Rhythm & Roots
This gospel musician’s choir made “Oh Happy Day” an international hit in 1969.
Edwin Hawkins
This six-time NBA champion expanded his sports legacy by becoming a NASCAR team owner and recently receiving a major NASCAR honor.
Michael Jordan
This inventor created an early version of the traffic light and also patented a safety hood that later evolved into the gas mask.
Garrett Morgan
"Whatchoo talking 'bout, Willis?" This actor and child star is best known for his role as Arnold Jackson on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes
Gary Coleman
This Chicago-based minister and activist expanded Operation PUSH into the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and became one of the first major Black presidential candidates in the 1980s.
Jesse Jackson
This patriarch of The Staple Singers helped shape gospel and soul music while blending faith with civil rights activism.
Roebuck "Pop" Staples
With 23 Grand Slam singles titles, this tennis legend is widely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Serena Williams
This mathematician’s calculations of the Earth’s shape helped make modern GPS systems accurate.
Gladys West
This Emmy-nominated actress, director, producer, and entrepreneur rose to fame as Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show at age five.
Keisha Knight Pulliam
She was arrested at the age of 15 in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus. (Before Rosa Parks)
Claudette Colvin
This Grammy-winning singer is known for hits like “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
Roberta Flack
A former South Carolina Gamecock, this Las Vegas Aces forward became one of the most decorated players in WNBA history with four MVP awards.
Aja Wilson
This former NASA engineer invented the Super Soaker water gun after experimenting with a high-pressure system in his bathroom sink.
Lonnie Johnson
He was only 5 years old when he joined his brothers in a band. Later becoming the main singer around age 8
Michael Jackson
The first Black American to receive a U.S. patent for his invention of "dry scouring," a method for cleaning clothes that laid the groundwork for modern dry cleaning.
Thomas L Jennings
This “Queen of Gospel” sang at the March on Washington in 1963.
Mahalia Jackson
Known as the “Brown Bomber,” this heavyweight boxing champion held the title for nearly 12 years, longer than any other boxer in history.
Joe Louis
Born enslaved in 1808, this man is now recognized by historians as a key contributor to the design and development of the mechanical reaper alongside Robert McCormick.
Jo Anderson
Created by a father-daughter duo during the pandemic, this animated educational brand went viral for its catchy songs and focus on learning and representation.
Gracie's Corner
This African-American fashion designer founded the Black Fashion Museum in 1979
Lois K Lane
These lesser-known lyrics — “Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod…” — come from this historic song
Lift Every Voice & Sing/Black National Anthem
She was first American woman to win 3 gold medals in a single Olympics
Wilma Rudolph
After creating a popular salad dressing recipe on a worksite in Alaska, this businessman later founded a California ranch that gave the dressing its now-famous name.
Steve Henson
He provided the singing voice for young Simba in the original 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King.
Jason Weaver
Known as “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow,” this man was the first Black person to both serve on the Harvard Law Review and earn a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) from Harvard Law School.
Charles Hamilton Houston