100 Influential HBCU Alumni
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have become adept at building programs and majors that help graduates to earn high salaries, HBCU Digest reports.
Five of the top 20 small cities where income is growing fastest are HBCU or HBCU-proximate cities, according to 24/7WallStreet.com.
Yet the number of non-black students at HBCUs increased by more than 48 percent in 18 years through 2016. You can find the full list of HBCUs here.
The following innovators and disruptors graduated from HBCUs. We have the most influential startup founders, tech execs, investors, and politicians locked for you.
1. Diishan Imira
College: Hampton University
Major: Sociology
Imira is the founder and CEO of Mayvenn, a tech company that reshapes how retail salon products are distributed. Mayvenn is devoted to helping people earn better incomes. The company has raised $13 million in funding from venture capital funds including Andreesen Horowitz, as well as investors Serena Williams, Steve Stoute, Jimmy Iovine, and Troy Carter.
2. Shawn Wilkinson
College: Morehouse College
Date Graduated: 2014
Major: Computer Science
Shawn Wilkinson is the founder and CSO at Storj Labs Inc. He works to bring decentralized cloud storage to the average business and consumer. Storj is an open-source cloud storage platform that can’t be censored, monitored, or have downtime. It is the first decentralized, end-to-end encrypted cloud storage that uses blockchain technology and cryptography to secure data.
3. Rosalind G. Brewer
College: Spelman College
Date Graduated: 1984
Major: Chemistry
Rosalind G. Brewer is chief operating officer of Starbucks and the former president and CEO of Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores. She is the first woman and the first African-American to be CEO at one of Wal-Mart Stores’ divisions. Brewer worked at personal-care corporation Kimberly-Clarke before becoming a regional VP for Walmart in 2006.
4. Deborah A. Cole
College: Tennessee State University
Date Graduated: 1992
Major: MBA
Dr. Deborah A. Cole was president and CEO of Citizen’s Bank, one of the oldest Black-owned Banks still in existence, from 2008 to 2018. Under her leadership, the bank’s assets increased 5.6 percent in 2016.
5. Jamarlin Martin
College: Morehouse College
Date Graduated: 2002
Major: Political Science
A pioneer and thought leader in digital media, Jamarlin Martin is the founder and CEO of Nubai Ventues, an investment and content platform for tech and entrepreneurs. Content is posted to Moguldom.com and Moguldom-branded social media channels including GHOGH podcast. Martin grew his prior venture, Moguldom Media Group, into a multiple-brand digital media and entertainment platform. He sold three of his brands in 2017 to Urban One NASDAQ: UONEK.
6. Andrew Gillum
College: Florida A&M University
Date Graduated:
Major:
Andrew Gillum has been the mayor of Tallahassee, Florida since 2014. Active in the Democratic Party, he is running for governor of Florida in 2018.
7. Janice Bryant Howroyd
College: North Carolina A&T State University
Date Graduated: 1976
Major: English
Janice Bryant Howroyd, 65, is founder and CEO of Act 1 Group, an employment agency that also provides consulting and business services, including background checks and screening. She’s the first African American woman to operate a company that generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
8. Rodney Williams
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 2009
Major: Finance and suppl-chain management
Rodney Williams is CEO and founder of Lisnr, a leading resource for data over audio. Lisnr’s low-power data transmission technology enables fast, reliable, and secure communication between devices via any speaker or microphone. The protocol is on track to power more than 100 million devices in 2018, Williams says.
9. Damon Lawrence
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 2010
Major: Legal communications
Damon Lawrence is a Howard University alumnus who launched Homage Hospitality Group in 2016. Lawrence, who is from Pasadena, Calif., earned a bachelor’s in legal communications, and he has taken this knowledge and applied it to his prospering career in hospitality and business. His professional background spans some of the best hotel brands in the world.
10. Marcus Carey
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 2013
Major: Business administration
Marcus Carey, who dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, launched his career by working with institutional venture capital and private equity firms and helping global teams assess investment decisions. He earned his bachelor’s in business administration with a focus on finance. He says he was influenced and inspired by the culture of Howard, and trained to understand business markets driven by culture. Carey joined Damon Lawrence to launch Homage Hospitality Group in 2016.
11. Katrina Turnbow
College: Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University
Date Graduated: 2001
Major: Business administration
Katrina Turnbow calls on the expertise she gained in previous sales and marketing positions to build recognition and attract new business for her clients through her boutique marketing firm, Kanopi Social, and in partnership with Google as the Detroit Digital Coach.
12. Derick Pearson
College: Morehouse College
Date Graduated: 2006
Major: Economics
Derick Pearson is a founder, president, and CFO of Code Fever Miami. Derick started his career as a financial analyst, and transitioned into experiential marketing, for seven years managing campaigns for national brands.
13. Marilyn Mosby
College: Tuskegee University
Date Graduated: 2003
Major: Political science and English
Marilyn Mosby is a politician and lawyer who serves as the state’s attorney for Baltimore, Maryland. She is the youngest chief prosecutor of any major U.S. city.
