30 Remarkable African American Heroes You Might Not Have Known About

When Claudette Colvin was 15 years old, she refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman and move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama on March 2, 1955. Many have no idea that she did it nine months before Rosa Parks famously did the same.

Colvin got arrested, was taken to an adult jail and put in a small cell where she stayed for three hours until her mother arrived and bailed her out. "Whenever people ask me: 'Why didn't you get up when the bus driver asked you?' I say it felt as though Harriet Tubman's hands were pushing me down on one shoulder and Sojourner Truth's hands were pushing me down on the other shoulder. I felt inspired by these women because my teacher taught us about them in so much detail," the woman told BBC. Claudette Colvin is currently 81 years old.

Shirley Anita Chisholm was an American politician, educator, and author who, in 1968, became the first-ever Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. In 1972, she became the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States from one of the two major political parties.

Jane Matilda Bolin is known for being the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School. In addition, she was the first Black female to join the New York City Bar Association and the first to join the New York City Law Department. In 1939, Bolin became the first Black woman to serve as a judge in the United States and, for 20 years, was the only Black female judge in the whole country.

James Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist. Many of his works explored intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western society.

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was an American physician and author. In 1864, after studying at the New England Female Medical College, Crumpler became the first African American woman to become a doctor of medicine in the US.

In 1951, 31-year-old Henrietta Lacks got diagnosed with cervical cancer. A sample of her cancer cells was sent to Dr. George Gey's tissue lab where Dr. Gey, prominent cancer and virus researcher, was collecting cells from patients with this type of cancer. Unfortunately, each cell would quickly die. However, Lacks' cells proved themselves to be quite different—they not only didn't die, but doubled every 20 to 24 hours. Today, the famous cells are known as "HeLa" cells and are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones, and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans.

Mae C. Jemison is the first African American female astronaut. On June 4, 1987, Jemison became the first African American woman to be admitted into NASA’s astronaut training program. In 1992, she finally became the first African American woman in space, serving as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Prince was an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, and actor, and is often regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. Prince was well-known for his innovative work across multiple genres, incredibly wide vocal range, and for being able to play almost any instrument. In addition, Prince pioneered the Minneapolis sound—a subgenre of funk rock with elements of synth-pop and new wave.

George Washington Carver was an American agricultural scientist and inventor. In 1894, he became the first African American to earn a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1896, Carver became a part of the newly organized Tuskegee Institute Movable School, introducing farmers to new techniques and advancements.

Daisy Bates was an American activist, civil rights advocate, and publisher. In 1941, she and her husband moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, and started a weekly newspaper devoted to advocating civil rights for African Americans called Arkansas State Press. In 1957, she became an escort and advocate for a group of nine black students known as “The Little Rock Nine” and fought for their right to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. She continued to be an advocate for the group throughout their time at the school.

Ruby Bridges is an American civil rights activist who, back in 1960, was the first African American child to desegregate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana. At the time, Bridges was 6 years old. The famous photo captures Bridges being escorted to class by her mother and US marshals due to violent mobs.

Kimberly Bryant is an African American electrical engineer. In 2011, Bryant founded a non-profit organization called "Black Girls Code" which is a training course that teaches basic programming concepts to Black girls. She came up with the idea for such a course after her daughter became interested in learning computer programming but wasn't able to find a course in the Bay area that would be well-suited for an African American girl.

Business Insider listed Kimberly Bryant as one of the "25 Most Influential African-Americans In Technology."

Gladys Bentley was a prominent American blues singer, pianist, and entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s, she started performing at Harry Hansberry’s Clam House—one of New York City’s most well-known gay speakeasies. The artist was openly lesbian, and during performances, was usually dressed in her signature men’s style of tuxedo and top hat.

Benjamin O. Davis Sr. was a US Army officer and in 1940, he became the first-ever African American to rise to the rank of brigadier general. Davis served in the US military for 50 years before retiring in 1948.

Mary Ellen Pleasant was a 19th-century American entrepreneur who is known to be one of the first African American female self-made millionaires in the US. Pleasant was also an active human rights activist. For instance, her 1866 lawsuit ended segregation on public transportation in San Francisco, California.

Dunnigan was an African American journalist, civil rights activist, author, and the first Black woman to serve as a White House correspondent. She was also the first Black female member of the Senate and House of Representatives press galleries. Alice Allison Dunnigan has a monument dedicated to her residing in a park named after her, which is located in Russelville.

Matthew Alexander Henson was an American explorer. In 1909, Henson and Robert Peary became the first people to ever reach the North Pole.

John Lewis was an American politician, statesman, and civil rights activist. Lewis served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district and was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In addition, he was one of the "Big Six" group who organized the 1963 March on Washington.

Edward Bouchet was an American physicist and educator. After completing his dissertation in physics at Yale in 1876, Bouchet became the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from any American university.

Tarana Burke is an American activist who started the #MeToo movement. In 2003, after working with sexual abuse victims, Burke started a non-profit organization called JustBe, empowering young Black girls through unique programming and workshops. In 2006, she started using the phrase "Me Too" to raise awareness of women who have been sexually abused. In 2017, the hashtag went viral after Alyssa Milano wrote about it on Twitter.