These women have certainly earned their place in the history books! Having made remarkable contributions to fields of art, science, and more, and fought for justice and equality, they paved the way for generations to come. Whether you choose to intertwine their work into your upcoming history lessons or introduce them to your learners during Women’s Month, one thing is certain- each and every one of your pupils will be inspired by their phenomenal efforts! Dive right in to discover 50 famous Black women and their gifts to society.
1. Harriet Tubman (1822 – 1913)
Born into slavery in Maryland, Tubman escaped to freedom and became a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad- risking her life to lead hundreds of family members and other slaves from the plantation system to freedom on a clandestine network of safe houses. A leading abolitionist before the American Civil War, she also helped the Union Army during the war- working as a spy among other roles.
Learn More: History
2. Sojourner Truth (1797 – 1883)
Born Isabella Baumfree, this remarkable woman escaped slavery with her infant daughter and later took on the name Sojourner Truth. A gifted orator, Truth became a prominent abolitionist and women’s rights activist. She is best known for her speech on racial inequalities, “Ain’t I a Woman?” delivered at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851.
Learn More: University of Manchester
3. Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005)
Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist who is best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her refusal to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus led to significant legal and social changes in America.
Learn More: History
4. Michelle Obama (1964 – )
As the first African American First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama served as a role model for women and worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity, and healthy eating. She’s also a lawyer and author of the autobiographical work, “Becoming”.
Learn More: TIME For Kids
5. Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014)
A renowned poet, novelist, and actress, Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. She was also active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Malcolm X.
Learn More: TODAY
6. Oprah Winfrey (1954 – )
Overcoming a difficult childhood, Winfrey became the host of the highest-rated television show of its kind in history, “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, and launched her own television network called OWN. Additionally, she has co-authored five books and is also celebrated for her philanthropic efforts.
Learn More: Lifetime
7. Toni Morrison (1931 – 2019)
A Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, editor, and professor, Morrison’s novels are known for their epic themes, exquisite language, and richly detailed African American characters. Her most notable works include “The Bluest Eye”, “Song of Solomon”, and “Beloved”.
Learn More: Penguin Books
8. Shirley Chisholm (1924 – 2005)
A politician, educator, and author, Chisholm became the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968. She represented New York’s 12th congressional district for seven terms, from 1969 to 1983, and in 1972 she became the first black candidate for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States.
Learn More: Zinned Project
9. Madam C.J. Walker (1867 – 1919)
Born Sarah Breedlove, Walker became a self-made millionaire! She created and marketed hair products for black women through the business she founded, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.
Learn More: History
10. Angela Davis (1944 – )
An educator, author, and prominent counterculture activist and radical in the 1960s, Davis was involved in the Black Panther Party and the Communist Party USA. She was prosecuted for conspiracy involving the 1970 armed takeover of a California courtroom but was acquitted in a federal trial.
Learn More: Women of the Hall
11. Alice Walker (1944 – )
An acclaimed author and social activist, Walker is best known for her novel “The Color Purple”, for which she won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Her work often highlights the struggles of African American women.
Learn More: Mason Report
12. Billie Holiday (1915 – 1959)
Born Eleanora Fagan, Holiday was an influential jazz and pop music singer. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz musicians, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. “Strange Fruit”, a protest song against racism, is one of her most well-known recordings.
Learn More: Black Past
13. Condoleezza Rice (1954 – )
An American diplomat, political scientist, civil servant, and professor, Rice was the first African American woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. She was also the first woman to serve as National Security Advisor.
Learn More: Facebook
14. Ella Fitzgerald (1917 – 1996)
Also known as the “First Lady of Song”, Fitzgerald was a highly celebrated jazz singer known for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, and a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.
Learn More: Britannica
15. Gwendolyn Brooks (1917 – 2000)
An influential poet and teacher, Brooks was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for her 1949 book of poetry, “Annie Allen.” Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community.
