List of African Americans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an incomplete list of African Americans.

Lists of famous Americans

by U.S. state

by ethnicity:

African American

Albanian | Arab

Armenian | Australian

Austrian | Bahamian

Bangladeshi | Belgian

Brazilian | Bulgarian

Cajun

Cambodian | Chinese

Croatian | Cuban

Danish | Dutch

English | Estonian

Filipino | Finnish

French

German | Greek

Hapas | Hmong

Hungarian

Indian | Iranian

Irish | Italian

Jamaican | Japanese

Jewish | Korean

Laotian

Louisiana Creole

Mexican

Native American

Native Hawaiian

Norwegian | Polish

Portuguese | Romanian

Russian | Salvadoran

Scots-Irish | Scottish

Swedish | Swiss

Taiwanese | Ukrainian

Vietnamese | Welsh

by religion:

Jewish | Muslim

Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  (See also)

[edit] A

• Hank Aaron (born 1934), Baseball Hall of Famer^[1]
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born 1947), basketball player^[2]
• Ralph Abernathy (1936-1996), civil rights leader^[3]
• Muhal Richard Abrams (born 1930), musician^[4]
• Yolanda Adams (born 1962), one of the most popular gospel music artists of the contemporary period^[5]
• Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), dancer^[6]
• Muhammad Ali (born 1942), boxer, war protester, member of the Nation of Islam, civil rights protester, and poet^[7]
• Richard Allen (1760-1831), ex-slave, religious leader, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church^[8]
• Amerie (born 1980), R&B singer^[9]
• Frank J. Anderson (born 1938?), first African-American Sheriff of Marion County, Indiana [86]
• Ivie Anderson (1904-1945), jazz singer with Duke Ellington's band^[10]
• Marian Anderson (1897-1993), famous opera and concert singer^[11]
• Maya Angelou (born 1928), author and poet^[12]
• Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), jazz musician^[13]
• Arthur Ashe (1943-1993), tennis star and civil rights activist^[14]
• Emmett Ashford (1914-1980), first African-American umpire in organized baseball^[15]
• Assata Shakur (born 1947), former political activist of the Black Panther Party
• Crispus Attucks (1723-1770), killed in the Boston Massacre^[16]

[edit] B

• James Baldwin (1924-1987), author
• David Baker (born 1931), composer
• Josephine Baker (1906-1975), singer, entertainer
• Tyra Banks entertainer
• Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), 18th century astronomer
• Amiri Baraka (born 1934), writer, earlier known as LeRoi Jones
• Charles Barkley (born 1963), NBA basketball power forward
• Fantasia Barrino (1984 - ) Grammy-nominated soul singer who rose to fame in 2004, as the winner of the third season of the television series American Idol^[17]
• Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), artist
• Count Basie (1904-1984), pianist, band leader
• Angela Bassett (born 1958) Oscar-nominated actress
• Joe Bataan latin soul/funk legend
• Daisy Bates (1914-1999), civil rights leader
• The Honorable Deborah A. Batts (born 1947), Federal District Judge and "out" lesbian
• Romare Bearden, artist
• Sidney Bechet (1897-1959), jazz musician
• Earl S. Bell, (born 1977), Building Designer, Architectural Theorist and Inventor
• George Benson (born 1943), jazz guitarist, vocalist and composer
• Halle Berry (born 1966), actress^[18]
• Eubie Blake (1883-1983), composer and musician
• Mary J. Blige, Grammy Award-winning R&B/hip-hop soul singer, songwriter and producer
• Guion Bluford (born 1942), the first African American in space
• Ruth Bolden (1910-2004), librarian and civil rights worker
• Harry Boomer, Newscaster
• Bo Diddley (born 1928)) , rock and roll star
• Big Daddy Kane (born 1968), hip hop pioneer, a founding member of the legendary Juice Crew
• Thomas (Tom) Bradley (1917–1998) five term mayor of Los Angeles (1973-1993)
• Andre Braugher (1962 - ) Emmy-winning film/television actor^[19]
• Toni Braxton
• Carol Moseley Braun (born 1947), former senator and presidential candidate
• Arthur M. Brazier, Minister, community activist, and civil rights leader
• Ruby Bridges, first black elementary school child to attend a white school in Louisiana
• 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
• Bobby Brown
• Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1883-1962), educator
• Chris Brown (born May 1989), singer, dancer, songwriter
• James Brown (born 1933), R&B, soul and funk musician^[20]
• Jim Brown (born 1936), football legend, actor, activist
• Ron Brown (1941-1996), served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party.
• Sterling A. Brown (1901-1989), poet, literary critic, professor, poet laureate of the District of Columbia
• Ralph Bunche (1904-1971), diplomat, Nobel Laureate 1950

