100 MOST FASCINATING BLACK WOMEN OF THE 20th CENTURY

THEY are, in the Nat Cole and Dinah Washington sense of the word, unforgettable. By a unique power, by unusual stature or the capture of a new beachhead for the Black or Black feminine or feminine personality, they attracted and held national attention, delighting us and challenging us and making us bigger: We can argue about this or that point or this or that person, but it is beyond question that these 100 are among the Black women without whom the century and the Black or American personality would be diminished.

OPRAH WINFREY

Actress, producer and indisputable queen of daytime television, she transformed the talk-show format and in the process became an international icon. As the producer-owner of her own show and the producer of several made-for-TV and theatrical releases, she is a major cultural force and one of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry.

MARY McLEOD BETHUNE (1875-1955)

Educator, founder of Bethune-Cookman College and the National Council of Negro Women, she was the first Black woman to receive a major U.S. government appointment and was the mentor and mother figure for generations of Black male and female leaders.

LENA HORNE

America's first real Black movie star, she paved the way for Black men and women in Hollywood. Her enduring and indelible career took her from cabaret performer in the '30s to stage and screen star in the '40s, '50s and '60s, and she's still recording today. She also was an early and active participant in the civil rights struggle, a foe of discrimination in the entertainment industry and the rest of America.

MADAME C.J. WALKER (1867-1919)

Enterprising hair-care entrepreneur, philanthropist and political activist, she developed the "hot-iron" process for straightening hair. Reputed to be the first self-made American woman millionaire, she used her great wealth and business acumen to promote social and political change for Blacks and women.

MARGARET WALKER ALEXANDER (1915-1998)

Novelist, poet and educator, she is perhaps best known for her influential poem, For My People, which was published in 1942, and her critically acclaimed novel, Jubilee.

DEBBIE ALLEN

Actress, dancer, choreographer, director, producer, she is an amazingly versatile performer and entertainment industry executive. Whether navigating stormy Hollywood waters to produce Amistad or putting dancers through their paces as choreographer of the Academy Awards telecast, this multiple Emmy winner's boundless talents appear to be from a different world.

SADIE TANNER MOSSELL ALEXANDER (1898-1989)

Lawyer and civil rights activist, she was the first Black woman in the U.S. to receive a doctorate in economics. She was also one of the first Black women to obtain a law degree and practice law in Philadelphia. One of the founders of the National Bar Association she fought discrimination in Philadelphia hotels, restaurants and theaters.

MAYA ANGELOU

Poet, actress, icon, she electrified the nation with the poem she wrote for President Bill Clinton's 1992 inauguration. An immensely popular author (I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings) and social commentator, she made her debut as a director of feature films with the recently released Down in the Delta.

MARIAN ANDERSON (1902-1993)

Hailed as "a voice that comes along once in a generation," she was a major concert figure and a pioneer in classical music--the first Black singer signed by the Metropolitan Opera House. She made her Met debut in A Masked Ball in 1955.

JOSEPHINE BAKER (1906-1975)

International superstar, she was a magnetic singer-dancer who captivated Paris and the world. An outspoken foe of racism in the U.S. and a freedom fighter during the Nazi occupation of France, her adopted home, the St. Louis-born entertainer was cited for her heroism in World War II.

ELLA BAKER (1903-1986)

Brilliant organizer and activist, she helped to create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

IDA B. WELLS BARNETT (1862-1931)

Editor, businesswoman, women's rights leader and a prolific and influential writer, she used her highly successful newspaper columns to spread the gospel of her anti-lynching crusade and promote equal rights.

ANGELA BASSETT

An incendiary screen presence, she is a classically trained actress and the embodiment of the beauty, intelligence and sensuality of the contemporary Black woman. In roles ranging from Betty Shabazz to Tina Turner, she displayed the wellspring of talent that has made her a Hollywood and audience favorite.

DAISY BATES & THE YOUNG WOMEN OF THE LITTLE ROCK 9

Bates, a newspaper editor and president of the Arkansas NAACP, was one of the major forces behind the Little Rock, Ark., school integration crisis of 1957. Six of the nine Little Rock teenagers who broke the race barrier at Central High School were young women: (l. to r.) Thelma Mothershed, Elizabeth Eckford, Gloria Ray, Melba Pattilo, Carlotta Walls and Minnie Brown. (Jefferson Thomas, Ernest Green and Terrance Roberts, also pictured here, were their male counterparts.) Their heroism catapulted them into the national spotlight and cemented their places in history.