100 Notable alumni of
Howard University
Updated:
Howard University is 145th in the world, 64th in North America, and 61st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from Howard University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
-
Kamala Harris
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1986 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science
- Occupations
- juristlawyerwriterpresidential candidateprosecutor
- Biography
-
Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and first Asian American vice president, and the highest-ranking female and Asian American official in U.S. history. Harris represented California in the U.S. Senate from 2017 to 2021 and was the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the party's nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
-
Chadwick Boseman
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- television actordirectoractorvoice actorfilm producer
- Biography
-
Chadwick Aaron Boseman was an American actor and playwright. Through his two-decade career, he appeared in a number of projects spanning both blockbuster and independent films, and received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award.
-
Sean Combs
- Occupations
- chief executive officerfilm actortelevision producerphilanthropistfashion designer
- Biography
-
Sean John Combs, also known professionally as Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy), is an American former rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. Born in Harlem, Combs worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Records, in 1993. He is credited with the discovery and development of musical artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher, among others.
-
Taraji P. Henson
- Occupations
- film actorfilm directortelevision actorsingeractor
- Biography
-
Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, alongside nominations for an Academy Award, six Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2016 and 2024, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
-
Marlon Wayans
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directoractortelevision producervoice actor
- Biography
-
Marlon Lamont Wayans is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work with his brother Shawn Wayans on The WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. (1995–1999) and the comedy films Don't Be a Menace (1996), Scary Movie (2000), Scary Movie 2 (2001), White Chicks (2004), Little Man (2006), and Dance Flick (2009).
-
Thurgood Marshall
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Studied in 1933
- Occupations
- juristlawyerjudgepolitician
- Biography
-
Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme Court's first African-American justice. Before his judicial service, he was an attorney who fought for civil rights, leading the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Marshall was a prominent figure in the movement to end racial segregation in American public schools. He won 29 of the 32 civil rights cases he argued before the Supreme Court, culminating in the Court's landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which rejected the separate but equal doctrine and held segregation in public education to be unconstitutional. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Marshall to the Supreme Court in 1967. A staunch liberal, he frequently dissented as the Court became increasingly conservative.
-
Toni Morrison
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- university teacherchildren's writerwriterlibrettistaudiobook narrator
- Biography
-
Chloe Anthony Wofford "Toni" Morrison was an American novelist and editor. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed Song of Solomon (1977) brought her national attention and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1988, Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved (1987).
-
Phylicia Rashad
- Occupations
- stage actoractortelevision producervoice actorsinger
- Biography
-
Phylicia Rashad is an American actress. She was most recently dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University before her three-year contract ended in May 2024. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she has received two Tony Awards as well as nominations for six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
-
Anthony Anderson
- Occupations
- comediantelevision actorscreenwriterfilm actorexecutive producer
- Biography
-
Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is known for his leading roles in television shows such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on the ABC sitcom Black-ish (2014–2022) and NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order (2008–2010, 2022). He has also acted in films such as Big Momma's House (2000), Barbershop (2002), Kangaroo Jack (2003), Agent Cody Banks 2 (2004), Hustle & Flow (2005), The Departed (2006), Transformers (2007), and Scream 4 (2011).
-
Isaiah Washington
- Occupations
- television actorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Isaiah Washington IV is an American actor. Following a series of film appearances, he came to prominence as Dr. Preston Burke in Grey's Anatomy (2005–2007; 2014).
-
Thomas Sowell
- Occupations
- educatoreconomistuniversity teachercolumnist
- Biography
-
Thomas Sowell is an American economist, economic historian, and social theorist. With widely published commentary and books—and as a guest on TV and radio—he is a well-known voice in the American conservative movement as a prominent black conservative. He is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and was a recipient of the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush in 2002.
-
Rachel Dolezal
- Enrolled in Howard University
- 2000-2002 graduated with Master of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- activistpainterhuman rights defenderteacher
- Biography
-
Nkechi Amare Diallo Listen is an American activist, author, artist, and former college instructor known for presenting herself as a Black woman despite having been born to white parents.
-
La La Anthony
- Occupations
- disc jockeytelevision actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Alani Nicole "La La" Anthony is an American television personality and actress. In the early 2000s, she worked as an MTV VJ on Total Request Live. She was the host of the VH1 reality television reunion shows Flavor of Love, I Love New York, For the Love of Ray J, and Real Chance of Love, and was a dean on Charm School with Ricki Lake.
