Who was the Phirst
Civil Rights & Activists
Arts & Literature
Science & Medicine
Modern History
100

He became the first Black President of the United States in 2008.

Who is Barack Obama?

100

She refused to give up her seat on a bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Who is Rosa Parks?

100

This Harlem Renaissance poet wrote about Black life, culture, and identity.

Who is Langston Hughes?

100

This agricultural scientist promoted crop rotation and worked at Tuskegee Insitute.

Who is George Washington Carver?

100

This billionaire entrepreneur founded Fenty Beauty and became the first Black woman to lead a luxury brand under LVMH.

Who is Rihanna?

200

She became the first Black and first female Vice President of the United States.

Who is Kamala Harris?

200

This journalist exposed lynching through investigative reporting and co-founded the NAACP.

Who is Ida B. Wells?

200

Author of Go Tell It on the Mountain, he explored the emotional complexity of race and identity in America.

Who is James Baldwin?

200

This surgeon pioneered blood plasma storage and modern blood banks.

Who is Dr. Charles Drew?

200

This award-winning director created films like Black Panther, Creed, and Sinners.

Who is Ryan Coogler?

300
This NASA astronaut became the first Black woman in space.

Who is Mae Jemison?

300

This civil rights leader helped organize Freedom Rides and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Who is C.T. Vivian?

300

This poet and memoirist wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (also was the phirst black woman to have her screen play turned into a film).

Who is Maya Angelou?

300

Cells taken from her body (HeLa) became the first human cells to reproduce indefinitely in a lab, leading to major medical breakthroughs and changing modern medicine.

Who is Henrietta Lacks?

300

This neurosurgeon performed the first successful separation of conjoined twins.

Who is Dr. Ben Carson?

400

This author became the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Who is Toni Morrison?

400

He was a close advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and later became U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Who is Andrew Young?

400

This legendary jazz and soul musician used music to protest racism and injustice.

Who is Nina Simone?

400

This NASA mathematician calculated flight paths that sent astronauts safely to space.

Who is Katherine Johnson?

400

This rapper became the first in his genre to win a Pulitzer Prize for music, and headline the Super Bowl (solo).

Who is Kendrick Lamar?

500

This actress became the first Black woman to win a Tony Award for Best Actress in a play.

Who is Phylicia Rashad?

500

This activist, scholar, and author became a leading voice in prison reform and Black liberation movements.

Who is Angela Davis?

500

This award-winning director and producer became the first Black jury president to lead the Cannes Film Festival.

Who is Spike Lee?

500

This IBM engineer helped develop the personal computer, serving as a pioneer in modern computer technology.

Who is Mark Dean?

500

This physician founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium to address racial health gaps during the pandemic.

Who is Dr. Ala Stanford?