Julie Ethel Dash is an African-American film director, writer and producer. Dash received her MFA in 1985 at the UCLA Film School and is one of the graduates and filmmakers known as the L.A. Rebellion. After she had written and directed several shorts, her 1991 feature Daughters of the Dust became the first full-length film…

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Nichelle Nichols was one of the first black women featured in a major television series as her prominent supporting role as a bridge officer on Star Trek. Nichols was born as Grace Nichols on December 28, 1932 in Robbins, Illinois.  Discovered by Duke Ellington at the age of 15, she began her career as a singer touring…

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Oprah Winfrey is a talk show host, media executive, actress and billionaire philanthropist. Oprah rose to stardom hosting her immensely popular program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired for 25 seasons, from 1986 to 2011. In 2011, Winfrey launched her own TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Winfrey was born in Mississippi and was sexually…

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Ella Fitzgerald, was known as the "First Lady of Song". Also known as "Lady Ella," she was an immensely popular American jazz and song vocalist. Fitzgerald turned to singing after a troubled childhood and debuted at the Apollo Theater in 1934. Discovered in an amateur contest, she went on to become the top female jazz singer for…

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Octavia E. Butler an author best known for blending science fiction with African-American spiritualism. Her novels include 'Patternmaster,' 'Kindred,' 'Dawn' and 'Parable of the Sower. Butler started her writing career in the early twenties. She broke new ground as a woman and an African American in the realm of science fiction. Butler thrived in a…

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Alma Woodsey Thomas was a successful black avant-garde painter, despite the barriers presented by her race and gender. Thomas an abstract painter, devoted her life to the youth of Washington and other local communities, both as a teacher and as an organizer of cultural events. In 1924 she became the first graduate of Howard University's…

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Augusta Savage was one of the leading artists of the Harlem Renaissance as well as an influential activist and arts educator. Born in Florida in 1892, Augusta Savage began creating art as a child by using the natural clay found in her hometown. After attending Cooper Union in New York City, she made a name for…

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Tessa Sanderson is an Olympic gold-winning javelin thrower who also has the distinction of being the first British black woman to win Olympic gold and compete in six separate ‘Olympic Games’. She set several javelin records during her career, besting the UK record multiple times. She broke the 16-year losing streak for British women at…

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Raven Wilkinson became the first African American woman to receive a contract to dance full time with a major ballet company, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo of New York City in August 1955 at the age of 20. She was promoted to soloist during her second season with the troupe, and remained with the…

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Wilma Glodean Rudolph was an American sprinter who grew from a sickly child unable to walk, to becoming a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her successes in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. Rudolph competed in the 200-meter dash and won a bronze medal in the 4 ×…

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