Some people are naturally athletic, while others must work extremely hard to excel at sports. If you’re the former, then you know what it feels like to have natural talent and a specific sport as your forte. On the other hand, if you’d rather be the latter, then you also know what it feels like to have little or no talent in any given sport and work hard every day to improve your game. Depending on your individual circumstances, working hard can mean anything from practicing drills frequently to attending practices regularly and training with intensity. Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, there are certain individuals who were able to overcome the odds by pushing their limits and achieving greatness despite external factors that might have otherwise been insurmountable barriers. Moreover, these individuals provided inspiration and motivation for everyone around them because they had a positive outlook on life and didn’t allow limitations stop them from fulfilling their dreams. In this article, we look at some famous African American athletes that you should aspire to become. 

Carl Lewis

Carl Lewis is considered one of the greatest athletes ever and is known for winning nine Olympic gold medals and ten Olympic medals, nine of them gold. He won ten Olympic medals, nine of them gold, as an Olympic athlete. He was recognized for his speed and length in the sprints and long jump, both of which he proved to be exceptional. He competed in five Olympic Games, a feat for any track and field athlete. Because of his superb track and field performances, he was named “Athlete of the Century”.

In 1984, Lewis became the first athlete to win nine gold medals in one Olympics when he won nine long jump titles in Los Angeles. Lewis, who had been inspired by Jesse Owens, won gold medals in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and the 4×100 meter relay at the Los Angeles Games. A sports superstar was born. Ben Johnson was disqualified from the 1988 Seoul Games after he had won the 100 meter race. He also won the long jump and the 200 meter event, while finishing second in the other two events. Mike Powell, the world champion, was beaten by three centimeters in the long jump final of the Barcelona Olympics when Carl Lewis was the anchor of the world record-setting US relay team. From 1996 to 2000, he needed all three jumps to qualify for the final and made the final. In Atlanta, he just managed to hold on to the lead with his third jump and won the gold medal. He is one of only three Olympians to win the same individual event nine times, along with Carl Lewis and Lu Trong Vu. He also won nine gold medals.

As a result of his achievements, he has been honored with numerous awards, including being voted the International Association of Athletics Federations’ “Century” athlete and the International Olympic Committee’s “Century” sportsman, Sports Illustrated’s “Olympian of the Century”, and “Athlete of the Year” by Track & Field News in 1982, 1983, and 1984.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

After winning six Olympic track and field medals (three gold), Sports Illustrated dubbed Joyner-Kersee to be the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century. With a career average of 9.6 points per game, Kersee also was a four-year starter on the UCLA women’s basketball; she was also rated the top 15 best players in school history. Two-time heptathlon NCAA champion Kersee was honoured in 2001 as the top female collegiate athlete of the previous 25 years. . Kersee cited her brother Al’s gold medal in the triple jump as inspiration for the following four years. She was hampered by a hamstring injury during the games and took silver.

Kersee showcased one of her most remarkable performances at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. She set a world record for three decades by winning the gold in the heptathlon, apart from winning the gold in the long jump. At the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, Joyner-Kersee repeated as the heptathlon gold medalist by winning her first two bronze medals in the long jump. All of her achievements are truly spectacular, particularly considering Kersee was suffering from asthma, a breathing problem; the feared the condition would prevent her from ever becoming an athlete was so much that she chose to hide the information from her coaches..

Joyner-Kersee has continued to remain active in the community after retiring from track and field. She founded the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, collaborated with the Christian Activity Center, Comcast, and Intel to give low-income families laptops, internet service, and computer clubs. Kersee continues to be involved in a number of other projects, Athletes for Hope organization.

Final Words

When it comes to athletics, you can either allow external factors to affect your performance, or you can fight against them and seek to achieve greatness. No matter where you are on this spectrum, these famous African Americans athletes will provide inspiration and motivation for you because they didn’t allow external factors to stop them from achieving greatness. Regardless of whether you’re a natural athlete or you have to work extremely hard to achieve results, these people will show you that external factors don’t have to stop you from reaching your goals.

The above is a list of famous African Americans who have shown us that external factors may stop you from achieving greatness, but they don’t have to. The fact that they have achieved these feats while being a member of an ethnic minority is a testament to their strength and perseverance.

Greatness can be achieved in any area of life, and it takes a lot of hard work and preparation to achieve greatness. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to be a natural athlete or have a lot of natural ability to be great. It can happen to anyone who puts in the work and does what’s necessary to achieve greatness. These people didn’t let external factors stop them from achieving greatness.

Joe Louis Barrow made his entrance into the world on the 13th of May, 1914, in the state of Alabama. His ancestors were part Cherokee, and they suffered the indignity of being enslaved. In his family, he was the seventh out of a total of eight children. When the boy’s father, Munroe Barrow, had to be institutionalized because he exhibited severe behavioral issues. Lily was a devoted mother who put a lot of work into raising her children. She instilled in them wonderful manners and did all in her power to give them a good education. After getting married to Pat Brooks, a widower who already had eight children, and moving the family to Detroit, where there was a significant supply of industrial work opportunities, she became a stepmother. They fled the South in the anticipation of a better life in other regions of the nation and did not look back.

