| Quotable | Medals | Pop Culture | Sports |
|---|---|---|---|
|
"Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.? A Baptist minister and social rights activist in the United States in the 1950s and '60s. He was a leader of the American civil rights movement. He organized a number of peaceful protests as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, including the March on Washington in 1963.
Who said "Darkness can not drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
|
Who was Colin Luther Powell?
April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021)
He was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer & four-star general who served as the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American secretary of state. He served as the 16th United States national security advisor from 1987 to 1989 and as the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.
|
Who was Aretha Louise Franklin?
(March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018)
She was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed 9th in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
|
Who was Jackie Robinson?
(January 31, 1919 - October 24, 1972)
He made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, and broke the color barrier for African Americans in baseball (ending 60 years of segregated leagues). On July 23, 1962, He was the first African American inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
|
|
Who was Shirley Chisholm? The first Black woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968.
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."
|
Who was Maya Angelou?
(April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014) Most recently, she has become the first Black woman to be featured on a U.S. quarter, as part of a new program under the Treasury Department to celebrate women’s contributions to the U.S.
A writer, poet, performer, social activist, and teacher, she received more than 30 honorary degrees. In 2010, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
|
Who is Tina Turner?
(born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939)
She's an American-born Swiss singer, songwriter and actress. Widely referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame. She is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
|
Who is Serena Jameka Williams
(born September 26, 1981)
An American professional tennis player, she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time behind Margaret Court. The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranked her singles world No. 1 on eight separate occasions between 2002 and 2017.
|
|
Who was Maya Angelou? Poet, writer, and Civil Rights activist.
Who said “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.”
|
Who was William J. Johnston?
(July 12, 1850 – September 16, 1941) When his division was routed during the Seven Days Battles during the Peninsula Campaign of June to July 1862, he was the only drummer to come away with his instrument. His superiors considered this a meritorious feat, given that the regiment's other soldiers had thrown away their guns and equipment to lighten their loads as they retreated. As a result, he received the Medal of Honor in 1863; at age 13, he remains the youngest recipient of the award.
At age 13, he is the youngest recipient of the Medal of Honor. A drummer boy in Company D of the 3rd Vermont Infantry during the American Civil War.
|
Who is Caryn Elaine Johnson, known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg?
(born November 13, 1955)
She is the first African American winner, & the first to win the Oscar as their second award, and the first to win two of their different awards in the same year (she won both her first Daytime Emmy and her Tony in 2002).
|
Who is Simone Biles?
(born March 14, 1997)
She's an American artistic gymnast, with a combined total of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals, she is tied as the most decorated gymnast of all time. her seven Olympic medals also tied for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast.
|
|
Who was Muhammad Ali? Generally accepted as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Even today, Ali is still remembered as one of the most celebrated sports icons in history. Additionally, Ali was a poet and Grammy-nominated spoken word artist, philanthropist, writer, and actor.
“Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare.”
|
Who was Ralph Bunche?
(August 7, 1904-1971)
For his peace mediation during the first Arab-Israeli war, this American diplomat received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway in 1950. He was the first African American to win the prestigious award.
|
Who was Sidney Poitier?
(February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022)
He was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, and ambassador. In 1964, he was the first African American and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. A trailblazing movie star in the racially charged 1950s and 1960s, who became the first Black actor to command top billing in Hollywood films and win an Oscar for a leading role.
|
Who is Laila Ali?
(December 30, 1977) An American television personality and retired professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2007. She is the daughter of Muhammad Ali and is the eighth of her father's nine children.
She's an undefeated world boxing champion, she sought to change perceptions of women in prizefighting.
|
|
Who was – Nelson Mandela? Former first President of South Africa and anti-Apartheid leader. A revolutionary and brave activist, Mandela was arrested repeatedly and even sentenced to life imprisonment. Because of incredible global pressure, Mandela was released from his sentence after serving 27 years in prison. Then, Mandela fought alongside other leaders to end apartheid and became the first President of South Africa. After his term ended, he continued to commit his life to charitable and humanitarian work.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
|
Who was Robert Augustus Sweeney?
(February 20, 1853 – December 19, 1890)
He was a sailor in the United States Navy and is one of only nineteen servicemen, and the only African American, to receive the Medal of Honor twice, both for peace-time actions.
|
Who was Riley B. King?
(September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015) Professionally known as BB (Blues Boy) King
He was a highly influential guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues"
|
Who is Willie O'Ree?
(born October 15, 1935)
In 1958, he became the first black player in the NHL. He paved the way for so many, creating critical change throughout the sport.
|
Support Us on Ko-fi