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- Jone Johnson Lewis
- Marian Anderson (Feb. 27, 1897–April 8, 1993) Contralto Marian Anderson is considered one of the most important singers of the 20th century. Known for her impressive three-octave vocal range, she performed widely in the U.S. and Europe, beginning in the 1920s.
- Mary McLeod Bethune (July 10, 1875–May 18, 1955) Mary McLeod Bethune was an African American educator and civil rights leader best known for her work co-founding the Bethune-Cookman University in Florida.
- Shirley Chisholm (Nov. 30, 1924–Jan. 1, 2005) Shirley Chisholm is best known for her 1972 bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination; she was the first Black woman to make this attempt in a major political party.
- Althea Gibson (Aug. 25, 1927–Sept. 28, 2003) Althea Gibson started playing tennis as a child in New York City, winning her first tennis tournament at age 15.
- Josephine Baker
- Oprah Winfrey
- Mae Jemison
- Shirley Chisholm
- Bessie Coleman
- Elizabeth Freeman
- Harriet Tubman
- Ida B. Wells
- Rosa Parks
- Maya Angelou
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine Baker's success as a Vaudeville dancer took her France, where she was lauded as one of the country's most popular performers. During World War II, Baker became a spy for the French resistance, passing on critical Nazi information to aid the war effort. Upon returning to the U.S., Baker found herself the target...
Oprah Winfrey began her career competing in beauty pageants before transitioning to broadcasting, where she found success as host of the Chicago TV talk show "People Are Talking." Her popularity led Winfrey to launch "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which aired for 25 years and established Winfrey as a media mogul. After founding her own production compan...
Born the youngest of three children in Decatur, Alabama, Mae Jemison was a student of science before going on to serve as a medical officer in the Peace Corps and establish her own practice as a doctor. Inspired by the Apollo moon trips but discouraged by the lack of female astronauts, Jemison pivoted careers and in 1987, applied to NASA where, out...
Shirley Chisholm became a household name after becoming the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress in 1968. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Chisholm served seven terms in Congress and made inroads by helping to expand the food stamp program. She also introduced legislation to benefit racial and gender inequality, and became a...
A Texas native, Bessie Coleman dreamt of flying planes. However, as a Black woman in the 1920s, getting her pilot's license in the U.S. was nothing short of impossible. That didn't stop the would-be aviator who, in the face of adversity, learned to speak French, then left to train in France, where Black people were permitted to become aviators. Wit...
Freeman, also known as Mumbet, was a nurse and midwife who successfully sued Massachusetts for her freedom in 1781, becoming the first African American enslaved woman to win a freedom suit in the state. Her suit helped lead to the permanent abolition of slavery in the state of Massachusetts.
American abolitionist Harriet Tubman is best known for her efforts to move slaves to liberation in the Underground Railroad, a network of antislavery activists. Her legacy is indelible in the movement to abolish slavery, as she is documented to have made approximately 13 trips through the Underground Railroad, leading dozens of slaves to freedom an...
Ida B. Wells was a prominent Black investigative journalist, educator and activist in the early civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), and led a powerful anti-lynching crusade in the U.S. in the 1890s.
Rosa Parks, a trailblazer known for her courageous participation in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, ignited the movement against racial segregation on public transit. Her defiance to give up her seat led to her arrest on Dec. 1, 1955, but led to revolutionary change. The United States Congress has since honored her as “the first lady of civil rights” a...
Maya Angelouhas a distinct voice as a Black writer and activist. She left a legacy with her large body of work, including memoirs, poems, essays and plays. She rose to fame in 1969 after the publication of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” one of her autobiographies detailing her early years as a young Black woman.
- Quinta Brunson. Claim to fame: Actress, comedian, writer, producer. Why she’s extraordinary: From winning the 2023 Golden Globe for Best Performance to winning an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Quinta Brunson and her show, Abbott Elementary, have been on a roll.
- Janet Mock. Claim to fame: Writer, producer, transgender rights activist. Why she’s extraordinary: Mock, who received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 2020 GLAAD Media Awards, is one of the leading voices for transgender rights in the 21st century.
- Lizzo. Claim to fame: Singer, songwriter, rapper, activist. Why she’s extraordinary: Lizzo has won three Grammy Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and a BET Award.
- Sheryl Lee Ralph. Claim to fame: Actress, singer. Why she’s extraordinary: Sheryl Lee Ralph has been making waves this awards season, winning the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy at the age of 66, along with being nominated for a Critics Choice Award.
- The name to know: Isabel de Olvera, explorer, early 1600s. Her story in brief: Isabel de Olvera was born in Querétaro, Mexico, in the late 1500s to an African father and an Indian mother.
- The name to know: Monemia McKoy, mother of twins Millie and Christine, 1830’s – ? Her story in brief: Enslaved couple Monemia and Jacob McKoy lived in North Carolina in the mid-19th century.
- The name to know: Frances Thompson, transgender advocate, 1840 – 1876. Her story in brief: Although born into slavery in Alabama and assigned male at birth, by the age of 26 Frances Thompson was freed and living according to her own gender identity in a booming Black community in Memphis, Tennessee.
- The name to know: Augusta Savage, artist, 1892 – 1962. Image credit: Archives of American Art, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Her story in brief: Born to the family of a conservative Methodist minister in Green Cove Springs, Florida, Savage exhibited a passion and a talent for art from an early age, in particular for molding objects out of clay.
Dec 30, 2021 · PUBLISHED: December 30, 2021 at 11:10 a.m. | UPDATED: December 30, 2021 at 4:10 p.m. 36 Black women who changed American history | The stories of all these women point to a uniquely...
Oct 10, 2013 · Each of the Black women featured here have made a special mark on their communities and the world. Explore Inspirational Women with PBS. Get to know these 11 women, their acclaimed works,...
Aug 29, 2022 · At the Smithsonian | August 29, 2022. These Black Women Changed America. Thirty years ago, photographer Brian Lanker made indelible images of historical lives; a new exhibition says their...