Learn More: Poetry Foundation
16. Mae Jemison (1956 – )
An engineer, physician, and NASA astronaut, Jemison became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as an astronaut aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. She is also an advocate for science education and for the inclusion of girls and women in STEM fields.
Learn More: The African History
17. Ida B. Wells (1862 – 1931)
A journalist, abolitionist, and feminist, Wells led an anti-lynching crusade in the U.S. during the 1890s- bringing international attention to the violent racism prevalent in the United States.
Learn More: History Extra
18. Audre Lorde (1934 – 1992)
A self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet”, Lorde dedicated her life and creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia.
Learn More: Poetry Foundation
19. Serena Williams (1981 – )
Williams is one of the most dominant players in the history of tennis. With multiple Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold medals, she is considered one of the greatest athletes in the world.
Learn More: Valdivia Jovani
20. Beyoncé Knowles (1981 – )
Known mononymously as Beyoncé, this woman is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, and actress who rose to fame as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child. She has won numerous awards, and her work often explores themes of womanhood, love, and empowerment.
Learn More: Lifetime
21. Marian Anderson (1897 – 1993)
A celebrated contralto, Anderson was one of the most revered singers of the 20th century. In 1939, when she was denied the opportunity to perform at Constitution Hall because of her race, she put on an incredible performance at the Lincoln Memorial instead.
Learn More: PBS
22. Dorothy Height (1912 – 2010)
Known as the “Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement”, Height served as president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years. She worked to foster interracial dialogue and advocate for the rights of African American women.
Learn More: A Mighty Girl
23. Bessie Coleman (1892 – 1926)
As the first African American woman to hold a pilot license, Coleman broke barriers in aviation at a time when both race and gender were significant obstacles. She dreamed of starting a school for African American fliers.
Learn More: Lifetime
24. Lena Horne (1917 – 2010)
A singer, actress, civil rights activist, and dancer, Horne was one of the top African American performers of her time. She used her platform to advocate for civil rights and fight against racial discrimination.
Learn More: Harlem Renaissance
25. Phillis Wheatley (1753 – 1784)
Wheatley was the first published African American female poet. Kidnapped from West Africa and sold into slavery, she was bought by a Boston merchant for his wife, Susanna, who taught Wheatley to read and write and encouraged her poetry.
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26. Aretha Franklin (1942 – 2018)
Known as the “Queen of Soul”, Franklin was a musical and cultural icon known for hits like “Respect”, “Think”, and “Chain of Fools.” She was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Learn More: WFUV
27. Ava DuVernay (1972 – )
An acclaimed director and screenwriter, DuVernay is known for her work on films like “Selma”, “13th”, and “A Wrinkle in Time”. She became the first black woman to win the U.S. Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
Learn More: She Knows
28. Ruth Simmons (1945 – )
A prominent academic administrator, Simmons was the first black woman to serve as president of an Ivy League institution, Brown University, and is currently the President of Prairie View A&M University.
Learn More: NEH
29. Octavia Butler (1947 – 2006)
A groundbreaking science fiction author, Butler is known for blending science fiction with African American spiritualism. Her novels, like “Kindred” and the “Parable” series, explore themes of race, gender, and power.
Learn More: Parables Reception
30. Mary McLeod Bethune (1875 – 1955)
An educator, stateswoman, philanthropist, and civil rights activist, Bethune founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute in 1904, which eventually became Bethune-Cookman University. She also served as president of the National Association of Colored Women and founded the National Council of Negro Women.
Learn More: CBE International
31. Zora Neale Hurston (1891 – 1960)
A writer, anthropologist, and filmmaker, Hurston was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Her works, including her most famous novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, remain influential today.
Learn More: The Recreate Project
32. Wilma Rudolph (1940 – 1994)
Despite being told as a child that she would never walk again, Rudolph went on to become a world-record-holding Olympic champion. She was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games.
