Black history is a key part of our global history. But for centuries, society has often overlooked or distorted the works of black people – so it’s important to take the time to share and celebrate their stories.
With that said, here are 12 inspiring figures in black history.
1. Mary Seacole (1850-1881)
Regarded as the first black woman to make her mark on British public life, Mary Seacole was a skillful nurse from Kingston, Jamaica. She’s particularly recognised for her work during the Crimean War. However, despite having a reputation that rivalled Florence Nightingale, until recently, Mary’s story remained largely unknown.
After the Crimean War broke out in 1853, Mary made applications to the War Office, the army medical department, and the Secretary of War to be able to go and serve the wounded and sick. However, despite having extensive experience and fantastic references, she was turned away.
Mary asked herself whether it was possible “that American prejudices against colour had taken root here? Did these ladies shrink from accepting my aid because my blood flowed beneath a somewhat dustier skin than theirs?”
Eventually, with the help of a distant relative, Mary made it to Crimea; and, following her work on the frontline, she became known by the entire British army as ‘Mother Seacole’.
2. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
On 28th August 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. addressed an estimated 250,000 people during a civil rights march in Washington, DC with his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. King’s dream was that his four little children would one day live in a nation where they wouldn’t be judged by the colour of their skin, but by their character alone.
King was one of the most prominent leaders and important voices of the American Civil Rights Movement, and secured progress towards racial justice. After being fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on 4th April 1968, King died, aged 39.
Just days after his assassination, Congress passed the 1968 Civil Rights Act which, among other things, made it illegal to discriminate in housing and housing-related transactions on the basis of race, religion, or national origin.
3. Rosa Parks (1913-2005)
On 1st December 1955, 42-year-old African American seamstress Rosa Parks took a seat on a mostly empty bus in Montgomery, USA, after a long day at work. According to city law, she was allowed to sit down as long as no white people were standing.
After more and more people had boarded, Rosa was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white male passenger.
Her single act of bravery set in motion a boycott of the buses that lasted for 381 days. It only ended after the city of Montgomery removed its law enforcing racial segregation on public buses. Rosa’s protest and the resulting boycott also sparked the Civil Rights Movement in America, which aimed to end racial segregation entirely and remove legal barriers to education and voting for African Americans.
Parks later wrote in her autobiography, “People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I wasn’t tired physically…no, the only thing I was tired of was giving in.”
4. Baynard Rustin (1912-1987)
Martin Luther King Jr. usually gets full credit for the March on Washington in August 1963. However, it was actually Baynard Rustin who organised much of the event from behind the scenes.
Baynard, from West Chester, Pennsylvania, was a key leader in social movements for civil rights. However, because he was homosexual and had communist ties, Baynard was considered too controversial to represent the movement.
Nevertheless, Baynard continued to push for more jobs and better wages for the black community.
5. Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress during the racially contentious period of the late 1960s. She represented New York’s 12th District from 1969 to 1983; and in 1972, became the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
During her term as a congresswoman, Shirley pushed for a focus on racial and gender equality – issues which she brought to the national stage. She also worked tirelessly to increase the minimum wage, advocated for reproductive rights, and was co-founder of the National Congress of Black Women.
Shirley’s campaign slogan was “Unbought and unbossed”, which also titled her 1970 autobiography.
6. Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
South African activist and former president, Nelson Mandela, was a global advocate for human rights and his work helped to bring an end to the apartheid in South Africa.
Mandela was a leader of both peaceful protests and armed resistance against the oppressive white regime in racially divided South Africa. He was imprisoned for nearly three decades as a result of his actions.
After he was released in 1990 aged 71, Mandela played a role in the eradication of apartheid and, in 1994, became the first black president of South Africa. In his inaugural address, he declared, “the time for the healing of wounds has come”.
Nelson Mandela retired from politics in 1999 but remained devoted to championing peace and social justice in both his own nation and around the world. In 2013, he died aged 95.
7. Dorothy Height (1912-2010)
Dorothy Height, from Richmond, Virginia, was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. After being accepted by New York’s Barnard College in 1929, she was refused admission because the school had already filled its allowance of two black students per year.
Familiar with being the only black woman in the room, Dorothy made it her life’s work to fight for equal rights for African Americans and women.
In 1958, she became president of the National Council of Negro Women – a position she held for over 40 years and used to battle tirelessly for desegregation, criminal justice, affordable housing, and other causes for African American women.
