Black History Month

Although born to parents that had been enslaved, this person would go on to become appointed as a national advisior to Franklin D. Roosevelt to serve as a member of his "Black Cabinet"

For twenty years he had had no lawyer. He kept himself busy during this time and taught himself both criminal and civil law, but he also used the one hour he was able to leave his cell each day to teach other inmates.

What was the procedure that was dubbed "The Mississippi Appendectomy?

A popular jazz singer, she championed against discrimination and championed equality. One of her biggest fans was Marilyn Monroe

In 1883, she published A Book of Medical Discourses. One of the first publications written by an African American about medicine, in addition to being the only female physician author in the 19th century.

This literary work gained much attention as an autobiography chronicling this writers life up to age 17

Ordained as a Zen priest, she is a Sensei, the second black woman recognized as a teacher in the Japanese Zen lineage.

She started learning ballet at age 13 and would become the the first African-American female principal dancer in American Ballet Theatre

A Hall-of-Fame football player, he was also an All-American Lacrosse player.

Founded by Berry Gordy in 1949 this record company would become influential in both popular music and American culture

The first (and remains the only) African-American male tennis player to win the US Open and Wimbledon titles

Born in Cleveland, OH he would move to Seattle,WA where he served as a Baptist minister, author, and civil rights advocate.

These two figures were influential to the Black history movement and their birthdays are the reason February is known as Black history month.

This woman joined the Spacecraft Controls Branch where she calculated the flight trajectory for Alan Shepard, the first American to go into space in 1959

Along with his music partner, he was the first black composer nominated for an Academy Award in 1968