Because Joe was reticent, quiet, and uninterested in his homework, his peers frequently mistook him for an imbecile. This led to Joe’s poor academic performance. When he initially became interested in boxing, he was training at Brewster’s East Side Gymnasium in New York City. It was a buddy of his who escorted him inside. In an effort to conceal the truth from his mother, he posed as someone other than Joseph Louis and went by a new name; nonetheless, his mother was able to figure it out in the end.

Soon after the two men first met, John Roxborough became Louis’ manager. Roxborough had a history of success on the amateur boxing circuit in Detroit, having previously won a championship. Jack Kracken was knocked out in the first round by Louis in his first fight as a professional, which took place on July 4, 1934. Julian Black, a friend of Roxborough’s from Chicago who had some experience promoting bouts, was recruited on board by the company, and Jack Blackburn, Roxborough’s trainer, was also brought on board. In the years 1934 and 1935, Louis won a total of $371,645 in professional prize money, which is equivalent to over 300 times the yearly salary of the typical American.

In 1935, the management team that was in charge of Louis’s career attempted to organize a fight between Louis and the heavyweight champion of the time, James J. Braddock. In order for Louis to become the champion of the heavyweight division, he had to prove that people would be interested in hearing his name. He achieved this success by prevailing over his earlier opponents. In 1936, both the Schmeling and Louis teams reached a consensus that they would forgo competing in any tournaments in the year leading up to their showdown. This agreement was formalized by the absence of a clause stating that the pact was legally binding. Louis was off playing golf while everything was happening on around him. Louis was undefeated in his first 27 fights as a professional, and he had won 23 of those fights through knockout. After 27 fights, Louis was unbeaten. The odds for Louis to win the fight against Schmeling were 10 to 1. Louis was a huge favorite to win the fight. Aficionados of combat sports in the United States were taken aback when Schmeling defeated Louis through knockout in the twelfth round. The result came as a complete surprise to American combat sports fans.

After suffering his first defeat in a battle of a professional nature, Louis was inspired to redouble his efforts in order to triumph against Schmeling. It generated a ruckus when the scheduled title battle between Schmeling and Braddock had to be postponed because of the rising popularity of Hitler and the prospect of war. Braddock and Schmeling were supposed to fight each other. Because fewer individuals opposed the choice, Louis was chosen to compete against Braddock. This was one of the factors that led to their success. Louis knocked out his opponent in the eighth round, which resulted in the bout being stopped and gave him the new world heavyweight championship. 1938 was the year that Joe Louis finally acknowledged that he was the undisputed heavyweight champion once and for all when he knocked out Schmeling in a flash.

Louis was the first individual in the history of boxing to ever hold the heavyweight title for as long as he did, which was a total of 12 years and 24 matches. During his reign, Louis won a total of 24 contests. Following the entry of the United States into World War II, Louis was required to serve in the armed forces as part of a mandatory draft. In order to collect money for the military and promote army morale, he participated in many exhibition fights. His efforts were fruitful in the end. He gave philanthropic donations to organizations that support the armed services as a way to express his loyalty to his country and his appreciation for the sacrifices made by those serving in the armed forces. In spite of the fact that there may be a great deal wrong with the United States of America, Louis made the comment that Hitler is unable to change it.

In 1949, Louis entered retirement without ever having been defeated. A few years later, he was unable to file his return because he owed a significant amount of back taxes. This was the obstacle that stood in his way. He provided for his family by purchasing homes and automobiles for his parents and siblings, as well as covering all of their educational expenditures, including those associated with attending college. His generosity extended even to people he had never met before, as evidenced by the fact that he often gave twenty dollar notes to anyone who came up to him and made the request. The Joe Louis Milk Company, Joe Louis Punch (a sort of beverage), Louis-Rower P.R. (a corporation), a horse farm, and other companies were all a part of Joe Louis Enterprises, in addition to the Joe Louis Restaurant and the Joe Louis Insurance Company. His family was able to get their welfare benefits reinstated because of the considerable contributions that Louis made to both the federal government and the city of Detroit. Due to the fact that he was so successful in the boxing ring, he was able to provide a considerable amount of money to the overall war effort. As was typical for boxers at the time, Louis did nothing to prepare for his financial future, and as a direct result of this, he owed a substantial sum of unpaid taxes.

Both Louis’ professional and personal life were extremely busy. In 1935, Louis and Marva Trotter wed only a few hours before the fight that was scheduled to take place between Louis and Max Baer. After the argument, Louis filed for divorce from Marva and married again. In 1955, well-known Harlem entrepreneur Louis Morgan and his wife, Rose Morgan, filed for divorce from one another. In 1959, Martha Jefferson, also a Jefferson, became Louis Jefferson’s wife. The following year, however, she filed for divorce from him. In addition to his relationships with showgirls and other women, he was romantically involved with Lena Horne, Sonja Henie, and Lana Turner. In addition to that, he had sexual relations with other women outside of his marriage. It was recommended to Louis by his management team that he avoid interacting with white women, and he quickly realized the significance of being cautious in his romantic connections as a result. Jacqueline and Joe Louis Barrow Jr. were adopted by Louis and Marva Barrow, and the couple also had two biological children of their own.

He worked as a greeter in a casino in Las Vegas toward the end of his life, and Louis was able to spend his final years surrounded by the people he loved the most. On April 12, 1981, in Arlington National Cemetery, the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, presided over the military honors that were held in honor of Louis.

