Kareen Abdul-Jabbar : athlete, author, public speaker -- Cato Alexander : mixologist -- Jourdan Anderson : rebel -- Madeline Anderson : producer, documentarian, director -- Maya Angelou : poet, author, activist, professor -- Amy Ashwood Garvey : activist -- Augusta Braxton Baker : librarian, teacher -- James Baldwin : author, essayist, scholar -- Edward Bannister : artist -- jean-Michel Basquiat : artist -- Romare Bearden : artist -- 1936 Berlin Olympics athletes : athletes -- Mary McLeod Bethune : educator, college founder/president -- Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, Ayọ Tometi : Black Lives Matter cofounders, activists -- Terence Blanchard : musician -- Guion Stewart Bluford : military pilot, astronaut -- J. Max Bond Jr. : architect -- Bronner Brothers : entrepreneurs -- LeRonn P. Brooks : curator, archivist -- Ralph Bunche : diplomat -- Tarana Burke : activist -- Octavia Butler : writer -- Cab Calloway : musician -- Steve Cannon : writer, publisher, mentor -- Johnnie Carr : activist -- Terri Lyne Carrington : musician -- Ben Carlson : neurosurgeon, politician -- Ruth E. Carter : stylist, costume designer -- Charleston Caterers : chefs -- Leah Chase : chef, restaurateur -- Shirley Chisholm : activist, politician -- Kathleen Neal Cleaver : activist -- Mary Francis Hill Coley : midwife -- Kathleen Collins : playwright, writer, filmmaker -- John William Coltrane : musician -- Claudette Colvin : activist -- The Compton Cowboys : athletes -- Fanny Jackson Coppin : educator -- Hannah Crafts : writer -- Celia Cruz : musician -- Dorothy Dandridge : actor, performer -- Julie Dash : film director -- Charles Dawson : artist -- Daniel Day : entrepreneur, haberdasher -- Roy DeCarava : photographer -- Ruby Dee + Ossie Davis : actors, activists -- Thornton Dial : artist -- Emory Douglas : artist, graphic designer -- Frederick Douglass : activist, orator, statesman -- Paul Laurence Dunbar : writer, poet -- Katherine Dunham : choreographer, dancer -- Yla Eason : entrepreneur -- Lee Elder : athlete -- Francine Everett : actor, performer -- Abby Fisher : culinary guru -- John Stanley Ford : entrepreneur -- Aretha Franklin : musician, singer, songwriter -- Lenora Branch Fulani : activist, politician -- Althea Gibson : athlete -- Eloyce + James Gist : evangelicals, filmmakers -- Nathan "Nearest" Green : distiller -- Dick Gregory : comedian, writer, performer, activist -- Eliza Ann Grier : doctor -- Fannie Lou Hamer : activist, organizer -- Bethann Hardison : model, agent -- Frances Ellen Watkins Harper : poet, author, activist -- Dorothy Height : activist -- James Hemings : chef -- Juano Hernández : actor -- Anita Hill : lawyer, professor -- Gregory Hines : actor, activist, dancer, performer -- bell hooks : writer, activist, professor -- Lena Horne : singer, actor -- Langston Hughes : writer, poet -- Zora Neale Hurston : writer, playwright, anthropologist -- Amy Jacques Garvey : activist -- Judith Jamison : dancer, choreographer, executive director -- Baby Esther Jones : performer -- Bill T. Jones : dancer, choreographer, executive director -- Grace Jones : actor, performer, model -- Jackie Joyner-Kersee : athlete -- Colin Kaepernick : athlete, activist -- Henrietta Lacks : medical pioneer -- Jacob Lawrence : artist -- Edmonia Lewis : sculptor -- Edna Lewis : culinary guru -- John Lewis : activist, politician -- Alain LeRoy Locke : writer, activist, editor -- Audre Lorde : poet -- Haki Madhubuti : poet -- Annie Turnbo Malone : entrepreneur -- 54th Massechusetts Infantry : soldiers -- Oscar Micheaux : writer, producer -- Scipio Moorhead : artist -- Toni Morrison : author, editor -- Walter Mosley : author -- Archibald Motley Jr. : artist -- Diane Nash : activist -- Nicholas Brothers : choreographers, dancers -- Satchel Paige : athlete -- Suzan-Lori Parks : playwright -- Eva Jefferson Paterson : civil rights attorney, activist -- Leah Penniman : farmer, food-justice activist -- Renee Powell : athlete -- Harriet Powers : textile artist -- Richard Pryor : comedian, performer -- Dee Rees : filmmaker --Bass Reeves : lawman -- Faith Ringgold : artist -- Minnie Riperton ; singer, performer -- Paul Robeson : actor, performer, activist -- David Ruggles : abolitionist -- Patrice Rushen : musician, composer, musical director -- Jason Samuels Smith : dancer -- Augusta Savage : sculptor -- Gil Scott-Heron : musician, activist -- Amy Sherald : artist -- Nina Simone : musician, performer, songwriter -- Norma Merrick Sklarek : architect -- Moneta Sleet Jr. : photographer -- Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor : culinary guru -- Robert F. Smith : entrepreneur, philanthropist -- André Leon Talley : fashion muse -- Robert Robinson Taylor : architect -- Mary Church Terrell : activist -- Sister Rosetta Tharpe : musician -- Mickalene Thomas : artist -- Vivien Thomas : medical pioneer, surgeon -- Toni Tipton-Martin : culinary guru -- Kwame Ture : organizer, activist -- Morrie Turner : artist, cartoonist -- Melvin Van Peebles : writer, filmmaker, producer -- Sarah Vaughan : singer performer -- Madam C.J. Walker : entrepreneur -- Maggie Lena Walker : activist, businesswoman -- Carrie Mae Weems : photographer -- Ida B. Wells : journalist, publisher, activist -- Charles White : artist -- Maurice White : musician -- Clarence "Cap" Wigington : architect -- Raven Wilkinson : dancer -- George Washington Williams : historian, soldier, minister -- Marie Selika Williams : opera singer -- Paul Revere Williams : architect -- Bradford Young : cinematographer, director -- Essayists. Marvin K. White ; Emil Wilbekin ; Bryant Terry ; Patrice Peck ; Oriana Koren.