[edit] C

• Shirley Caesar (born 1938), gospel singer and Christian pastor^[21]
• Cab Calloway (1907-1994), jazz singer/band leader^[22]
• Nick Cannon (born 1980), actor/singer^[23]
• Irene Cara (born 1959), singer, actress, youngest African-American/Hispanic recipient of an Academy Award (Oscar)
• Mariah Carey (born 1970), R&B/Hip Hop/Pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress^[24]
• Betty Carter (1930-1998), singer^[25]
• Cassie (born 1986), an R&B singer known for her song Me & U.
• George Washington Carver (1860-1943), plant scientist^[26]
• Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999), basketball legend^[27]
• Ray Charles (1930-2004), pop musician^[28]
• Dave Chappelle actor, comedian^[29]
• Don Cheadle (born 1964), Academy Award-nominated actor^[30]
• Morris Chestnut (born 1969), actor
• Charles W. Chesnutt (1858-1932), author^[31]
• Chingy (born 1980), rapper^[32]
• Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) politician, educator and author. first African-American United States congresswoman^[33]
• Clarence 13X (1928-1969), religious leader, also known as Clarence Smith^[34]
• Maurice Clarett Convict
• Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998), Black Panther^[35]
• Emanuel Cleaver (born 1944), former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri and U.S. House member-elect^[36] "He's one of five new African-American..."</ref>
• George Clinton (born 1940), funk musician and co-founder^[37]
• Alice Coachman, first African-American woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal^[38]
• Tom Colbert (born 1949), first African-American Oklahoma Supreme Justice^[39]
• Keyshia Cole, singer^[40]
• Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) first African-American woman to become an airplane pilot and the first African-American licensed pilot in the world^[41]
• Gary Coleman (born 1968) actor^[42]
• John Coltrane (1926-1967), jazz musician^[43]
• Common (rapper) (born 1972), hip hop artist
• Ward Connerly (born 1939), University of California Regent, political activist^[44]
• John Conyers (born 1929), congressman^[45]
• Marvel Cooke (1903-2000), journalist, writer, civil rights activist^[46]
• Sam Cooke (1931-1964) singer^[47]
• Coolio (born 1963), rapper^[48]
• Roque Cordero (born 1917), composer^[49]
• Bill Cosby (born 1937), actor, comic, entertainer^[50]
• William Saunders Crowdy, early Black Hebrew Israelite^[51]

