This is a list of famous African Americans.

Please add more notable people here.

A

• Aaliyah (1979-2001), singer, actress
• Hank Aaron (born 1934), Baseball Hall of Famer
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born 1947), basketball legend
• Michael Abels (born 1962), composer
• Ralph Abernathy (1936-1996), civil rights leader
• Muhal Richard Abrams (born 1930), musician
• Mumia Abu-Jamal (born 1954), prisoner and activist
• Alvin Ailey (1931-1989), dancer
• Muhammad Ali (born 1942), boxer, war protester, member of the Nation of Islam, civil rights protester, and poet
• Richard Allen (Reverend) (1760-1831), ex-slave, religious leader, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Ivie Anderson (1904-1945), jazz singer with Duke Ellington's band
• Marian Anderson (1897-1993), famous opera and concert singer
• Carmelo Anthony NBA star
• Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), jazz musician
• Arthur Ashe (1943-1993), tennis star and activist
• Emmett L. Ashford, first African-American umpire in organized baseball
• Crispus Attucks (1723-1770), killed in Boston Massacre

B

• David Baker (born 1931), composer
• Josephine Baker, singer, entertainer
• William Banfield (born 1961), composer
• Tyra Banks, supermodel
• Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), 18th century astronomer
• Charles Barkley, (born 1963), NBA basketball power forward
• Angela Bassett (born 1958), actor
• Count Basie (1904-1984), pianist, band leader
• Daisy Bates (1914-1999), civil rights leader
• Sidney Bechet (1897-1959), jazz musician
• James A. Bell, interim President and CEO of Boeing (2005)
• Shelton Benjamin pro Wrestler
• Halle Berry (born 1966), Oscar-winning actor and model
• Eubie Blake (1883-1983), composer and musician
• Mary J. Blige (born 1971) American R&B and soul singer and record producer.
• Barry Bonds (born 1964), baseball star
• Carol Moseley Braun (born 1947), former senator and presidential candidate
• Anthony Braxton (born 1945), composer and multi-reedist
• Arthur M. Brazier, Minister,community activist, and civil rights leader
• Edward Brooke, former Massachusetts Attorney General, first African American elected to the United States Senate (November 8, 1966).
• Shelton Brooks (1886-1975), songwriter and entertainer
• James Brown (born 1933), R&B, soul and funk singer
• Jim Brown (born 1936), football legend, actor, activist
• Ron Brown (1941-1996), served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party.
• Kobe Bryant (born 1978), professional basketball player
• George Washington Buckner , physician and diplomat, U.S. minister to Liberia, 1913 - 1915, first African American to serve as minister to a foreign country.
• Ralph Bunche (1904-1971), diplomat, Nobel Laureate 1950
• Busta Rhymes, (born 1972), rap musician, also known as Trevor Smith Jr.

C

• Marcus Camby (born 1974), NBA basketball star
• John Carlos (born 1945), Olympic athlete
• William Harvey Carney (1842-1908), American Civil War hero
• George Washington Carver (1860-1943), plant scientist
• Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999), basketball legend
• Tracy Chapman (born 1964), singer-songwriter
• Dave Chappelle (born 1972), comic
• Ray Charles (1930-2004), pop musician
• Charles Chesnutt (1858-1932), author
• Chingy (born 1980), rapper, also known as Howard Bailey Jr.
• Clarence 13x, (1928-1969) religious leader, also known as Clarence Smith
• Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998), Black Panther
• Emanuel Cleaver, II (born 1944), former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri and U.S. House member-elect
• Gary Coleman (born 1968) actor
• John Coltrane (1926-1967), jazz musician
• Ward Connerly (born 1939), University of California Regent, political activist
• John Conyers (born 1929), congressman
• Marvel Cooke (1903-2000), journalist, writer, civil rights activist
• Coolio (born 1963), rapper, also known as Artis Ivey
• Roque Cordero (born 1917), composer
• Bill Cosby (born 1937), actor, comic, entertainer

