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Biography dot com

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Explore articles and videos of some of the most prominent African Americans in politics, the arts, law, science and sports who have made Black History what it is today.

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Biography dot com.

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Black scientists like George Washington Carver, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Otis Boykin and Mae C. Jemison have made great contributions to scientific progress.

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From biography.com

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Stevie Wonder is an American musician and a former child prodigy who became one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century. His multi-generational hit songs include "My Cherie Amour," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "Superstition," "Living in the City," "Boogie on Reggae Woman," "Sir Duke," "That Girl" and "Part-Time Lover."

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Explore Biography.com's collection of pioneering African-American women with indelible legacies, including Charlotte E. Ray, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey, Octavia E. Butler and Shirley Chisholm. View full biographies, photos, videos and more, only at Biography.com.

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Here's a look at five African American women who overcame countless obstacles to become pioneers in their fields

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From medicine to politics to the arts, African American women have worked hard to make advances in their chosen fields. They have had to overcome countless obstacles because of their race and their gender. By leaping over these hurdles, these pioneers set an example of what can be accomplished through determination, hard work and perseverance.

Some of these African American trailblazers scored their victories long ago while others achieved their milestones recently. Let's a take at a look at a few of these amazing women both past and present.

Rebecca Lee Crumpler: Medical Pioneer

Born in 1831 (some sources say 1833), Rebecca Lee Crumpler went to medical school at a time when women of color were often denied access to even the most basic level of education. She may have been drawn to the medical profession from watching the aunt who raised her provide care for neighbors and others in need. By the 1850s, Crumpler had followed her aunt's lead, becoming a nurse in Massachusetts. She went on to enroll at the New England Female Medical College in Boston.

After earning her medical degree in 1864, Crumpler started out practicing in Boston. She moved south to Richmond, Virginia, after the end of the Civil War to provide much needed care for freed slaves. She later returned to Boston where she wrote A Book of Medical Discourses, a two-volume work on health care based on her experiences as a doctor.

Shirley Chisholm: Political Powerhouse

Shirley Chisholm spent her career being a pioneering force in the world of politics. Not only was she the first African American woman to be elected to Congress, she was the first to run for president. Chisholm, the daughter of immigrant parents, showed her potential for political greatness in her debates during her years as a student at Brooklyn College. She later worked her way up from being a teacher to an educational consultant with New York City's Bureau of Child Welfare. In 1964, Chisholm won her first election-a seat in the New York State Assembly.

Chisholm won her next victory in 1968, becoming the first African American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She decided to run for the Democratic presidential nomination a few years later, competing against frontrunner George McGovern. According to Jet magazine, Chisholm said that "I ran because somebody had to do it first. I ran because most people thought the country was not ready for a black candidate, not ready for a woman candidate. Someday-it was time in 1972 to make that someday come."

While she failed to win the nomination, Chisholm went on enjoy a long career in the legislature. She retired from politics in the early 1980s, and passed away in 2005. "I'd like them to say that Shirley Chisholm had guts," she once said, according to the New York Times. "That's how I'd like to be remembered."

Loretta Lynch: Legal Leader

A seasoned and skilled prosecutor, Loretta Lynch became the first African American woman to be appointed U.S. Attorney General in 2015. She grew up in North Carolina as the daughter of a minister and a librarian. A gifted student, Lynch graduated from Harvard University in 1981 and went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1984.

After a few years working in corporate law, Lynch joined the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn, New York. She was one of the prosecutors in the infamous Abner Louima police brutality case in 1999. Later that year, Lynch was chosen by President Bill Clinton to take over the reins of that U.S. Attorney's office, a position she held until 2001. She returned to that same post in 2010 at request of President Barack Obama and continued to tackle a variety of criminal cases, including those related to terrorism and organization crime.

Four years later, President Barack Obama sought out Lynch for the nation's leading legal job. He selected her for U.S. Attorney General in November 2014, but her confirmation had been delayed for months because of political maneuvering. Despite the delay, Lynch quickly launched an investigation into the world soccer organization FIFA and handed down more than 40 indictments on corruption-related charges.

