Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967.

Rosa Parks was an African American civil rights activist who became known for her role in the Montgomery bus boycott. Her refusal to give up her seat to a white man in 1955 sparked the boycott, which lasted for over a year and helped to bring about the desegregation of public transportation in the United States.

Mary McLeod Bethune was an African American educator, civil rights activist, philanthropist, and founder of the National Council of Negro Women. She was a prominent leader in the civil rights movement and worked to improve the lives of African Americans in the United States.

Angela Davis was an African American political activist, philosopher, and author. She was a prominent leader in the Black Panther Party and was involved in several high-profile cases, including the Soledad Brothers case and the Attica Prison uprising.

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. She was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which she received in 2004 for her work on sustainable development, democracy, and peace.

Diane Nash was an African American civil rights activist and a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She was a key figure in the Nashville sit-ins and the Freedom Rides, and she played a leading role in the Selma to Montgomery marches.

W.E.B. Du Bois was an African American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and Pan-Africanist. He was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and served as its director of research and publicity for many years.

Fannie Lou Hamer was an African American civil rights activist and sharecropper. She was a prominent leader in the civil rights movement in Mississippi and was a co-founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

Shirley Chisholm was an African American politician and the first African American woman elected to Congress. She served in the House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983 and was the first African American woman to run for President of the United States.

Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi were all prominent leaders in the Black Lives Matter movement. They co-founded the movement in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.

Halle Berry was the first African American woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, which she received in 2002 for her performance in the film "Monster's Ball".

Amelia Boynton Robinson was an African American civil rights activist and a key figure in the Selma to Montgomery marches. She was beaten and tear-gassed by state troopers during the marches, but she continued to work for civil rights until her death in 2015.

Rose Bird was the first African American woman to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court of California. She was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 1977 and served until 1987.

Septima Clark was an African American civil rights activist and educator. She was a prominent leader in the civil rights movement in South Carolina and was a co-founder of the Highlander Folk School, a center for adult education and social activism.

Whoopi Goldberg was the first African American woman to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, which she received in 1991 for her performance in the film "Ghost".