Lists of African Americans
(Redirected from List of famous African Americans)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
Template:Indigenous Americans This is a list of Indigenous Black Americans, also known as Black Americans (for the outdated and unscientific racial term) or Afro-Americans. Black Americans are an ethnic group consisting of citizens of the United States mainly descended from various parts of North American and a small percentage from Central African and West Africa additional ancestry from Europe or indigenous Americans and other regions of Africa. As an ethnic group, Black Americans are largely the modern-day descendants of Indigenous Peoples of America and Central Africans brought to the US from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade who developed a new and distinct cultural identity during their time in the Americas.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article and references showing the person is Black-American.
Activists
[edit]- List of African-American abolitionists
- List of African American activists
- List of African-American pioneers in desegregation of higher education
- List of African American suffragists
Artists
[edit]Businesspeople and entrepreneurs
[edit]- Alton Abraham, former social entrepreneur and business manager for Sun Ra
- Wally Amos, founder of the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookie brand
- Donna Auguste, former founder of Freshwater Software
- Leonard C. Bailey, business owner and inventor
- Tyra Banks, television personality, former model
- LaVar Ball, owner of the Big Baller Brand sports apparel
- Christiana Carteaux Bannister, hairdressing business
- ASAP Bari, co-founder of ASAP Mob and VLONE Clothing
- Andre Barnett, founder of the Information Technology Company WiseDome INC
- Beyoncé, co-founder of Tidal
- Sarah Bickford, former owner of Virginia City Water Company
- Dave Bing, owner of Bing Steel
- Chris Brown, founder of the record label CBE
- Madeline Bunch, founder of the Bunch Products Company, manufacturing Old South Brand beef and pork sausages
- Herman Cain, business executive
- Kenton Clarke, CEO, Computer Consulting Associates International Inc.
- Demmette Guidry, music industry executive
- Griffin Sisters, vaudeville performers and entrepreneurs
- Kerry S. Harris, entrepreneur
- Robert L. Johnson, co-founder of BET and RLJ Companies
- Lisa S. Jones, founder and CEO of EyeMail Inc.
- Josephine Leary, real estate entrepreneur from North Carolina
- Walter P. Lomax Jr., founder of Lomax Health Systems
- Mary Ellen Pleasant, real estate magnate
- Henry A. Tandy, founder Tandy&Burns stone masonry and construction firm
- Vertner Woodson Tandy, first African American architect State of New York and founder of Kappa Phi Alpha fraternity
- Madam C. J. Walker, businessperson, hair care entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist
- Gertrude Pocte Geddes Willis, owner of the Gertrude Geddes Willis Life Insurance Company and Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home
Chefs
[edit]- Edna Lewis[1]
- Hercules Posey
- Mashama Bailey[2]
- B. Smith
- Ashleigh Shanti
- Nyesha Arrington
- Michael W. Twitty
Cinematographers
[edit]- Charles Burnett
- Ernest Dickerson
- James E. Hinton
- Arthur Jafa
- Kira Kelly
- Jessie Maple
- Janks Morton
- Malik Hassan Sayeed
- Bradford Young
Entertainers
[edit]- List of African-American actors
- List of African-American ballerinas
- List of African-American singers
- List of African-American women in classical music
Fashion
[edit]Beauty queens and fashion models
[edit]- Kimberly Clarice Aiken, Miss America 1994
- J. Alexander, fashion model
- Karen Alexander, fashion model
- K. D. Aubert, fashion model
- Tyra Banks, fashion model[3]
- Deshauna Barber, Miss USA 2016
- Dorothea Church, fashion model
- Pat Cleveland, model
- Lynnette Cole, Miss USA 2000
- Yaya DaCosta, fashion model
- Bruce Darnell, male model
- Jordan Emanuel, Miss Black America New York 2018
- Jaimee Foxworth, actress, model and singer
- Tomiko Fraser, fashion model
- Kaliegh Garris, model
- Lakita Garth, Miss Black California 1995
- Carole Gist, Miss USA 1990
- Quiana Grant, model
- Ethel Ernestine Harper, African American educator and performer
- Tanisha Harper, model
- Shauntay Hinton, Miss USA 2002
- Chanel Iman (African-American father), fashion model[4]
- Beverly Johnson, model
- Jari Jones, model and trans activist
- Toccara Jones, model
- Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019[5]
- Donyale Luna, model and actress
- Eva Marcille, fashion model
- Kara McCullough, Miss USA 2017[6]
- Demetria McKinney, actress and model
- Nana Meriwether (African-American father), Miss USA 2012
- Kenya Moore, Miss USA 1993
- Tracey Norman, first African-American trans model.[7]
- Fionnghuala O'Reilly, Irish American model
- Sofia Richie (African-American father), fashion model[8]
- Jasmine Sanders, model
- Neferteri Shepherd, model
- Kimora Lee Simmons (half Japanese Korean, half African American)
- Naomi Sims, model and businesswoman
- Chelsi Smith (African-American father), Miss USA 1995 and Miss Universe 1995
- Darine Stern, first African-American to be on the cover of Playboy magazine
- Renee Tenison, first African-American to be selected Playboy Playmate of the year
- Eugena Washington, model
- Veronica Webb, model
Fashion designers
[edit]- Virgil Abloh
- Karl Davis
- Elizabeth Keckley[9]
- Mychael Knight
- Pepper LaBeija
- Willi Smith
- Kimora Lee Simmons
- Stephen Burrows
- Tracy Reese
- Ann Lowe
Government and politics
[edit]- African Americans in the United States Congress
- African-American officeholders in the United States, 1789–1866
- List of African-American leftists
- List of African-American officeholders during Reconstruction
- List of African-American United States Cabinet members
- List of African-American United States presidential and vice presidential candidates
- List of African-American United States representatives
- List of African-American United States senators
- List of African-American speakers of U.S. state legislatures
- List of African-American officeholders during Reconstruction
- List of first African-American mayors
President
[edit]- Barack Obama, (Kenyan-American father) 2009–2017, 44th president of the United States
Vice president
[edit]- Kamala Harris, (Jamaican-American father) 2021–present, 49th vice president of the United States
First Ladies of the United States
[edit]- Michelle Obama (2009–2017), first African American First Lady and the 44th First Lady[10]
Governors
[edit]- Archie Alexander, former governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands
- David Paterson (African-American mother), served as the 55th Governor of New York.