[edit] D

• Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour, 1960), rapper, activist, composer, author, producer^[52]
• Da Brat (born 1974), hip hop artist
• Damon Dash (born 1971) label executive, former CEO and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records^[53]
• Angela Davis (born 1944), author and activist^[54]
• Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., general^[55]
• Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (1912-2002), military airman^[56]
• Henrietta Vinton Davis (1860-1941) elocutionist, dramatist, and impersonator, UNIA International Organizer and Black Star Line VP.^[57]
• Miles Davis (1926-1991), jazz musician^[58]
• Ossie Davis (1917-2005), actor and activist^[59]
• Sammy Davis, Jr. (1925–1990), entertainer^[60]
• 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)^[61]
• Ruby Dee (born 1924), actor and activist^[62]
• Martin Delany (1812-1885), abolitionist^[63]
• Samuel R. Delany (born 1942), novelist^[64]
• Oscar Stanton De Priest (1871-1951), first black Congressman elected in the 20th century^[65]
• Abdoulaye Diakite (born 1950), djembe master who helped pioneer the growth of West African drumming and dancing in the US
• Chris Dickerson (born 1939), bodybuilder^[66]
• Taye Diggs, actor^[67]
• Thomas Dilward, blackface minstrel show performer^[68]
• David Dinkins (born 1927), mayor of New York City from 1990-1993^[69]
• Bob Douglas, first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame^[70]
• Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), orator and abolitionist, ex-slave^[71]
• Dr. Dre (born 1965), record producer, rapper, founded Death Row Records, member of NWA^[72]
• Charles R. Drew (1904-1950), physician, pioneer of blood transfusion techniques^[73]
• W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963), writer, activist, scholar^[74]
• Bill Duke (b. 1943), actor, director, producer
• Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), poet^[75]
• Oscar Dunn, first African American lieutenant governor of a US state (Louisiana)^[76]

[edit] E

• Julius Eastman (1940-1991), composer and musician
• Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (born 1958), music producer and performer
• Duke Ellington (1899-1974), jazz composer and musician
• Missy Elliott, (born 1971), hip hop artist
• Ralph Ellison (1914-1994), writer
• Julius Erving (born 1950), basketball player
• Little Eva (1943-2003), pop singer
• Medgar Evers (1925-1963), civil rights activist
• Eazy-E (1963-1995, a rapper known from N.W.A.

[edit] F

• James L. Farmer, Jr. (1920-1999), civil rights activist
• Louis Farrakhan (born 1933), minister, Nation of Islam leader
• Jessie Fauset (1882-1961), novelist
• Colin Ferguson (born 1958), murdered six people on the Long Island Rail Road in 1993
• 50 Cent (born 1975), New York City rapper
• Laurence Fishburne (born 1961), actor, the first African-American to play the title role of Othello on-screen^[77]
• Lillian E. Fishburne (born 1949), first African-American female to be promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy
• Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996), singer, often referred to as the "First Lady of Song"
• Flavor Flav (born 1959), hip hop artist, reality show star
• Lil' Flip (born 1981), rapper
• George Foreman (born 1949), boxer, TV pitchman, minister
• John R. Fox (1918-1944), soldier, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997 for actions during World War II
• Jamie Foxx (born 1967), actor, musician
• Foxy Brown (born 1979), rapper
• Aretha Franklin (born 1942), singer, often referred to as the "Queen of Soul"^[78]
• Kirk Franklin (born 1970), contemporary gospel artist & music innovator
• Shirley Franklin first female mayor of Atlanta and first African-American woman elected mayor of any major Southern U.S. city
• Morgan Freeman (born 1937), actor

[edit] G

• Ernest Gaines (born 1933), fiction writer^[79]
• Kenny Gamble (born 1943), songwriter, producer
• Bill Garrett (William Leon Garrett, 1929-1974), first African-American basketball player in the Big Ten Conference
• Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), political leader and nationalist
• Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (born 1950), literary critic and Harvard professor
• Marla Gibbs (born 1931), actress (The Jeffersons and 227)
• Althea Gibson (1927-2003), first African-American woman to compete on the world tennis tour
• Leon Gilbert, Lieutenant, soldier
• Sam Gilliam (born 1933), visual artist
• Bob Gibson (born 1935), Baseball Hall of Famer
• Danny Glover (born 1946), actor
• Whoopi Goldberg (born 1950), actress and activist
• Cuba Gooding Jr. (born 1968), actor
• Louis Gossett, Jr. (born 1936), actor
• Grandmaster Flash (born 1958), DJ and early hip hop pioneer
• Denyce Graves (born 1963), opera singer
• Reverend Al Green (born 1946), gospel and soul music singer
• Pam Grier (born 1949) - actress [87] "Grier became not only the first African-American action heroine but the hyperbolic symbol of the women's liberation movement and the sexual revolution..."
• Bryant Gumbel (born 1948), NBC and CBS news anchor

