Top 10 Most Famous Black People In History

The history of  Black people goes as far back as the Egypt ancient civilization, they are several scholars who believe that the society back then was dominated by Black people. However, due to the lack of proper documentation, nothing is known about the Black race until the trans-Sahara slave trade that took place between the 5th and 15th century AD.  The Trans-Atlantic Slave trade followed suit from the mid-sixteenth century until it was ultimately replaced by Colonialism and Racial segregation in the 1860s. However, despite this series of domination and subjugation, they are certain individuals in the black race who have been able to make a name for themselves, making themselves a notable force to be reckoned with in history. Without any further ado here are the 10 most famous Black people in History.

1. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. Nelson Mandela is no doubt one of the most famous black people in history, due to his commitment to overthrowing the Apartheid system of racial segregation.

He was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the 1956 Treason Trial. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant uMkhonto we Sizwe in 1961 and led a sabotage campaign against the government. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1962, and, following the Rivonia Trial, was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the state.

Mandela served 27 years in prison until he was released in 1990.  Mandela gained international acclaim for his activism and is globally regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize.

2. Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement. As a Black church leader, King advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through nonviolence and civil disobedience.

Inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi, King led targeted, nonviolent resistance against Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination in the United States. He participated in and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other civil rights.

King was one of the leaders of the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He also oversaw the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and led the unsuccessful Albany Movement in Albany, Georgia.

In 1964, King won the Nobel Peace  Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. In 1965, he helped organize two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches. Prior to his assassination, he expanded his focus to include opposition to poverty, capitalism, and the Vietnam War.

3. Barrack Obama

Barrack Obama is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. He was the first African-American president of the United States, therefore taking his place amongst the most famous black people in history.

Obama had previously served as a U.S. senator representing Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004, and worked as a civil rights lawyer before holding public office. During his term as president, the United States’ reputation abroad and the American economy improved significantly, although the country experienced high levels of partisan divide.

He was re-elected for a second term in 2013 and took steps to combat climate change, He also presided over the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other legislation passed in his first term, negotiated a nuclear agreement with Iran, and normalized relations with Cuba. He was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

4.  Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. He is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century, taking his place among the most famous black people in history. his contributions to music, dance, and fashion,  made him a global figure in popular culture.

Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 400 million records worldwide.  He had 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles (third highest of any artist in the Hot 100 era) and was the first artist to have a top-ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades.

His honors include 15 Grammy Awards, 6 Brit Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and 39 Guinness World Records, including the “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time”. He was inducted into numerous Hall of Fame which include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Dance Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame among others.

5. Bob Marley

Bob Marly was a was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. He is one of the pioneers of the reggae genre of music and is considered by many a Rastafari icon. His contributions to music increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide and made him a global figure in popular culture.

Bob Marley is considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture.  His greatest hits album Legend released in 1984 is the best-selling reggae album of all time. Marley also ranks as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of more than 75 million records worldwide.

He was posthumously honored by Jamaica soon after his death with a designated Order of Merit by his nation. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. His other achievements include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Read More: 

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• 10 Protests That Shaped The History Of The United States

6. Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur was an American rapper and actor. He is widely considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time, taking his place as one of the most famous black people in history. His music has been noted for addressing contemporary social issues, and he is considered a symbol of activism against inequality.

Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. His Diamond-certified album All Eyez on Me (1996),  was the first double-length album in hip-hop history, His posthumous album Greatest Hits (1998) is one of only nine hip-hop albums—to have been certified Diamond in the United States.

Aside from his music career, Shakur also found considerable success as an actor, starring in numerous movies such as  Juice (1992), and Poetic Justice (1993), among others. He died in 1996 after he was shot in a drive-by shooting.  In 2002, Shakur was inducted into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility Rolling Stone ranked Shakur among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

7. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and one of the most famous black people in history. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011.

Winfrey is credited with creating a more intimate, confessional form of media communication, She also popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue. Due to her success on television, Winfrey became the richest African American of the 20th century and was once the world’s only black billionaire. By 2007, she was often ranked as the most influential woman in the world.

In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama and received honorary doctorate degrees from Duke and Harvard. She was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Winfrey has won many accolades throughout her career which include 18 Daytime Emmy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Peabody Award, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

8. Muhammed Ali

Muhammed Ali was an American professional boxer, activist, and one of the most famous black people in history. Nicknamed “The Greatest”, he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

Ali fought in several historic boxing matches, including his highly publicized fights with Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, and  George Foreman, among others. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

His refusal to be drafted into the military for the Vietnam War made him an icon for the larger counterculture of the 1960s generation.  He became a very high-profile figure of racial pride for African Americans during the civil rights movement and throughout his career. Outside boxing, Ali attained success as a spoken word artist, releasing two studio albums that received Grammy Award nominations

9. Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson, like Muhammad Ali in the 1960s,  was one of the most influential sports figures of his day. He was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era, breaking the baseball color line.

During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black Player to do so. He played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers’ 1955 World Series championship.

Robinson’s character, his use of nonviolence, and his talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation that had then marked many other aspects of American life. He influenced the culture of and contributed significantly to the civil rights movement. In 1997, MLB retired his uniform No. 42 across all major league teams; he was the first professional athlete to receive such honor in any sport.

He was also posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his achievements on and off the field

10. Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is an American former professional basketball player and businessman. He is considered by many as the is the greatest basketball player of all time. Jordan is one of the most famous black people in history and was integral in popularizing basketball and the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

Michael Jordan played fifteen seasons in the NBA, winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. He also won four gold medals, playing for the  United States national team. Michael Jordan is also the most effectively marketed athlete of his generation, fueling the success of Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers.

In 2016, Jordan became the first billionaire player in NBA history. He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jordan’s individual accolades and accomplishments include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, ten NBA scoring titles five NBA MVP awards, among others. He is presently one of the richest black men on the continent with an estimated net worth of $2 billion.