Black History Month
Do Now
• Who are some famous African Americans you
learned about for Black History Month?
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron
• Considered one of the best baseball players of all time, Hank
Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home-run record when he hit his
715th home run in 1974. He later set a new MLB record with
755 career home runs.
“My motto was always to
keep swinging. Whether I
was in a slump or feeling
bad or having trouble off
the field, the only thing to
do was to keep swinging.”
-Hank Aaron
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
• Ali is considered one of the greatest athletes in boxing history,
winning both the coveted Golden Gloves title and an Olympic
gold medal, among several other honors. Since his retirement,
Ali has devoted much of his time to philanthropy.
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
• Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloist,
film star and comedian. Considered one of the most influential
artists in jazz history, he is known for songs like "Star Dust," "La
Via En Rose" and "What a Wonderful World.”
“A lotta cats copy the
Mona Lisa, but
people still line up to
see the original.”
- Louis Armstrong
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
• Arthur Ashe is the first African American to win the men's
singles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and the first black
American to be ranked No. 1 in the world.
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
• George Washington Carver was a prominent African-American
scientist and inventor. Carver is best known for the many uses
he devised for the peanut.
W.E.B. DuBois
W.E.B. DuBois
• W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the most important African-American
activists during the first half of the 20th century. He co-founded
the NAACP and supported Pan-Africanism (the freeing of
African colonies from European powers.)
W.E.B. DuBois
Colonized Africa
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
• Michael Jordan is a former American basketball player who led
the Bulls to six national championships and earned the NBA
Most Valuable Player Award five times.
Michael Jordan Quote
B.B. King
B.B. King
• "King of the Blues" B.B. King began as a disc jockey in Memphis
before finding fame as a blues and R&B guitarist, with hits like
"The Thrill Is Gone.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
• Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist,
who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from
the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968.
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
• Langston Hughes was an American poet, novelist, and
playwright whose African-American themes made him a
primary contributor to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
• Thurgood Marshall was a big part of in ending legal segregation
and became the first African-American justice of the Supreme
Court.
Jessie Owens
Jesse Owens
• American track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens won four gold
medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. His long jump world
record stood for 25 years.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
• Civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat
to a white passenger, spurring the Montgomery boycott and
other efforts to end segregation.
Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice
• Hall of Fame football wide receiver Jerry Rice played for the San
Francisco 49ers, won 3 Super Bowls, and is widely considered
the greatest ever to play his position.
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
• Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major
leagues in 1947, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was
named Rookie of the Year in 1947, National League MVP in
1949 and a World Series champ in 1955.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
• Harriet Tubman escaped slavery to become a leading
abolitionist. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom
along the route of the Underground Railroad.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
• Billionaire Oprah Winfrey is best known for hosting her own
internationally popular talk show from 1986 to 2011. She is also
an actress, philanthropist, publisher and producer.