Famous Figures
This lady sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott by refusing to give up her seat.
Who is Rosa Parks?
Lin-Manuel Miranda reimagined American history in this 2015 musical, which featured a mainly African American and Latino cast playing the roles of the Founding Fathers.
What is Hamilton?
This lady became the first African American woman to become vice president of the United States.
Who is Kamala Harris?
On April 15, 1947, this man became the first African American to play Major League Baseball when he debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Who is Jackie Robinson?
This was the first African American woman billionaire, best known for her talk show named after herself.
Who is Oprah Winfrey?
After winning gold at the 1960 Olympics as Cassius Clay, this boxer "shocked the world" in 1964 by defeating Sonny Liston to become the Heavyweight Champion.
Who is Muhammad Ali?
Originating from the African American tradition of 'the dozens,' this competitive element of hip-hop culture involves two or more performers trading rhythmic insults and clever wordplay.
What are Rap Battles?
This four-letter word anchored the iconic red, beige, and blue Shepard Fairey poster that became a viral social media filter during the 2008 election.
What is "Hope"?
This African American basketball legend was known as "His Airness", having a shoe named after him with a similar name.
Who is Michael Jordan?
This is the first African American woman to win 32 Grammy Awards, known for her songs like "Single Ladies" and "Halo".
Who is Beyonce?
This actor is known for his "God-like" voice, and even plays the role of God in the movie "Bruce Almighty".
Who is Morgan Freeman?
This culinary tradition, including dishes made with ingredients like yams and okra, represents a major, historically rooted contribution to American cuisine.
What is Soul Food?
Years before joining the high court as its first Black justice, he successfully argued the case of Brown v. Board of Education as a lawyer.
Who is Thurgood Marshall?
After dominating the paint for six different franchises, Shaquille O'Neal ended his Hall of Fame career with this team in 2011.
Who are the Boston Celtics?
This historical movement erupted with the death of George Floyd during the pandemic, taking a stand against racial statutes, police brutality, and racial inequalities.
What is BLM (Black Lives Matter)?
As the Director of the Hayden Planetarium, this astrophysicist has become the world’s most famous face for science, hosting the TV series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
Who is Neil deGrasse Tyson?
This was a vibrant flowering of African American culture, literature, music, and art, centered in Harlem, NYC, during the 1920s and early 1930s
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
Known for her sharp "clapbacks" and viral alliterations, this African American congresswoman from Texas is currently running for a U.S. Senate seat in the 2026 election cycle.
Who is Jasmine Crockett?
She is the first African American to win an Olympic individual all-around title, and the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competitions at the same Olympic Games.
Who is Gabby Douglas?
In February 2025, she was highlighted as the first Black woman to attain a net worth of one billion dollars and the first to own stakes in three different professional sports franchises.
Who is Sheila Johnson?
He is the prolific producer and director behind the "Madea" franchise who, in 2019, opened a massive 330-acre film studio in Atlanta, Georgia.
Who is Tyler Perry?
This lady, also known as the "Queen of Jazz", has played in several movies, one of which being the role of Maggie Jackson in "Pete Kelly's Blues".
Who is Ella Fitzgerald?
In 1968, she was the first African American woman elected to Congress, known for taking "a resolute stand against economic, social, and political injustices".
Who is Shirley Chisholm?
At the 2016 Rio Games, she made history as the first African American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming with her victory in the 100-meter freestyle.
Who is Simone Manuel?
In 2015, this trailblazer made history by becoming the first African American female principal dancer in the 75-year history of the American Ballet Theatre.
Who is Misty Copeland?