Honoring Black History

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans. Here are just a few of the many individuals who made a tremendous impact in the United States and the world.

Maya Angelou

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Maya Angelou was an American poet, actress, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She earned several honors throughout her career, including two NAACP Image Awards four outstanding literary work in 2005 and 2009, and over 50 honorary degrees.

Hiram Revels

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Hiram Revels became the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate. During his one-year term, he advocated for desegregation in the schools and on the railroads. In a letter to President Ulysses S. Grant on segregation, Hiram wrote, “I am true to my own race. I wish to see all done that can be done for their encouragement, to assist them in acquiring property, in becoming intelligent, enlightened, useful, valuable citizens.”

Following his work as senator, he served as president of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, a new educational institution for African Americans in Mississippi.

Madam C. J. Walker

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Madam C. J. Walker is known as the first Black woman millionaire in America. She earned her fortune by developing a line of hair products for Black women, inspired by her experience with hair loss. Madam C. J. used her wealth to fund scholarships for women at the Tuskegee Institute and donate to charities, including NAACP.

James Arthur Baldwin

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

James Arthur Baldwin was an American essayist, novelist, and playwright whose writing and advocacy made him an important voice for equality. His books Notes of a Native Son and Nobody Knows my Name reveal his life experiences and those of fellow Black Americans. Nobody Knows My Name became a best seller, emerging James as one of the leading voices in the civil rights movement.

Bessie Blount Griffin

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Bessie Blount Griffin was a pioneer physical therapist, scientist, and inventor. She invented a device to help World War II veterans who struggled to eat. Her invention consisted of a tube that delivered individual bites of food to the patient at his or her own pace. She later invented a similar device that employed a neck brace with built-in support for a food receptacle such as a bowl, cup, or dish.

When asked to donate her inventions to museums, Bessie declined and took another approach.

“I’ll take them to schools, where the kids can hold them, touch them,” she said. “I tell them, ‘You’re a part of history.’”

Mary Mahoney

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Mary Mahoney, RN, was the first Black woman to earn a nursing degree, credited as America's first Black professional nurse. Mary also became one of the first Black members of the American Nurses Association.

In addition to her pioneering efforts in nursing, Mary is recognized for her role in the women's suffrage movement. She was among the first women to register to vote in Boston after the ratification of the 19th Amendment on Aug. 26, 1920.

Daniel Hale Williams

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Daniel Hale Williams, MD, was one of the first physicians to perform a successful open-heart surgery. Dr. Williams opened Provident Hospital in Chicago in 1893, the first interracial and Black-owned hospital. He later became chief surgeon at Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C. Dr. Williams was the first Black member of the American College of Surgeons and co-founded the National Medical Association with Robert Boyd, MD.

Rebecca Crumpler

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Rebecca Crumpler graduated from New England Female Medical College in Boston in 1864 as the first black woman awarded a medical degree from a U.S. university. Dr. Crumpler achieved this feat at a time when women, regardless of race, were largely barred from secondary education or higher learning opportunities. She published the Book of Medical Discourses in 1883, which drew information from her clinical experiences to help women better care for the health of their families.

Solomon Fuller

In honor of Black History Month, we’re recognizing the great accomplishments of Black Americans.

Solomon Fuller, MD, pioneered Alzheimer's research and advanced the study of many other neurodegenerative diseases, including schizophrenia and manic depression. Dr. Fuller became the first Black psychiatrist in the U.S. recognized by the American Psychological Association.

His successful career also included serving as emeritus professor of neurology at Boston University. The mental health program at the university bears Dr. Fuller's name today in honor of his contributions to psychiatric research.