100 Most Important Blacks In The World In The 20th Century

Ebony, Dec, 1999

GEN. B.O. DAVIS JR.

West Point graduate and decorated pilot was the first Black general in the U.S. Air Force.

MILES DAVIS

He combined bebop and fusion to brilliant effect, and thus expanded the jazz vocabulary.

OSCAR DEPRIEST

Chicago politician was the first Black elected to Congress from the North.

THOMAS A. DORSEY

"The Father of Gospel Music" blended blues and jazz into a new form of sacred music.

DR. CHARLES DREW

His work with blood plasma and blood storage led to the creation of the blood bank.

KATHERINE DUNHAM

A dance pioneer, she turned the rhythms of the Caribbean and Africa into stirring dance-theater.

DUKE ELLINGTON

Prolific jazz musician/composer, he elevated the idiom with his extended and enduring songs.

RALPH ELLISON

His novel Invisible Man is considered one of the master works of the 20th century.

LOUIS FARRAKHAN

He inspired a new generation and rallied more than a million men to march on Washington.

ARETHA FRANKLIN

The "Queen of Soul" made R-E-S-P-E-C-T a national anthem.

JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN

Dean of American historians forged new dialogue as head of president's race initiative.

MARCUS GARVEY

One of the century's most gifted mass leaders, he stirred Black pride and repatriation fervor.

BERRY GORDY

Architect of the Motown revolution, he changed the making and marketing of popular music.

WILLIAM H. GRAY III

President and CEO of the UNCF, he has helped spark a Black college renaissance.

ALEX HALEY

His Roots made riveting television and set off an international geneology craze.

W.C. HANDY

This coronet player, bandleader and prolific composer was the "Father of the Blues."

PATRICIA ROBERTS HARRIS

She was the first Black woman to serve in a United States president's cabinet.

WILLIAM H. HASTIE

Legal scholar and pioneering jurist, he was the first Black to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals.

ALONZO F. HERNDON

He turned two financially pressed church societies into the mighty Atlanta Life Insurance Co.

DOROTHY HEIGHT

Following her mentor, Mary McLeod Bethune, she led NCNW to late century success.

LENA HORNE

Beautiful and talented, she mesmerized Hollywood and paved the way for current film stars.

LANGSTON HUGHES

The most celebrated writer of the Harlem Renaissance, he was a mentor to many young poets.

JESSE L. JACKSON SR.

His historic presidential bids and international activism garnered a "Rainbow Coalition" of admirers.

MAYNARD JACKSON

Atlanta's first Black mayor and a model of civic leadership, he created a new political image.

MICHAEL JACKSON

Dubbed "The King of Pop," his music and videos had unprecedented world appeal.

DANIEL (CHAPPIE) JAMES

He broke military barriers by becoming the first Black promoted to four-star general.

JACK JOHNSON

The first Black heavyweight boxing champion, he was a charismatic cultural and athletic icon.

JAMES WELDON JOHNSON

An author, diplomat and NAACP leader, he penned the words to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing."

MORDECAI JOHNSON

He was the first Black president of Howard University and one of the century's great preachers.

BARBARA JORDAN

This Texas congresswoman gained renown for her legislative and oratorical skills.