Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index This is a list of famous African-Americans. Please add more notable people here. Aaliyah, (1979-2001), singer, actor Michael Abels, (born 1962), composer Ralph Abernathy, (1936-1996), civil rights leader Muhal Richard Abrams, (born 1930), musician Mumia Abu-Jamal, (born 1954), prisoner and activist Muhammad Ali, boxer, war protester, member of the Nation of Islam, civil rights protester, and poet Richard Allen (Reverend), (1760-1831), ex-slave, religious leader, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Marian Anderson, (1897-1993), famous opera and concert singer Louis Armstrong, (1901-1971), jazz musician Emmett L. Ashford, first African-American umpire in organized baseball Crispus Attucks, (1723-1770), killed in Boston Massacre David Baker, (born 1931), composer Josephine Baker, singer, entertainer William Banfield, (born 1961), composer Benjamin Banneker, (1731-1806), 18th century astronomer Angela Bassett, actor Count Basie, (1904-1984), pianist, band leader Daisy Bates, (1914-1999), civil rights leader Sidney Bechet, (1897-1959), jazz musician Eubie Blake, (1883-1983), composer and musician Anthony Braxton, (born 1945), composer and multi-reedist Arthur M. Brazier, Minister,community activist, and civil rights leader Edward Brooke, former Massachusetts Attorney General, first African-American elected to the United States Senate (November 8, 1966). Shelton Brooks, (1886-1975), songwriter and entertainer Ron Brown, served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party. Ralph Bunche, (1904-1971) diplomat, Nobel Laureate 1950 William Harvey Carney, (1842-1908), American Civil War hero George Washington Carver, (1860-1943), plant scientist Ray Charles, (born 1930), pop musician Charles Chesnutt, (1858-1932), author Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998), Black Panther leader & activist Bill Cosby, actor, entertainer John Coltrane, (1926-1967), jazz musician Roque Cordero, (born 1917), composer Angela Davis, (born 1944), author and activist Benjamin O. Davis Sr, general Benjamin O. Davis Jr, (1912-2002), military airman Miles Davis, (1926-1991), jazz musician Dominique Dawes, (born 1976), first African American female gymnast to medal in an Olympics (Gold (Team) and Bronze (Floor) Medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games) Chris Dickerson, (born 1939), bodybuilder Taye Diggs, actor Rockin' Dopsie, (born Alton Rubin) February 10, 1932 Carencro LA - 1993 Zydeco musician Bob Douglas, first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Frederick Douglass, (1818-1895), orator and abolitionist, ex-slave Charles R. Drew, (1904-1950), physician, pioneer of blood transfusion techniques W. E. B. DuBois, (1868-1963), writer, activist Paul Laurence Dunbar, (1872-1906), poet Oscar Dunn, first African American lieutenant governor of a US state (Lousiana) Julius Eastman, (1940-1991), composer and musician Duke Ellington, (1899-1974), jazz composer and musician Ralph Ellison, (1914-1994), writer Medgar Evers, (1925-1963), civil rights activist Jessie Fauset, novelist Ella Fitzgerald, (1918-1996), singer Aretha Franklin, (born 1942), singer, often referred to as the Queen of Soul Marcus Garvey, (1887-1940), political leader and nationalist Adolphus Hailstork, (born 1941), composer W.C. Handy, (1873-1958), blues composer Frances E. W. Harper, poet, novelist, lecturer and activist in turn of the century temperance and racial uplift movements. Fletcher Henderson, band leader, orchestrator, pianist Jimi Hendrix, (1942-1970), rock and roll musician George Herriman, (1880-1944), cartoonist Robert L. Hill, (1892-?), black leader at Elaine Race Riot Billie Holiday, (1915-1959), singer Langston Hughes, (1902-1967), poet Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist and political leader Samuel L. Jackson, actor & golfer Tony Jackson, (1876-1921), pianist & composer Mae Carol Jemison, first African-American woman in space Leroy Jenkins, (born 1932), composer and musician George W. Johnson (c.1855-1914), pioneer recording artist James P. Johnson (1894-1955), pianist & composer James Weldon Johnson, (1871-1938), author, poet, folklorist, and civil rights leader Scipio Africanus Jones, (1863-1943), attorney for Elaine Race Riot accused Michael Jackson, pop music star