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- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was a pivotal leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He continues to be celebrated for his profound influence in advocating for nonviolent resistance and racial equality.
- Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) An abolitionist and political activist, Harriet Tubman is best known for helping enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad.
- Barack Obama (b. 1961) ADVERTISEMENT. Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, made history as the first Black American to hold the office.
- Maya Angelou (1928-2014) Maya Angelou was an influential poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist, celebrated for her series of seven autobiographies.
- W.E.B. Du Bois, 1868- 1963- A famous historian, sociologist, and activist, W.E.B. Du Bois also made huge impacts on the field of public health! Through his ethnographic research featured in The Philadelphia Negro and The Souls of Black Folks, Du Bois and his work paved the way for highlighting the importance of the social and health consequences of racism and discrimination against African Americans.
- Adah Belle Samuels Thoms, 1870- 1943- Adah Belle Samuels Thoms was a devoted nurse who co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses and fought for equal employment opportunities for African Americans in the American Red Cross and U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
- Ionia Rollin Whipper, 1872- 1953- As a physician and public health reformer, Ionia Rollin Whipper was one of the few African American obstetricians in Washington, D.C.
- Roscoe Conkling Brown Sr., 1884-1963- Roscoe Conkling Brown Sr. was a dentist and public health pioneer who served in various national organizations specializing in African American health.
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- Dr. James McCune Smith (1813–1865) Born into slavery in New York City in 1813, James McCune Smith set his sights on becoming a doctor when he was a young man.
- Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831–1895) When Rebecca Lee Crumpler graduated from the New England Female Medical College in 1864, she became the first Black female physician in the United States.
- Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (1856–1931) After apprenticing with a surgeon, Daniel Hale Williams earned a medical degree and started working as a surgeon in Chicago in 1884.
- Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller (1872–1953) Solomon Carter Fuller’s grandparents were medical missionaries in Liberia, and he grew up with a strong interest in medicine.
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- Stem Career Worksheet
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Elementary School
1. A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moonby Suzanne Slade (Author), Veronica Miller Jamison (Illustrator) 2. Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kidsby PhD Kimberly Brown Pellum 3. Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turnerby Janice N. Harrington (Author), Theodore Taylor III (Illustrator) 4. Charles Drew (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Inventors & Scientists)by Mike Venezia 5. Computer Decoder: Dorothy Va...
Middle School
1. Black Pioneers of Science and Inventionby Louis Haber (Author) 2. Black Stars: African American Women Scientists and Inventors 3. Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEMby Tonya Bolden 4. Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Lifeby Mae Jemison 5. Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnsonby Katherine Johnson 6. The Book of Awesome Black Americans: Scientific Pioneers, Trailblazing Entrepreneurs, Barrier-Breaking Activists and Afro-Futuri...
High School and Adult
1. African American Women Chemistsby Jeannette Brown 2. African American Women Chemists in the Modern Eraby Jeannette Brown 3. Black Inventors, Crafting Over 200 Years of Successby Keith C. Holmes 4. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race 5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacksby Rebecca Skloot For additional STEM reading suggestions, see our STEM reading list.
To encourage students to learn more about these scientists and to explore related careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, use our free STEM Career Worksheetalong with this post. If you use the "Learn More About these 38 Scientists for Black History Month" resource and career worksheet with students, we would love to hear your feedbac...
To help students see themselves with a future in STEM and to broaden understanding of science history, it is important for students to learn about a diverse range of scientists and engineers. This includes celebrating the stories of women, African American, Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Native American scientists an...
- Sherri Mcgee Mccovey
- 1 min
- George Washington Carver: The Agricultural Scientist (1864-1943) Born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri, the year before it was outlawed, George Washington Carver was a prominent scientist of the early 20th century.
- Garrett Morgan: The Traffic King (1877-1963) Born in Paris, Kentucky in 1877, Garrett Morgan witnessed many accidents at traffic lights that only had "stop" and "go" signals.
- Marie Van Brittan Brown: The Security Pro (1922-1999) Marie Van Brittan Brown was born in Queens, New York, and worked there as a full-time nurse. Her husband, Albert, was an electronics technician.
- Frederick McKinley Jones: The Cooling Expert (1893-1961) Frederick McKinley Jones was awarded 61 patents during his lifetime—including 40 for refrigeration equipment.
Feb 25, 2019 · AAMCNews. Celebrating 10 African-American medical pioneers. These trailblazers broke barriers and shattered stereotypes — and went on to conduct research, discover treatments, and provide leadership that improved the health of millions. By Julia Haskins, Special to AAMCNews. Feb. 25, 2019.
Dec 2, 2023 · Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first female African-American physician. She also wrote the Book of Medical Discourses in Two Parts in 1883, which is considered one of the first medical texts written by an African American author. After the Civil War, Dr. Crumpler also worked for the Freedman’s Bureau for the State of Virginia, the federal ...
