25 Women of Historical Significance
BUSINESS
1. Maggie Lena Walker (1864-1934) 1st African-American female to charter US bank/Pres.
2. Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919) Entrepreneur and 1st female self-made millionaire
3. Sarah Rector (1902-1967) African-Native American (Creek) land owner, millionaire
4. Addie L. Wyatt (1924-2012) Leader in the US Labor movement; civil rights activist
ARTS
5. Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) Author, anthropologist and filmmaker
6. Nina Simone (1933-2003) Singer, songwriter, musician, arranger; social commentary
7. Maya Angelou (1928-2014) American poet, writer, and civil rights activist
SCIENCE
8. The Mino translated as “Our Mothers” (late 1600s-1904) All-female military regiment of Kingdom of Dahomey (Republic of Benin). Marvel Comics warriors based loosely on the Mino
9. Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) 1st African-Native American female pilot, civil aviator
10. Creola Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) Mathematician critical to space exploration
11. Mae Carol Jemison (1956- ) Engineer, physician, astronaut; 1st African-American female to travel into space
as mission specialist aboard NASA Space Shuttle Endeavor
ACTIVISTS
12. Nzingha Mbande (1583-1663) Queen of the Ambundu Kingdoms and Matamba
13. Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) Abolitionist and women’s rights activist
14. Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) Abolitionist and political activist
15. Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) Journalist/publisher, suffragette
16. Ella Josephine Baker (1903-1986) Civil rights and human rights activist; strategist
17. Dorothy Irene Height (1912-2020) Civil rights and women’s rights activist; President of National Council of Negro Women
18. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (1913-2005) Civil rights activist with pivotal role in Montgomery boycott
19. Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) Voting and women’s rights activist
20. Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) American politician, educator and author
21. Coretta Scott King (1927-2006) Author, activist and wife of Dr. ML King Jr.
22. Claudette Colvin (1939- ) Arrested at age 15, prior to Rosa Parks, for attempting to integrate Montgomery bus; plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle to end segregation in Alabama
23. Kamala Devi Harris (1964- ) Attorney, 49th US vice president; first female VP and highest-ranking female official in U.S. history; first African American and first Asian American vice president.
educATION
24. Mary Jane McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) Educator, stateswoman, civil rights activist
25. Ruby Nell Bridges Hall (1954- ) 1st African-American to desegregate schools; activist
(1797-1883) Abolitionist and women’s rights activist
25 MEN of Historical Significance
BUSINESS
1. Mansa Musa (1280-1337) 10th Emperor of Mali Empire; considered wealthiest individual and greatest producer of gold; patron of science, arts, literature and architecture which flourished under his reign.
2. Jean Baptist Point du Sable (1750-1818) Regarded as 1st non-indigenous settler of area now known as Chicago, establishing a prosperous trading settlement there
3. Robert Smalls (1839-1915) Former slave became naval pilot, publisher, businessman and politician
ARTS
4. Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (1884-1951) Author, film director and producer of silent and sound films
5. Paul Leroy Robeson (1889-1976) Activist, multisport athlete, bass baritone artist, stage & film actor
6. James Weldon Johnson (1876-1938) American writer, civil rights activist; wrote lyrics - Lift Every Voice and Sing
7. James Arthur Baldwin (1924-1987) American novelist, playwright, poet and activist
8. Sidney Poitier (1927- ) Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, ambassador; Academy Award winner
SCIENCE
9. Edmond Albius (1829-1880) East African Horticulturist; developer of pollination method for cultivation of vanill
10. George Washington Carver (1864-1943) Agricultural scientist, inventor; promoted alternative crops to cotton and addressed soil depletion; most prominent black scientist of early 20th century
11. Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr. (1877-1963) Inventor (traffic signal, smoke hood), businessman, activist
12. Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980) American architect, designer of public buildings and private homes
13. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) Historian documenting African-American history, author, journalist
14. Maurice Ashley (1966- ) Jamaican-American chess grandmaster, author, commentator; US Chess Hall of Fame
ACTIVISTS
15. Crispus Attucks (1723-1770) 1st American killed in the American Revolution; icon of anti-slavery
16. 1804/Francois-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803) Haitian general, known as the “Father of Haiti”, for his military and political role in the Haitian Revolution to emancipate Haiti from French rule
17. John Horse (1812-1882) Black Seminole warrior, interpreter and scout; guide for former slaves
18. Joseph Cinque or Cinquez (1814-1879) West African Mende who led revolt on Spanish slave ship La Amistad; and gained freedom through US Supreme Court case – US v The Amistad
19. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918-2013) South African anti-apartheid revolutionary; 1st black head of state (President of South Africa from 1994-1999) - “Father of the Nation”; philanthropist
20. El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz aka Malcolm X (1925-1965) African-American Sunni Muslim renowned as vocal spokesman for Nation of Islam; and his pursuit of racial justice
21. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) Baptist minister, activist; most prominent leader of civil rights movement through ideology of civil disobedience and nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi
22. Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) Professional boxer, activist, entertainer and philanthropist
23. Barack Hussein Obama II (1961 - ) Attorney, 44th US president; first African-American president from 2009 - 2017; author
EDUCATION
24. William Edward Burghart Du Bois (1868-1963) Sociologist, socialist, historian, civil rights activist; founder of NAACP and first African-American to earn doctorate
25. Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993) American lawyer, civil rights activist, successfully argued Brown v Board of Education to end segregation in public education; US Supreme Court Judge – 1967-1991