Even though African American athletes had to contend with a number of obstacles, they have accomplished an incredible amount of success despite those obstacles. Despite the odds being stacked against them, African American sportsmen like Joe Louis have been able to achieve great success in their respective fields.

Racism is one of the most obvious problems that African American athletes face, which is one of a number of significant obstacles they face. Unfortunately, racism is still strongly ingrained in today’s culture in many different forms. African American athletes face racism not just from the general public but also from the media. This racism comes from both individuals and institutions. The media frequently gives the impression that African American athletes perform at a lesser level than white athletes do, which is not accurate. As a consequence of this, it is probable that African American athletes may have a more difficult time being considered seriously.

For African American athletes, overcoming poverty is simply another obstacle on their long list of things to do. A sizeable percentage of African-American athletes come from families with low or nonexistent incomes. As a direct result of this, they typically do not have access to the same resources that are offered to other athletes. Because of this, it may be difficult for individuals to acquire the necessary assistance and training for their situation.

African American athletes continue to shatter stereotypes and accomplish incredible feats, in spite of the obstacles that stand in their way. Many African American athletes, such as Joe Louis, have gone on to become some of the most accomplished competitors in their respective areas. Joe Louis is just one example of this. They have been successful in spite of the many obstacles they have had to overcome. Athletes of African American heritage set an example for the rest of us to emulate and should be looked up to as role models.

Black actors have always been a staple in Hollywood. From the early days of silent movies, black actors have been playing characters on the big screen. Black actors roles in Hollywood can be traced back to the minstrel shows of the late 19th century, and with that came their stereotypical roles – as servants, cowboys, or simple maids. Things have changed since then, and now there are many more black actors working in Hollywood. And with so many new faces, you may not know much about them yet.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His father died of cirrhosis of the liver. After his father’s death, he was sent to live with his grandmother in Charleston, Mississippi. In Nashville, Tennessee, he won a drama competition. He also appeared on a radio show there. Freeman, who was a drama scholarship recipient at Jackson State University, turned down a position as a mechanic in the US Air Force in favor of working as a mechanic in the Memphis area. The World’s Fair in New York City in 1964 was Freeman’s first appearance on Broadway as a dancer. He played The Royal Hunt of the Sun on tour with a troupe in the 1960s and Hello Dolly! on Broadway in the same decade. Freeman’s character in these two productions was a transcript clerk before moving to New York City and performing as a dancer.

In 1971, Freeman made his film debut in Who Says I Can’t Ride A Rainbow? He gained notoriety for his performances in Another World and The Electric Company before making his debut on the big screen in Who Says I Can’t Ride A Rainbow? In the 1980s, Freeman portrayed a large number of supporting characters. In Driving Miss Daisy, he played Sergeant Major Rawlins as well as Red, a character who has been changed into a convict after being exposed to radiation. He subsequently appeared in films such as The Shawshank Redemption and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with various big names.

At the 77th Academy Awards, Morgan Freeman won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Million Dollar Baby, where he starred opposite Hilary Swank. Freeman has played God twice in the critically acclaimed comedies Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty, where he portrayed Lucius Fox. Freeman also portrayed Lucius Fox in the two Christopher Nolan superhero pictures, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. In addition, he has provided narration for several films, including the award-winning March of the Penguins documentary and the invasion thriller War of the Worlds. Morgan Freeman lives in New York and Charleston, Mississippi, and he owns a blues club in nearby Clarksdale. He co-owns a high-end dining establishment called Madidi. In 2008, Freeman publicly endorsed Barack Obama’s presidential bid.

Don Cheadle

Cheadle was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He moved from city to city with his family as a child. Cheadle earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in fine arts from the California Institute of the Arts and subsequently pursued a range of auditions. Cheadle was encouraged by his college friends to seek out auditions and landed a recurring role on the hit series Fame. Cheadle’s performance as Denzel Washington’s son in Devil in a Blue Dress garnered critical acclaim and led to his selection as Best Supporting Actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics. Hotel Rwanda, Cheadle’s second film, was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, Broadcast Film Critics and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor.

He is an accomplished stage actor and director as well as a talented musician who plays saxophone, writes music, and sings. And was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album for his Walter Mosley novel ‘Fear Itself.’ He was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album for his narration/dramatization of the same book. Other notable off-stage accomplishments include the 2007 BET Humanitarian Award for the cause of the people of Darfur and Rwanda and sharing the Summit Peace Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome with George Clooney for their work in Darfur.

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart’s career in stand-up comedy began after he graduated from high school and took him to New York and Los Angeles. I’m a Grown Little Man was published in 2009. After the success of his 2011 tour, Laugh at My Pain, which brought in $15 million, Hart went on to feature in films including Think Like a Man, About Last Night, Get Hard, Central Intelligence, and two Jumanji movies.

Hart was born in Philadelphia on July 6, 1979. Nancy, Hart’s mother, raised her son alone when her spouse developed narcotics and legal troubles. Throughout Hart’s formative years, his father, Henry Hart, spent much time behind bars. In order to deal with the trauma he experienced as a youngster, Hart turned to humor. The relationship between Henry Sr. and Henry Jr. has been repaired now that Henry has sobered up.