-
Debbie Allen
- Occupations
- film actortelevision producerfilm producerstage actorfilm director
- Biography
-
Deborah Kaye Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated for 22 Emmy Awards (winning six), and two Tony Awards. She has won a Golden Globe Award, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991. In 2025, she received an Academy Honorary Award.
-
Roxie Roker
- Occupations
- television actorjournalistactorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Roxie Albertha Roker was an American actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. In 1973, she performed as Mattie Williams in the Broadway play The River Niger, and was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 28th Tony Awards. Roker is the mother of rock musician Lenny Kravitz and grandmother of actress Zoë Kravitz.
-
Roberta Flack
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- singerteachersinger-songwriterrecording artistpianist
- Biography
-
Roberta Cleopatra Flack was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm radio format. Her commercial success included the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", and "Feel Like Makin' Love". She became the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in consecutive years.
-
Laz Alonso
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
-
Lazaro Alonso is an American actor. He is known for playing Tsu'tey in James Cameron's science fiction film Avatar and Fenix Calderon in the film Fast & Furious. Alonso has had roles in other films such as Jarhead, This Christmas, Miracle at St. Anna and Detroit. Since 2019, Alonso is part of the main cast of the series The Boys (based on the comic book series of the same name) playing the character known as Marvin T. "MM (Mother's Milk)" Milk.
-
Stokely Carmichael
- Occupations
- activisthuman rights defenderrevolutionarypolitician
- Biography
-
Kwame Ture was a Trinidadian-American activist who played a major role in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in the Crown Colony of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, he grew up in the United States from age 11 and became an activist while attending the Bronx High School of Science. Ture was a key leader in the development of the Black Power movement, first while leading the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), then as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party and as a leader of the All-African People's Revolutionary Party (A-APRP).
-
Elijah Cummings
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1973 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- lawyerjudgepolitician
- Biography
-
Elijah Eugene Cummings was an American politician and lawyer who served in the United States House of Representatives for Maryland's 7th congressional district from 1996 until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by his predecessor Kweisi Mfume. The district he represented included over half of the city of Baltimore, including most of the majority-black precincts of Baltimore County, and most of Howard County, Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party, Cummings previously served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1983 to 1996.
-
Omarosa Manigault Newman
- Occupations
- actorbusinesspersonpreachervoice actorfilm director
- Biography
-
Omarosa Onee Newman, known mononymously as Omarosa, is an American reality television star, lawyer, author, former political consultant and White House aide. She held White House staff roles during the presidential terms of Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. She rose to prominence as a contestant on the first season of NBC's The Apprentice and has remained in the public eye largely through recurring roles on reality television, with additional visibility from television interviews and appearances on political programs.
-
Zora Neale Hurston
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with associate degree
- Occupations
- folkloristhistoriancivil rights advocatewriteranthropologist
- Biography
-
Zora Neale Hurston was an American writer, anthropologist, folklorist, and documentary filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-20th-century American South and published research on Hoodoo and Caribbean Vodou. The most popular of her four novels is Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937. She also wrote more than 50 short stories, plays, an autobiography, ethnographies, and many essays. Some of her work, namely Tell My Horse (1937), explored ethnomusicological methods of study long before there were formal boundaries for the discipline, especially not boundaries that included the respectful study of communities of color. Hurston's unique background and exceptional approach to anthropology laid key foundations for the growth of ethnography, literature, and Africana Studies.
-
Tracie Thoms
- Occupations
- television actorstage actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Tracie Thoms is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles in Rent, Cold Case, The Devil Wears Prada, Death Proof, the Fox television series Wonderfalls; as of 2018 she has been a recurring cast member of the police and firefighter TV drama 9-1-1. She also portrayed Charlotte in the Broadway revival of Falsettos.
-
Susan Kelechi Watson
- Occupations
- screenwritertelevision actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Susan Kelechi Watson is an American actress. She is known for her work on the television show Louie and for her role as Beth Pearson in This Is Us. She was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the latter.
-
Lynn Whitfield
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
-
Lynn Whitfield is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her breakout performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical film The Josephine Baker Story (1991).