D

• Angela Davis (born 1944), author and activist
• Benjamin J. Davis (1903-1964), communist leader, NY city councilman
• Benjamin O. Davis Sr., general
• Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (1912-2002), military airman
• Miles Davis (1926-1991), jazz musician
• Dominique Dawes (born 1976), first African American female gymnast to medal in an Olympics (Gold (Team) and Bronze (Floor) Medalist at the 1996 Olympic Games)
• Martin R. Delany (1812-1885), abolitionist
• Oscar DePriest (1871-1951), first black Congressman elected in the 20th century
• Chris Dickerson (born 1939), bodybuilder
• Taye Diggs, actor
• David Dinkins, (born 1927), mayor of New York City from 1990-1993
• DMX (born 1970), rapper
• Rockin' Dopsie, (born Alton Rubin) February 10, 1932 Carencro LA - 1993 Zydeco musician
• Bob Douglas , first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), orator and abolitionist, ex-slave
• Dr. Dre (born 1965), rap musician, founded Death Row Records, member of rap group NWA
• Charles R. Drew (1904-1950), physician, pioneer of blood transfusion techniques
• W. E. B. DuBois (1868-1963), writer, activist, communist
• Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), poet
• Oscar Dunn, first African American lieutenant governor of a US state (Louisiana)

E

• Julius Eastman (1940-1991), composer and musician
• Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (born 1958), music producer and performer
• Duke Ellington (1899-1974), jazz composer and musician
• Missy Elliott, (born 1971), hip hop artist
• Ralph Ellison (1914-1994), writer
• Julius Erving (born 1950), basketball legend
• Medgar Evers (1925-1963), civil rights activist

F

• 50 Cent (born 1976), New York City rapper Real Name Curtis Jackson
• James L. Farmer, Jr. (1920-1999), civil rights activist
• Louis Farrakhan (born 1933), Nation of Islam Leader
• Jessie Fauset, novelist
• Colin Ferguson, LIRR gunman who killed 6
• Aneesa Ferreira , reality tv contestant
• Ella Fitzgerald (1918–1996), singer
• Ishmael Flory (1907–2004), Communist labor organizer
• George Foreman (born 1949), boxer, TV pitchman, minister
• Aretha Franklin (born 1942), singer, often referred to as the Queen of Soul

G

• Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), political leader and nationalist
• Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (born 1950), literary critic and Harvard professor
• Marla Gibbs (born 1931), actress (The Jeffersons and 227)
• Bob Gibson (born 1935), Baseball Hall of Famer
• Whoopi Goldberg (born 1950), actress and activist
• Cuba Gooding Jr. (born 1968), actor
• Louis Gossett, Jr. (born 1936), actor
• Grandmaster Flash (born 1958), DJ and early hip hop pioneer
• Bryant Gumbel (born 1948), NBC and CBS news anchor

H

• Benjamin Hacker, (1935-2003), First U.S. Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to achieve Flag rank.
• Adolphus Hailstork (born 1941), composer
• MC Hammer (born 1962), 1980s and early 1990s rap artist, also known as Stanley Kirk Burrell
• W.C. Handy (1873-1958), blues composer
• Frances E. W. Harper , poet, novelist, lecturer and activist in turn of the century temperance and racial uplift movements.
• Jackée Harry (born 1956), actress
• Mya (born 1979) singer/actress (real name: Mya Marie Harrison)
• Isaac Hayes (born 1942), singer
• Sherman Hemsley (born 1938), actor (The Jeffersons)
• Fletcher Henderson, band leader, orchestrator, pianist
• Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970), rock and roll musician
• George Herriman (1880-1944), cartoonist
• Lauryn Hill (born 1975), hip hop singer for the Fugees
• Robert L. Hill (1892-?), black leader at Elaine Race Riot
• Billie Holiday (1915-1959), singer
• Whitney Houston (born 1963), singer
• Langston Hughes (1902-1967), poet

I

• Ice Cube (born 1969), rapper, member of NWA, also known as O'Shea Jackson
• Ice T, (born 1958), rapper, also known as Tracy Marrow
• Allen Iverson, (born 1975), NBA basketball star, all-star guard for Philadelphia 76ers
• India Arie, (born 1976), neo-soul singer-song writer