The struggles of his youth informed Hart’s comedic outlook. His comedy, he claims, “comes from true experience.” Hart deeply respects the work of Chris Tucker and J.B. Smoove.

Upon graduating from high school, Hart initially settled in New York City before eventually settling in Brockton, Massachusetts. In Philadelphia, where he was selling shoes, Hart’s stand-up career took off.

Poor start. Hart used the alias “Little Kevin the Bastard” when performing in dive bars and other low-key venues. Some others who watched Hart just didn’t think he was humorous. I wanted to be everything,” he said honestly. “Puzzled, I couldn’t make sense of it. I had no idea what to do.”

Veteran comic Keith Robinson encouraged Hart to use his true name on stage and assisted him in writing stuff based on his own experiences. Eventually, I was successful. He began performing in venues around the country after winning amateur stand-up competitions.

Hart’s humor borrows from the styles of Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and Bernie Mac.

As his stand-up career flourished, ABC handed Hart a comedy, The Big House. Hart portrayed himself in the program as a prosperous young man who, after been embezzled, is forced to relocate from Hawaii to Philadelphia. The absurd premise of the show led to its early cancellation after only six episodes.

Fast healing allowed Hart to go back to normal soon. His reputation as one of comedy’s top young actors was solidified with his performance in I’m a Little Grown Man (2006). His follow-up release, 2013’s Seriously Funny, was just as well received.

Black women have been playing black characters on screen since the beginning of film. These actresses represent black women’s struggles in Hollywood from past to present. They survived; rather, it was against racist executives or biased peers. These African-American actresses have made a name for themselves, and they continue to go to new heights. From movie stars to soap opera legends and television icons, these actors had to work harder than others to get where they are today. As you read about these famous black actresses in history and discover more about the films they appeared in, it’s clear in history some white Hollywood producers would rather forget about them than give them a fair chance at success.

Hattie McDaniel

Hattie McDaniel was an African-American actress who became the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in “Gone With the Wind.” She was also the first black person to win an Oscar. McDaniel’s legacy is strong, as she was the first black person to be nominated for an Academy Award and paved the way for many actors yet to be born. Her grace in many times hostile environments was a testament to her.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is an American actress and comedian who is best known for her roles in movies such as “Ghost,” “The Color Purple,” and “Sister Act.” Goldberg has also had a successful career as an author writing many books. Goldberg has starred in over 150 films, one of the 16 individuals to achieve the EGOT, winning the four prominent American awards for professionals: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. She is the first black woman to do so. Goldberg has also been on “The View” for many years, where she is a co-host. She is also well known for her activism and philanthropy to support underprivileged children and families. People mostly know Goldberg for her work as an actress and activism, but she has also been successful in other areas of her career. She has been able to balance acting and activism with her other work, which is impressive for an actress.

Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson was an American actress who is best known for her roles in movies such as “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” “Sounder,” and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” She also had a successful acting career on stage, having been nominated six times for an Emmy award and winning one. Tyson has also been a successful author and playwright, having written three books and one play. She won several awards for her acting career and was even nominated for an Oscar, but Tyson was also well known for her charitable work. Tyson has been involved in many philanthropic causes over the years, including the Center for the Study of Black Culture and the United Negro College Fund. Tyson has been a successful actress and philanthropist for many years.

Despite the fact that Tyson was born into a society that decried black women as ‘worthless,’ she proved herself and raised the bar. She was extremely selective about the parts she played, and she wanted to perform only those roles that had a lot of depth and significance. As a result, her career did not always progress smoothly. It was frequently difficult for her to obtain meaningful work. Sounder, The Help, The Trip to Bountiful, Miss Jane Pittman’s Autobiography, Roots, and Sounder are among Tyson’s many successful acting projects. Tyson won four Black Reel Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, one Tony Award, one Screen Actors Guild Award, a Peabody Award, and an honorary Academy Award.

Ruby Dee

One of the most important actors and social activists in African American theatre and film, who pioneered new approaches to the profession and was famous for her outspoken civil rights advocacy. The partnership between Dee and her husband, Ossie Davis, was regarded as one of the theatre and film world’s most important. After graduating from Hunter College, Dee had an apprenticeship with the American Negro Theatre and began appearing on Broadway. From 1948 onwards, she appeared with her husband in plays, films, and television programs, due to her excellent acting abilities.

Davis and Dee headlined in A Raisin in the Sun and the parodic Purlie Victorious, which Davis wrote; Davis also starred in the movie version of the play, and Dee portrayed it as well. The two individuals were involved in several Spike Lee pictures, including Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever. Davis and Dee participated in the March on Washington, which they had organized as well as in their activism; they served as master and mistress of ceremonies in 1963.

She was the first black woman to play leading roles at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut, in 1965. She was also the first black actress to be given a regular part on a prime-time television show, Peyton Place.

Dee was listed on several awards lists, including the National Medal of Arts in 1995 and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2004. In 2005 Dee was recognized as a lifetime achievement recipient by the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett is an American actress and producer who is best known for her roles in movies and television. Bassett has also been a successful producer, having produced several TV shows and films. She has won many awards for her work. Bassett is an actress who is still active and working, having won many awards throughout her career.

