Famous African-Americans

Nicholas BakerTaylor Robertson

I created this PowerPoint presentation of famous African-Americans for my internship at Stonewall Jackson Middle School for Black History Month in February with a student teacher from Virginia Tech, Nicholas Baker. We would cover one person per day (two on Mondays and Fridays) throughout the month. These were not necessarily a part of the content, but a large population of Stonewall Jackson was African-American. Therefore it was crucial for me to relay the importance of knowing the history of African-Americans in this country to my students in an effort to increase their cultural perspective and its effect on their appreciation for history.

Jacob Lawrence

• One of the most famous African American painters of the 20th century due to his famous works depicting important African American historical moments and individuals.

Muhammad Ali

• Considered the greatest heavyweight professional boxer in history.

Langston Hughes

• A famous literary figure from the Harlem Renaissance period during the 1920’s.

Jesse Owens

• Famous Olympian sprint and long jump American track and field athlete.

Thurgood Marshall

• First African American Supreme Court Justice.

Martin Luther King Jr.

• Was a leader in the African American Civil Rights Movement who was a central figure to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Rosa Parks

• Often called the “first lady of the Civil Rights Movement” Rosa Parks was a symbol for Civil Rights that helped sparked the movement.

Althea Gibson

• First African American athlete to enter into international tennis and the first to win the Grand Slam title.

Charles Drew

• A pioneer in medical research he made groundbreaking discoveries regarding blood transfusion, storage, and processing. He essentially created blood banks in both the U.S. and Great Britain during WWII.

Wilma Rudolph

• African American Olympian athlete who was considered to be the fastest woman in the world in the 1960’s.

Dr. Maya Angelou

• Famous literary figure, civil rights activist, actress, and educator.

Henry Louis Gates

• Was the first African American famous literary figure, educator, scholar, editor to receive the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship.

Barack Obama

• First African American President of the United States of America currently serving as the 44th President.

Phyllis Wheatley

• First published African-American woman

• Wrote poems in favor of the American Revolution and its leaders

Jackie Robinson

• Responsible for breaking the Major League Baseball Color Barrier in 1947 by playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers

Benjamin Banneker

• Surveyor, almanac author, and farmer who served on the team that surveyed the boundaries of the District of Columbia

Jo Anderson

• Slave of Cyrus McCormick, credited inventor of the reaper

• Believed to be the actual inventor of the reaper

Harriet Tubman

• Abolitionist guide on the Underground Railroad who helped over 300 slaves escape from slavery to the North over the course of nineteen trips to the South

Frederick Douglas

• Abolitionist leader in the North

• Famous for his writings and speeches against slavery

Sojourner Truth

• Abolitionist and women’s rights activist

• Spoke about slavery, women’s rights, prison reform, and capital punishment

Robert Smalls • Stole the

Confederate ship, CSS Planter, and sailed it beyond the Federal Blockade convincing Lincoln to allow African-Americans in the Union Army

Joe Frazier

• “Smokin Joe” • Professional boxer,

Olympic Gold Medalist, and World Heavyweight Champion

Booker T. Washington

• Educator, author, and speaker

• Founder and leader of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute

W.E.B. Du Bois

• First African-American doctoral graduate of Harvard University

• Emphasized vocational education for African-Americans

Duke Ellington• Composer, pianist,

and bandleader of jazz music in the 1920s and beyond

Bessie Smith

• Female blues singer during the 1920s and 1930s

• Still has major influence on jazz and blues vocalists today

Louis Armstrong

• “Pops”• Jazz trumpeter and

singer from New Orleans

• Pioneered the use of improvisation in music