Notable Alumni of Howard University [Sorted List]

1. Bradford Young

1977-. (aged 49)

cinematographer

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).

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2. Shirley Franklin

1945-. (aged 81)

politician

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.

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3. Shirley Horn

1934-2005 (aged 71)

recording artist pianist jazz musician singer

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...

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4. Jelani Cobb

1969-. (aged 57)

educator writer

William Jelani Cobb is an American writer, author, educator, and dean of the Columbia Journalism School.

5. A. J. Calloway

1974-. (aged 52)

actor

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.

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6. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

1979-. (aged 47)

health administrator project manager politician

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...

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7. Alma Thomas

1891-1978 (aged 87)

painter art educator artist draftsperson

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...

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8. Lori Stokes

1962-. (aged 64)

journalist

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...

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9. Makur Maker

2000-. (aged 26)

basketball player

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).

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10. Santita Jackson

1963-. (aged 63)

singer

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...

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11. Antoine Bethea

1984-. (aged 42)

American football player

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...

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12. John Alexander Thain

1955-. (aged 71)

entrepreneur investment banker

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...

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13. Harris Wofford

1926-2019 (aged 93)

lawyer politician

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...

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14. Diezani Alison-Madueke

1960-. (aged 66)

minister architect politician

Diezani K. Agama is a Nigerian politician who was the first female president of OPEC.

15. Mary Ann Shadd

1823-1893 (aged 70)

suffragist civil rights advocate lawyer journalist newspaper proprietor

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...

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16. Neville Roy Singham

1954-. (aged 72)

businessperson

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.

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17. Vanessa Lynne Bryant

1954-. (aged 72)

lawyer judge

Vanessa Lynne Bryant is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

18. Cheddi Jagan

1918-1997 (aged 79)

dentist politician

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...

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19. Emmet G. Sullivan

1947-. (aged 79)

lawyer judge journalist

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.

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20. Eric Williams

1911-1981 (aged 70)

historian politician

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...

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21. Billy Eckstine

1914-1993 (aged 79)

trumpeter jazz musician conductor singer bandleader

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...

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22. Pep Hamilton

1974-. (aged 52)

coach

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).

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23. Kevin Grevioux

1962-. (aged 64)

film producer film actor television actor voice actor film screenwriter

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.

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24. Kasim Reed

1969-. (aged 57)

lawyer politician

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...

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25. Amin Joseph

1980-. (aged 46)

actor

Amin Joseph is an American actor, director, and producer known for his role as Jerome Saint on John Singleton's crime drama Snowfall.

26. Mike Espy

1953-. (aged 73)

lawyer politician

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...

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27. Trina McGee-Davis

1969-. (aged 57)

film director model television actor actor film actor

Trina McGee is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Angela Moore on the ABC-TV sitcom Boy Meets World.

28. Paul Laurence Dunbar

1872-1906 (aged 34)

writer playwright poet novelist

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...

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29. Edward Brooke

1919-2015 (aged 96)

lawyer Massachusetts Attorney General politician

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....

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30. Fredricka Whitfield

1965-. (aged 61)

journalist news presenter

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.

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31. Benny Golson

1929-2024 (aged 95)

musician saxophonist composer recording artist jazz musician

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...

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32. Carl Anthony Payne II

1969-. (aged 57)

actor television actor film director

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.

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33. Isabel Wilkerson

1961-. (aged 65)

journalist writer

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.

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34. George Washington Williams

1849-1891 (aged 42)

Christian minister historian diplomat theologian writer

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.

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35. Wendy Raquel Robinson

1967-. (aged 59)

choreographer television actor film actor dancer voice actor

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).

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36. Kenny Lattimore

1970-. (aged 56)

singer

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

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37. Lance Gross

1981-. (aged 45)

model television actor film producer actor

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.

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38. Ananda Lewis

1973-2025 (aged 52)

model journalist film actor actor radio personality

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...

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39. Gabrielle Dennis

1978-. (aged 48)

television actor film director actor film actor

Gabrielle Dennis is an American actress and comedian, best known for starring in the sketch comedy HBO show A Black Lady Sketch Show.

40. Daryl Davis

1958-. (aged 68)

pianist film actor

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...

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41. Carla Hall

1964-. (aged 62)

television presenter chef reality television participant

Carla Hall is an American chef, television personality, and former model.

42. Jessye Norman

1945-2019 (aged 74)

opera singer

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...

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43. Fani Willis

1971-. (aged 55)

lawyer judge

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.

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44. Tami Roman

1970-. (aged 56)

model film director actor film actor

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...

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45. Karen Malina White

1965-. (aged 61)

voice actor television actor actor film actor

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...

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46. Lynn Whitfield

1953-. (aged 73)

film actor actor television actor

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...

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47. Simone Missick

1982-. (aged 44)

actor film actor

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.

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48. Ossie Davis

1917-2005 (aged 88)

stage actor actor television actor writer film actor

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...

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49. Stokely Carmichael

1941-1998 (aged 57)

activist human rights defender revolutionary politician

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...

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50. Susan Kelechi Watson

1981-. (aged 45)

screenwriter television actor actor film actor

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.

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51. Roberta Flack

1937-2025 (aged 88)

singer teacher singer-songwriter recording artist pianist

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...

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52. Laz Alonso

1974-. (aged 52)

film actor actor television actor

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...

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53. Roxie Roker

1929-1995 (aged 66)

television actor journalist actor film actor

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...

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54. La La Anthony

1979-. (aged 47)

disc jockey television actor actor film actor

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...