Angela’s acting career began on stage as a result of directing Lloyd Richards, an acclaimed stage director. Angela appeared in two August Wilson plays, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Come and Gone,” at the Yale Repertory Theatre in 1984 and 1986. In addition, she played “Black Girl” at Second Stage Theatre. Angela immediately turned to films and television after appearing on stage. She was, however, initially cast in stereotypical roles reserved for African-Americans. Angela’s big break came in 1993 when she was cast in the biographical film “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” She subsequently appeared in biographies “Malcolm X” and “Panther.” In 1991, she had her first major role in “Boyz n the Hood.” She was cast as Malcolm X and the movie “Panther” in 1993. She was hired to play What’s Love Got to Do with It? in 1993, after which she appeared in the biographical film.

Debi Thomas came into the world on March 25th, 1967. She competed in figure skating in the World Championships and the Olympics and is also a doctor in the United States. In 1986, she made history by being the first Black athlete from any country in the world to win a medal at the World Championships, and in 1988, she won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics.

Thomas was a trailblazer not just for African-American women in the sport of figure skating but also for African-American athletes in general. When Debi Thomas was five years old, she started figure skating, and when she was nine years old, she won her first competition. After that, she was completely hooked.

At the age of ten, she signed a contract with coach Alex McGowan, and she was trained by him all the way until the Olympics. She played the sport all through middle school and high school before enrolling at Stanford University to further her education. She competed for the Los Angeles Skating Club while she was attending Stanford for her engineering studies.

Thomas competed in the United States Nationals in 1986, which was her first year as a freshman in college. She finished in first place, one year after placing in second place.

After that, Thomas took part in the 1988 Winter Olympics, which were held in Calgary, Canada. It was believed that Thomas was the only figure skater in the world who could compete with Katarina Witt of East Germany. Thomas is regarded as one of the best figure skaters in the world. Thomas was the first African American to earn a medal in any event at the Winter Olympics. Although she was unable to beat Witt on the ice, she did take bronze and became the first person to do so.

As a result of his victories in the 1986 U.S. National Ladies’ Figure Skating Championships and the Ladies’ championship at the 1986 World Figure Skating Championships, Thomas was named the Athlete of the Year by the U.S. television series Wide World of Sports in 1986. She was the first female athlete to win those titles while still attending college full-time since Tenley Albright in the 1950s. In 1983, she became a member of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club and so launched her professional career. Starting when she was ten years old and continuing until she was 21 years old, her trainer was Alex McGowan. During that time, she competed in amateur events. In 1987, Thomas suffered Achilles tendinitis in both of her ankles, which caused her to struggle during the United States Nationals and ultimately place second to Jill Trenary. However, Thomas returned for the World Championships and again placed second, this time to East German skater Katarina Witt.

Academic success has always been highly regarded in Thomas’s family. When her grandfather obtained his Ph.D. in veterinary medicine from Cornell University in 1939, he was the only African-American student in his class. Her grandfather’s name was Daniel Skelton. Her mother had a divorce from Thomas’ father when Thomas was nine years old, and at the time, there were few women and even fewer blacks working in the computer engineering field. Her mother went on to become a computer engineer. Richard Taylor, who is her brother, attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physics, and Stanford University, where he earned a master’s degree in management.

Debi received her diploma from the Orthopedic Residency Program in June of 2005. The program was held at the Martin Luther King Jr./Charles Drew University Medical Center in Los Angeles. She spent the next year working at King-Drew Medical Center as a junior attending physician specialist while simultaneously studying for Step I of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons test. In July of 2006, she started her fellowship in adult reconstructive surgery at the Dorr Arthritis Institute, which was housed within the Centinela Hospital in Inglewood, California. The duration of one year was allotted for the fellowship opportunity. Thomas joined the faculty of the orthopedic department of the Carle Clinic Association in Urbana, Illinois, in September of 2007, shortly after beginning his employment there.

In spite of the fact that she only competed in figure skating on a professional level for a total of six years, she achieved a great deal during that time. In the year 2000, she was finally inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

Despite her triumphs in both figure skating and medicine, Thomas had a stronger effect on public ideas about figure skaters.

Thomas entered a sport that has historically been dominated by white, affluent players. She challenged the notion that people of color could not participate in figure skating on a daily basis. Thomas made it possible for Black female athletes to participate in a sport that had previously barred them from doing so. This gave these athletes someone to aspire to be like.

Time Magazine chose to highlight her on its cover because to the undeniable beauty that she radiated while performing on the rink. In 1986, she was honored as the “Athlete of the Year” by Wide World of Sports on ABC.

In addition to that, she was criticized for the fact that she kept going to school both before and throughout the Olympics. By the time Thomas was in the seventh grade, her coach was putting a lot of pressure on her to quit school and concentrate only on skating.

By the time she was in the eighth grade, she was already rated second in the nation, and her coach was putting pressure on her to abandon school so she could focus on her athletic career.

Instead, she completed her education while also training for the Olympics at Stanford. The vast majority of competitive skaters do not go to college and instead choose to practice full-time instead. Thomas placed a similar emphasis on his academic pursuits as he did on his figure skating.

