Black Innovators — Google Arts & Culture

Learn about pioneers from history to today

Discover innovators in...

Sculpture Business Academia Art Quilting Photography Boxing Music Activism Baseball Literature Gaming Space exploration

Joseph

One of the most famous Black models of the 19th century

Sojourner Truth

As preacher, abolitionist, and women's rights activist, Truth spoke out against injustices

Frederick Douglass

Called the "Father of the Civil Rights Movement"

Harriet Tubman

As a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Tubman lead dozens of individuals to freedom

Edmonia Lewis

An acclaimed 19th-century African American and Native American sculptor

Maggie L. Walker

Walker became the nation's first African American female bank president in 1903

Madam C.J. Walker

Building a beauty empire, she became the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S.

Carter G. Woodson

When there were no academic journals to counter racist scholarship, Dr. Woodson created one

Alma Thomas

An inspirational artist and teacher, making beautiful, colorful paintings

Marian Anderson

One of the original board members of The Carnegie Hall Corporation

Paul Robeson

Singer, actor, and social activist

Duke Ellington

Pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra

Susana Allen Hunter

She turned the "fabric" of everyday life into eye-catching quilts

Gordon Parks

One of the most groundbreaking figures in 20th century photography

Rosa Parks

In 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a segregated bus and refused to give up her seat... the rest is history

Joe Louis

The world heavyweight champion of boxing from 1938 to his retirement in 1949

Billie Holiday

"The audience was hers from before she sang"

Thelonious Monk

Pianist, composer, iconoclast, and jazz icon Monk has inspired generations

Ella Fitzgerald

Jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song"

Jackie Robinson

The first African American to play in Major League Baseball

Pauli Murray

One of the most important figures in civil rights, women's rights, and LGBTQ+ history

Toni Stone

Breaking boundaries as the first woman in Big League baseball

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

He dedicated his life to campaigning against racial inequality and advancing civil and human rights

Tom Dent

A leading literary figure in New Orleans and an active participant in the Black Arts Movement

Jerry Lawson

The engineer and entrepreneur who changed the way we play video games

Mae Jemison

The first African American women in space

Jean-Michel Basquiat

From graffiti artists to world renowned name in the arts

Black History and Culture

The past, present, and future of the Black experience in the United States

Black History

Celebrating the icons, moments, and milestones