[edit] H

• Benjamin Hacker, (1935-2003), First U.S. Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to achieve Flag rank.
• Adolphus Hailstork (born 1941), composer
• MC Hammer (born 1962), 1980s and early 1990s rapper
• W.C. Handy (1873-1958), blues composer
• Steve Harris (born 1965), actor
• Wood Harris (born 1969), actor, young brother of precedent
• Jackée Harry (born 1956), actress
• Isaac Hayes (born 1942), actor, composer, singer
• Ted Hayes, homeless activist
• Aaliyah Dana Haughton (1979-2001), Singer/Actress/Model
• Bob Height, blackface minstrel show performer
• Sherman Hemsley (born 1938), actor (The Jeffersons)
• Fletcher Henderson, band leader, orchestrator, pianist
• Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970), rock and roll musician
• George Herriman (1880-1944), cartoonist
• Charles Hicks, blackface minstrel show performer, manager, and owner
• Lauryn Hill (born 1975), rapper, singer, actress, member of the Fugees
• Robert L. Hill (1892-?), black leader at Elaine Race Riot
• Bell Hooks (born 1952), feminist, author, professor
• Billie Holiday (1915-1959), singer
• Dave Hollister R&B singer
• John Lee Hooker (1917-2001), blues singer/guitarist/songwriter^[80]
• Whitney Houston (born 1963), singer
• Wayne Howard, (born 1949), first comic-book artist to receive a cover "created by" credit
• Cathy Hughes, businesswomen, founder/CEO of Radio One
• Langston Hughes (1902-1967), poet, 1/2 African American, 7/16 European American, and 1/16 Native American
• Meredith Hunter (1951-1969), killed by a Hells Angel
• Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), novelist, folklorist

[edit] I

• Ice Cube (born 1969), rapper, member of NWA
• Ice T, (born 1958), rapper
• Allen Iverson, (born 1975), NBA basketball star, all-star guard for Philadelphia 76ers
• India Arie, (born 1976), neo-soul singer-song writer

[edit] J

• Ja Rule (born 1976), rapper
• Beau Jack (1921-2000), boxer, two time world champion
• BishopT.D. Jakes (born 1957), televangelist
• Jam Master Jay (1965-2002), was the founder and DJ of Run-DMC
• LeBron James (1984-), NBA basketball player
• Rick James (1948-2004), musician, born James Johnson, Jr.
• Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972), gospel singer
• Janet Jackson (born 1966), musician, sister of Michael (see below)
• Jesse Jackson (born 1941), civil rights activist and political leader
• Maynard Jackson (born 1938) first Black Mayor of a southern city.
• Michael Jackson (born 1958), musician
• Samuel L. Jackson (1948 - ) Academy Award-nominated actor, has become a major film star and cultural icon^[81]
• Tony Jackson (1876-1921), pianist & composer
• Jay-Z, rapper, president of Def Jam
• Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., first African-American to reach the rank of four star general in the U.S. Air Force
• Letitia James, politician
• Joseph Jarman, Buddhist writer and teacher
• Young Jeezy, African-American rapper
• 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
• Jack Johnson (1878-1946), first black heavyweight champion of the world
• James P. Johnson (1894-1955), pianist & composer
• James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), author, poet, folklorist, and civil rights leader
• Lew Johnson blackface minstrel show owner and manager
• Michael Johnson (born 1967) Olympic track and field star and world record holder
• Earvin "Magic" Johnson (born 1959), basketball legend and entertainment entrepreneur
• Robert Johnson (1911-1938), legendary blues guitarist
• Robert L. Johnson (born 1946), media entrepreneur, first African American to be the principal owner of a major-league sports franchise (NBA's Charlotte Bobcats)
• Lil Jon (born 1970), rapper and producer
• Scipio Africanus Jones (1863-1943), attorney for Elaine Race Riot accused
• Edward P. Jones, writer
• James Earl Jones, (born 1931), African American film & stage actor
• Jill Marie Jones, actor on Girlfriends
• Scott Joplin (1868-1917), ragtime composer
• Barbara Jordan (1936-1996), first African-American woman elected to Texas Senate
• Michael Jordan (born 1963), professional basketball player
• Louis Jordan (1908-1975), jazz musician and bandleader
• David Joyner (born 1963), Actor / Entertainer, Actor in Barney costume for 14 years, now actor in Hip Hop Harry costume
• Tom Joyner (born 1949), talk radio host of The Tom Joyner Morning Show
• Hubert Julian (born 1900), aviator

