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- Maya Angelou | Poet | 1928-2014. Angelou was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist with a colorful and troubling past highlighted in her most famous autobiography, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings".
- Arthur Ashe | Tennis Player | 1943-1993. Ashe's resume includes three Grand Slam titles and the title of the first Black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only Black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.
- James Baldwin | American novelist | 1924-1987. Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright and activist, most notably known for "Notes of a Native Son", "The Fire Next Time" and "The Devil Find's Work".
- Ruby Bridges | Civil Rights Activist | 1954-present. At age 6, Bridges embarked on a historic walk to school as the first African American student to integrate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana.
- Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) Congress is more diverse now than it's ever been. However, when Chisholm was attempting to shatter the glass ceiling, the same couldn't be said.
- Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) Dr. King is usually credited for the March on Washington in August 1963. But it was Rustin who organized and strategized in the shadows.
- Claudette Colvin (1939- ) Before Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, there was a brave 15-year-old who chose not to sit at the back of the bus.
- Annie Lee Cooper (1910-2010) The Selma, Alabama, native played a crucial part in the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement. But it wasn't until Oprah played her in the 2014 Oscar-nominated film Selma that people really took notice of Cooper's activism.
- Rosa Parks
- Rev. Bill Lawson
- Ovide Duncantell
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Monica Roberts
- Maya Angelou
- Marsha P. Johnson
- John Lewis
- Jackie Robinson
- Fannie Lou Hamer
Rosa Parks stood up for civil rights by sitting down. On Dec. 1, 1955, she refused to move to the back of a city bus. Little did the 42-year-old know that her act would help end segregation laws in the South. "Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that held its ground." Parks' actions would go on t...
The pastor emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, Rev. Bill Lawson was a pioneer in the the civil rights movement and helped to lead the battle to end segregation in Houston. He helped lead local sit-ins and marches to integrate the city. His philosophy in life: "I believe in bringing people to the table together. Even if we don't all agree, at...
Founder of the country's first Martin Luther King Jr. parade in 1978 and the Black Heritage Society, Duncantell fought for equal rights for African Americans for many years in Houston. He dedicated his life to preserving the legacy of Dr. King. He was a fighter for the community and was willing to die for what's right. Duncantell died in Nov. 2018....
While Martin Luther King Jr needs no introduction, his impact will forever bear repeating. A Baptist minister and activist, King became the most powerful leader in the civil rights movement until his death in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. King was going to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers in the city when he was assassin...
A Houston trans rights advocate, Monica Roberts worked with local law enforcement to make sure murders in the transgender community were investigated fairly and with journalists to ensure victims were correctly identified after their deaths and were reported with empathy and sensitivity. Her groundbreaking blog "TransGriot" celebrated Black trans w...
Civil rights activist, poet and award-winning author. Maya Angelou became Hollywood's first female Black director, but is best known for her 1969 memoir "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." "Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off you." In a celebrated life and career, Angelou also mad...
Self-identified drag queen, activist, performer and survivor, Marsha P. Johnson played a significant role in the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. The "P" stands for "Pay it No Mind," which is what Johnson would say when asked about her gender. Johnson also founded the Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries, a group that worked to help homeless transg...
A lion of the civil rights movement, John Lewis put his life on the line to fight racism. The beating he endured in 1965 by Alabama state troopers helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation. "You cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe. You have to have courage, raw courage." Lewis died on July 17, 2020, but his legac...
Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, becoming the first Black athlete to play Major League Baseball. "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... all I ask is that you respect me as a human being." The league now celebrates Robinson's life annually with Jackie Robinson Day on Apr...
The youngest of 20 children in a family of sharecroppers in Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer has been known as the woman who changed the South. She fought for Black voting rights and became a powerful voice in efforts for greater economic opportunities for African Americans. "Nobody's free until everybody's free." Hamer's push for voting rights for Bl...
Jan 30, 2024 · This Black History Month, we celebrate the unsung heroes of abortion rights, voting rights, affirmative action, reparations, military inclusion and LGBTQ movements. Here are their stories.
- Claudette Colvin. Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to move to the back of a bus to give up her seat to a white person.
- Robert Sengstacke Abbott. Abbott laid the foundation for what would eventually birth many Black publications including Ebony, Jet, Essence, Black Enterprise, Right On!
- Shirley Chisholm. Chisholm kicked the door in for African American women holding major roles in government. She first served as an educational consultant for New York City’s Bureau of Child Welfare and ran for New York State Assembly in 1964.
- Johnson H. Johnson. Hailed as one of the most influential Black media publishers, Johnson got his start working for Supreme Life Insurance Company collecting weekly news clippings for his manager, which sparked his idea for his first publication, Negro Digest.
Jan 31, 2022 · Black History Month was created to commemorate the lives and achievements of Black Americans, and Black history lessons frequently include the stories of famous Black Americans like Martin...
Jan 27, 2023 · ICYDK, Black History Month is the time when folks pay homage to legendary figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Muhammad Ali, just to name a few.
