It was Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson (born August 26, 1918), an African-American mathematician, who played a crucial role in launching the first Americans into space and bringing them home safely. She performed calculations that were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. manned spaceflights during her time…
The first and only African American to serve on the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Luther Powell (born April 5, 1937) is a retired four-star general in the United States Army. Born in Harlem as the son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell’s military career included serving as National Security…
Simone Arianne Biles (born March 14, 1997) is an American artistic gymnast and the 2016 Olympic individual all-around, vault and floor gold medalist, and balance beam bronze medalist. Among her many accomplishments, she was part of the gold medal-winning team dubbed the “Final Five” at the 2016 Summer Olympics in…
Chadwick Aaron Boseman (born November 29, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for portraying a variety of African American heroes who have persevered in the face of adversity, including Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get on Up and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. But he’s also well…