[edit] K

• Ulysses Kay (1917-1995), composer
• Elizabeth Keckley (born 1818/19), wrote a controversial book about her time at the White House as Mary Todd Lincoln's employee and confidante.
• Eddie Kendricks (1939-1992), musician, former member of The Temptations
• Billy Kersands (c. 1842-1915), blackface minstrel show performer
• Alan Keyes (born 1950), diplomat and only 20th century African American to become a major Republican presidential candidate
• Alicia Keys, singer (Jamaican father)
• Jason Kidd NBA All Star point guard, half Irish
• Chris Kilmore, turntables for rock band Incubus
• Lil Kim (born 1975), rapper
• B.B. King (born 1925), blues musician
• Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), activist and widow of Martin Luther King Jr.
• Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), civil rights activist, minister, Nobel laureate
• Regina King (born 1971), actress
• Rodney King (born 1965), motorist beaten by police, videotaped by bystander
• Wallace King, blackface minstrel show performer
• Gladys Knight (born 1944), R&B/soul singer
• Suge Knight, hip hop music industry mogul, co-founder of Death Row Records
• Beyoncé Knowles, singer, actress
• Ellis O. Knox (1900-1975), first African-American to earn doctorate on West Coast (1931), educator, civil rights leader
• Kool G Rap (born 1968), hip hop pioneer and member of hip hop's Juice Crew
• Kurtis Blow (born 1959), one of the pioneer rappers in the recording industry, and hip hop's first mainstream star
• Kurupt (born 1972), rapper
• R.Kelly (born 1966) R&B singer, songwriter, producer
• Ron Karenga (born 1941), activist, founder of Kwanzaa

[edit] L

• Nella Larsen (1891-1964), novelist
• Queen Latifah (born 1970), rapper, singer, actress
• Oliver Law (1899-1937), officer in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, first African American to command white soldiers
• Spike Lee (born 1957), filmmaker
• Carl Lewis (born 1961), track and field legend, nine-time Olympic gold medalist
• Edna Lewis (1916-2006), chef and author
• John Lewis (born 1940), congressman and civil rights activist
• Reginald Lewis (1942-1993), business
• Joan Little (born 1953), feminist cause célèbre
• LL Cool J, rapper, actor
• Robert Jr. Lockwood (born 1915), blues musician
• Nia Long (born 1970), actress
• Lisa Lopes (1971-2002), R&B artist with TLC
• Audre Lorde (1934-1992), author, poet, activist
• Joe Louis (1914-1981), boxer, longest-reigning world heavyweight champion
• Ludacris (born 1977), rapper

