Candy-Coated Champions
In 1947, this Brooklyn Dodgers player broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, giving fans a first "taste" of integration in America’s pastime.
Who is Jackie Robinson?
Breaking through on Saturday Night Live, this comedian became one of the first Black actors to achieve major box office success with films like Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America.
Who is Eddie Murphy?
Cells taken from this woman in 1951 became the first immortal human cell line, helping to advance medical research for decades.
Who is Henrietta Lacks?
In 1955, this civil rights icon refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, sparking a nationwide movement.
Who is Rosa Parks?
In 1849, this abolitionist escaped slavery and repeatedly returned to the South to lead others to freedom, earning her the moniker the “Moses of her people.”
Who is Harriet Tubman?
Born Walker Smith Jr., this boxing legend’s “sweet” style helped pave the way for future Black athletes and made him one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time.
Who is Sugar Ray Robinson?
From small clubs to international fame, this stand-up comic became the first comedian ever to gross over $1 billion in ticket sales from his comedy tours.
Who is Kevin Hart?
As a science communicator and longtime director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, this astrophysicist routinely bids audiences to “keep looking up.”
Who is Neil deGrasse Tyson?
We will always love her, and not just because she was the first female artist to record seven consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1985 and 1988, but also because she redefined what it meant to be a pop superstar.
Who is Whitney Houston?
Despite being a devout preacher, this man broke the Sixth Commandment in 1831 when he killed his enslaver and led a rebellion that became one of the most famous uprisings in American history.
Who is Nat Turner?
Though fans savored every move of this Chicago Bears running back, his smooth, agile play earned him a nickname that reflects a quality given to sugar.
Who is "Sweetness"? (Walter Payton)
Beginning as a sketch comedian on Comedy Central, this comedian became a groundbreaking filmmaker, blending horror and social commentary. He became the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Who is Jordan Peele?
Born into slavery, this agricultural scientist developed hundreds of uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes, transforming Southern farming practices and creating over 300 applications for peanuts alone.
Who is George Washington Carver?
Often remembered as the Queen of Soul, she received the “Respect” she had long earned in 1987, becoming the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Who is Aretha Franklin?
Born into slavery, this man escaped in 1838 and later chronicled his journey and fight for freedom in the influential autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom.
Who is Frederick Douglass?
In 2007 this NFL coach made history as the first African American to win a championship in the “big bowl,” leading the Indianapolis Colts to a victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Who is Tony Dungy?
Starting her career as a stand-up comedian in the 1980's, she became one of the first Black women to win the coveted EGOT (Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony), cementing her place as a multi-talented pioneer in entertainment.
Whoopi Goldberg
By 1919, she was widely considered the first Black millionaire, she formulated a line of haircare products and built a nationwide business.
Who is Madam C.J. Walker?
DAILY DOUBLE At just six years old, in 1960, she became the first Black child to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, facing mobs and hostility with courage.
Who is Ruby Bridges?
An abolitionist and women’s rights advocate, she delivered the famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech in 1851.
Who is Sojourner Truth?
One of the first NBA players to break the color barrier in 1950, this player earned his nickname as a child because he loved a sugary drink that kept him energized.
Who is Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton
In 1975, this comedian became the first Black performer to host Saturday Night Live, using his groundbreaking, socially conscious humor to open doors for others African Americans in comedy and the entertainment industry.
Richard Pryor
This NASA mathematician, one of the “hidden figures” behind early U.S. space missions, calculated trajectories that helped astronauts reach orbit and return safely.
Who is Katherine Johnson?
In 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to Congress and later broke barriers by running for president in 1972.
Who is Shirley Chisholm?
Kidnapped as a child from Nigeria in 1756, and sold into slavery in the Americas, this man, who went by Gustavus Vassa while enslaved, purchased his freedom and became a leading voice in the British abolitionist movement. His life story was one of the earliest firsthand accounts of African enslavement written by a former enslaved person.
Olaudah Equiano?