Scott Joplin, (1868-1917), ragtime composer Barbara Jordan, first African-American woman elected to Texas Senate Michael Jordan, professional basketball player Louis Jordan, (1908-1975), jazz musician and bandleader Hubert Julian, (born 1900), aviator Ulysses Kay, (1917-1995), composer B.B. King, (born 1925), blues musician Martin Luther King Jr, (1929-1968), leader Rodney King, motorist beaten by police, videotaped by bystander Nella Larsen, (1891-1964), novelist Oliver Law, (1899-1937), officer in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, first African American to command white soldiers Robert Jr. Lockwood, (born 1915), blues musician Jair Lynch, (born 1971), first African American male gymnast to medal in an Olympics (Silver Medalist on Parallel Bars at the 1996 Olympic Games) Elijah J. McCoy (1844-1929), inventor Wynton Marsalis, a jazz trumpeter Thurgood Marshall, (1908-1993), first non-white U.S. Supreme Court associate justice Oscar Micheaux, (1884-1951), author and pioneer filmmaker Roscoe Mitchell, (born 1940), composer and musician Thelonious Monk, (1917-1982), composer and musician Toni Morrison, author, Nobel laureate 1993 Huey P. Newton, (1942-1989), founder of the Black Panther Party Brandy Norwood, (born 1979), singer and actor Willie 'Ray-J' Norwood Jr, (born 1981), singer and actor, brother of the precedent Willie O'Ree, the first African American NHL player Jesse Owens, (1913-1980), track and field athlete Charlie Parker, (1920-1955), jazz musician Rosa Parks, started the Birmingham bus boycott Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, (born 1932), composer P. B. S. Pinchback, (1837-1921), first serving African American governor of a US state (Lousiana) Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, (1745-1813), first resident of Chicago Colin Powell, (born 1937), U.S. Secretary of State Percival Prattisbecame, the first African American news correspondent allowed in the United States House and Senate press gallery. Hiram Rhoades Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, the first African American ever to sit in the United States Congress Willy T. Ribbs, the first African-American driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 (May 19, 1991) Norbert Rilleaux, (1806-1894), inventor RuPaul, (born 1960) drag queen David Robinson, professional basketball player and U.S. Navy veteran Bayard Rustin, (1912-1987), civil rights activist Bobby Seale, Co founder of the Black Panther Party Al Sharpton, a clergyman and politician Assata Shakur, (born 1947), exile and political activist Bessie Smith, (1894-1937), blues singer Clara Smith, blues singer Hale Smith, (born 1925), composer Mamie Smith, blues singer Willie The Lion Smith (1897-1963), pianist & composer Wesley Snipes, (born 1962), actor and producer Peter Spencer, (1782-1843), ex-slave, religious leader, A.U.M.P. Church founder William Grant Still, (1895-1978), composer Marshall Taylor, (1878-1932), aka "Major Taylor", champion competition cyclist Clarence Thomas, (born 1948), U.S. Supreme Court associate justice Nat Turner, (1800-1831), leader of major slave revolt Sojourner Truth, (1797?-1883), ex-slave, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, (1820-1913), ex-slave, writer, abolitionist Luther Vandross, singer, actor C. J. Walker, she was the first African-American millionaire George Walker, (born 1922), composer Fats Waller, (1904-1943), composer, singer, jazz musician Booker T. Washington, (1856-1915), educator Ethel Waters, (1896-1977), vocalist Muddy Waters, (1915-1983), blues musician Phillis Wheatley, (1753-1784), poet Joseph White, (1835-1918) Cuban born composer Douglas Wilder, (born 1931), first elected African American governor of a US state (Virginia) Clarence Williams, (1893-1965), composer, publisher, jazz musician Sonny Boy Williamson, (1897-1965), blues musician Tiger Woods, (born 1975), first African American (and Asian American) to win a major golf championship Malcolm X, (1925-1965), (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, born Malcolm Little), one time Nation of Islam and civil rights leader Andrew Young, (1932-), politician See also: list of people, list of people by nationality, list of Americans, African Americans in the United States Congress This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.