J

• Ja Rule (born 1976), rap artist, also known as Jeff Atkins; famous for his duets with Jennifer Lopez and other female artists
• Beau Jack (1921-2000), boxer, two time world champion
• LeBron James (1984-), Famous NBA baller.
• Rick James (1948-2004), musician, born James Johnson, Jr.
• Janet Jackson (born 1966), musician, sister of Michael (see below)
• Jesse Jackson (born 1941), civil rights activist and political leader
• Michael Jackson (born 1958), musician
• Samuel L. Jackson (born 1948), actor & golfer
• Tony Jackson (1876-1921), pianist & composer
• Jay-Z, rap artist, also known as Shawn Carter
• Mae Carol Jemison, first African-American woman in space
• Leroy Jenkins (born 1932), composer and musician
• George W. Johnson (c.1855-1914), pioneer recording artist
• Jack Johnson (1878-1946), first black heavyweight champion of the world
• James P. Johnson (1894-1955), pianist & composer
• James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), author, poet, folklorist, and civil rights leader
• Earvin "Magic" Johnson (born 1959), basketball legend and entertainment entrepreneur
• Robert Johnson (1911-1938), legendary blues guitarist
• Robert L. Johnson (born 1946), media entrepreneur, first African American to be the principal owner of a major-league sports franchise (NBA's Charlotte Bobcats)
• Scipio Africanus Jones (1863-1943), attorney for Elaine Race Riot accused
• Edward P. Jones, writer
• Scott Joplin (1868-1917), ragtime composer
• Barbara Jordan (1936-1996), first African-American woman elected to Texas Senate
• Michael Jordan (born 1963), professional basketball player
• Louis Jordan (1908-1975), jazz musician and bandleader
• Hubert Julian (born 1900), aviator

K

• Ulysses Kay (1917-1995), composer
• Eddie Kendricks(1939-1992), musician, former member of The Temptations
• Alan Keyes (born 1950), diplomat and only 20th century African American to become a major Republican presidential candidate
• Alicia Keys 1981-, musician, R&B, Soul real name Alicia Augello Cook
• Lil Kim (born 1976), female rap artist, also known as Kimberly Jones
• B.B. King (born 1925), blues musician
• Coretta Scott King (born 1927), activist and widow of Martin Luther King Jr.
• Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), civil rights activist, minister, Nobel laureate
• Regina King (born 1971), actress
• Rodney King (born 1965), motorist beaten by police, videotaped by bystander
• Gladys Knight (born 1944), singer
• Suge Knight, rap mogul, cofounder of Death Row Records
• Ellis O. Knox (1900-1975), first African-American to earn doctorate on West Coast (1931), educator, civil rights leader
• Lenny Kravitz, (1964), rock/pop musician
• Kurupt (born 1972), rapper, also known as Ricardo Brown
• R.Kelly (1966) Singer Robert Kelly

L

• Lil flip Rapper
• Nella Larsen (1891-1964), novelist
• Queen Latifah (born 1970), rapper (born Dana Owens)
• Oliver Law (1899-1937), officer in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, first African American to command white soldiers
• Spike Lee (born 1957), filmmaker
• Carl Lewis (born 1961), track and field legend, nine-time Olympic gold medalist
• John Lewis (born 1940), congressman and civil rights activist
• Reginald Lewis (1942-1993), business
• LL Cool J, rap artist, also known as James Todd Smith
• Robert Jr. Lockwood (born 1915), blues musician
• Nia Long (born 1970), actress
• Joe Louis (1914-1981), boxer, longest-reigning world heavyweight champion
• Ludacris (born 1976), rap performer
• Frank Lumpkin (born 1916) communist union leader
• Jair Lynch (born 1971), first African American male gymnast to medal in an Olympics (Silver Medalist on Parallel Bars at the 1996 Olympic Games)