[edit] M

• Bernie Mac (born 1958), actor and comedian, star of Fox Network's The Bernie Mac Show
• Haki R. Madhubuti (earlier known as Don L. Lee)
• Malcolm X (born 1925), Muslim Minister and Nation of Islam Spokesman
• Marley Marl (born 1962), an influential pioneer hip-hop producer
• James McBride, saxophonist and writer, Jewish mother, African American father
• Donnie McClurkin, gospel vocalist
• Elijah J. McCoy (1844–1929), inventor
• Jeanine McIntosh, first African American female in the Coast Guard to earn the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Designation
• Cynthia McKinney (born 1955), politician
• Donovan McNabb, football player
• Butterfly McQueen (1911-1995), actress
• MC Lyte (born 1971), establish hip hop artist and actress
• Carmen McRae (1920-1994), singer
• John McWhorter (born 1965), Author
• Wynton Marsalis (born 1961), jazz trumpeter
• Thurgood Marshall (1908–1993), first non-white U.S. Supreme Court associate justice
• Willie Mays (born 1931), Baseball Hall of Famer
• Method Man (born 1972), rapper, member of hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan
• Eugene J. Martin (1938-2005), visual artist
• Kweisi Mfume (born 1948), former NAACP President/CEO, U.S. Congessman
• Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951), author and pioneer filmmaker
• Arthur W. Mitchell (1883–1968), first black Congressman from the Democratic Party
• Kel Mitchell (born 1978), actor who was original cast member of the hit show All That
• Roscoe Mitchell (born 1940), composer and musician
• Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), composer and musician
• Shemar Moore (born 1970), model, actor (The Young and the Restless)
• Debbi Morgan (born 1956), soap opera actress (Angie Baxter on All My Children)
• Toni Morrison (born 1931), author, Nobel laureate 1993
• Khalid Abdul Muhammed (1948–2001), Nation of Islam leader
• Charlie Murphy, wirter, actor, and comedian
• Eddie Murphy, (born 1961) comedian and actor, star of Beverly Hills Cop
• Mystikal, rapper

[edit] N

• Nas (born 1973), rapper
• Huey P. Newton, (1942-1989), founder of the Black Panther Party
• Nelly (born 1978), rapper
• Nichelle Nichols (born 1937), singer, actress (as Uhura from Star Trek), volunteer with NASA during the late 1970s - 1986
• Brandy Norwood (born 1979), singer and actor
• Willie 'Ray-J' Norwood Jr. (born 1981), singer and actor, brother of the precedent
• Notorious B.I.G. (1972 - 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls, rapper

[edit] O

• Barack Obama (born 1961), U.S. Senator, He received international media coverage for his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, delivered while he was still an Illinois State Senator
• Shaquille O'Neal (born 1972), nicknamed "Shaq", NBA basketball star
• Old Corn Meal, New Orleans merchant and performer
• Jesse Owens (1913-1980), track and field athlete, embarrassed Adolf Hitler by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics

[edit] P

• P. Diddy (born 1969), also known as Sean "Puffy" Combs or Puff Daddy, rapper and record executive
• Charlie Parker (1920-1955), jazz musician
• George Wells Parker, founder of the Hamitic League of the World
• Maceo Parker (born 1943), funk and jazz musician
• Rosa Parks, started the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• William L. Patterson (1890-1980), communist, civil rights lawyer
• Walter Payton (1954-1999), football legend
• Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1932-2004), composer
• P. B. S. Pinchback (1837-1921), first serving African American governor of a US state (Louisiana)
• Leonard Pitts, columnist for the Miami Herald
• Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (1745-1813), part Black, first resident of Chicago
• Colin Powell (born 1937), U.S. Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Powers, Harriet (1837-1910), African American slave quilt artist
• Evelyn Preer (1896-1932), early American film actress and blues singer
• Kelly Price (born 1973), R&B and soul singer
• Richard Pryor (1940-2005), comedian
• Kirby Puckett (1960-2006), Baseball Hall of Fame

