Historic Figures
San Diego Scene
Kings
Pop Culture
Music
100
This man was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist in the 60s. Some saw him as a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans; others accused him of preaching racism and violence.
Malcolm X
100
This Black-owned restaurant in Downtown has the "Straight Outta Compton" album cover on their ceiling.
Suckerfree Southern Plate & Bar
100
This King became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968.
Martin Luther King Jr.
100
She became the first and only musical act in Billboard chart history to debut at number one with their first six solo studio albums, with the release of Lemonade.
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter
100
This R&B artist is known to have burned down the house of her NFL player boyfriend in 1994.
Lisa Nicole "Lefteye" Lopes of TLC
200
She was one of three women portrayed in the 2016 film Hidden Figures who calculated flight trajectories for Project Mercury and Apollo 11 in the 1960s.
Katherine Johnson
Dorothy Vaughn
Mary Jackson
200
A UCSD College gets its name from this jurist who was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall
200
This man is known as the King of Pop.
Michael Jackson
200
Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African American of the 20th century and North America's first black multi-billionaire, and she has been ranked the greatest black philanthropist in American history.
Oprah Winfrey
200
Kirshnik Khari Ball, Kiari Kendrell Cephus, Quavious Keyate Marshall come together to form this Atlanta hip hop trio.
Migos
300
He was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as the first black president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
Nelson Mandela
300
He came from San Diego and now hosts MTV show Wild 'N Out
Nick Cannon
300
As the leader of Wakanda, this king fought alongside Captain America under the moniker of Black Panther.
T'Challa
300
This Barbadian singer was inspired to create Fenty Beauty after years of experimenting with the best-of-the-best in beauty—and still seeing a void in the industry for products that performed across all skin types and tones.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty
300
The 1979 song "September" by this band is about falling in love on the night of the 21st.
Earth, Wind, and Fire
400
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, she rejected bus driver James F. Blake's order to relinquish her seat in the "colored section" to a white passenger, after the whites-only section was filled.
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks
400
This brand new Downtown establishment came to San Diego in a collaboration with Nick Cannon and Pitbull.
Theatre Box or the Sugar Factory
400
Often referred to as King, this Akron-born basketball player is the all-time NBA playoffs scoring leader and has amassed fourteen NBA All-Star Gameappearances, twelve All-NBA First Team designations, and five All-Defensive First Team honors.
Lebron James
400
This internet meme "challenge" is banned in some locations due to its dangerous nature, as it involves stepping out of a moving vehicle and performing a set of dance moves synced to the lyrics of a Drake song.
Kiki, In My Feelings, or DoTheShiggy Challenge
400
Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music".
Jimi Hendrix
500
She was an American author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, poet and civil rights activist best known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Maya Angelou
500
This festival takes place February and is San Diego's longest running and premier celebration of African-American expression, culture, and heritage.
San Diego Kuumba Festival
500
One of the first African pop musicians to gain international success, this Nigerian singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist in the West African musical style jùjú, has been called one of the most influential musicians of all time.
King Sunny Ade
500
This spin-off sitcom starring Yara Shahidi features Zoey Johnson's coming of age as she leaves home to navigate the situations and relationships she encounters in college at Cal U.
Grown-ish
500
This American jazz saxophonist was at the forefront of free jazz and remains one of the most influential saxophonists in music history.
John William Coltrane
