Trailblazers in History
She refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, sparking a pivotal boycott in 1955
Rosa Parks
This 1963 event in Washington, D.C., featured Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
March on Washington
Known as the “Queen of Soul,” she sang hits like “Respect” and “Natural Woman.”
Aretha Franklin
The first African American President of the United States, elected in 2008.
Barack Obama
Founded in 1909, this organization fights for civil rights through legal action and advocacy
NAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
This agricultural scientist promoted crop rotation and discovered hundreds of uses for peanuts
George Washington Carver
The first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license, she became a famous stunt flyer in the 1920s.
Bessie Coleman
his legendary boxer was known for saying, “I am the greatest,” and for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War.
Muhammad Ali
This pioneering educator founded the National Council of Negro Women and was an advisor to FDR
Mary McLeod Bethune
The 1954 Supreme Court decision that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional
Brown v. Board of Education
She became the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968 and ran for President in 1972
Shirley Chisholm
This movement in the late 1960s emphasized Black pride, self-sufficiency, and cultural identity
Black Power Movement
The first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, known for his work in the Brown v. Board of Education case.
Thurgood Marshall
She was a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Ella Baker