[edit] Q

• Queen Latifah (born 1970), establish hip hop artist and actress

[edit] R

• Rakim (born 1968), hip-hop artist known for having revolutionized hip hop lyricism
• A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979), socialist, labor leader, and civil rights activist
• Raven-Symoné (born 1985), singer/actress^[82]
• Ruda Real (born 1977), hip-hop artist
• Charles L. Reason (1818-1893), educator and first African American professor
• Ishmael Reed (born 1938), poet, essayist and novelist
• Tim Reid (born 1941), actor (WKRP in Cincinnati, Sister, Sister)
• Earl W. Renfroe (1907-2000), orthodontist, airplane pilot, military officer
• Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, the first African American to sit in the U.S. Congress
• Ving Rhames (born 1959) - actor^[83]
• Willy T. Ribbs, the first African-American driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 (May 19, 1991)
• Condoleezza Rice (born 1954), U.S. Secretary of State under President George W. Bush
• Jerry Rice (born 1962), holder of almost all major NFL receiving records
• Little Richard (born 1932), pioneer of rock and roll
• Lionel Richie (born 1949), R&B singer, songwriter, composer, producer
• Norbert Rilleaux (1806-1894), inventor
• RuPaul (born 1960), drag queen
• Paul Robeson (1898-1976), athlete, actor, singer, scholar, communist
• David Robinson (born 1965), professional basketball player and U.S. Navy veteran
• Frank Robinson (born 1935), Baseball Hall of Famer, first African American manager in Major League Baseball
• Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), Baseball Hall of Famer, first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the 20th century
• Rachel Robinson (born 1922), wife of Jackie Robinson
• Juleon Robinson (born 1993), poet
• Chris Rock (born 1966), comedian
• Kelly Rowland, actress, singer, spokesperson
• Victoria Rowell (born 1960), actress (The Young and the Restless)
• Maya Rudolph (born 1972), actress, comedian ('Saturday Night Live) daughter of late singer Minnie Riperton
• Bill Russell (born 1934), basketball legend
• Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), civil rights activist
• Busta Rhymes (born 1972), rappper, actor

[edit] S

• Raphael Saadiq (born 1966), R&B artist and songwriter
• Scarface (born 1970), hip hop artist, pioneer and a member of the legendary Geto Boys
• Russell Simmons (born 1957), entrepreneur, the co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop label Def Jam & Russell Simmons Music Group
• O. J. Simpson (born 1947), football legend, actor, acquitted for murder
• Slick Rick (born 1965), hip-hop artist
• Mamie Smith, blues singer
• Tommie Smith (born 1944), Olympic athlete
• Willie The Lion Smith (1897-1963), pianist & composer
• Will Smith (1968-) rapper, actor, director, writer
• Wesley Snipes (born 1962), actor and producer
• Snowden Family Band, 19th century musical group
• Thomas Sowell (born 1930), economist and author
• Peter Spencer (1782-1843), ex-slave, religious leader, A.U.M.P. Church founder
• Michael S. Steele (born 1958), lieutenant governor of Maryland
• Shelby Steele (born 1946), author, educator
• William Grant Still (1895-1978), composer
• Madame Sul-Te-Wan (1873-1959), actress ^[84]
• Daniel Sunjata (born 1971), actor, Tony-nominated, winner Theatre World Award

[edit] T

• Mr. T (born Laurence Tureaud, 1952), actor
• Marshall Taylor (1878-1932), aka "Major Taylor", champion competition cyclist
• Sundiata Xian Tellem (1968- ), political leader (Green Party), and author.
• Clarence Thomas (born 1948), U.S. Supreme Court associate justice
• Debi Thomas (born 1967), first African American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics
• Lorenzo Thomas (1944-2005), poet/critic & founding member of Umbra Workshop, precursor to the Black Arts Movement
• Rozonda Thomas (born 1971), R&B artist with TLC
• Vivien Thomas (1910-1985) was an African-American surgeon who developed the procedures used to treat Blue Baby Syndrome.
• T.I., rapper
• Too Short (born 1966) hip-hop artist
• Vecepia Towery (born December 9, 1965 Survivor: Marquesas winner
• Ike Turner (born 1931), singer
• Nat Turner (1800-1831), leader of major slave revolt
• Tina Turner (born 1939), singer, actor, former wife of Ike
• Tupac Shakur (1971-1996),rapper, actor, writer/poet
• Sojourner Truth (1797?-1883), ex-slave, abolitionist
• Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), ex-slave, writer, abolitionist
• William Tucker (colonist) (born 1624), first person of African descent born in America
• Tamara Tunie (born 1959), actress (As the World Turns, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
• Alexander Twilight (1795-1857), first African-American to serve on a state legislature (Vermont)
• Aisha Tyler (born 1970), actress, comedian, '24', 'Talk Soup', 'Friends', 'Ghost Whisperer'
• Mike Tyson (born 1966), former world champion boxer