14. Lonnie Johnson
College: Tuskegee University
Major: Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and a master’s in nuclear engineering
An inventor and engineer, Lonnie Johnson holds more than 120 patents. He invented the Super Soaker water gun, one of the world’s bestselling toys. Curious as a child, Johnson almost burned down the family home trying to make rocket fuel. After college, he joined the U.S. Air Force, working on the stealth bomber program before working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. He teamed up with scientists from Tulane and Tuskegee universities to develop an affordable way to transform heat into electricity. Johnson founded at least two tech companies in Atlanta: Excellatron Solid State LLC and Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems (JEMS).
15. Marian Wright Edelman
College: Spelman College
Date Graduated: 1959
Marian Wright Edelman is a children’s rights activist who helped establish the Head Start program.She has advocated for disadvantaged Americans all of her professional life and is president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund. A graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School, she was the first Black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar. In 1960 Edelman was arrested along with 14 other students at one of the largest sit-ins at the Atlanta City Hall. She has worked to persuade Congress to overhaul foster care, support adoption, improve child care and protect children who are disabled, homeless, abused or neglected. She has also worked to curtail children’s exposure to violent images in media.
16. Kasim Reed
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1991
Major: Political Science
Attorney and politician Kasim Reed was the 59th mayor of Atlanta, serving from 2010 to 2018. A Democrat, Reed served on the Georgia House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002 and represented the 35th District in the Georgia State Senate from 2003 to 2009. Federal prosecutors recently took aim at the former mayor’s office over alleged reports of misuse of taxpayer funds.
17. Leia Avery
College: Tennessee State University
Date Graduated: 2003
Major:
Avery is the founder of Just Play Entertainment, a game and event production company. She also is the inventor of the Hip Hop Charades card game.
18. Luke Torian
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1987
Major: Doctorate in ministry
Torian is a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2010 he served in the Virginia House of Delegates. He was recently assigned to The House Select Committee on School Safety.
19. John W. Thompson
College: Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University
Date Graduated: 1971
Major: Business Administration
John W. Thompson joined the Microsoft Board in February 2012, and became independent chairman of Microsoft Corporation on February 4, 2014. Thompson brings over 40 years of experience in the technology industry. Most recently, he served as chief executive officer of Virtual Instruments, a privately held company.
20. Earl G. Graves
College: Morgan State University
Date Graduated:
Major:
Graves is the founder and chairman of Earl G. Graves Ltd., a media company, providing business information and advice to African-American professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, decision makers, and small businesses.
21. Phylicia Rashad
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1970
Major: Fine Arts
Phylicia Rashad is best known for the role of attorney Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom “The Cosby Show”. She has not passed her acting torch just yet. She is featured in rapper Drake’s new music video, “In My Feelings” as the strict mother from New Orleans. She has also joined the cast of “David Makes Man,” a drama series from “Moonlight” writer, Tarell Alvin McCraney. https://www.essence.com/20-celebs-who-graduated-hbcus/#150087
22. Debbie Allen
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1971
Major: Greek literature, speech, and theater
Allen is the executive producer of “Greys Anatomy” on ABC, and artistic director at her studio, “Debbie Allen Dance Academy”. In May, she was honored along with her sister, Phylicia Rashad, at the Wallis Anneberg Center. Allen is best known for the 1982 musical-drama TV series “Fame”, where she portrayed dance teacher Lydia Grant. https://www.essence.com/20-celebs-who-graduated-hbcus/#150092
23. Jesse Jackson
College: North Carolina A&T
Date Graduated: 1964
Major: Sociology
Civil rights activist, Baptist minister, and politician, Rev. Jesse Jackson makes it his mission to uphold Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s. vision. A former U.S. Representative, he founded the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. He walked in a protest with the new Poor Peoples Campaign to affirm and embody nonviolence, economic justice and moral direct action. The National Urban League is honoring Jackson with a lifetime achievement award. https://www.essence.com/20-celebs-who-graduated-hbcus/#150092
24. Mathew Knowles
College: Fisk University
Date Graduated: 1974
Major: Economics and Business Administration
A record label owner, talent manager, businessman and university professor, Mathew Knowles is the former manager of daughters Beyoncé and Solange Knowles. A professor at Texas Southern University, Knowles’ latest book, “Racism: From the Eyes of a Child,” focuses on his experience with race relations growing up in Gadsden, Ala., according to Page Six. https://www.essence.com/20-celebs-who-graduated-hbcus/#150101
25. Keenen Ivory Wayans
College: Tuskegee University
Date Graduated: Dropped out one semester before graduating
Major: Engineering
Keenen Ivory Wayans attended Tuskegee on an engineering scholarship and would entertain his friends at college with made-up stories about life in New York. One semester before graduation, he dropped out to focus on comedy. When Fox offered him his own show, Ivory and his brother Damon, Sr. created, wrote, and starred in “In Living Color”. Cast members from the hit series “In Living Color.” https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.sq8AAAyG6#.dl7AAAw3R
26. K. Michelle
College: Florida A&M University
Major: Music
Kimberly Michelle Pate, aka K Michelle, is an R&B singer, songwriter, and TV personality. She released an album in 2017 called “ The People I used to know”. She starred in the popular reality TV drama “Love and Hip Hop”. She has released multiple albums, pioneered her own reality show, and become the first Black ambassador for Jack Daniels to collaborate and create a custom cocktail for the masses, according to Bustle. https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.sq8AAAyG6#.dl7AAAw3R
27. Ruben Studdard
College: Alabama A&M University
Date Graduated: 2000
Major: Music/Voice Studies
The “American Idol” winner (Season 2) was dubbed the “Velvet Teddy Bear” known for his 205 Flava jerseys, which represented his hometown of Birmingham. He is still impacting people with his powerful vocals in 2018. Earlier this year he sang a tribute to Luther Vandross’s “Love Wont Let Me Fail” and has followed up with an entire tour dedicated to the singer. https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.sq8AAAyG6#.dl7AAAw3R
28. Lance Gross
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1993
Major: Theatre Arts
An actor, model and photographer of Ghanaian descent, Lance Gross i best known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS sitcom Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne” and OWN sitcom Tyler Perry’s “The Paynes.” Gross has taken his talents to photography. He focuses mainly on his art and family and has starred in acting roles here and there since 2012. Gross and his wife welcomed their second child, a baby boy, Lennon, to the world on July 10. https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.sq8AAAyG6#.dl7AAAw3R
29. Erykah Badu
College: Grambling State University
Date Graduated: 1993
Major: Performing Arts
Badu now stars on the newest series “Hip Hop Squares” on VH1 and she is still entertaining audiences with her music. The singer has upcoming tour dates for this year and performs at festivals all over. https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.sq8AAAyG6#.dl7AAAw3R
30. Wendy Raquel Robinson
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1989
Major: Drama
Robinson is the co-founder of a performing arts school, “Amazing Grace Conservatory”. The actress most recently starred in an episode of “Ravens Home” on Disney Channel, and was the mother to Logan Laurice in the Netflix series “Dear White People” Season 2.