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55. Anthony Anderson

1970-. (aged 56)

comedian television actor screenwriter film actor executive producer

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),...

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56. Phylicia Rashad

1948-. (aged 78)

stage actor actor television producer voice actor singer

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.

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57. Chadwick Boseman

1976-2020 (aged 44)

television actor director actor voice actor film producer

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.

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58. Sean Combs

1969-. (aged 57)

chief executive officer film actor television producer philanthropist fashion designer

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...

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59. Marlon Wayans

1972-. (aged 54)

television actor film director actor television producer voice actor

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).

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60. Kamala Harris

1964-. (aged 62)

jurist lawyer writer presidential candidate prosecutor

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...

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61. Roland Burris

1937-. (aged 89)

lawyer bank examiner executive politician

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.

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62. Vernon Jordan

1935-2021 (aged 86)

jurist lawyer businessperson

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.

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63. Michelle Miller

1967-. (aged 59)

journalist

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.

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64. Andrew Young

1932-. (aged 94)

religious leader television writer diplomat film screenwriter television actor

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...

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65. William Lacy Clay

1956-. (aged 70)

politician

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.

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66. Elijah Cummings

1951-2019 (aged 68)

lawyer judge politician

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,...

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67. Charles Hamilton Houston

1895-1950 (aged 55)

university teacher jurist lawyer

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".

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68. Francisco Flores

1959-2016 (aged 57)

politician

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.

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69. Dave Fennoy

1952-. (aged 74)

disc jockey voice actor television actor actor

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....

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70. Rachel Dolezal

1977-. (aged 49)

activist painter human rights defender teacher

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.

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71. Sekhar Kammula

1972-. (aged 54)

film director screenwriter

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.

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72. Toni Morrison

1931-2019 (aged 88)

university teacher children's writer writer librettist audiobook narrator

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).

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73. Thomas Sowell

1930-. (aged 96)

educator economist university teacher columnist

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....

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74. Amiri Baraka

1934-2014 (aged 80)

journalist music critic novelist activist essayist

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...

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75. Zora Neale Hurston

1891-1960 (aged 69)

folklorist historian civil rights advocate writer anthropologist

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....

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76. Gregory Meeks

1953-. (aged 73)

lawyer politician

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....

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77. Letitia James

1958-. (aged 68)

lawyer politician journalist

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...

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78. Sonia Sanchez

1934-. (aged 92)

writer playwright anthologist school teacher poet

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....

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79. Patricia Bath

1942-2019 (aged 77)

physician researcher inventor ophthalmologist

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...

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80. Pauli Murray

1910-1985 (aged 75)

priest lawyer university teacher religious leader writer

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.

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81. David Dinkins

1927-2020 (aged 93)

jurist mayor politician

David Norman Dinkins was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993.

82. Isaiah Washington

1998-. (aged 28)

basketball player

Isaiah Washington is an American professional basketball player for Basket Zaragoza of the Liga ACB. He played for St. Raymond High School for Boys in The Bronx, where he was named Mr. New York Basketball in 2017. Washington co-founded and popularized Jelly Fam, a social media movement that emphasizes creative finger roll layups. He played college basketball for the Minnesota...

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83. Tracie Thoms

1975-. (aged 51)

television actor stage actor actor film actor

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.

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84. Taraji P. Henson

1970-. (aged 56)

film actor film director television actor singer actor

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.

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85. J. A. Preston

1932-. (aged 94)

film actor television actor stage actor

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.

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86. Debbie Allen

1950-. (aged 76)

film actor television producer film producer stage actor film director

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,...

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87. Adrian Fenty

1970-. (aged 56)

politician

Adrian Malik Fenty is an American politician who served as the mayor of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2011.

88. Omarosa Manigault Newman

1974-. (aged 52)

actor businessperson preacher voice actor film director

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...

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89. Summer Lee

1987-. (aged 39)

politician

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...

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90. Geri Allen

1957-2017 (aged 60)

music educator jazz pianist composer university teacher recording artist

Geri Antoinette Allen was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. She taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh.

91. Patricia Harris

1924-1985 (aged 61)

human rights defender lawyer diplomat politician

Patricia Harris is the chief executive officer of Michael Bloomberg's philanthropic foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies. She served as deputy mayor of New York City for administration from 2002 to 2005 and then as first deputy mayor of New York City from 2006 to 2013. She advised the Mayor of New York City, then Bloomberg, on administrative, operational, and policy matters. In...

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92. Nnamdi Azikiwe

1904-1996 (aged 92)

politician

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...

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93. Thurgood Marshall

1908-1993 (aged 85)

jurist lawyer judge politician

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...

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94. Harold Ford, Sr

1945-. (aged 81)

politician funeral director

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.

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95. Diane Nash

1938-. (aged 88)

human rights defender

Diane Judith Nash is an American civil rights activist, and a leader and strategist of the student wing of the Civil Rights Movement.

96. Alcee Hastings

1936-2021 (aged 85)

lawyer politician

Alcee Lamar Hastings was an American politician and judge from the state of Florida.

97. Wendy Davis

1966-. (aged 60)

film actor actor television actor

Wendy Russell Davis is an American lawyer and politician from Fort Worth, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, Davis represented the 10th district in the Texas Senate from 2009 to 2015. She previously served on the Fort Worth City Council.

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98. Douglas Wilder

1931-. (aged 95)

lawyer politician

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...

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99. Gus Johnson

1967-. (aged 59)

sports commentator

Gustav Emil Johnson is an American YouTuber and comedian.

100. Keith Mitchell

1946-. (aged 80)

mathematician cricketer university teacher politician

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...

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