-
Simone Missick
- Occupations
- actorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Simone Missick is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Detective Misty Knight in Luke Cage (2016-2018), a role she also plays in The Defenders (2017) and Iron Fist (2018). From 2019 to 2023, she starred as Lola Carmichael in All Rise.
-
Ossie Davis
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Studied in 1939
- Occupations
- stage actoractortelevision actorwriterfilm actor
- Biography
-
Ossie Davis was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, from 1948 until his death. He received numerous accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy and a Writers Guild of America Award as well as nominations for four additional Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and Tony Award. Davis was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the National Medal of Arts in 1995, Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.
-
Letitia James
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1987 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- lawyerpoliticianjournalist
- Biography
-
Letitia Ann "Tish" James is an American lawyer and politician from the state of New York. She has served since 2019 as the 67th attorney general of New York (NYAG), having been first elected to the post in 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, James is the first Black person to serve as New York attorney general and is the first Black woman to hold statewide office in New York.
-
David Dinkins
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- juristmayorpolitician
- Biography
-
David Norman Dinkins was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993.
-
Tami Roman
- Occupations
- modelfilm directoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Tamisha Akbar Youngblood, known professionally as Tami Roman, is an American television personality, model, actress, singer, businesswoman and producer. She first gained fame on The Real World: Los Angeles in 1993. After making appearances and landing supporting roles in various television shows and films in the 1990s and 2000s, she became one of the breakout stars of VH1's Basketball Wives (2010–2019). Roman later starred in the television series The Family Business (2018–present), Truth Be Told (2019–2023), Haus of Vicious (2022–present) and The Ms. Pat Show (2021–present).
-
Karen Malina White
- Occupations
- voice actortelevision actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Karen Malina White is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Kaneesha Carter in the 1989 drama film Lean on Me, Charmaine Brown during the two final seasons on The Cosby Show and its spin-off A Different World (1992–1993), Nicolette Vandross on Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000), and as the voice of Dijonay Jones on the Disney Channel animated comedy The Proud Family (2001–2005) and its 2022 Disney+ reboot The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
-
Fani Willis
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
-
Fani Taifa Willis is an American attorney. She is the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, which contains most of Atlanta, serving since 2021. She is the first woman to hold the office in Fulton County.
-
Andrew Young
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1951 studied pre-medical
- Occupations
- religious leadertelevision writerdiplomatfilm screenwritertelevision actor
- Biography
-
Andrew Jackson Young Jr. is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and a close confidant to Martin Luther King Jr. A member of the Democratic Party, Young later became active in politics, serving as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia, United States Ambassador to the United Nations in the Carter Administration, and 55th Mayor of Atlanta. He was the first African American elected to Congress from Georgia since Reconstruction, as well as one of the first two African Americans elected to Congress from the former Confederacy since Reconstruction. Since leaving office, Young has founded or served in many organizations working on issues of public policy and political lobbying.
-
Carla Hall
- Occupations
- television presenterchefreality television participant
- Biography
-
Carla Hall is an American chef, television personality, and former model.
-
Jessye Norman
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree in music
- Occupations
- opera singer
- Biography
-
Jessye Mae Norman was an American opera singer and recitalist. She was able to perform dramatic soprano roles, but did not limit herself to that voice type. A commanding presence on operatic, concert and recital stages, Norman was associated with roles including Beethoven's Leonore, Wagner's Sieglinde and Kundry, Berlioz's Cassandre and Didon, and Bartók's Judith. The New York Times music critic Edward Rothstein described her voice as a "grand mansion of sound" that "has enormous dimensions, reaching backward and upward. It opens onto unexpected vistas. It contains sunlit rooms, narrow passageways, cavernous halls."
-
Gabrielle Dennis
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Gabrielle Dennis is an American actress and comedian, best known for starring in the sketch comedy HBO show A Black Lady Sketch Show.
-
Sekhar Kammula
- Occupations
- film directorscreenwriter
- Biography
-
Sekhar Kammula is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Telugu cinema. He has garnered two Filmfare Awards South, and six state Nandi Awards for his directional works. Sekhar Kammula was among the director's delegation to represent South Indian Cinema at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
-
Daryl Davis
- Occupations
- pianistfilm actor
- Biography
-
Daryl Davis is an American R&B and blues musician and activist. His efforts to fight racism by engaging members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) have convinced dozens of Klansmen to leave and denounce the KKK. Known for his energetic style of boogie-woogie piano, Davis has played with such musicians as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, B. B. King, and Bruce Hornsby.