In the years after her success in the Olympics, Thomas has had to overcome a number of obstacles. These challenges were discussed when she made her debut in 2015 on the reality television show Iyanla: Fix My Life, which was presented by the motivational counselor Iyanla Vanzant.

Due to financial difficulties, she was forced to stop her medical business and is now residing in a trailer in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains near Richland, Virginia. She said that this was her present place of residence. She used to be renowned, but now she lives with her lover Jamie Looney and his two sons. This shows how far she has fallen from her former prominence.

Thomas has never followed the norm, and this is something he continues to do. She was forced to sell her Olympic bronze medal from 1988, yet she does not have any resentment about having done so.

Thomas said that his competitors may take the gold away from him, but they could never take away the knowledge that he had won.

In spite of the challenges they have faced, she continues to have faith in Thomas. She is a firm believer in tenacity and working hard. However, for the time being, she does not feel the need to pursue a career as an Olympian since she is pleased with her life as it is.

It is high time that the obstacles that stop black women from realizing their full potential were removed. Nobody can stop African-American women from achieving their goals in the world of athletics. We are a tremendous power that has to be recognized and exploited to the greatest extent that is practically possible. This is the only way to ensure that our interests are protected. People of African heritage have, for millennia, been unfairly portrayed as less capable in practically every imaginable way, which has contributed to the perpetuation of the stereotype. Our mental health is suffering as a direct result of this since it has been ingrained in our daily lives and routines. If we want to show that we are more capable than the things that used to carry so much weight in our lives, we are going to have to put up a greater amount of effort and refuse to give up.

The fight for equality is not over. In fact, there are many examples of how the battle for equal rights continues to rage on in 2022. While much progress has been made with regard to ending discrimination against African Americans and other minorities, there are still people working tirelessly to ensure their voices are heard, and their rights are protected. We all know about Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Harriet Tubman, but what about so many others who have risked everything to change the world and make it a better place? Although there are many notable figures who have paved the way for today’s activists, most people don’t know much about them or their contributions. These brave men and women fought tirelessly to end discrimination against blacks and other minorities, combat injustice and inequality, advance education, support the rights of organized labor, and promote societal transformation. Their work continues to inspire us all today.

Civil rights are the basic rights to which all humans are entitled. The term refers to both the society-wide expectations of how people should be treated and the actual rights granted to individuals by society’s laws. The concept of civil rights is interrelated with the concept of equality. However, there is a difference between the two terms. Equality is the state or condition of being equal, while rights are the freedoms that an individual should possess as a member of a society. The rights that people in a given society are entitled to, and the manner in which they are treated by the government, vary from one society to another. The rights and the manner in which people are treated depend on the type of government in the society and the nature of the society itself. The rights that are guaranteed in one society may not be applicable in another. The rights and the manner in which people are treated also evolve over time as the society changes and develops.

John Henrik Clarke

John Henry Clark was born on January 1, 1915, in Union Springs, Alabama, and he moved with his family to Harlem, New York, in 1933 during the Great Migration. This period in U.S. history refers to the years 1910 to 1970, during which African Americans migrated from the south to the north in search of better jobs and conditions. After working at a local library and studying at Columbia University, he changed his surname to Clarke and added an “e” to his surname, making it “Clarke.”

Clarke’s literary and pedagogical career flourished during the Great Depression years. His participation in study circles such as the Harlem History Club and the Harlem Writers’ Workshop helped make this happen. His mentors included people such as Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. He joined the United States Army Air Forces as an NCO, eventually attaining the rank of master sergeant.

Clarke made significant contributions to African history and studies as a scholar and lecturer at institutions in Africa and the United States, including Hunter College in New York. He is credited with creating the Department of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, where he taught from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was a prominent intellectual during the Black Power Movement, when he helped to promote African-American studies and the position Africans have in world history. He questioned the views of academic historians and made a significant contribution to changing how African history was studied and taught. He also published six scholarly books. His writing included a number of scholarly articles as well as short stories. His anthologies also included writing by African Americans, as well as his own.

Angela Davis

Angela Davis was a scholar, educator, and activist. She devoted her life to fighting against racism and the oppression of black people. She worked with the Black Panther Party, where she assisted in the free breakfast program for children. Davis was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy in the death of a judge in California. She was tried and acquitted. Davis became the first black woman to be hired by the University of California at Los Angeles, and she served there as a professor of philosophy. She was also awarded the Medal of Liberation by the Cuban Council of Artists and Writers. Davis is the author of several books and articles.

Julian Bond

Julian Bond was a writer, historian, professor, and an active political figure, who devoted his life to the fight against racism and segregation. He co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s and became its communications director. Bond served as president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and was appointed to the NAACP board of directors in 1999. He was the chairman emeritus of the NAACP. Bond authored several books and articles, and he was the editor of the Oxford Companion to African American Literature. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 75.

