100 Greatest African Americans facts for kids
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| Author | Molefi Kete Asante |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | African-American biographies |
| Published | 2002 |
| Publisher | Prometheus Books |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 345 |
| ISBN | 978-1573929639 |
The book 100 Greatest African Americans is like a special encyclopedia. It tells the stories of one hundred amazing Black Americans who made a big difference in history. These people are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked from best to worst. Molefi Kete Asante, a professor from Temple University, wrote this book in 2002. Another similar book, The Black 100, was written by Columbus Salley in 1992.
How People Were Chosen
Professor Asante chose the people for his book very carefully. He used five main ideas to decide who to include. These ideas helped him pick people who truly made a big impact.
Here are the main things he looked for:
- Did they help African Americans move closer to full equality in America? This means making things fair for everyone.
- Were they willing to make sacrifices and take big risks for the good of their community? This shows courage and selflessness.
- Did they show amazing strength and determination when facing tough challenges? This means never giving up, even when things were very hard.
- Did they always work to improve the social, cultural, and economic lives of African Americans? This includes helping people get better education, art, and jobs.
- Did their personal achievements show the best qualities of African American people? This means their successes inspired others.
Asante wanted to make it clear that he did not include many popular people. He felt that being famous at the moment did not always mean someone was historically important. Each person in the book has a short story about their life, work, and why they are important. A picture of them is also included.
List of Great African Americans
This is the list of one hundred people as it was published in the 2002 book.
- Muhammad Ali (1942–2016)
- Hank Aaron (1934-2021)
- Ira Aldridge (1807-1867)
- Richard Allen (1760–1831)
- Marian Anderson (1897–1993)
- Maya Angelou (1928–2014)
- Arthur Ashe (1943–1993)
- Crispus Attucks (1723–1770)
- James Baldwin (1924–1987)
- Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806)
- Amiri Baraka (1934–2014)
- Romare Bearden (1911–1988)
- Mary McLeod Bethune (1875–1955)
- Guion Bluford (born 1942)
- Arna Bontemps (1902–1973)
- Edward W. Brooke (1919–2015)
- Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000)
- Blanche K. Bruce (1841–1898)
- Ralph Bunche (1903–1971)
- George Washington Carver (1864–1943)
- Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005)
- Kenneth B. Clark (1914–2005)
- John Henrik Clarke (1915–1998)
- John Coltrane (1926–1967)
- Bill Cosby (born 1937)
- Alexander Crummell (1819–1898)
- Countee Cullen (1903–1946)
- Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (1912–2002)
- Martin R. Delany (1812–1885)
- Frederick Douglass (1817–1895)
- Charles Drew (1904–1950)
- W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963)
- Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906)
- Katherine Dunham (1909–2006)
- Duke Ellington (1899–1974)
- James Forten (1766–1842)
- John Hope Franklin (1915–2009)
- Henry Highland Garnet (1815–1882)
- Marcus Garvey (1887–1940)
- Prince Hall (1735–1807)
- Fannie Lou Hamer (1917–1977)
- Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965)
- Dorothy Height (1912–2010)
- Matthew Henson (1866–1955)
- Charles Hamilton Houston (1895–1950)
- Langston Hughes (1901–1967)
- Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
- Jesse Jackson (born 1941)
- Mae Jemison (born 1956)
- Jack Johnson (1878–1946)
- James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938)
- John H. Johnson (1918–2005)
- Percy Julian (1899–1975)
- Ernest Just (1883–1941)
- Maulana Karenga (born 1941)
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968)
- Edmonia Lewis (1844–1907)
- Alain Locke (1885–1954)
- Joe Louis (1914–1981)
- Thurgood Marshall (1908–1993)
- Benjamin E. Mays (1894–1984)
- Elijah McCoy (1844–1929)
- Claude McKay (1890–1948)
- Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951)
- Dorie Miller (1919–1943)
- Garrett Morgan (1877–1963)
- Toni Morrison (1931–2019)
- Elijah Muhammad (1897–1975)
- Jesse Owens (1913–1980)
- Rosa Parks (1913–2005)
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (1908–1972)
- Colin Powell (1937–2021)
- A. Philip Randolph (1889–1979)
- Hiram Revels (1827–1901)
- Paul Robeson (1898–1978)
- Jackie Robinson (1919–1972)
- John Russwurm (1799–1851)
- Arturo Schomburg (1874–1938)
- Benjamin "Pop" Singleton (1809–1900)
- Mary Church Terrell (1863–1954)
- William Monroe Trotter (1972–1934)
- Sojourner Truth (c. 1797–1883)
- Harriet Tubman (1822–1913)
- Kwame Ture (1941–1998)
- Henry McNeal Turner (1834–1915)
- Nat Turner (1800–1831)
- David Walker (1796–1830)
- Madame C. J. Walker (1867–1919)
- Booker T. Washington (1856–1915)
- Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931)
- Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753–1784)
- Walter F. White (1893–1955)
- Roy Wilkins (1901–1981)
- Daniel Hale Williams (1856–1931)
- August Wilson (1945–2005)
- Oprah Winfrey (born 1954)
- Tiger Woods (born 1975)
- Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950)
- Richard Wright (1908–1960)
- Malcolm X (1925–1965)
See Also
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100 Greatest African Americans Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.