31. Spike Lee
College: Morehouse College
Date Graduated: 1979
Major: Mass Communication
Known as one of the most influential black American film directors of the ’80s, Spike Lee is still producing quality movies. On Aug. 10 his new film, “BlacKKKlansman” will be in theatres. His 2017 Netflix series, “Shes Gotta Have it” just wrapped up filming for Season 2. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/28/honda-18-famous-historically_n_1929134.html?slideshow=true#gallery/253526/17
32. Sean “Diddy” Combs
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: Dropped out after his sophomore year
Major: Business Administration
Entrepreneur and hip-hop artist Diddy has a net worth of $825 million, making him the second-richest hip-hop artist in 2018, according to Forbes. He never graduated from Howard, but in 2014 received an honorary doctorate in humanities. In 2016 Diddy donated $1 million for scholarships for undergraduate business majors and internships with his companies. Here are some of Diddy’s business ventures: In addition to his clothing line, Sean John, Diddy has owned restaurants, designed the Dallas Mavericks alternate jersey, developed the Cîroc vodka brand for a 50% share of the profits, acquired the Enyce clothing line from Liz Claiborne for $20 million, acquired a major equity stake in Revolt TV, and teamed up with actor Mark Wahlberg and businessman Ronald Burkle of Yucaipa Companies to buy a majority holding in Aquahydrate, a beverage for athletes. .https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.sq8AAAyG6#.dl7AAAw3R
33. Roland Burris
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1959
Major: Law
A former senator, Burris was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Illinois. He was elected Illinois Attorney General in 1990. Burris was appointed by then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace President-elect Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illinois. Before his appointment, Barack Obama was the U.S. Senate’s only African American member.
34. Emmanuel Lewis
College: Clark Atlanta University
Date Graduated: 1997
Major: Theatre Arts
Actor Emmanuel Lewis, actor, best known for playing the title character in the ’80s TV sitcom “Webster,” became one of the biggest stars in Japan. A child spokesman for Burger King, he was nominated for numerous acting awards. Lewis started his own musical label called Emmanuel Lewis Entertainment. He is said to have a black belt in karate and is a martial arts expert.
35. Alice Malsenior Walker
College: Spelman College
Date Graduated: Transferred after two years to Sarah Lawrence, graduated in 1965
An activist, poet and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Alice Walker coined the term “womanist” in 1983 to mean “A black feminist or feminist of color.” She has condemned Israel as an apartheid regime, and she speaks on controversial issues.
36. Oprah Winfrey
College: Tennessee State University
Date Graduated: 1973
Major: Speech and Performing Arts
Known as “The Queen Of All Media,” Oprah is a media entrepreneur, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She transitioned her hit talk show into the OWN cable channel, a media and business empire. Forbes puts her net worth at $2.9 billion, making her one of the wealthiest women in the world. She’s credited with a Midas touch — the “Oprah effect” — which includes a 10-percent ownership in Weight Watchers.
Oprah recently signed a multi-year deal to create original programming for Apple.
37. Stefan Burnett
College: Hampton University
Date Graduated: Dropped out before graduating
Major: Visual Arts
Known professionally as MC Ride, Burnett is best known as the front-man of Sacramento-based hip-hop group Death Grips. His vocal delivery has been described as an extremely “visceral and poetic form of rapping,” and was compared to “a blend of hardcore punk and spoken word performance.” His style was also described as “paint-peeling barks and startling yelps.” The band released its sixth studio album, “Year of the Snitch” in June, 2018.