M

• Bernie Mac (born 1958), actor and comedian, star of Fox Network's Bernie Mac Show
• Elijah J. McCoy (1844–1929), inventor
• Cynthia McKinney (born 1955), politician
• Wynton Marsalis (born 1961), jazz trumpeter
• Thurgood Marshall (1908–1993), first non-white U.S. Supreme Court associate justice
• Three members of the Dave Matthews Band—but NOT Dave Matthews, a white South African
• Willie Mays (born 1931), Baseball Hall of Famer
• Method Man (born 1972), rapper also known as Clifford Smith, member of rap group Wu-Tang Clan
• Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951), author and pioneer filmmaker
• Arthur W. Mitchell (1883–1968), first black Congressman from the Democratic Party
• Roscoe Mitchell (born 1940), composer and musician
• Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), composer and musician
• Shemar Moore (born 1970), actor (The Young and the Restless)
• Debbi Morgan (born 1956), soap opera actress (Angie Baxter on All My Children)
• Toni Morrison (born 1931), author, Nobel laureate 1993
• Mya R&B Singer
• Mystikal, rapper
• Khalid Abdul Muhammed (1948–2001), Nation of Islam leader

N

• Nas (born 1973), rap artist also known as Nasir Jones
• Huey P. Newton, (1942-1989), founder of the Black Panther Party
• Nelly (born 1978), rapper, also known as Cornell Haynes Jr.
• Brandy Norwood (born 1979), singer and actor
• Willie 'Ray-J' Norwood Jr. (born 1981), singer and actor, brother of the precedent
• Notorious B.I.G. (1972 - 1997), also known as Biggie Smalls or Christopher Wallace, New York City rapper

O

• Shaquille O'Neal (born 1972), nicknamed "Shaq", NBA basketball star
• Barack Obama (born 1961), politician
• Jesse Owens (1913-1980), track and field athlete, embarrassed Adolf Hitler by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics

P

• P. Diddy, (born 1970), rap artist and record executive, real name Sean Combs
• Charlie Parker (1920-1955), jazz musician
• Rosa Parks, started the Birmingham bus boycott
• William L. Patterson (1890-1980), communist, civil rights lawyer
• Walter Payton (1954-1999), football legend
• Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson , (born 1932), composer
• P. B. S. Pinchback (1837-1921), first serving African American governor of a US state (Louisiana)
• Leonard Pitts , columnist for the Miami Herald
• Jean Baptiste Point du Sable (1745-1813), first resident of Chicago
• Colin Powell (born 1937), outgoing (2004) U.S. Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• Percival Prattis , the first African American news correspondent allowed in the United States House of Representatives and Senate press gallery.
• Richard Pryor (born 1940), comedian
• Kirby Puckett (born 1961), Baseball Hall of Famer

R

• A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979), socialist, labor leader, and civil rights activist
• Tim Reid (born 1941), actor (WKRP in Cincinnati)
• Hiram Rhoades Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress
• Willy T. Ribbs , the first African-American driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 (May 19, 1991)
• Condoleezza Rice (born 1954), U.S. Secretary of State under President George W. Bush
• Jerry Rice (born 1962), holder of almost all major NFL receiving records
• Little Richard (born 1932), pioneer of rock and roll
• Norbert Rilleaux (1806-1894), inventor
• RuPaul (born 1960), drag queen
• Paul Robeson (1898-1976), athlete, actor, singer, scholar, communist
• David Robinson (born 1965), professional basketball player and U.S. Navy veteran
• Frank Robinson (born 1935), Baseball Hall of Famer, first African American manager in Major League Baseball
• Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), Baseball Hall of Famer, first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the 20th century
• Chris Rock (born 1966), comedian
• The Rock (born 1972), professional wrestler turned actor (real name: Dwayne Johnson)
• Victoria Rowell (born 1960), actress (The Young and the Restless)
• Bill Russell (born 1934), basketball legend
• Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), civil rights activist

