MADAME C.J. WALKER
America's first self-made woman millionaire, she built a business empire selling hair-care products and used the wealth she amassed to promote social and political change for Blacks and women.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
As the transcendent figure and most eloquent voice of the civil rights revolution, he became an international symbol of the power of protest and civil disobedience and changed the face of the world through his words and deeds.
NELSON MANDELA
He was the soul of South Africa's freedom movement, a victim of the horrors of apartheid and the vessel in which the hopes and dreams for its end were vested. He emerged from prison to take the reins of the new South Africa and to show the world how to lead.
ALEXANDER BUSTAMANTE
A labor leader and visionary, he was one of the architects of Jamaica's independence movement and rose to become its first prime minister in 1962.
KWAME NKRUMAH
He orchestrated the revolution that ended 113 years of British rule in Ghana--the first African nation to declare its independence after World War II--and became the country's first president in 1957.
W.E.B. DUBOIS
With his political and scholarly writings, this international activist and champion for social and economic justice delved into "The Soul of Black Folks" and inspired them to seek freedom throughout the Diaspora.
MARY McLEOD BETHUNE
She was an inspirational educator and civil rights leader; founder of Bethune-Cookman College and the National Council of ***** Women, and mentor for generations of Black leaders.
JOHN H. JOHNSON
He changed the face of modern media with a publishing and cosmetics empire that celebrated Blackness and indisputably demonstrated the buying power of the African-American consumer market.
ROBERT S. ABBOTT
As editor and publisher of the Chicago Defender, the most widely circulated Black weekly of the time, he chronicled lynchings and helped produce the exodus that had droves of African-Americans fleeing the South.
THURGOOD MARSHALL
He was the tenacious field marshal of the army of attorneys who won landmark anti-discrimination cases in the U.S. In 1967, he became the first African-American to sit on the Supreme Court.
ROSA PARKS
The quietly regal "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," she ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott when she refused to relinquish her seat on a Jim Crow bus in 1955.
JOMO KENYATTA
He was the dominant symbol and leader of the independence movement that beat back British oppression in Kenya in 1959. Four years later, he would assume the presidency of the newly independent nation.
MALCOLM X
With a rhetorical style as fiery as his personality, he touched the hearts and minds of Blacks all over the world with a message of Black nationalism and self-determination.
HANK AARON
Baseball's home run king smashed racist perceptions and broke Babe Ruth's record.
MUHAMMAD ALI
"The Greatest" boxer of his time, he transcended his sport and became an icon for the ages.
MARIAN ANDERSON
She broke barriers in classical music and became a symbol of grace, style and courage.
MAYA ANGELOU
Author, actor, dancer and director gave American arts and letters an energetic new voice.
KOFI ANNAN
Career diplomat from Ghana became secretary-general of the UN in 1997.
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
Jazz great was the defining "voice" of the improvisational style that influenced generations.
ARTHUR ASHE
The first Black male tennis champion, he became an ambassador for the sport and an AIDS activist.
ROMARE BEARDEN
His multidimensional collages expressed the vibrancy of Black life and culture.
CHUCK BERRY
Guitarist revolutionized popular music and helped create the foundations of rock `n' roll.
STEVEN BIKO
South Africa's martyred freedom fighter was a force in the anti-apartheid movement.
GWENDOLYN BROOKS
Acclaimed poet and the first Black to win a Pulitzer Prize, she remains a literary icon.
RALPH BUNCHE
The first Black to win a Nobel Peace Prize, he was honored for mediating the Palestine conflict.
SHIRLEY CHISHOLM
She was the first Black congresswoman and the first to mount a serious campaign for president.
NAT KING COLE
An incomparable song stylist, he opened doors for many Blacks in the entertainment industry.
BILL COSBY
Actor-educator turned traditional Black family values into sitcom gold and changed TV.
GEN. B.O. DAVIS JR.
West Point graduate and decorated pilot was the first Black general in the U.S. Air Force.
MILES DAVIS
He combined bebop and fusion to brilliant effect, and thus expanded the jazz vocabulary.
OSCAR DEPRIEST
Chicago politician was the first Black elected to Congress from the North.
THOMAS A. DORSEY
"The Father of Gospel Music" blended blues and jazz into a new form of sacred music.
DR. CHARLES DREW
His work with blood plasma and blood storage led to the creation of the blood bank.
KATHERINE DUNHAM
A dance pioneer, she turned the rhythms of the Caribbean and Africa into stirring dance-theater.
DUKE ELLINGTON
Prolific jazz musician/composer, he elevated the idiom with his extended and enduring songs.
RALPH ELLISON
His novel Invisible Man is considered one of the master works of the 20th century.
LOUIS FARRAKHAN
He inspired a new generation and rallied more than a million men to march on Washington.
ARETHA FRANKLIN
The "Queen of Soul" made R-E-S-P-E-C-T a national anthem.
JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN
Dean of American historians forged new dialogue as head of president's race initiative.
MARCUS GARVEY
One of the century's most gifted mass leaders, he stirred Black pride and repatriation fervor.
BERRY GORDY
Architect of the Motown revolution, he changed the making and marketing of popular music.
WILLIAM H. GRAY III
President and CEO of the UNCF, he has helped spark a Black college renaissance.
ALEX HALEY
His Roots made riveting television and set off an international geneology craze.
W.C. HANDY
This coronet player, bandleader and prolific composer was the "Father of the Blues."
