Unsung Hero’s Of Black History

Ruth E. Carter

An Oscar-winning costume designer, Ruth E. Carter has brought Black culture to the forefront of Hollywood with her iconic designs for films like Black Panther and Malcolm X, helping shape how Black stories are represented visually in cinema.

James McCune Smith

The first African American to hold a medical degree, James McCune Smith became a leading physician, abolitionist, and intellectual who helped fight against racist pseudoscience and advocated for the rights of Black people.

Miriam Makeba

Known as “Mama Africa,” Miriam Makeba was a South African singer and civil rights activist who used her music to raise awareness about apartheid and fight for human rights on the global stage.

Mary McLeod Bethune

An educator and civil rights leader, Mary McLeod Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women and was a key advisor to several U.S. presidents, advocating for educational opportunities for Black Americans and women's rights.

Alice Ball

A chemist who developed the first successful treatment for leprosy, Alice Ball’s work revolutionized the way leprosy was treated. She was only 24 when she died, but her groundbreaking contributions to medicine were later fully recognized.

Bayard Rustin

An influential civil rights leader and close advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., Rustin was the primary organizer behind the 1963 March on Washington but remained in the background due to his sexual orientation.

Bessie Coleman

The first African American woman to hold a pilot’s license, Bessie Coleman broke racial and gender barriers in aviation during the early 20th century, inspiring generations of women and people of color to pursue careers in aviation.