38. Mase
College: Clark Atlanta University
Major: Math
A hip-hop artist, songwriter and minister, Mason “Mase” Durell Betha is best known for his late 1990s run at Bad Boy Records alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs. Mase took a break in 1999 to pursue his math degree, later retiring from rapping and becoming an ordained minister. He has had several comebacks. In 2017, Mase released “The Oracle”, a diss track aimed at friend-turned-rival Cam’ron in response to the lyrical jabs Cam’ron sent him on his mixtape, “The Program.” https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.qoeBBBa6e#.qtqKKKMme
39. Kim Coles
College: North Carolina Central University
Date Graduated: Dropped Out
Actress, comedian and game show host Kim Coles Coles, is best known for her role as a cast member on the Fox sketch comedy, “In Living Color,” as Synclaire James–Jones on the Fox series, “Living Single,” and for hosting BET’s game show, “Pay It Off” in 2009. In an interview, she hinted at the revival of “Living Single.” She hosted a “Love Your Story” workshop in July in NYC.
40. Rick Ross
College: Albany State University
Date Graduated:
Major: Criminal Justice
Correctional Officer-turned-hip-hop-artist, William Leonard Roberts II, aka Rick Ross, can add “entrepreneur” and “record executive” to his accomplishments. After releasing his debut single, “Hustlin” in 2006, Ross became the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment and Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc, before signing a multi-million dollar deal with Jay-Z’s Def Jam Records. In 2012, MTV named Ross “Hottest MC in the Game.” His last album (2017) is “Rather You Than Me,” with another album scheduled for 2018 release. https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.qoeBBBa6e#.qtqKKKMme
41.2 Chainz
College: Alabama State University
Major: Psychology
Born Tauheed Epps, 2 Chainz is making waves in the music industry while featuring on songs with Nikki Minaj and many more. He recently released a new single and is previewing music for his next project.
42. Gladys Knight
College: Honorary Doctorate in performing arts from Shaw UniversityShaw University
The “Empress of Soul” is a seven-time Grammy Award-winner who is still performing for audiences all over the world. The singer and songwriter will be on tour until January 2019. In 2017 she appeared as herself on the musical drama TV show “Star.”
43. Brian McKnight
College: Oakwood University
A singer-songwriter, arranger and producer, McKnight is music industry royalty. He plays eight instruments but is most recognized for his strong falsetto and belting range. He has earned 16 Grammy Awards nominations but never won. He attended Oakwood (previously Oakwood College) before leaving to pursue music. McKnight is still stealing hearts with his stage presence. He performs at weddings, on tour, and has a new single out on iTunes.
44. Michael Clarke Duncan
College: Alcorn State University
Date Graduated: Dropped out to support his mother when she became ill
Major: Communications
Duncan was an actor best known for his role as the wrongly accused John Coffey in the film, “The Green Mile”. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role. Duncan died in 2012 at age 54 from a heart attack. At the time of his death, Duncan was engaged to reality TV personality Omarosa Manigault.
45. Omarosa Manigault
College: Central State University
Date Graduated: 1996
Major: Broadcast journalism
Manigault spends most of her time speaking on political issues in 2018. An “Apprentice” reality TV contestant and former aide to President Donald Trump, her memoir came out on Aug. 14 entitled “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House.”
46. Chadwick Boseman
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 2000
Major: Directing
Film and TV actor and director Chadwick Aaron Boseman is best known for lead role as a superhero in the Marvel film “Black Panther.” A former pastor, Boseman said he prayed to be cast as the Black Panther. His other superhero roles include “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and the upcoming “Avengers 4” (2019). Boseman is also acclaimed for his portrayals of real-life and historical figures such as Jackie Robinson in “42” (2013), James Brown in “Get on Up” (2014), and Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall” (2017).
47. Taraji P. Henson
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1995
Major: Theatre Arts
Actor, singer and author Taraji Penda Henson is starring in the fifth season of her hit show, “Empire” on Fox and recently got engaged to Kelvin Hayden. She has been cast in two movies this year (“Proud Mary” and Tyler Perrys “Acrimony”) and has two more films coming out in November and January.
48. Terrence J.
College: North Carolina A&T University
Date Graduated: 2004
Major: Mass Communications
Actor, model and TV personality Terrence “J” Jenkins is best known for hosting BET’s music and video countdown “106 & Park” from 2006 until 2012. He co-anchored E! News from 2012 to 2015. Now he’s pursuing his acting career, and has already scored roles in six films. Most recently he hosted the BET Awards Red Carpet pre-show event.
49. Wale
College: Bowie State University & Virginia State University
Of Nigerian-American descent, Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, aka Wale, is a recording artist, record producer and actor. He rose to fame in 2006 when his song “Dig Dug (Shake It)” became popular in his hometown of Washington, D.C. His third studio album, “The Gifted” rose to No. 1 in 2013 one on the Billboard 200. In 2015, he scored a second Billboard No. 1 album with “The Album About Nothing.” Wale attended Virginia State University on football scholarships, then transferred to Bowie State but dropped out for academic reasons. He’s known for his love of the game and the Washington Redskins. Wale uses rap to highlight black issues. He recently released a music video, “Black Bonnie” highlighting the beauty of black women. “Self Promotion” is his latest EP.