By the 1960s, Dorothy had become one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s key advisers. As another key organiser of the 28th August 1963 March on Washington, historians believe she was the only female activist on the speakers’ platform during King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
While Dorothy’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement were overlooked at the time due to her sex, by the time of her death in 2010 she’d been rightfully recognised as a key figure.
8. Maya Angelou (1928-2014)
Maya Angelou had a five-decade-long career as a dancer, singer, actress, composer, poet, writer, and playwright. She celebrated the experience of being black in the United States and, as a civil rights activist, worked alongside figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
The challenges of Maya’s childhood had a significant impact on her writings later in life. She grew up in the black section of Stamps, Arkansas, where she experienced first-hand the racial prejudice and segregation of the Deep South. Then, at the age of seven, Maya was tragically raped by her mother’s boyfriend – after which she didn’t speak for five years.
Maya later published her New York Times best-seller I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, where she recalled her childhood experiences. In 2011, Time Magazine ranked it as one of the most influential books of modern times.
As Hollywood’s first female black director, the first female inaugural poet in American history, and winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her outstanding work, Maya continues to inspire.
9. Sojourner Truth (1797-1883)
Sojourner Truth was an author, abolitionist, evangelist, and women’s rights activist who is regarded as one of the most influential black women in American history.
As a child, Sojourner was separated from her family and sold into slavery. However, after escaping to freedom in 1826, she began to speak publicly about abolishing slavery and fighting for equal rights. Sojourner is best known for her speech “Ain’t I a woman?”, delivered at a women’s convention in Ohio in 1851.
Sojourner’s committed activism earned her an invitation to meet with President Abraham Lincoln in 1864. When the Civil War ended, she continued helping free African-Americans weighed down by poverty to find work.
As Sojourner famously said, “If the first woman that God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down, these women together ought to be able to turn it right again.”
10. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)
Frederick Douglass was a former slave who became an author, activist, public speaker, and leader in the abolitionist movement.
A talented writer, Frederick published his famous autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, in 1845, which helped bring attention to the harsh realities of slavery.
He also founded his own abolitionist newspaper, The North Star (later known as Frederick Douglass’ Papers), in 1847, which he used as a platform to share his anti-slavery views and expose the injustices of slavery.
Frederick pushed for equality and human rights until he died in 1895 – including advocating for women’s rights; specifically, the right for women to vote.
11. Malcolm X (1925-1965)
Malcolm X was an African-American Muslim minister born in Omaha, Nebraska. As a key civil rights activist, he laid the foundations for the Black Power Movement of the 1960s and 70s.
The Black Power Movement argued that black Americans should focus on creating social, economic, and political power of their own instead of seeking integration into a white-dominated society.
Unlike Martin Luther King Jr.’s peaceful protests, Malcolm X and the Black Power Movement didn’t discount the use of violence – to pursue equality, freedom, and justice “by any means necessary.”
As a result of his actions and involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X was the target of several assassination attempts. In 1965, aged 39, he was assassinated in the Manhattan Audubon Ballroom.
12. Claudette Colvin (1939-present)
Most people think of Rosa Parks in relation to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. But while Rosa’s arrest may have been the catalyst for the boycott, she wasn’t the first African-American woman to refuse to give up her seat for a white passenger.
Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin was actually the first black woman to be arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for the same act, nine months earlier.
However, black civil rights leaders halted protests due to Colvin’s age and the fact that she was pregnant at the time. They deemed her to be an inappropriate representation of the cause.
After her arrest, Colvin became a pioneer of the 1950s American Civil Rights Movement. She was one of the four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, which ruled that Montgomery’s segregated bus system was unconstitutional.
Final thoughts…
It’s inspiring to read about the stories of those who have helped to shape black history. And while the bravery and commitment of these people may not have been rightfully recognised in the past, it’s essential that we do so now.
For more history-related content, head over to the history section of our website. Here, you’ll find everything from inspirational women in history to World War II sites you can visit in Europe.
And, if you’re interested in learning about the past, why not sign up to a history event over on Rest Less Events? There’s a huge range of talks and discussions running over the next couple of months, so hopefully there’s something you’re interested in.
Which figures from black history do you find the most inspiring? Is there anyone else you’d like to see added to this list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.