- Deval Patrick, served as the 71st Governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015, so far the only African American to serve as Governor of Massachusetts.[11]
- P.B.S. Pinchback, served as the 24th Governor of Louisiana from 1872 to 1873, the first African American to become governor of a U.S. State.
- Wes Moore, serving as the 63rd governor of Maryland since 2023, the first African American to serve as Governor of Maryland.
- Douglas Wilder, served as the 66th Governor of Virginia, became the first elected African-American governor, became the first African American to serve as governor of U.S. State since Reconstruction.[12]
Other political fields
[edit]- Stephen Bates, first African American sheriff in the state of Vermont.
- Perry B. Jackson, first African American elected judge in the state of Ohio.
- Valerie Jarrett, former senior advisor to former president Barack Obama, and co-chair of the Obama-Biden Transition project.[13][14]
- Mazi Melesa Pilip, Ethiopian-born American politician
- Dr. Kimbery A. McClain, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Housing of Urban Development[15]
Journalism and media
[edit]Legal system
[edit]Military and law enforcement
[edit]- Colin Powell
- Henry Johnson
- Cathay Williams
- Charity Adams Earley
- Bass Reeves
- Eugene Goodman
- Georgia Ann Robinson
- Carmen Best
Ministers and other religious leaders
[edit]
- Ralph Abernathy
- Richard Allen
- Thea Bowman
- Alexander Crummell
- Henriette DeLille
- Louis Farrakhan[16]
- Henry Highland Garnet
- Julia Greeley
- Wilton Gregory
- Jesse Jackson
- Mother Mary Lange
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Malcolm X
- Warith Deen Mohammed
- Elijah Muhammad
- Al Sharpton
- Augustus Tolton
- Pierre and Juliette Toussaint
- T. D. Jakes
- Benjamin Hooks
- Vashti Murphy McKenzie
- Raphael G. Warnock
- Calvin O. Butts III
- Kirbyjon Caldwell
- Delman Coates
- Fred Luter Jr.
Science and mathematics
[edit]- List of African-American astronauts
- List of African-American inventors and scientists
- List of African-American mathematicians
- List of African American women in STEM fields
- List of African-American women in medicine
Sports
[edit]Writers
[edit]- List of African-American writers
- List of African-American nonfiction writers
- List of African American poets
Publishers
[edit]- W. Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press
- Jayne Cortez, founder of Bola Press
- Charles F. Harris, founder of Amistad Press
- John H. Johnson
- Naomi Long Madgett, poet and founder of Lotus Press
- Haki Madhubuti, co-founder of Third World Press
- Dudley Randall, founder of Broadside Press
- Ishmael Reed
- Glenn Thompson, co-founder of Writers and Readers Cooperative
Other notables
[edit]- List of African-American Jews
- List of LGBT African Americans
- List of unarmed African Americans killed by law enforcement officers in the United States
- List of winners of the William E. Harmon foundation award for distinguished achievement among Negroes
See also
[edit]
Books
[edit]- 100 Greatest African Americans
- The Afro-American Press and Its Editors
- Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
- Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising
- Music and Some Highly Musical People
- Noted Negro Women: Their Triumphs and Activities
References
[edit]- ^ Newsome, Melba (February 9, 2021). "9 Black Chefs Who Have Changed the Way We Eat". Taste of Home.
- ^ Eligon, John; Julia Moskin (July 16, 2019). " "l 16 Black Chefs: Changing Food in America". The New York Times.
- ^ Trebay, Guy (May 8, 2019). "At 45, Tyra Banks is Back on the Cover of Sports Illustrated". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ "Chanel Iman Strikes A Pose for 'the Edit' and speaks out again on Fashion Diversity". m.huffpost.com. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ "North Carolina lawyer Cheslie Kryst named Miss USA 2019". www.nbc.com. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- ^ "Miss USA 2017 is Kara McCullough". people.com. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ "25 Black Models Who Shaped Fashion History".
- ^ "Sofia Richie touches on Race and Religion in new interview". www.vanityfair.com. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ "5 African American Designers Who Changed Fashion".
- ^ "First Lady Michelle Obama". www.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ Milevski, Laila (January 19, 2023). "How many Black governors have served in the U.S. before Wes Moore?". Baltimore Banner. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ "Douglas L. Wilder". www.wilder.vcu.edu. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "Valerie Jarrett". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- ^ "Valerie Jarrett's Extraordinary Family tree". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "List of Department of Housing and Urban Development appointments by Joe Biden", Wikipedia, 2023-10-15, retrieved 2023-10-15
- ^ Pirani, Fiza (October 18, 2018). "Who is Louis Farrakhan? 10 things to know about the Nation of Islam leader, black activist". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
External links
[edit]- President Obama's Speech to the NAACP on July 16, 2009 - full video by MSNBC
- Famous African Americans
This article includes a people-related list of lists.