-
Lance Gross
- Occupations
- modeltelevision actorfilm produceractor
- Biography
-
Lance Darnell Gross is an American actor and model. He is known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS/BET sitcom Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2007–2012; 2020–present), for which he won four NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
-
Nnamdi Azikiwe
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe GCFR PC, commonly referred to as Zik of Africa, was a Nigerian politician, statesman, and revolutionary leader who served as the 3rd and first black governor-general of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and the first president of Nigeria during the First Nigerian Republic (1963–1966). He is widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism as well as one of the major driving forces behind the country's independence in 1960.
-
Ananda Lewis
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1995 studied historiography
- Occupations
- modeljournalistfilm actoractorradio personality
- Biography
-
Sarasvati Ananda Lewis was an American broadcast journalist, veejay and carpenter. She was a two-time NAACP Image Award recipient. Described as "a bright star who was the voice of a generation", Lewis served as a cultural role model and staple television personality for BET and MTV during the late 1990s. She hosted BET's Teen Summit and served as a MTV VJ as well as hosting the network's show Hot Zone as well as occasionally hosting and frequently co-hosting Total Request Live. Lewis hosted The Ananda Lewis Show, a nationally syndicated American television talk show that ran for two seasons. The show reported on serious subjects in contrast to more sensationalized contemporary talk shows such as the Ricki Lake Show and the Jerry Springer Show. After a break from television, she became a correspondent for The Insider. Lewis returned to television in 2019 to host the revival of While You Were Out on TLC.
-
Wendy Raquel Robinson
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Occupations
- choreographertelevision actorfilm actordancervoice actor
- Biography
-
Wendy Raquel Robinson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as high school principal Regina "Piggy" Grier on The WB comedy sitcom The Steve Harvey Show (1996–2002), and as sports agent Tasha Mack on The CW/BET/Paramount+ comedy-drama The Game (2006–2015, 2022–2023).
-
Amiri Baraka
- Occupations
- journalistmusic criticnovelistactivistessayist
- Biography
-
Amiri Baraka, previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism. He was the author of numerous books of poetry and taught at several universities, including the University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University. He received the PEN/Beyond Margins Award in 2008 for Tales of the Out and the Gone. Baraka's plays, poetry, and essays have been described by scholars as constituting defining texts for African-American culture.
-
Kenny Lattimore
- Occupations
- singer
- Biography
-
Kenneth Lee Lattimore is an American R&B singer known for his smooth, soulful voice and romantic ballads. He rose to prominence in the mid-1990s with the release of his self-titled album, Kenny Lattimore. In 2024, Lattimore was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame
-
Vernon Jordan
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- juristlawyerbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Vernon Eulion Jordan Jr. was an American business executive and civil rights attorney who worked for various civil rights movement organizations before becoming a close advisor to President Bill Clinton.
-
Isabel Wilkerson
- Occupations
- journalistwriter
- Biography
-
Isabel Wilkerson is an American journalist and the author of The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration (2010) and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (2020). She is the first woman of African-American heritage to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism.
-
George Washington Williams
- Occupations
- Christian ministerhistoriandiplomattheologianwriter
- Biography
-
George Washington Williams was a soldier in the American Civil War and in Mexico before becoming a Baptist minister, politician, lawyer, journalist, and writer on African-American history. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives.
-
Gus Johnson
- Occupations
- sports commentator
- Biography
-
Augustus Cornelius Johnson Jr. is an American sportscaster. He is the lead play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports calling college football and college basketball. Prior to working with Fox, he was with CBS Sports. He also called select NBA playoff games for NBA on TNT and NBA TV. He is known for his highly enthusiastic and energetic style of playcalling.
-
Benny Golson
- Occupations
- musiciansaxophonistcomposerrecording artistjazz musician
- Biography
-
Benny Golson was an American bebop and hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launching his solo career. Golson was known for co-founding and co-leading The Jazztet with trumpeter Art Farmer in 1959. From the late 1960s through the 1970s Golson was in demand as an arranger for film and television and thus was less active as a performer, but he and Farmer re-formed the Jazztet in 1982.
