African-American non-fiction writers

Voddie Tharon Baucham, Jr. was an American Reformed Baptist pastor, author, and educator. He served as Dean of Theology for nine years, from 2015 to 2024, at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia.

Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president. Obama previously served as a U.S. senator representing Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination, which most commonly affected African Americans.

American poet, author, and civil rights activist (1928–2014)

Malcolm X was an African American revolutionary and Black nationalist leader who rose from a background of poverty, family disruption, and criminal activity to a prominent figure during the civil rights movement until his assassination in 1965. He discovered the religious organization the Nation of Islam while in prison and served as its spokesperson from 1952 until 1964. He was also a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the African American community. A controversial figure accused of preaching violence, Malcolm X is also a celebrated figure with Black people and Muslims worldwide for his pursuit of racial justice.

Tupac Amaru Shakur was an American rapper and actor. He was one of the most influential musical artists of the 20th century, and a prominent political activist for Black America. He is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Some of Shakur's music addressed social injustice, political issues, and the marginalization of African Americans, but he was also synonymous with gangsta rap and violent lyrics.

American actress, comedian, author and television personality

Bahamian and American actor and diplomat (1927–2022)

American basketball player

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. He was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, Jay-Z is known for his complex lyricism that often uses double entendres, wordplay, and braggadocio. His music is built on a rags to riches narrative. He is the wealthiest musical artist in history, worth US$2.8 billion as of 2026.

American doctor and NASA astronaut

American singer (1950–2015)

American actress, writer, and producer (born 1976)

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991

American politician and civil rights leader (1940–2020)

Candace Amber Owens Farmer is an American political commentator, author, and conspiracy theorist. Her political positions have mostly been described as conservative or far-right. She has promoted conspiracy theories on a wide range of subjects throughout her career. Since 2024, she has espoused antisemitic conspiracy theories.

American rapper and actor (born 1972)

American Baptist minister, activist and talk show host

American singer

American pastor and politician (born 1969)

American track and field athlete

free-born African American kidnapped by slave-traders

American writer, journalist, and educator

American activist (1912-2010)

American writer and activist (1871–1938)

American rapper, actor and record executive

Earl Tywone Stevens (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. Stevens is a founding member of the rap group the Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 27 studio albums to date, appeared on numerous movie soundtracks, and has also done guest appearances on a host of other rap albums. Initially an underground artist, his 1995 solo album In a Major Way opened him up to a wider audience. Beginning in 1998, he began collaborating with mainstream rappers outside the San Francisco Bay Area. He rose to higher mainstream popularity in 2

American literary critic, professor and historian (born 1950)

American actress and model

American physician (1831 - 1895)

American entrepreneur and record executive

American environmental advocate and civil rights activist

American record executive (born 1956)

American journalist (1948-2022)

American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, playwright, editor and publisher

American rapper from New York (born 1974)

African-American surgeon, teacher and politician (1919–2004)

American author and historian

American football player and media personality (born 1971)

American academic and linguist

African-American historian and philosopher; theorist of Afrocentricity

American rapper

Don Renaldo Lemon-Clark is an American television journalist best known for being a host on CNN from 2014 until 2023. He anchored weekend news programs on local television stations in Alabama and Pennsylvania during his early days as a journalist. Lemon worked as a news correspondent for NBC on its programming, such as Today and NBC Nightly News.

American civil rights activist (1914–1999)

American javelin thrower

American television broadcaster (born 1960)

American actress

African-American entrepreneur (1814-1904)

American bodybuilder

American travel writer

American politician

American radio and TV host and political commentator

American football player and coach (born 1955)

American fiction writer, memoirist, essayist

American dressmaker and author (1818–1907)

American legal academic and writer

American fiction writer, essayist, and academic (born 1948)

American feminist activist (1938–2022)

American basketball player

United States writer, political and labor movement activist (1905–1987)