notable african americans
condoleezza rice
Condoleezza Rice was born on November 14, 1954, and is currently 58 years old. She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama surrounded by racism. Rice went to three different universities to complete her education with a doctorate degree. In 1981, she joined Stanford University as part of their staff. She was the first African American to become a senior administrative officer at Stanford. In 2001, Rice became the national security adviser under George W. Bush; she was the first black woman and second woman to be appointed to this position. For 5 years Condoleezza Rice was the first black woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. In this position she mainly focused on “Transformational Diplomacy.” This means she focused her attention on governing and sustaining states around the world, the Middle East in particular. Currently, as of 2012, Rice declared she would be returning to Stanford University as a professor in political science.
malcolm x
Malcolm X, a black muslim, was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. Malcolm X was a huge civil rights activist as well as a victim of racism from white groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Malcolm X attended school as the only black student; however, he was very much liked by his friends and classmates. He was even elected class president. At the age of 15, Malcolm X dropped out of school because one of his teachers told him it was not possible for him to become a lawyer when he grew up. He moved out to Boston and had troubles living on the streets so he turned to selling drugs. Malcolm X was arrested in 1946 when he started his ten-year jail sentence. In jail he resorted to reading to help pass the time and to make up for all of the years of education he missed. Members of the Nation of Islam frequently visited him, and once out of jail this is what Malcolm X dedicated his time to. He became a minister for a few different temples and started up a few on his own. He continued to dedicate his life to spreading the word of Islam until the day he was assassinated by three members of the Nation of Islam. He was 39 years old when he died on February 21, 1965.
rosa parks
Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Rosa Parks is most famous as a Civil Rights activist. The most controversial issue regarding racism involved Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Rosa was exposed to racism and discrimination at a young age. The grade school she attended was a segregated, one-room school that often lacked appropriate learning materials. Rosa did go on to earn her high school diploma in 1933 with the help of her husband, Raymond Parks. She soon became an active member of the NAACP, a civil rights group where she also served as the secretary to NAACP President Nixon. She held this post for many years. On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks boarded a Montgomery bus after a long day of work. Back then, blacks had to sit in the back of the bus and if more white passengers boarded, black passengers would be asked to give up their seats. Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, which launched a citywide bus boycott and also a national effort to end segregation and racism in the south. She died on October 24, 2005 and will remain an important figure for Civil Rights.
stevie wonder
Stevie Wonder was born on May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, Michigan. He is a famous, blind pianist, singer/songwriter. Wonder was born blind due to too much exposure to oxygen in the incubator as a baby. He showed an amazing interest in music at an early age. He also taught himself how to play the harmonica, piano, and drums all before the age of ten. He signed a record deal at the age of twelve when founded by Berry Gordy Jr. Some of his hit singles include “Living in the City” and “Isn’t She Lovely.” He won 15 Grammy Awards within a decade, an amazing accomplishment. A lot of Stevie Wonder’s work happened to cross racial lines. He was taking a stand against the social issues through his music. One of his famous controversial songs entitled “I Just Called to Say I Love You” won Wonder an Oscar. Although Stevie Wonder is a lot older now, he is still writing music. His last album was released in 2005. In total throughout his career he has won 25 Grammys, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recently in 2009 was recognized for Popular Song by the Second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize.
wanda sykes
Wanda Sykes is a popular comedian born on March 7, 1964 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Sykes originally started out as an officer at the National Security Agency, but came to find that wasn’t the job for her. She felt much more comfortable up on stage. Today, Wanda Sykes is a memorable comedian who shares her experiences with the world as she sees it and not with false hope. Sykes appears in many different types of TV shows, movies, and comedies including The Chris Rock Show, Monster-in-Law, Evan Almighty, Over the Hedge, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Sykes struggled to do her own thing. Many times she tried to start her own shows, but often times the shows ran for one or two seasons, sometimes not at all, until they were cancelled. Growing up in a religious community, Sykes struggled with the fact that she was gay. She knew she was gay, but because of her families religious beliefs thought it would be better for her to live her life as a straight woman. She was married once before her current marriage to a man, and when that relationship ended she had a break through and began dating women. She is currently married to a woman with two children. Sykes uses her celebrity fame to speak about same-sex marriage, and is also trying to restore same-sex marriage in the state of California.
barack obama
Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is currently the 44th President of the United States of America. During his younger years Obama has always succeeded in school. He graduated from the Punahou Academy with high honors as one of three black students at that school. Obama mentions that he struggled with racism and what it meant to be African American. He had difficulties defining himself along with his heritage. He graduated from Colombia University in New York with a degree in political science. Obama had his first job in Chicago as a lawyer. Next he went on to run for Illinois State Senate. He tried to run for U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, but failed so he began fundraising to run for U.S. Senate. He became a part of the U.S. Senate in 2004 as the third African American elected. Obama stayed in the Senate four years when after his term he decided to run for president and defeated John McCain. He chose Joe Biden, a white political businessman, as his vice president. Also, he ran for second term as president in 2012 and defeated the Republican Party again. Obama was just recently inaugurated for his second term in January of 2013. He has made many contributions to the nation throughout his time as president.