-
Carl Anthony Payne II
- Occupations
- actortelevision actorfilm director
- Biography
-
Carl Anthony Payne II is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Cole Brown on the Fox sitcom Martin and Walter "Cockroach" Bradley on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, Carl on Rock Me Baby (TV series), Curtis on the sitcom George Lopez (2002–2003), and as Myles Wilson on Tyler Perry's Young Dylan.
-
Michelle Miller
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
-
Michelle Miller is a national correspondent for CBS News and currently serves as a co-host on CBS Saturday Morning. She has also served as a substitute anchor on CBS Mornings and 48 Hours on ID.
-
Edward Brooke
- Enrolled in Howard University
- 1936-1941 studied sociology
- Occupations
- lawyerMassachusetts Attorney Generalpolitician
- Biography
-
Edward William Brooke III was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 to 1979. He was the first African American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote. Prior to serving in the Senate, he served as the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1963 until 1967. Edward Brooke was the first African-American since Reconstruction in 1874 to have been elected to the United States Senate and he was the first African-American since 1881 to have held a United States Senate seat. Brooke was also the first African-American U.S. senator to ever be re-elected. He was the longest-serving African-American U.S. senator at twelve years until surpassed by Tim Scott in 2025.
-
Douglas Wilder
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Studied in 1959
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Lawrence Douglas Wilder is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 66th governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He was the first African American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since the Reconstruction era, and the first African American ever elected as governor. He is currently a professor at the namesake Wilder School at Virginia Commonwealth University.
-
Fredricka Whitfield
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- journalistnews presenter
- Biography
-
Fredricka Whitfield is an American journalist and news anchor. She anchors the weekend edition of CNN Newsroom from CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, and she is also a fill-in and substitute anchor for CNN's At This Hour With Kate Bolduan.
-
Trina McGee-Davis
- Occupations
- film directormodeltelevision actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Trina McGee is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Angela Moore on the ABC-TV sitcom Boy Meets World.
-
Paul Laurence Dunbar
- Occupations
- writerplaywrightpoetnovelist
- Biography
-
Paul Laurence Dunbar was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American Civil War, Dunbar began writing stories and verse when he was a child. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper, and served as president of his high school's literary society.
-
Amin Joseph
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
-
Amin Joseph is an American actor, director, and producer known for his role as Jerome Saint on John Singleton's crime drama Snowfall.
-
Roland Burris
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1963 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- lawyerbank examinerexecutivepolitician
- Biography
-
Roland Wallace Burris is an American politician and attorney who served as Attorney General of Illinois from 1991 to 1995 and as a United States senator from Illinois from 2009 until 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Burris was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Illinois.
-
Mike Espy
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Alphonso Michael Espy is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th U.S. secretary of agriculture from 1993 to 1994. He was both the first African American and the first person from the Deep South to hold the position. A member of the Democratic Party, Espy previously served as the U.S. representative for Mississippi's 2nd congressional district from 1987 to 1993.
-
Pauli Murray
- Occupations
- priestlawyeruniversity teacherreligious leaderwriter
- Biography
-
Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray was an American civil rights activist, advocate, legal scholar and theorist, author and – later in life – an Episcopal priest. Murray's work influenced the civil rights movement and expanded legal protection for gender equality.
-
Alcee Hastings
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Studied in 1958-1960
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Alcee Lamar Hastings was an American politician and judge from the state of Florida.
-
Harold Ford, Sr
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1982 graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- politicianfuneral director
- Biography
-
Harold Eugene Ford Sr. is an American politician and Democratic former member of the United States House of Representatives representing the area of Memphis, Tennessee, for 11 terms—from 1975 until his retirement in 1997. He was the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Congress. He is a member of the Ford political family from Memphis.
-
Adrian Fenty
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Adrian Malik Fenty is an American politician who served as the mayor of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2011.
-
Diane Nash
- Occupations
- human rights defender
- Biography
-
Diane Judith Nash is an American civil rights activist, and a leader and strategist of the student wing of the Civil Rights Movement.
-
Kevin Grevioux
- Occupations
- film producerfilm actortelevision actorvoice actorfilm screenwriter
- Biography
-
Kevin Grevioux is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and comic book writer. He is best known for his role as Raze in the Underworld film series, which he co-created, as well as his voicework in the cartoon Young Justice as the villain Black Beetle.