Huey P. Newton

Huey P. Newton was a political activist who was born in February 1942. He co-founded the Black Panther Party (BPP) in 1966. The BPP used militant methods to protest against police brutality, racial discrimination, and poverty in the African American community. Garvey was charged with murder in 1968 but was cleared of all charges in 1979. He was shot and killed in 1989 at the age of 47.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and activist who was born in January 1929. He led the non-violent civil rights movement, which involved peaceful protests and demonstrations. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination. He is remembered as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, and his birthday is celebrated as a federal holiday in the U.S. King was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39 by James Earl Ray while he was standing on the balcony of his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Assata Shakur

Assata Shakur was a human rights activist and writer who was born in July 1947. She co-founded the Black Liberation Army (BLA). The BLA was a militant organization that fought against racism, police brutality, and economic inequality. Shakur was charged with the murder of two police officers in the 1970s but was acquitted in two separate trials. She escaped from prison in 1979 and went into hiding. Shakur was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list in 2005, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a reward of $1 million for information leading to her arrest.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist who was born in February 1913. She was the first black woman to be arrested for challenging racial segregation on public transportation. Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama and was arrested. Her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a year-long protest that led to the desegregation of the bus system. Parks worked as an activist throughout her life, becoming a member of the NAACP at the age of 15 and serving as the organization’s vice president from 1957 to 1965. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1996 and died in 2005 at the age of 92.

Conclusion

The civil rights movement was a broad effort by African Americans to end racial discrimination and gain equal rights as citizens, including the right to vote. The movement began in the mid-19th century and continued to gain strength in the 20th century, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, African Americans protested racial discrimination in many states. They challenged segregation in public schools, voting rights discrimination, and job discrimination. They also worked to end racial discrimination in housing and the criminal justice system. The movement was successful in some areas, but there is still more progress that

Johnnie L. Cochran was a legal legend who rose to prominence as the celebrity criminal defense attorney who defended O.J. Simpson in the 1995 murder trial of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Simpson was charged with the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Cochran is credited with bringing Simpson to acquittal in the case. Additionally, he defended Michael Jackson in 2005 during his trial for allegedly sexually abusing children. Johnnie’s name is synonymous with superior work in the area of criminal defense law in Los Angeles and beyond, and this reputation has spread outside the city.

Cochran became well-known for his strong, emotive courtroom techniques, which enthralled juries, opposing lawyers, and the media in his cases. He was noted for defending all of his clients with the same zeal. What is not always obvious. Is that he also represented a large number of non-famous defendants. In defending non-celebrity clients, he used the same strategies he used in defending star clients. The audience was intrigued by his legal recipe for victory. His outfits were brightly colored, and he sported a variety of ties. He was skilled at employing memorable phrases in court oratory. Because of the exposure he received as a defense counsel, he became regarded as a “human rights lawyer.”

Victories marked Cochran’s career in numerous ways, frequently with racial implications. He was well-known for his advocacy on behalf of black people and was generally acknowledged with advocating for their rights regardless of their celebrity. Cochran’s career was frequently highlighted for its accomplishments, particularly in racial issues. When conflict developed, the black community’s dominant reaction was “Get Johnnie.”

Cochran has battled multiple lawsuits for football great Jim Brown, actor Todd Bridges, musician Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Elmer ‘Geronimo’ Pratt, in addition to his more high-profile cases. Mr. Pratt was sentenced to 27 years in jail for a murder he did not commit. Cochran claimed it was the best day in his legal career when he helped release Pratt in 1997.

Cochran opposed police assertions that he killed himself in a wrongful death case filed by the family of Ron Settles, a black college football player who died in police custody in 1981. An autopsy was done once the body was excavated, and it was discovered that Settles had been choked.

Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant tortured by New York police, was one of his customers. Tyisha Miller, a 19-year-old black woman, was shot and murdered by Riverside police officers who said she grabbed for a revolver on her lap when they shattered her car window to disarm her.

He took up cases even when the outcome was uncertain. Police shot and killed a young black guy as he attempted to take his pregnant wife to the hospital. Cochran backed Deadwyler’s family, who blamed the cops for the boy’s death’s unwarranted cruelty. The Los Angeles Police Department claimed that the officers were acting in self-defense, but the district attorney declined to prosecute charges, and the civil complaint was dismissed. Cochran acknowledged that those were difficult cases to win back then. But, as Deadwylar verified to me, these incidents of police violence greatly mobilized the minority community. It showed him that these incidents may garner a lot of attention, he said.

Johnnie Cochran, Jr. is an enslaved person’s descendent. He grew up in Los Angeles, where his parents and instructors stressed knowledge, independence, and a commitment to human fairness. His father’s well-paying profession with the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, inspired him to keep his grades up in public schools. As he grew older, he met more individuals with more money and more luxurious stuff, which contributed to his academic achievement. He lived by the philosophy that if he studied hard and behaved himself, he could live the good life. He recalls seeing a swimming pool when visiting someone’s home. “That’s fantastic!” he said. Another kid’s loft had an archery range. “That’s amazing!” he shouted. He’d never considered archery before. “It forced me to work hard and do something,” he explained.

Cochran earned his degree in insurance sales while working for his father’s company while he was attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and graduating in 1959. He decided to pursue a degree in law and enrolled at Loyola Marymount University in the autumn.

Cochran, who graduated from law school in 1963 and passed the California bar three years later, began working as a deputy city attorney in the criminal division for the city of Los Angeles. In 1965, he launched an own legal firm with Lenoir, a well-known Los Angeles criminal lawyer. He temporarily worked for Lenoir before forming Cochran, Atkins & Evans. The American Lawyer remembers Cochran. A controversial and exciting trial in The American Lawyer established Johnnie Cochran’s career. Working as a special assistant district attorney in the 1970s, he established a worldwide company that handles personal injury lawsuits. Since then, Cochran’s practice has grown to include over 100 attorneys and offices around the country.