50. Lionel Richie
College: Tuskeegee Institute
Date Graduated:
Major: Economics
A singer, songwriter, actor and record producer, Lionel Richie co-wrote the 1985 charity single “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson, which sold more than 20 million copies. He sold more than 90 million records worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. He became a judge on American Idol this year, and he has a line of bedding and bath merchandise launching in September in 200 J.C. Penney stores. He shopped there as a kid growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama, according to Forbes. Trekking to the Penney in Montgomery “was a family outing,” He told Forbes. Lionel and his oldest daughter, Nicole Richie, were featured in the newest issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
51. J.B. Smoove
College: Norfolk State University
Major: Studied engineering design
Jerry Angelo Brooks, aka J.B. Smoove, is an actor, writer, comedian, and voice actor who started his career with the TV series “Def Comedy Jam” in 1995. He is best known for his role as Leon on the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and has just joined the cast of Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” set for 2019 release. The actor’s most recent major film was “Uncle Drew”. He attended Norfolk State University in 1984, where he shortened his name to J.B. and added “Smoove” as his name for stand-up comedy, according to the Spartan Echo.
52. Toni Braxton
College: Bowie State University
Date Graduated:
Major: Teaching
Braxton spends her time focused on her family, and her singing career. The singer released a visual to her most recent single, “Long As I Live” and is full support of her sister Tamar Braxton’s musical career. She was attending Bowie State University in 1990 to pursue a teaching degree when her talent was recognized by Antonio L.A. Reid and Kenneth Babyface Edmonds and soon her solo recording career was launched, according to BowieState.edu.
53. Kym Whitley
College: Fisk University
Major: Theater and art
Comedian and actress Kym Whitley is the fifth generation of her family to graduate from Fisk University. Her docu-series, “Raising Whitley” premiered in 2013 on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) with 1.2 million viewers, making it the fifth biggest premiere in the history of the network. She hosted a comedy event in August (“Kym Whitley & David Arnold LIVE”) and has performed with HBO, Showtime and Comedy Central.
54. Michael Strahan
College: Texas Southern University
Date Graduated: 1993
Michael Strahan was a star football player at Texas Southern University from 1989 to 1992. He went on to play with the New York Giants, Strahan helped the Giants win the Super Bowl in 2007. After retiring from the NFL, he became a media personality. He is a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and co-hosted the morning talk show “Live! with Kelly and Michael” from 2012 to 2016. He was recently named co-host of ABC’s new “Good Morning America” hour. https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.qoeBBBa6e#.qtqKKKMme
55. Towanda Braxton
College: Bowie State University
Major: Music education
A well-known name in R&B, Towanda is an actress, singer, dancer, reality TV personality and philanthropist. The sister of Toni Braxton, Towanda is making her rounds in the entertainment industry on VH1s’s “Hip Hop Squares”.
56. Terry Ellis
College: Prairie View A&M University
Date Graduated: 1990
Major: Marketing
Singer–songwriter and actress Terry Ellis is best known as a founding member of the R&B/Pop vocal group En Vogue. Ellis attended the 2018 Billboard Music Awards with her fellow group members in May and the Wendy Williams Show in April.
57. David Satcher
College: Morehouse College
Date Graduated: 1963
The 16th Surgeon General of the U.S., David Satcher was inspired to be a doctor after almost dying at age 2 from whooping cough. The only African-American doctor in the rural Alabama area came to his parents’ farm and he wasn’t expected to live. Satcher said that he grew up hearing that story. A four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, he was the 10th Assistant Secretary for Health.
58. Kweisi Mfume
College: Morgan State University
Date Graduated: 1976
Born Frizzell Gerald Gray, politician Kweisi Mfume changed his name in the ’70s to a Ghanaian name that translates to “Conquering Son of Kings”. Mfume is the former president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). After serving five terms a Democratic Congressman in Maryland’s 7th congressional district, he left the House to accept the NAACP presidency, saying he could do more to improve civil rights there than in Congress. He reformed the association’s finances and paid off its considerable debt while helping advance civil rights for African Americans.
59. Martin Luther King Jr.
College: Morehouse College
Date Graduated: 1948
Major: Sociology
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a predominant leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He worked diligently to end racial segregation and discrimination in America during the 1950s and 1960s. King was assassinated April 4, 1968.
60. David Banner
College: Southern University
Major: Business
Lavell William Crump, alias David Banner has taken his rapping platform and turned it into a space to promote activism. He released a song and video, “Magnolia” which symbolized discrimination and hangings in our country’s past. He also speaks openly about controversial issues regarding race and celebrities. After graduating from Southern University, where he served as president of the Student Government Association, he attended the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to pursue a master’s degree in education but left to do music full-time. https://www.essence.com/20-celebs-who-graduated-hbcus/#150083
61. Thurgood Marshall
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1933
Major: Law
The first African-American Associate Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall served from 1967 to 1991. He retired during the George H. W. Bush administration and was succeeded by Clarence Thomas. In Brown v. Board of Education, Marshall argued successfully that racial segregation in public education was illegal. He did his undergrad at Lincoln University, and initially did not take his studies seriously, getting suspended twice for hazing and pranks against fellow students. He went on to study law at Howard University School of Law and graduated first in his class. Marshall died in 1993.
62. Colbert King
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1961
Major: Government
Colbert Isaiah King is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post and the deputy editor of the Post’s editorial page. He won the award for commentary and “his against-the-grain columns that speak to people in power with ferocity and wisdom”. King still writes as a columnist for Post. He speaks extensively on politics in the Washington, D.C. area.