-
Kasim Reed
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Mohammed Kasim Reed is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 59th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia's state capital and largest city, from 2010 to 2018. A Democrat, Reed was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002 and represented the 35th District in the Georgia State Senate from 2003 to 2009. He served as campaign manager for Shirley Franklin's successful Atlanta mayoral campaign in 2001. After Franklin was term limited from the mayor's office, Reed successfully ran for the position in 2009. Inaugurated on January 4, 2010, Reed was elected to a second term in 2013.
-
Billy Eckstine
- Occupations
- trumpeterjazz musicianconductorsingerbandleader
- Biography
-
William Clarence Eckstine was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award "for performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording". His recording of "I Apologize" (MGM, 1951) was given the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. The New York Times described him as an "influential band leader" whose "suave bass-baritone" and "full-throated, sugary approach to popular songs inspired singers such as Earl Coleman, Johnny Hartman, Joe Williams, Arthur Prysock, and Lou Rawls."
-
Patricia Bath
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1968 graduated with Doctor of Medicine
- Occupations
- physicianresearcherinventorophthalmologist
- Biography
-
Patricia Era Bath was an American ophthalmologist and humanitarian. She became the first female member of the Jules Stein Eye Institute, the first woman to lead a postgraduate training program in ophthalmology, and the first woman elected to the honorary staff of the UCLA Medical Center. Bath was the first African-American to serve as a resident in ophthalmology at New York University. She was also the first African-American woman to serve on staff as a surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center. Bath was the first African-American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose. A holder of five patents, she founded the nonprofit American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in Washington, D.C.
-
Pep Hamilton
- Occupations
- coach
- Biography
-
Alfonza "Pep" Hamilton is an American football coach who currently serves as a senior advisor for the Maryland Terrapins. He was previously the head coach and general manager of the DC Defenders of the XFL, the quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Chargers, and the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL).
-
Emmet G. Sullivan
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Studied in 1964-1968
- Studied in 1968-1971
- Occupations
- lawyerjudgejournalist
- Biography
-
Emmet Gael Sullivan is an American attorney and jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
-
Summer Lee
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 2015 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Summer Lynn Lee is an American politician and social activist serving as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district since 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district encompasses the majority of Pittsburgh and the eastern suburbs, including parts of Westmoreland County. After winning the 2022 congressional primary and the general election, Lee became the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in Congress.
-
Eric Williams
- Occupations
- historianpolitician
- Biography
-
Eric Eustace Williams TC CH was a Trinidad and Tobago politician. He has been dubbed as the "Father of the Nation", having led the then-British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October 1956, to independence on 31 August 1962, and republic status, on 1 August 1976, leading an unbroken string of general elections victories with his political party, the People's National Movement, until his death in 1981. He represented Port of Spain South in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.
-
Dave Fennoy
- Occupations
- disc jockeyvoice actortelevision actoractor
- Biography
-
Dave Fennoy is an American voice actor. His video game roles have included Lee Everett in The Walking Dead, Bluebeard in The Wolf Among Us, Finch in Tales from the Borderlands, Gabriel the Warrior in Minecraft: Story Mode, Lucius Fox in Batman: Arkham Knight, Batman: Arkham Shadow, Batman: The Telltale Series, and Batman: The Enemy Within and Rodin in Bayonetta. He also voiced "JP Dumund" in the Vendettas mode in The Darkness 2, as well as Satan in Afterparty.
-
William Lacy Clay
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
William Lacy Clay Jr. is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative from Missouri's 1st congressional district from 2001 to 2021. His congressional career ended after he lost in a Democratic primary to Cori Bush in 2020, after successfully defeating her in the 2018 primary.
-
Vanessa Lynne Bryant
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
-
Vanessa Lynne Bryant is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.
-
Cheddi Jagan
- Occupations
- dentistpolitician
- Biography
-
Cheddi Berret Jagan was a Guyanese politician and dentist who was first elected Chief Minister in 1953 and later Premier of British Guiana from 1961 to 1964. He later served as President of Guyana from 1992 to his death in 1997. In 1953, he became the first Hindu and person of Indian descent to be a head of government outside of the Indian subcontinent.
-
Diezani Alison-Madueke
- Occupations
- ministerarchitectpolitician
- Biography
-
Diezani K. Agama is a Nigerian politician who was the first female president of OPEC.