Mae C. Jemison: Space Ace

From an early age, Mae C. Jemison dreamed of becoming a scientist and traveling in space. Her teachers were less than encouraging to this young African American girl, but she didn't let their doubts cloud her vision. Jemison went to Stanford University to study chemical engineering when she was only 16 years old. After graduating from Stanford, she went to earn a medical degree from Cornell University.

Jemison worked as a doctor and a Peace Corps volunteer before joining NASA's astronaut program in the late 1980s. In 1992, she became the first African American woman to go into space with her first mission on the Endeavor space shuttle. Jemison spent eight days orbiting the Earth conducting experiments. After leaving NASA in 1993, she has tackled a variety of science-related projects, including the Earth We Share science camp for teens and the 100 Year Starship program for interstellar space travel.

Viola Davis: Award-Winning Actress

Making television history, Viola Davis became the first African American woman to win an Emmy Award for best actress. She took home this important honor in 2015 for her portrayal of Annalise Keating in the legal drama How to Get Away with Murder. Davis had overcome great obstacles to reach the stage and accept that prestigious honor. She grew up in poverty in Rhode Island. Davis "didn't know where the next meal was coming from," according to US magazine. "I did everything to get food," she explained.

Davis also had to contend with a lot of racial prejudice as a child. She and her family were the only African Americans in their community, and she found herself being teased by her classmates because of her race. Davis found inspiration in African American actresses such as Cicely Tyson. As she explained to the Telegraph newspaper, "I first saw her when I was six and I just knew I was watching something different. I started to see acting as an art form."

Davis went on to study at the famed Juilliard school and earned two Tony Awards and an Academy Award nomination before her big Emmy Award win. In her Emmy acceptance speech, she reminded everyone that the entertainment world still had far to go in breaking down barriers for African American performers. Davis said that "the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there."

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Achieving the Dream: Five African American Women Trailblazers

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From medicine to politics to the arts, African American women have worked hard to make advances in their chosen fields. They have had to overcome countless obstacles because of their race and their gender. By leaping over these hurdles, these pioneers set an example of what can be accomplished through determination, hard work and perseverance.

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African-Americans have faced many obstacles over the course of history, but this hasn't stopped bright, innovative individuals from developing inventions that have changed the world. From the traffic light to the blood bank, here are some famous African-American...

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African-Americans have faced many obstacles over the course of history, but this hasn't stopped bright, innovative individuals from developing inventions that have changed the world. From the traffic light to the blood bank, here are some famous African-American inventors.

Garret Augustus Morgan Garrett Morgan opened up a sewing machine and shoe repair shop in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1907. An innovative mind, he kept busy creating prototypes to solve many everyday problems. One of his first creations was a liquid that straightened fabric-which he later sold as a product for hair straightening.

In 1911, after hearing about the tragic deaths in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Morgan invented a safety hood and smoke protector for firefighters. The hood, which contained a wet sponge to filter out smoke and cool the air, became the precursor to the gas mask. To sell his safety hood, Morgan had to hire a white actor to pretend to be the inventor.

In 1923, Morgan patented another useful invention: A hand-cranked mechanical signal machine for traffic crossing. It would eventually lead to the creation of the traffic light.

Charles Drew African-American surgeon Charles Drew felt called to the study of medicine after his sister, Elsie, died of Influenza. He excelled in medical school, and became a doctor around the beginning of World War II. Drew was recruited to set up a program for blood storage in Britain, which laid the foundation for the American Red Cross Blood Bank. In 1943, Drew was chosen as the first African-American surgeon to serve as examiner on the American Board of Surgery.

Lewis Howard Latimer Though Thomas Edison is recognized as the inventor of the light bulb, African-American inventor Lewis Latimer played an important role in its development. In 1881, Latimer patented a method for making carbon filaments, allowing light bulbs to burn for hours instead of minutes. Latimer also drafted the drawings that helped Alexander Graham Bell receive a patent for the telephone.

