”.

Lorraine Hansberry

300

First African American actress to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

Halle Berry

400

American actress, dancer, choreographer known for her roles in the musical Fame and West Side Story.

Debbie Allen

500

First black woman to star in a major motion picture and refused to perform for segregated audiences in America.

Josephine Baker

Sports

100

Artistic Gymnast and first African American woman in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion.

Gabrielle Douglas

200

Regarded by some experts to be the greatest female tennis player in history.

Serena Williams

300

She was considered a pioneer and cornerstone of the league during her WNBA career.

Lisa Leslie

400

Considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games.

Wilma Rudolph

500

First black woman to win a tennis championship at Wimbledon and at the U.S. Open.

Althea Gibson

Activists

100

Refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus led to an organized boycott and the city's removal of bus segregation.

Rosa Parks

200

Sought to improve educational opportunities for African-Americans and started a school in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Mary McLeod Bethune

300

Responsible for rescuing around 300 former slaves from the South and escorting them to freedom.

Harriet Tubman

400

Radical in the 1960's as a leader of the Communist Party and also had close relations with the Black Panther Party.

Angela Davis

500

First southern black female elected to the United States House of Representatives.

Barbara Jordan