-
Mary Ann Shadd
- Occupations
- suffragistcivil rights advocatelawyerjournalistnewspaper proprietor
- Biography
-
Mary Ann Camberton Shadd Cary was an American-Canadian anti-slavery activist, journalist, publisher, teacher, and lawyer. She was the first black woman publisher in North America and the first woman publisher in Canada. She was also the second black woman to attend law school in the United States. Mary Shadd established the newspaper Provincial Freeman in 1853, which was published weekly in southern Ontario. It advocated equality, integration, and self-education for black people in Canada and the United States.
-
Neville Roy Singham
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
-
Neville Roy Singham is an American businessman and social activist. He is the founder and former chairman of Thoughtworks, an IT consulting company that provides custom software, software tools, and consulting services, which he sold to a private equity firm for $785 million in 2017.
-
Harris Wofford
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Harris Llewellyn Wofford Jr. was an American attorney, civil rights activist, and Democratic Party politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1991 to 1995. A noted advocate of national service and volunteering, Wofford was also the fifth president of Bryn Mawr College from 1970 to 1978, served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in 1986, served as Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry in the cabinet of Governor Bob Casey Sr. from 1987 to 1991, and was a surrogate for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. He introduced Obama in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center before Obama's speech on race in America, "A More Perfect Union."
-
Francisco Flores
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Francisco Guillermo Flores Pérez was a Salvadoran politician who served as President of El Salvador from 1 June 1999 to 1 June 2004 as a member of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). He previously served as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly from 1994 to 1999, having been president of the Assembly from 1997 to 1999.
-
Antoine Bethea
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Antoine Akeem Bethea is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Howard Bison and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft. Bethea also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Giants. He was selected for the Pro Bowl three times and won Super Bowl XLI as a member of the Colts, beating the Chicago Bears.
-
John Alexander Thain
- Occupations
- entrepreneurinvestment banker
- Biography
-
John Alexander Thain is an American financial executive and investment banker. He was president and co-COO of Goldman Sachs, and then CEO of the New York Stock Exchange. Thain then became the last chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch & Co. before its merger with Bank of America. He was designated to become president of global banking, securities, and wealth management at the newly combined company, but resigned on January 22, 2009. Ken Lewis, CEO of Bank of America, reportedly forced Thain to step down after several controversies, such as the losses at Merrill Lynch which proved to be far larger than previously estimated, and the award of huge executive bonuses. Thain then was chairman and CEO of the CIT Group. He has been a board member of Uber since 2017.
-
Gregory Meeks
- Enrolled in Howard University
- In 1978 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Gregory Weldon Meeks is an American lawyer and politician who has been a U.S. representative from New York since 1998. He is a member of the Democratic Party and chaired the House Committee on Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2023. He still sits on the committee as ranking member. He is also the chair of the Queens County Democratic Party. He will become the dean of New York’s House delegation upon the retirements of Jerry Nadler and Nydia Velázquez in 2026.
-
Lori Stokes
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
-
Lori Stokes is an American former journalist and news anchor. She was the evening news anchor for the 5, 6, and 10 O’Clock news at Fox 5 NY WNYW in New York City from 2021 to 2022. She formerly co-hosted Good Day New York on Fox 5 NY WNYW, with Rosanna Scotto. From April 2000 to August 2017, she co-anchored on WABC-TV's Eyewitness News This Morning, with Ken Rosato. Stokes joined the station as part of an effort to increase ratings on WABC's morning newscast and helped bring the broadcast to #1. Stokes retired from broadcasting on September 30, 2022.
-
Makur Maker
- Enrolled in Howard University
- Studied in 2021
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Makur Maker is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Taipei Taishin Mars of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). A consensus five-star recruit, he committed to play college basketball for Howard University, becoming the highest-ranked player in the modern recruiting era to commit to a historically black college or university (HBCU).
-
Santita Jackson
- Years
- 1963-.. (age 63)
- Occupations
- singer
- Biography
-
Santita Jackson is an American singer and political commentator from Chicago, Illinois. As a singer, Jackson toured with Roberta Flack and performed the National Anthem at President Bill Clinton's second inauguration. She has appeared on the Fox News Channel and is the host of a television show on The Word Network. Santita attended high school with Michelle Obama and served as Obama's maid of honor at her 1992 wedding to Barack Obama.
