Before Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Elvis, or Johnny Cash strummed their guitars, or banged out a melody on the piano, Sister Rosetta Tharpe created a musical style that would take the world by storm. Hailed as the godmother of rock and roll, Tharpe is...

Madam C.J. Walker Madam C.J. Walker was the first Black female millionaire in America. She made her fortune by creating a homemade line of hair care products for Black women. Born Sarah Breedlove, she was inspired to create hair products after experiencing a scalp...

Born in Clayton, Alabama, Ann Lowe is considered to be one of America's most influential clothing designers. She was taught to sew at the early age of five, by her mother and grandmother, skilled dressmakers, who created clothing for wealthy white families around the...

After being diagnosed with cervical cancer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951, a sample of Henrietta Lacks's cancer cells were taken without her consent by a researcher. And though she succumbed to the disease at the age of 31 that same year, her cells would go on...

Ella Baker was an essential activist during the civil rights movement. She was a field secretary and branch director for the NAACP and also co-founded an organization that raised money to fight Jim Crow Laws. Additionally, Baker was a key organizer for Martin Luther...

Alvin Ailey was an acclaimed dancer and choreographer who earned global recognition for his impact on modern dance. After honing his technique at the Lester Horton Dance Theater—and acting as its director until its 1954 disbandment—Ailey wished to choreograph his own...

Though she’s considered one of the greatest contralto singers in the world, Marian Anderson was often denied the opportunity to show off her unique vocal range because of her race. However, things started to change in 1957, when she went on a 12-nation tour sponsored...

Mariah Carey is heralded for her whistle register, which is the highest the human voice is capable of reaching. But Minnie Riperton perfected the singing technique years before and was best known for her five-octave vocal range. The whistling can be heard on her...

Gordon Parks was the first African American on the staff of LIFE magazine, and later he would be responsible for some of the most beautiful imagery in the pages of Vogue. He also was the first Black director of a major film, Shaft, helping to shape the blaxploitation...

Today, Brooks is considered to be one of the most revered poets of the 20th century. She was the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1950 for Annie Allen, and she served as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress, becoming the first Black woman to...