Learn More: Amazon
33. Bell Hooks (1952 – 2021)
A distinguished author, professor, feminist, and social activist, Hooks combined politics, psychology, and her interest in confronting race, gender, and class oppression in her works. Her best-known book, “Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism”, is considered a landmark of feminist thought.
Learn More: Architectural Review
34. Rihanna (1988 – )
A successful singer, songwriter, and businesswoman, Rihanna is known for her versatility across different music genres and her philanthropy work through the Clara Lionel Foundation, which she founded in 2012. She has also achieved significant success in the cosmetic industry with her inclusive brand, Fenty.
Learn More: History Biography
35. Tyra Banks (1973 – )
A supermodel turned media mogul, Banks broke barriers as the first black woman to grace the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She also created and hosted the long-running reality television series “America’s Next Top Model.”
Learn More: Net Worth Dekho
36. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (1989 – )
A prominent political figure, Ocasio-Cortez is known for being the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress. She is recognized for her progressive policies and active presence on social media.
Learn More: Abagond
37. Nina Simone (1933 – 2003)
A singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist, Simone was known for her wide range of musical styles and for her powerful songs that spoke of her experiences as a black woman in America.
Learn More: PBS
38. Althea Gibson (1927 – 2003)
Gibson was a professional tennis player and golfer, and the first black athlete to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title.
Learn More: National Museum of African American History and Culture
39. Kamala Harris (1964 – )
Harris made history as the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African American and first Asian American vice president. Prior to her vice presidency, she served as a U.S. senator from California.
Learn More: Lifetime
40. Halle Berry (1966 – )
Berry is a critically acclaimed actress and former fashion model. In 2002, she became the first African American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in “Monster’s Ball”.
Learn More: Lifetime
41. Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1962 – )
Often hailed as the greatest female all-around athlete in history, Joyner-Kersee won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals in the women’s heptathlon and long jump.
Learn More: USATF
42. Gabrielle Union (1972 – )
An actress, activist, and author, Union is known for her roles in film and television, including “Bring It On” and “Being Mary Jane.” She is also an advocate for survivors of assault and is outspoken about issues of race and gender.
Learn More: Fresherslive
43. Laverne Cox (1972 – )
An Emmy-nominated actress and LGBTQ+ advocate, Cox is best known for her role on the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black”. She became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in any acting category.
Learn More: GH Gossip
44. Stacey Abrams (1973 – )
A political leader, voting rights activist, and lawyer, Abrams was the first African American female major-party gubernatorial nominee in the U.S. She has been widely credited with increasing voter turnout in Georgia- influencing numerous elections.
Learn More: Georgia Voice
45. Shonda Rhimes (1970 – )
A successful television producer and writer, Rhimes is best known for creating the popular television medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” and the political drama “Scandal”. She has significantly contributed to increasing on-screen racial and gender diversity.
Learn More: Harper’s Bazaar
46. Issa Rae (1985 – )
Rae is a producer, writer, and actress known for creating the YouTube web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” and the HBO television series “Insecure”- both of which showcase the black female experience from a realistic and humorous perspective.
Learn More: The Shade Room
47. Janelle Monáe (1985 – )
A singer, songwriter, and actress, Monáe is known for her eclectic musical style and futuristic concepts in her work. Her albums, including “The ArchAndroid” and “Dirty Computer”, have received critical acclaim.
Learn More: Black Past
48. Anita Hill (1956 – )
A lawyer and academic, Hill became a national figure in 1991 when she accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, her supervisor at the United States Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, of sexual harassment.
Learn More: Britannica
49. Misty Copeland (1982 – )
Copeland is a ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre, one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. In 2015, she became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT’s 75-year history.
Learn More: IMDb
50. Tarana Burke (1973 – )
A civil rights activist, Burke is best known as the founder of the ‘Me Too’ movement in 2006, which has developed into a global campaign to raise awareness about sexual harassment, abuse, and assault in society.
Learn More: Ignite National