[edit] U

• Blair Underwood(born 1964), actor
• Gabrielle Union (born 1973), actress
• Usher (born 1978), R&B singer

[edit] V

• Bobby Valentino (born 1980), R&B artist
• Luther Vandross (born 1951-2005), singer, actor
• Jim Vance televison reporter and anchor, one of the first African-American television news anchors
• Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990), singer
• Reginald VelJohnson actor, Die Hard, Family Matters
• Michael Vick football player
• Countess Vaughn, actress

[edit] W

• Dwyane Wade, NBA basketball player
• Alice Walker (born 1944), writer
• C. J. Walker, she was the first African-American and the first woman millionaire
• George Walker, (born 1922), composer
• Kara Walker, (born 1969), visual artist

• Fats Waller (1904-1943), composer, singer, jazz musician
• Dionne Warwick (born 1940), singer
• Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), educator
• Denzel Washington (born 1954), Oscar-winning actor
• Isaiah Washington (born 1963), actor
• Ethel Waters (1896-1977), vocalist
• Muddy Waters (1915-1983), blues musician
• Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins (1970), R&B artist with TLC
• George Weaver (1872-?), physician and educator
• Cornel West (born 1953), public intellectual, author, Princeton University professor
• Eric West (born 1982), R&B artist, actor
• Kanye West, rapper
• Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), poet
• Forest Whitaker, actor
• Barry White (born 1944-2003), singer
• Jaleel White (born 1976), actor, star of ABC and CBS sitcom Family Matters as Steve Urkel
• Joseph White (1835-1918) Cuban born composer
• Walter White (1895-1955) NAACP executive secretary
• Colson Whitehead, Novelist (The Intuitionist) and journalist
• Carl Whitney (1919-1986), Negro League baseball player
• Douglas Wilder (born 1931), first elected African American governor of a US state (Virginia)
• Flip Wilson (1933-1998), television host and comedian
• Harriet E. Wilson, author of "Our Nig" and first African American novelist
• William Julius Wilson (born 1935), sociologist
• Billy Dee Williams actor
• Clarence Williams (1893-1965), composer, publisher, jazz musician
• Doug Williams (football player) first African American quarterback to play in the Super Bowl
• Darnell Williams (born 1955), soap opera actor (Jesse Hubbard on All My Children)
• Michelle Williams (born 1980), ⅓ of R&B supergroup Destiny's Child, Gospel music singer and Broadway actress
• Paul Williams (1939-1973), former member of The Temptations
• Paul R. Willams (1894-1980), architect
• Robert F. Williams (1925-1996), organizer, civil rights activist
• Serena Williams (born 1981), tennis star, sister of Venus
• Vanessa Williams entertainer
• Venus Williams (born 1980), tennis star, sister of Serena
• Sonny Boy Williamson (1897-1965), blues musician
• Paul Winfield, (1941 – 2004) ,actor
• Oprah Winfrey (born 1954), talk show host, magazine publisher, news anchor, world's only African American billionaire
• Arthur Winston (born 1906), bus cleaner
• Stevie Wonder (born 1950), musician
• Tiger Woods Asian/African-American golfer

[edit] X

• Malcolm X (1925-1965), (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, born Malcolm Little), one time Nation of Islam and civil rights leader

[edit] Y

• Andrew Jackson (Andy) Young, Jr. (born 1932), Civil rights activist, mayor of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, US Ambassador to the United Nations, congressman for the State of Georgia to the United States Congress

[edit] See also

• Category:African Americans
• List of people
• List of people by nationality
• African Americans in the United States Congress
• List of Black Britons
• List of Black Jews

[edit] References

[edit] Footnotes