63. Evelynn H. Hammonds
College: Spelman College
Date Graduated: 1976
Major: Double major in physics and electrical engineering
A feminist and scholar, Hammond is a professor of history of science, African and African-American studies at Harvard University. She’s the former Dean of Harvard College and the first African-American and the first woman to head the college. She earned a Ph.D. in the history of science at Harvard University.
64. Herman Cain
College: Morehouse College
Date Graduated: 1967
Major: Math
Sometimes called the Hermanator, Herman Cain was a Tea Party activist from Georgia and a candidate for the 2012 U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination. He is an author, business executive (he’s credited with successfully reviving the Godfather’s Pizza chain), a radio host, and syndicated columnist. In 2010, Cain addressed more than 40 Tea Party rallies. He has said that he believes Trump is heading in the right direction. Cain is still involved in politics and has spoken about the Supreme Court in 2018.
65. Pam Oliver
College: Florida A&M University
Date Graduated: 1984
Major: Broadcast journalism
A sportscaster known for her work on the sidelines of NBA and NFL games, Pam Oliver was the 2018 Gracie Awards Winner for exemplary contributions in sports. The Gracies recognize programming created by women, for women and about women. Oliver won for Best On-Air Talent in Sports/Entertainment from the Alliance for Women in Media. She is considered one of the most recognizable TV journalists covering the NFL and works as senior correspondent for FOX NFL. A former Florida A&M track star, Oliver faced racism and sexism in the male-dominated field of sports broadcasting. She said she endured name-calling and vulgar insults from coaches.
66. Leon Dash
College: Howard University
Date Graduated: 1968
Major: History
Leon Dash is a former reporter of the Washington Post. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for Explanatory Journalism for his eight-part series, “Rosa Lee’s Story,” on a woman and her family’s struggle in the projects of Washington, D.C. Dash is also a founder of the National Association of Black Journalists. He is a professor of journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
67. Francena McCoroy
College: Hampton University
Date Graduated: 2010
Major: Psychology
McCoroy is an American track and field athlete. She is known primarily for running the 400 metres, and is the NCAA and American indoor record holder in that event.
68. Kellie Wells
College: Hampton University
Date Graduated: 2005
Major: Sports Managementt
Wells is a track and field athlete who specialises in the 100-metre hurdles. She won an Olympic bronze medal in 2012 at the London Games, setting a personal best in the process.
69. Shelby Jenkins
College: Kentucky State University
Date Graduated: 2012
Shelby Jenkins was named Miss Black Kentucky in 2012. Adopted out of foster care when she was an infant, she advocates for foster children. In 2016, she teamed up with Adoption-Share and Warner Brother’s animated film “Storks,” to raise awareness about adoption.
70. Alexander Haley
College: Alcorn State University
Date Graduated:
Major:
An author and historical fiction writer, Alex Haley is best known for “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” the 1976 book, “Roots: The Saga of an American Family.” The 1977 “Roots” miniseries was one of the most popular of all time. Haley died February 10, 1992.
71. LaSalle D. Leffal Jr.
College: Howard University College of Medicine
Date Graduated: 1952
Major: MD
Leffal is the first black president of the American Cancer Society. He works as a surgeon, oncologist, and medical educator.
72. Ed Bradley
College: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Date Graduated:
Major:
Bradley was a journalist for 26 years, known for his award-winning work on the CBS News TV program “60 Minutes”. He covered the fall of Saigon. Bradley died Nov. 9, 2006.
73. Esther Rolle
College: Spelman College
Date Graduated:
Major:
Esther Rolle was an actress best known for her role as Florida Evans on the CBS television sitcom “Maude”, and its spin-off series, “Good Times”. Rolle died Nov. 17, 1998.
74. Garrett Morris
College: Dillard University
Date Graduated:
Major: Voice and composition
Garrett Morris is a comedian, actor, and singer who was part of the original cast of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980. Morris still performs at comedy shows. He starred in the CBS series, “2 Broke Girls”.
75. Will Packer
College: Florida A&M University
Date Graduated: 1996
Major: Electrical Engineering
Film producer Will Packer is the founder of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media. He produced “Girls Trip”, “Ride Along” and “Think Like a Man” — three films that earned $1 billion combined at the box office. He has been named on several “powerful people” lists.
76. Jacque Reid
College: Clark Atlanta University
Date Graduated:
A journalist, TV and radio personality, Reid is an NBC TV host and co-hosts WNBC’s “New York Live”. She works as a Tom Joyner Morning Show Correspondent and co-hosts the @ReidThisReidThat podcast with her cousin, Joy Reid. She spends her free time as a lifestyle blogger.
77. Nikki Giovanni
College: Fisk University
Date Graduated: 1967
Major: History
One of the world’s best-known U.S. poets, Nikki Giovanni has won numerous awards including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, “The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection” and Oprah named her one of 25 “Living Legends”.