George Carruthers Physicist and inventor George Carruthers built his first telescope at age 10, and has spent the rest of his life making important contributions to the study of outer space. Carruthers has developed ways to use ultraviolet imaging in order to view images in deep space that were previously impossible to see. In 1972, Carruthers invented the "Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectograph," the first moon-based observatory. It was used in the Apollo 16 mission. Then, in 1986, one of his inventions captured an image of Hailey's Comet-the first time a comet had ever been pictured from space.

Elijah McCoy This list wouldn't be complete without The Real McCoy. Elijah McCoy was born in 1844 to parents who fled from slavery in Kentucky, via the Underground Railroad. McCoy was born free in Canada, and moved back to the United States when he was 5. At age 15, he traveled to Edinburgh in Scotland for an apprenticeship, and returned as a mechanical engineer. In Detroit, he took a job as a fireman and oiler for the Michigan Central Railroad, unable to find any other work. At his home workshop, McCoy developed an automatic lubricator for oiling steam engines on trains and ships. McCoy's invention allowed trains to run faster and longer without stopping for maintenance. The invention was so good, it was referred to as "the real McCoy," in order to differentiate it from other pale imitations that popped up on the market.

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African-Americans have faced many obstacles over the course of history, but this hasn't stopped bright, innovative individuals from developing inventions that have changed the world. From the traffic light to the blood bank, here are some famous African-American inventors. Garret Augustus Morgan Garrett Morgan opened up a sewing machine and shoe repair shop in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1907.

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Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers from Scholastic

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Civil rights figures Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X applied different strategies in the struggle for equality. Landmark legal cases and laws during the era include Brown v Board of Education, the Civil Rights acts of 1957 and 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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MLK text set from Newsela that allows students to compare the profiles and speeches of 5 world and/or presidential leaders. This selection includes MLK, JFK, Obama, Reagan, and

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Civil rights activists, known for their fight against social injustice and their lasting impact on the lives of all oppressed people, include Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. Du Bois and Malcolm X.

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This is a collection of relevant articles from Newsela.

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Articles mainly about Egypt from Newsela.

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Newsela | Historical Thinking Skills: Ancient Civilizations

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Successful black business owners.

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Explore Biography.com's collection of African-American entrepreneurs and industry leaders, including Edward T. Lewis, Madam C.J. Walker, Oprah Winfrey, Tyra Banks and Wally Amos. View full biographies, photos, videos and more, only at Biography.com.

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The transatlantic slave trade brought slaves to the Americas. Attempts to abolish slavery — and keep it — led to the Underground Railroad, the States' Rights Doctrine, Missouri Compromise, Dred Scott V. Sanford, Lincoln-Douglas Debates and Civil War. Free blacks suffered from limited opportunities.

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Black Heroes from Newsela.

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Free leveled news, primary sources, and more, with standards-aligned formative assessments.

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Various biograp;his on famous African Americans.

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Learn about the biography and life of African Americans including Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Ruby Bridges, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Barak Obama, and more.

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National Geographic for Kids

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NATURE
There are six national parks and many smaller nature reserves, which were set up to help protect Ghana's wildlife. There are over 650 butterfly species in the Kakum National Park, including the giant swallowtails, which are nearly 8 inches (20 centimeters) across.

The park is also home to leopards, hornbills, Diana monkeys, flying squirrels, and scarlet-tailed African gray parrots.

Elephants, leopards, wild buffalo, and antelope were once plentiful across the savanna, but now are found mostly in nature reserves. Elephants, crocodiles, warthogs, and hippos can be seen around the watering holes in the Mole National Park.

Poisonous snakes such as the cobra and puff adder are native to Ghana as are pythons, which don't bite, but can squeeze their victims to death.

The baobab tree grows in the northern parts Ghana and other savannas in Africa. Ghanaians eat the large, gourd-like fruit, they make barrels from the trunk, the tree provides shade from the sun, and the bark can be made into rope and clothing.

The Volta River was dammed in the 1960s and created Lake Volta, one of the Earth's largest artificial lakes.

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Ghana Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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NATURE There are six national parks and many smaller nature reserves, which were set up to help protect Ghana's wildlife. There are over 650 butterfly species in the Kakum National Park, including the giant swallowtails, which are nearly 8 inches (20 centimeters) across.

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See all the wonderful things Rootz Levi has made