Arts + Culture
Formerly the Virginia Theatre, which became the first Broadway to bear the name of an African American in 2005
August Wilson Theatre
He set the Major League record for most home runs in a career with 755, passing the previous record set by Babe Ruth.
He’s also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Hank Aaron
Her activism led to slavery becoming illegal in Massachusetts in 1781
She was the first enslaved African American to sue Massachusetts for her freedom, arguing that slavery was illegal under the Massachusetts constitution, and she won her case
She was a renowned healer, midwife, and nurse
She was known as Mum Bett before gaining her freedom, but once she was free, she changed her name to Elizabeth Freeman
Elizabeth Freeman
He was the first African American to earn a doctorate degree in the U.S. - at Yale in 1876, in Physics.
Edward Alexander Bouchet
Was the first Black American woman bank president
Maggie Lena Walker
Born on a farm in Freetown, VA, a town founded by formerly enslaved people who worked together to support each other
Became a famous chef in New York City and an activist
Her 1976 book “The Taste of Southern Cooking” changed how America viewed Southern food, focusing on cooking with ingredients fresh from the farm
She wanted everyone to know that Black Southern cooks invented most of American food
Edna Lewis
is remembered as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre, making him the first casualty of the American Revolution. Believed to be of African and Native American descent, he worked as a sailor and dockworker in Boston.
His death became a powerful symbol of resistance to British oppression and highlighted the crucial, often overlooked role of Black Americans in the fight for independence. Today, he is celebrated as a martyr for liberty and a pioneer in the struggle for freedom
March 5, 1770
Crispus Attucks
She was the first published African American woman.
Her 1773 book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, made her known throughout the American colonies.
She is considered the first in a long and rich African American literary tradition.
Philis Wheatley
Formerly named Cassius Clay before he converted to Islam.
He was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War but refused. This lead to a high profile ban from boxing for three years.
He was famous for taking pride in his excellence, saying “I am the greatest,” and for his poetic statements, such as “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
Muhammad Ali
The only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Kentucky
Kentucky State University
He was director of the Department of Agricultural Research at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
There, he discovered hundreds of uses for the peanut, sweet potato, and soybean in an effort to improve the economy of the South.
One of the most influential agricultural scientists and inventors in history, he changed farming by inventing crop rotation in the South, encouraging farmers to keep the soil healthy by not growing the same plant in the same place over and over
George Washington Carver
Founded the magazine Ebony
John H Johnson
America’s most influential Creole chef, she cooked for presidents, civil rights leaders, and many famous people; Princess Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog” was based on Mrs. Chase
She opened her own restaurant, Dooky Chase’s. It became a gathering place for the Black community
She fed the Freedom Riders and countless civil rights activists, allowing Black and white activists to gather in her restaurant even though it was illegal
Leah Chase
Was an order issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the Civil War.
It declared that enslaved people in states fighting against the Union were free.
While it did not end slavery everywhere right away, it changed the purpose of the war and helped lead to the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States.
Emancipation Proclomation
Most Billboard Hot 100 Hits – holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by any artist, with over 300 songs charting, surpassing legends like Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
Started as an Actor – Before his rap career, starred as Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, where his character was a basketball player who became paralyzed after a school shooting.
First Artist to Surpass 75 Billion Streams – Drake is the most-streamed artist in history, becoming the first to surpass 75 billion streams across platforms like Spotify and Apple Music
Drake
He was the world heavyweight champion for 140 consecutive months in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Louis was one of the most famous black athletes of the early 1900’s.
He was nicknamed the “Brown Bomber.”
Joe Louis
was the first adult African American to attend and graduate from what Kentucky college
Berea College
She became NASA’s first black woman engineer, earning the highest engineering title at NASA.
She worked to promote the hiring of women in NASA’s scientific and engineering careers.
Mary Jackson
Born in Geneva, KY, became the owner of the first black radio station in Detroit in 1964
In 1975, became the first African American to own and operate a television station in the United States, WGPR-TV in Detroit, MI.
William Venoid Banks
An Ethiopian-Swedish award-winning chef, restaurant owner, cookbook author, and food activist, he has written many books and cookbooks, including The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food (2020)
Owns the restaurant Red Rooster in Harlem in New York City, which celebrates all types of Black cuisine
When restaurants closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he converted his restaurant into a community kitchen, serving free meals to over 250,000 people
Marcus Samuelson
A leading Haitian American novelist.
She has been nominated for the National Book Award and Pushcart Prize for her many novels and short stories.
Her writing deals with national identity, mother-daughter relationships, and immigrant experiences.
Some of her books include Krik? Krak!, Breath Eyes Memory, Claire of the Sea Light, and The Farming of Bones.
Edwidge Danticat
They were the first two black coaches to decide the outcome of a pro sports championship.
In 1975, they coached the San Francisco Warriors and the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals.
Alvin Attles and KC Jones
She is currently the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa.
She was the first African American woman to command a U.S. Navy ship, the U.S.S. Rushmore.
She was the first woman to earn the rank of four-star admiral.
Michelle Howard
he was a mathematician and physicist whose calculations were critical for the Apollo moon landing and the start of the space shuttle program.
She worked at NASA for decades and she became known for her accuracy in computerized celestial navigation.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.
Katherine Johnson
Published the first Black American women‟s newspaper in the US
Josephine Ruffin
An award-winning vegan chef, author, and activist who works toward food justice, thinking about people and the planet, he has written many cookbooks including Vegetable Kingdom , Afro-Vegan, and Black Food (2021)
Loves celebrating the diversity of Black cooking throughout history, and loves creating recipes that combine multiple cultures
Bryant Terry
She was well-known for her unique singing style on top 10 hits such as “Santa Baby” and “C’est si bon.”
She won two Tony awards for her Broadway performing career that lasted many decades.
She was known late in her life for roles in Disney films such as The Emperor’s New Groove.
Eartha Kitt
They were the first two black coaches to meet in the Super Bowl.
Their NFL teams the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts met in 2007.
Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy
She was the first African American woman to be elected mayor of a major U.S. city - Washington DC, in 1991.
Sharon Pratt Dixon Kelley
He was chair of the Chemistry department at Morehouse College for decades.
His research on acetyl peroxide led to more effective treatment of prostate cancer.
45 of his students earned a Ph.D. in chemistry.
Henry Cecil Ransom McBay
Sales of innovative beauty products sold throughout the United States and the Caribbean led her to become the first African American female millionaire
Madam CJ Walker
Farmer, author, teacher, seed keeper, and worker-owner of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Helped start Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, one of the most respected sources for rare seeds in the country
Finds, collects, and grows rare seeds from Africa and Black cultures around the world
Ira Wallace