Cochran denied being anti-police and supported his son Jonathan’s decision to join the California Highway Patrol. Jonathan Cochran was a distinguished member of the California Highway Patrol. In spite of this, he often engaged in legal battles with various police agencies.

The address of the Cochran Firm, which was in the same building as its predecessor, was a significant stride for Cochran. It was also a stride forward in his pursuit of justice for all Americans. Cochran believed that the fight for equal justice for all Americans was far from ended. He shifted his focus from police brutality to racial inequity in general, as well as in other aspects of society. In 2000, Cochran joined a team led by Cyrus Mehri in a lawsuit against Coca-Cola, alleging that the company was discriminatory to African-Americans in the workplace in a variety of ways. Cochran and Mehri did not stop there, instead looking at numerous industry titans such as Johnson & Johnson.

Black culture is rich and unique in manner unique ways. Art is something that has been around since the dawn of time. It’s an eternal journey of experimenting with colors and forms to come up with innovative new concepts, which is what makes it so fascinating. There are many different types of art; however, some are more prevalent than others depending on the region they originated from or the country they are practiced in today. For instance, there are quite a lot of paintings by African American artists out there that most people haven’t heard about yet.

When it comes to art, African Americans have always had a special connection with visual expression. From the beginning of slavery until the present day, African Americans have developed an unrivaled creative capability that has regularly blossomed into different genres. This article will explore the more obscure names among the most famous African American artists in history. You won’t know these artists if you don’t read about them or look for references within books, journals, and other forms of media. Some might seem as if they were only discovered recently; however, their true value is what their influence is for posterity. There are so many talented African American artists whose work you may not have known about before. Let’s discover a few incredible African American artists!

Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Lawrence was born on September 7, 1917, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At the age of 2, he moved with his parents to Easton, Pennsylvania. He and his two siblings were sent to a foster facility in Philadelphia after his parents separated in 1924. After Jacob turned 13 years old, the siblings reunited with the mother in Harlem.

Jacob Lawrence was awarded a scholarship to attend the American Artists School in New York in 1937. He received assistance from the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project after graduating in 1939. By the time, Lawrence was already creating his own narrative series, with more than 30 types of paintings on a single theme, thereby establishing his modern aesthetic. In 1941, he completed The Migration Series, or the Migration of the Negro, one of his most well-known series; Lawrence became the first African American to join the Edith Halpert’s Downtown Gallery when the series was shown there in 1942.

Lawrence accepted a tenured position as a professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, in 1971. Here, he started teaching until his retirement in 1986. In addition to teaching, he spent the majority of his life painting commissions and creating limited-edition prints to support charities like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Children’s Defense Fund. In addition, he created a 72-foot mural for the Times Square subway station in New York City and painted murals for the Howard University, the University of Washington, and the Harold Washington Center in Chicago. 

Gordon Parks

During the 1940s and 1970s, American documentary photographer Gordon Parks made a name for himself as a photographer of civil rights, poverty, and African-Americans. He was prominent in this area of photography in the United States in the 1940s and 1970s. Parks was the first African American to produce and direct major motion pictures. He is well known for his iconic photographs of poor Americans during the 1940s, for his photographic essays for Life magazine, and as the director of the 1971 film Shaft. He was also an author, poet, and composer.

Parks was a modern-day Renaissance man whose creative work included fiction, nonfiction writing, musical composition, and filmmaking. In 1969, Parks became the first African American to write and direct a major Hollywood studio feature film, The Learning Tree, based on his bestselling semi-autobiographical novel. His subsequent film, Shaft, was a blockbuster critical and financial success, inspiring a number of sequels. Among other things, Parks produced and directed, and composed the music for a ballet, Martin, in 1989. In addition to memoirs, novels, poetry, and photographic technique books, he also published several books. He worked for the last three decades of his life to refine his style, and he died in 2006.

Wrapping Up

African American artists are some of the most talented people in the world; however, they often go unrecognized due to their history. The struggles of racism, oppression, and discrimination have been a constant for African Americans; therefore, it can be difficult for some artists to be taken seriously in the art world. Additionally, there are many artists who are not widely known and those from the past or present who have been overlooked overlook. However, it is important to remember that there have always been many talented African American artists, and it is important to learn about them and appreciate their work in order to enrich our society and culture. There are many ways to discover new artists and artists you might not have known existed before. You can start by looking through books and journals that have articles on African American artists, as well as finding references online in reference books, journals, art journals, and websites. You can also attend art exhibitions and view art online in order to learn more about the art you like. If you want to learn more about the most famous artists, you can read books and journals that have been published in the past and present, as well as art journals from the past that have been digitized. You can also look through articles, journals, and reference books that have been published in the past about famous African American artists you might not have previously known about.

Conclusion

African American artists have a rich history of innovation and creativity when it comes to the visual arts. They have contributed to many different genres, including painting, sculpture, photography, film, and other media. While there are many famous African American artists, there are also many artists who are less well-known. It is important to learn more about famous and lesser-known African American artists in order to enrich your knowledge and appreciation of the many forms of art that have been created by African Americans.