78. Tom Joyner
College: Tuskegee University
Date Graduated:
Major: Sociology
A radio host, Joyner hosts the nationally syndicated “The Tom Joyner Morning Show”. He foudned Reach Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com. He still works daily at his radio morning show.https://blackamericaweb.com/playlist/celebs-representing-hbcus/item/494649/
79. Shaun Robinson
College: Spelman College
Date Graduated:
Major:
Robinson is an Emmy award-winning journalist. She hosted “Access Hollywood”, the daily entertainment newsmagazine show, from 1999 to 2015. She was also the host of “TV One Access”, a show on the TV One network. In 2018 she’s hosting fundraisers, producing a film on Lifetime, and was recently part of the tribute to Debra Lee of BET.
80. Cab Calloway
College: Morehouse College
Calloway was a master scat singer, a bandleader, and a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City. He led one of the most popular big bands in the U.S. in the 1930s to the late 1940s. He continued to perform until his death in 1994 at the age of 86.
81. Yancey Thigpen
College: Winston Salem State University
Date Graduated: 1991
Yancey Thigpen is a former pro football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Oilers/Titans. Considered one of the best football players in Winston-Salem State history, he was inducted into the John B. McLendon CIAA Hall of Fame. He no longer plays football. https://hbculifestyle.com/famous-hbcu-graduates/
82. Roscoe Lee Brown
College: Lincoln University
Date Graduated: 1946
Major: Literature
Brown was an award-winning actor and director who was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977 and posthumously inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. He died in 2007.
83. Augusta Clark
College: West Virginia State University
Date Graduated:
Major:
Clark was a librarian, lawyer and politician elected to the Philadelphia City Council in the 1970s, becoming the second African-American woman to serve on the city council. Clark died in 2013.
84. Barbara Charline Jordan
College: Texas Southern University
Date Graduated: 1956
Major: Political science and history
Jordan was a lawyer, educator, politician and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. She was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction, the first Southern African-American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first woman to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention. She died in 1996.
85. Booker T. Washington
College: Hampton University
Date Graduated: 1875
An educator, author, orator, and advisor to presidents, Booker T. Washington was considered the leader of the African-American community. He is Hampton University’s most notable alumnus. After walking 500 miles to Hampton from Malden, WV at age 16, he graduated with the class of 1875. Washington became the first head of Tuskegee University in 1881. Washington rose to national prominence for his Atlanta address of 1895. The Atlanta Compromise was an agreement in 1895 between Washington, other African-American leaders and Southern white leaders. They agreed that Southern blacks would submit to white political rule in exchange for guaranteed basic education and due process in law. Washington became a popular spokesperson for African Americans. Born into slavery, he never knew his date of birth. His headstone reads 1856. He died in 1915.
86. Leon Sullivan
College: West Virginia State University
Sullivan was a Baptist minister, a civil rights leader and social activist focusing on the creation of job training for African Americans. He received a basketball and football scholarship in 1939 to attend West Virginia State College. A foot injury ended his athletic career and he had to pay for college by working in a steel mill. He served as pastor for 38 years at the Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and became known as “the Lion of Zion.” He died in 2001. https://hbculifestyle.com/famous-hbcu-graduates/
87. Katherine Johnson
College: West Virginia State University
Date Graduated: 1937
Major: Math and French
A mathematician and NASA employee, Katherine Johnson‘s calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. manned spaceflights. Today, Johnson works to help youth in the STEM field. She offers a scholarship at her alma mater for students pursuing careers in STEM. The blockbsuter film “Hidden Figures” showcased her legacy among other African-American women who contributed to science in the past.
88. Charles Scales
College: Alabama A&M University
Date Graduated: 1976
Major: Business
Charles Scales had a long career at NASA starting in 1973. He became NASA’s associate deputy administrator in 2007 and held that position until retirement. Before that, he served as director of the Marshall Center Equal Opportunity Office. He was inducted into the Alabama A&M University Alumni Hall of Fame in 2005.
89. Norma Holloway Johnson
College: University of District of Columbia
Date Graduated: 1955
Holloway was a district court judge, District of Columbia, and the first African-American woman to serve as chief judge of a U.S. District Court. Holloway died in 2011.
90. LaTanya Richardson
College: Spelman College
Date Graduated: 1974
Actress and producer LaTanya Richardson Jackson started her career off-Broadway before playing supporting roles in TV and film. She met her husband Samuel L. Jackson while she was at Spellman Collee. They married in 1980. She stopped working after their daughter was born, because, she said, “We’d vowed to be an intact revolutionary black family. But it was very, very hard.” In 2014, Richardson was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her 2013 performance in “A Raisin in the Sun.” She served on the Spelman board of trustees, and on the advisory board of the College’s Women Research and Resource Center.
91. Langston Hughes
College: Lincoln University
Date Graduated: 1929
Langston Jughes was a poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist considered one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry. Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City, famously writing about the period “when Harlem was in vogue”. After his parents separated, Hughes was raised in Kansas by his maternal grandmother. It was not a happy time. “I was … very lonesome, living with my grandmother. Then it was that books began to happen to me, and I began to believe in nothing but books and the wonderful world in books — where if people suffered, they suffered in beautiful language, not in monosyllables, as we did in Kansas.” Hughes died in 1967.
92. Julius Chambers
College: North Carolina Central University
Date Graduated: 1958
An attorney, civil rights leader and educator, Julius L. Chambers decided on a career in law after his father’s auto repair business was a target of racial injustice in 1948. A white customer refused to pay and his father couldn’t afford a lawyer. Chambers resolved to help end segregation and racial discrimination. After graduating from NCCU summa cum laude, he went to law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was the first African American editor-in-chief of the school’s law review and graduated first in his class of 100 students in 1962. He was also the first African American member of the university’s honor society, Order of the Golden Fleece.
