Facts and Pictures ofFamous African

Americans

Second Grade Group Project/Ms. Powe’s Class

Dr. Condoleezza Rice

Dr. Condoleezza Rice is the first African

American woman to be appointed Secretary of State.

Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall was the first black to sit on the high court.

Maya AngelouMaya Angelou is a famous poet, author,

and civil rights activist.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great civil

rights activist who was the leading force behind the withdrawal of segregation laws in the 1960's.

Colin L. Powell Colin L. Powell is the first African American to hold the office of

United States Secretary of State. He is the only African American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense.

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States and the first African American to obtain this office.

Dr. Charles Richard Drew Dr. Charles Richard Drew (1904-1950) was an American

medical doctor and surgeon who started the idea of a blood bank and a system for the long-term preservation of blood plasma (he found that plasma kept longer than whole blood).

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (Feb. 7, 1817-Feb. 20, 1895) was an abolitionist, orator, and writer who fought against slavery and for women's rights. Douglass was the first African-American citizen appointed to high ranks in the U.S. government.

Elijah McCoyElijah McCoy (1843 or 1844-1929) was a mechanical engineer and inventor. McCoy's high-quality industrial inventions (especially his steam engine lubricator) were the basis for the expression "the real McCoy," meaning the real, authentic, or high-quality thing.

Sojourner TruthSojourner Truth (1797?-1883) was an American preacher who dedicated her life to fighting for civil and human rights

Harriet TubmanHarriet Tubman (1820 - 1913) escaped slavery in Maryland in

1849 and traveled north. She then helped hundreds of other slaves flee to the north to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Normal and

Industrial Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, and the National Negro Business League.

Madam C. J. Walker Madam C. J. Walker (December 23, 1867 - May 25,

1919) was an inventor, businesswoman and self-made millionaire.

Jesse OwensJesse Owens (Sept. 12, 1913 - Mar. 31, 1980) was one of the world's greatest track and field athletes.

Rosa Parks Rosa Parks was a pivotal figure in the fight for civil rights. On December

1, 1955, a Montgomery, Alabama bus driver ordered Mrs. Parks to give up her seat to a white man. When she refused, she was fined and arrested. This incident prompted a city-wide bus boycott, which eventually resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on city buses is unconstitutional