PATRICIA ROBERTS HARRIS
She was the first Black woman to serve in a United States president's cabinet.
WILLIAM H. HASTIE
Legal scholar and pioneering jurist, he was the first Black to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals.
ALONZO F. HERNDON
He turned two financially pressed church societies into the mighty Atlanta Life Insurance Co.
DOROTHY HEIGHT
Following her mentor, Mary McLeod Bethune, she led NCNW to late century success.
LENA HORNE
Beautiful and talented, she mesmerized Hollywood and paved the way for current film stars.
LANGSTON HUGHES
The most celebrated writer of the Harlem Renaissance, he was a mentor to many young poets.
JESSE L. JACKSON SR.
His historic presidential bids and international activism garnered a "Rainbow Coalition" of admirers.
MAYNARD JACKSON
Atlanta's first Black mayor and a model of civic leadership, he created a new political image.
MICHAEL JACKSON
Dubbed "The King of Pop," his music and videos had unprecedented world appeal.
DANIEL (CHAPPIE) JAMES
He broke military barriers by becoming the first Black promoted to four-star general.
JACK JOHNSON
The first Black heavyweight boxing champion, he was a charismatic cultural and athletic icon.
JAMES WELDON JOHNSON
An author, diplomat and NAACP leader, he penned the words to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing."
MORDECAI JOHNSON
He was the first Black president of Howard University and one of the century's great preachers.
BARBARA JORDAN
This Texas congresswoman gained renown for her legislative and oratorical skills.
MICHAEL JORDAN
Basketball superstar and multi-product spokesman, he changed his sport and sports marketing.
PERCY JULIAN
Noted chemist whose inventions included a treatment for arthritis and other uses for soybeans.
CORETTA SCOTT KING
She emerged from the tragedy of her husband's death to carry on his civil rights legacy.
JACOB LAWRENCE
He is the "dean of Black painters," whose work depicts great moments in Black history.
JOE LOUIS
Boxing's "Brown Bomber" carried the hopes of Black America into the ring.
ALBERT LUTHULI
This South African leader was the second Black to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
MIRIAM MAKEBA
A singer and activist, she was an international voice for South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS
This president of Morehouse College was called "The last of the great schoolmasters."
GOVAN MBEKI
Father of South Africa's new president, he was vital to the country's freedom movement.
OSCAR MICHEAUX
Pioneering Black filmmaker, he broke new ground in the nascent days of Hollywood.
TONI MORRISON
Pulitzer- and Nobel Prize-winning novelist, she is a national and international symbol.
ELIJAH MUHAMMAD
Nation of Islam leader created a new national movement based on self-determination.
JULIUS K. NYERERE
Father of Tanzania, he was one of the architects of the post-colonial African renaissance.
JESSE OWENS
Track's first superstar smashed Hitler's theory of Aryan supremacy at 1936 Olympics.
CHARLIE PARKER
Jazz saxophonist, he was one of the architects of the musical revolution known as bebop.
FREDERICK PATTERSON
Founder of the United ***** College Fund, he gave Black institutions a financial lift.
SIDNEY POITIER
The first Black man to win an Academy Award, he was an influential cultural icon.
COLIN L. POWELL
The first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he became a national symbol.
LEONTYNE PRICE
The first Black international diva, she was the greatest soprano of her era.
A. PHILIP RANDOLPH
Leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, he was a visionary labor organizer.
PAUL ROBESON
Entertainer, athlete and activist, he broke ground in many arenas on his way to becoming an icon.
JACKIE ROBINSON
He broke baseball's color barrier while establishing himself as one of the game's greatest players.
LEOPOLD SENGHOR
First president of Senegal, he founded a literary movement that helped end colonialism.
WALTER SISULU
African National Congress leader and general in the South African freedom struggle.
BESSIE SMITH
The "Empress of the Blues," she demanded equality while showcasing the new music.
CHARLES C. SPAULDING
President of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co., which he built into a financial success.
OLIVER TAMBO
A driving force in the African National Congress, he kept the freedom movement on course.
MARY CHURCH TERRELL
Educator and civil rights leader, she was a founding member of the NAACP and NCNW.
DESMOND TUTU
Anglican bishop and South African freedom fighter who won a Nobel Peace Prize.
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON
Educator, founder of Tuskegee Institute, he advocated n strategy based on self-help.
HAROLD WASHINGTON
Chicago's first Black mayor, he became the symbol of new Black political power.
ROBERT WEAVER
A noted economist, he was the first Black appointed to serve in a U.S. president's cabinet.
IDA B. WELLS
Editor and activist, she was leader of the first phase of the freedom movement.
WALTER WHITE
Author and executive secretary of the NAACP, he was a crusader for African-American rights.
L. DOUGLAS WILDER
Governor of Virgina, he was the first Black to lead a state since Reconstruction.
ERIC WILLIAMS
Author and political activist from Trinidad, he was the voice of Caribbean independence.
DANIEL HALE WILLIAMS
Performed the first open heart surgery and helped found the National Medical Association.
OPRAH WINFREY
Talk-show queen whose daytime TV dominance made her a major cultural force.
CARTER G. WOODSON
Father of Black history, he was responsible for the widespread study of Black life and culture.
RICHARD WRIGHT
Author whose powerful work captured the rage coursing through Black America.
ANDREW YOUNG
Atlanta mayor, U.N. ambassador, he brokered power for Blacks in business and politics.
WHITNEY M. YOUNG
National Urban League executive director, he forged new links with corporate America.