93. Ralph David Abernathy
College: Alabama State University
Date Graduated: 1950
Major: Math
Ralph David Abernathy Sr. was a Christian minister, leader of the Civil Rights Movement, and friend of Martin Luther King, Jr. He collaborated with King to create the Montgomery Improvement Association which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He became president of the SCLC following King’s assassination in 1968, where he led the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C. among other marches and demonstrations for disenfranchised Americans. He ran unsuccessfully in 1977 for the U.S. House of Representatives, 5th district of Georgia. He later founded the Foundation for Economic Enterprises Development. In 1989, Abernathy wrote “And the Walls Came Tumbling Down,” a controversial autobiography about his and King’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. He died in 1990. His tombstone is engraved with the words “I tried”.
94. Meshach Taylor
College: Florida A&M University
Date Graduated: 1993
Major: Theatre arts
Emmy-nominated actor Meshach Taylor May was known for his role as Anthony Bouvier on the CBS sitcom “Designing Women” and for his portrayal of Hollywood Montrose, a flamboyant window dresser in “Mannequin.” He played Sheldon Baylor on the CBS sitcom “Dave’s World,” among others. Taylor appeared in feature films “Mannequin”, “Mannequin Two” and “Damien: Omen II”. In the ’60s, he studied dramamtic arts at Florida A&M University, but dropped out a few credits shy of graduation. Decades later in 1993, he received his bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from Florida A&M.
95. Fred Shuttlesworth
College: Alabama State University (formerly Alabama State College).
Date Graduated: 1952
Born Fred Lee Robinson, Frederick Lee “Fred” Shuttlesworth was a U.S. civil rights activist and minister in Birmingham, Alabama, who fought segregation and other forms of racism. He co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, initiated the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, and helped Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement. The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport was named in his honor in 2008.
96. Stephen A. Smith
College: Winston-Salem State University
Date Graduated: 1991
Stephen Anthony Smith is a TV sports personality, radio host, journalist, and actor. A commentator on ESPN’s “First Take”, he also makes frequent appearances as an NBA analyst on SportsCenter. After attending the Fashion Institute of Technology for a year, Smith got a basketball scholarship to attend Winston-Salem State University. He played under Hall of Fame coach Clarence Gaines. His jurnalism career began with a column for the university newspaper, The News Argus. His radio show will be simulcast on ESPNNews beginning on Aug. 13, 2018, and his TV show, “First Take”, is moving from Bristol, Conn. to New York in September.
97. Common
College: Florida A&M University
Date Graduated: Dropped Out
Major: Business Administration
Lonnie Rashid (Common), now works as an activist, using his social media to bring attention to minimized issues. The rapper most recently starred in a film, “The Tale” on HBO, and is working closely with Lena Waithe on an HBO TV series, “The Chi”.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/28/honda-18-famous-historically_n_1929134.html?slideshow=true#gallery/253526/0
98. Samuel L. Jackson
College: Morehouse College
Date Graduated: Dropped Out
Major: Marine Biology, switched to Performing Arts
Prolific actor and film producer Samuel Jackson rose to prominence in the ’90s, and he has starred in more than 100 films, including “Pulp Ficton” (1994.) His likeness was used for the Marvel Comics character Nick Fury, and he has starred in numerous superhero movies. His voice has been used in film, TV and video games including Frozone in the 2018 “Incredibles 2” film.He has also been cast as Nick Fury in an upcoming movie, “Captain Marvel” which is scheduled to premiere on March 8, 2019. https://www.buzzfeed.com/sydneyscott/40-awesome-celebrities-who-attended-hbcus?utm_term=.sq8AAAyG6#.dl7AAAw3R
99. Keshia Knight Pulliam
College: Spelman College
Date Graduated: 2001
Major: Sociology
Keisha is best known for her childhood role as Rudy Huxtable in the NBC hit series, “The Cosby Show,” and as Miranda Lucas-Payne on the TBS comedy-drama “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne”. She’s taking a break from acting to focus on her family. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/28/honda-18-famous-historically_n_1929134.html?slideshow=true#gallery/253526/17
100. Barrington Irving
College: Florida Memorial University
Date Graduated: 2009
Major: Flight education
In 2007, Jamaican-American Barrington Irving became the first black person to pilot a plane around the world solo. He grew up in Miami and turned down multiple football scholarship offers to study aviation. His airplane, a Columbia 400 (Cessna Corvalis 400) named the “Inspiration”, and was manufactured and assembled by the Columbia Aircraft Mfg. Co. in 2005. He is the founder of Experience Aviation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering minority youth to pursue careers in aviation. He works closely to promote STEM for boys of color.
101. Kenya Barris
College: Clark Atlanta University
Date Graduated: 1996
Major: Mass Media Arts
Kenya Barris is the creator of Emmy-nominated, Golden Globe-winning TV series, “Black-ish.” Barris explores issues of classism and racism in creative and humorous ways, said Dr. Ronald A. Johnson, president of Clark Atlanta University, in a CAU News report. Barris has a three-year deal with ABC studios to write and develop future projects including “Grown-ish.”