S

• Kristoff St. John (born 1966), actor (The Young and the Restless)
• Barry Sanders (born 1968), NFL Hall of Fame inductee, running back for the Detroit Lions
• Isabel Sanford (1917-2004), actress (The Jeffersons)
• Bobby Seale (born 1936), co-founder of the Black Panther Party
• Al Sharpton (born 1954), clergyman and politician
• Assata Shakur (born 1947), exile and political activist
• Tupac Shakur (1971-1996), rapper, actor
• Art Shell first ever African American NFL head coach
• Kimora Lee Simmons CEO of Baby Phat, Wife of Russell Simmons
• OJ Simpson, football star, accused of murdering his wife and acquitted after one of the most highly publicized trials of the 20th century
• Bessie Smith (1894-1937), blues singer
• Clara Smith, blues singer
• Hale Smith (born 1925), composer
• Mamie Smith, blues singer
• Tommie Smith (born 1944), Olympic athlete
• Willie The Lion Smith (1897-1963), pianist & composer
• Will Smith (1968-) rapper, actor, director, writer
• Wesley Snipes (born 1962), actor and producer
• Snoop Dogg, rap artist, also known as Calvin Broadus
• Thomas Sowell (born 1930), economist and author
• Peter Spencer (1782-1843), ex-slave, religious leader, A.U.M.P. Church founder
• Michael Steele (born 1958), Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
• Shelby Steele (born 1946), author, educator
• William Grant Still (1895-1978), composer

T

• Marshall Taylor (1878-1932), aka "Major Taylor", champion competition cyclist
• Clarence Thomas (born 1948), U.S. Supreme Court associate justice
• Debi Thomas (born 1967), first African American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics
• Vivien Thomas (1910-1985) was an African-American surgeon who developed the procedures used to treat Blue Baby Syndrome.
• Ike Turner (born 1931), singer
• Nat Turner (1800-1831), leader of major slave revolt
• Tina Turner (born 1939), singer, actor, former wife of Ike
• Sojourner Truth (1797?-1883), ex-slave, abolitionist
• Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), ex-slave, writer, abolitionist
• Tamara Tunie (born 1959), actress (As the World Turns, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
• Mike Tyson (born 1966), professional boxer

U

• Usher (born 1978), famous R&B Singer

V

• Luther Vandross (born 1951), singer, actor
• Reginald VelJohnson actor, Die Hard, Family Matters

W

• C. J. Walker, she was the first African-American millionaire
• George Walker, (born 1922), composer
• Fats Waller (1904-1943), composer, singer, jazz musician
• Rhonda S. Walker , (born 1980), poet from Cleveland, OH
• Dionne Warwick (born 1940), singer
• Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), educator
• Denzel Washington (born 1954), Oscar-winning actor
• Ethel Waters (1896-1977), vocalist
• Muddy Waters (1915-1983), blues musician
• Cornel West (born 1953), public intellectual, author, Princeton University professor
• Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), poet
• Jaleel White (born 1976), actor, star in ABC and CBS sitcom Family Matters as Steve Urkel
• Joseph White (1835-1918) Cuban born composer
• Carl Whitney (1919-1986), Negro League baseball player
• Douglas Wilder (born 1931), first elected African American governor of a US state (Virginia)
• Flip Wilson (1933-1998), television host and comedian
• Harriet E. Wilson, author of "Our Nig" and first African American novelist
• William Julius Wilson (born 1935), sociologist
• Billy Dee Williams actor
• Clarence Williams (1893-1965), composer, publisher, jazz musician
• Darnell Williams (born 1955), soap opera actor (Jesse Hubbard on All My Children)
• Paul Williams (1939-1973), former member of The Temptations
• Paul R. Willams (1894-1980), architect
• Robert F. Williams (1925-1996), organizer, civil rights activist
• Serena Williams (born 1981), tennis star
• Venus Williams (born 1980), tennis star, sister of Serena
• Sonny Boy Williamson (1897-1965), blues musician
• Paul Winfield, African American actor
• Oprah Winfrey (born 1954), talk show host, magazine publisher, news anchor
• Henry Winston (1911-1986), US communist leader
• Stevie Wonder (born 1950), musician
• Tiger Woods (born 1975), first African American (and Asian American) to win a major golf championship

X

• Malcolm X (1925-1965), (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, born Malcolm Little), one time Nation of Islam and civil rights leader

Y

• Andrew Young (born 1932), civil rights activist and politician
• Omali Yeshitela civil rights leader and was another one of the African-americans to stop violence to black americans.

See also

• List of people, List of people by nationality,
• African Americans in the United States Congress, List of Black Britons, List of Black Jews