-
Sonia Sanchez
- Occupations
- writerplaywrightanthologistschool teacherpoet
- Biography
-
Sonia Sanchez is an American poet, writer, and professor. She was a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement and has written more than a dozen books of poetry, as well as short stories, critical essays, plays, and children's books. In the 1960s, Sanchez released poems in periodicals targeted towards African-American audiences, and published her debut collection, Homecoming, in 1969. In 1993, she received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, and in 2001 was awarded the Robert Frost Medal for her contributions to the canon of American poetry. She has been influential to other African-American poets, including Krista Franklin. Sanchez is a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.
-
Keith Mitchell
- Occupations
- mathematiciancricketeruniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
-
Keith Claudius Mitchell is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving prime minister in Grenadian history, holding the office for more than 22 years. He was leader of the New National Party (NNP) from 1989 until 2024 and has been the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives of Grenada from 2008 to 2013, and again from 2022 to 2025.
-
Alma Thomas
- Occupations
- painterart educatorartistdraftsperson
- Biography
-
Alma Woodsey Thomas was an African-American artist and art teacher who lived and worked in Washington, D.C., and is now recognized as a major American painter of the 20th century. She is the first African-American woman to be included in the White House's permanent art collection. Thomas is best known for the "exuberant", colorful, abstract paintings that she created after she retired from a 35-year career teaching art at Washington's Shaw Junior High School.
-
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
- Occupations
- health administratorproject managerpolitician
- Biography
-
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 20th congressional district since 2022. Her district covers most of the Black-majority areas in and around Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. A member of the Democratic Party, she won a special election in 2022 to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Alcee Hastings.
-
Shirley Horn
- Occupations
- recording artistpianistjazz musiciansinger
- Biography
-
Shirley Valerie Horn was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and others. She was most noted for her ability to accompany herself with nearly incomparable independence and ability on the piano while singing, something described by arranger Johnny Mandel as "like having two heads", and for her rich, lush voice, a smoky contralto, which was described by noted producer and arranger Quincy Jones as "like clothing, as she seduces you with her voice".
-
Jelani Cobb
- Occupations
- educatorwriter
- Biography
-
William Jelani Cobb is an American writer, author, educator, and dean of the Columbia Journalism School.
-
A. J. Calloway
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
-
Albert Johnson "A. J." Calloway is an American entertainment reporter. He is known as the original host on 106 & Park, which originally aired on BET. After co-hosting the show for five years with Free (Marie Wright), Calloway left the show on July 28, 2005.
-
Bradford Young
- Occupations
- cinematographer
- Biography
-
Bradford Marcel Young, A.S.C is an American cinematographer. He is best known for his work on the films Selma, A Most Violent Year (both 2014), Arrival (2016)—which earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography—and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), as well as the Netflix miniseries When They See Us (2019).
-
Patricia Harris
- Occupations
- human rights defenderlawyerdiplomatpolitician
- Biography
-
Patricia Roberts Harris was an American politician, diplomat, and legal scholar. She served as the 6th United States secretary of housing and urban development from 1977 to 1979 and as the 13th United States secretary of health and human services from 1979 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter.
-
Wendy Davis
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
-
Wendy Davis is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Colonel Joan Burton in the Lifetime television drama series Army Wives, for which she received three NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series nominations.
-
Shirley Franklin
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Shirley Clarke Franklin is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party who served as the 58th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2002 to 2010. She currently serves as a member on the board of directors for both Delta Air Lines and Mueller Water Products.
-
J. A. Preston
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorstage actor
- Biography
-
James Allen Preston is a retired American actor. Preston is best known for portraying judge Colonel Randolph in the movie A Few Good Men and for his role as Ozzie Cleveland on the NBC prime-time television series Hill Street Blues. He played Conn MacCleary in the movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.
-
Charles Hamilton Houston
- Occupations
- university teacherjuristlawyer
- Biography
-
Charles Hamilton Houston Sr. was an American lawyer. He was the dean of Howard University Law School and NAACP first special counsel. A graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School, Houston played a significant role in dismantling Jim Crow laws, especially combating segregation in schools and racial housing covenants. He earned the title "The Man Who Killed Jim Crow".
-
Geri Allen
- Occupations
- music educatorjazz pianistcomposeruniversity teacherrecording artist
- Biography
-
Geri Antoinette Allen was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. She taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh.
