fbpx

10 Of The Most Admired African Americans Of The 20th Century

10 Of The Most Admired African Americans Of The 20th Century

6 of 11

The 20th century saw an end to segregation in the U.S. and the birth of some inspirational African Americans. These entertainers, thinkers, writers, activists, politicians and more are among the most admired African Americans of the 20th century.

althea-gibson-wimbeldon-1

Althea Gibson

When Gibson was a young girl first interested in tennis, there were very few tournament opportunities for African Americans. Through persistence, Gibson became the first African American asked to be in the Wimbledon tournament in 1951. In 1965, she won the French Open and went on to tour on a national team supported by the U.S. State Department.

Source: WomensHistory.about.com

africaunlimited.com
africaunlimited.com

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play on a Major League Baseball team. Robinson’s admittance to the Dodgers as a first baseman ended racial segregation in the MLB that had gone on for six decades.

Source: Wikipedia.org

mayaangelou.com
mayaangelou.com

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was a writer, historian, actress, filmmaker and civil rights activist who studied, performed, wrote and worked all over the world. She helped Malcolm X build the Organization of African American Unity and wrote the first script by an African American woman ever to be filmed, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Angelou also wrote a poem that President Bill Clinton read at his inauguration.

Source: MayaAngelou.com

newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes is a renowned novelist, short story writer and poet who was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Since his death, Hughes’ Harlem apartment has been deemed a landmark by the New York City Preservation Commission.

Source: Poets.org

onyxtruth.com
onyxtruth.com

W.E.B. Dubois

W.E.B. Dubois founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was one of the founders of the Niagara movement, a group of African American scholars and professionals who protested segregation and fought for equal rights for all people.

Source: Naacp.org

npr.org
npr.org

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks became a symbol of racial segregation resistance after refusing to sit on the back of an Alabama bus in 1955. She did much more than that with regards to civil rights, working with leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr.

Source: Wikipedia.org

josephine-baker-1024x747

Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was a well-known jazz dancer and comedienne in Paris. The provocative and intriguing images of Baker inspired much of the creative work that came out of the Harlem Renaissance. After facing racism, Baker refused to entertain in any facility that was not integrated, forcing many theaters and clubs to break the color ban.

Source: Womenshistory.about.com

showbiz411.com
showbiz411.com

Oprah Winfrey

You know her of course from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” but Oprah Winfrey is also the co-founder of Oxygen Media. She gave a new breath of life to the publishing world during an era when people are reading books less and less by founding “Oprah’s Book Club.” She’s also a great philanthropist.

Source: Biography.com

history.com
history.com

Booker T Washington

Born in 1856, Booker T Washington was one of the last 20th century black leaders born into a slave era. He is the author of the Atlanta Compromise, which called for long-term educational and economic advancement for blacks.

Source: Wikipedia.org

theguardian.com
theguardian.com

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix has been described as the greatest guitarist of all time. The image of him turning a right-handed Fender Stratocaster upside down to play it with his left hand is one of the most iconic of rock ‘n roll history. He was ahead of his time when it came to attention to studio production and he was known for an electrifying stage presence.

Source: Rollingstone.com