AALBC Search
Tracy Brown
Tracy Brown 0000000037835870 Bestselling author Tracy Brown, known for her inspiring novels and contributions to anthologies, dedicated her life to empowering women and youth through her work and non...
TiJuana A. Gholson
TiJuana A. Gholson NONE Ti’Juana A. Gholson is a dynamic business coach, author, and speaker with a focus on empowering women in business. As the founder of L.I.P.S. and Women's Business Symposium, L...
Deesha Philyaw
Deesha Philyaw 0000000401543576 Deesha Philyaw, co-author of Co-Parenting 101, is known for her notable work on race, parenting, gender, and culture. Her writing has been featured in renowned publica...
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah 0000000120268301 Queen Latifah, born Dana Elaine Owens, is a renowned rapper, singer, actor, TV and record producer. Known as the “First Lady of Hip-Hop,” she released her debut album i...
Nikki Giovanni
Nikki Giovanni 0000000114678830 Nikki Giovanni (June 7, 1943 to December 9, 2024 was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni (June 7, 1943 &n...
Marissa Monteilh
Marissa Monteilh NONE Marissa Monteilh (Mon-tay), writing as Pynk, is the best-selling author of seven mainstream novels, May December Souls, The Chocolate Ship, Hot ...
Nia Obotette
Nia Obotette NONE Nia Obotette, a Tuskegee University graduate and fitness enthusiast, promotes health through organizing cycling and running meet-ups. A triathlon finisher herself, Nia is passionate...
Nicole Garrett
Nicole Garrett NONE Nicole FáLon Garrett was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s in English from the University of Iowa and Chicago State University res...
Jade Orlando
Jade Orlando NONE Jade Orlando was born on an army base in North Carolina and grew up in a tiny Michigan town. After an impassioned childhood spent drawing dragons and cat ladies, she traveled to SC...
LL Cool J
LL Cool J 0000000368571427 LL Cool J is a multi-talented figure: a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy-winning Hip-Hop artist, honored actor, best-selling author, philanthropist and CEO of Rock...
Islenia Mil
Islenia Mil NONE Islenia Mil, an Afro-Latina illustrator, blends captivating composition, intricate line work, rich textures, and vibrant hues to craft meaningful narratives. Raised in both the vibr...
Constance Banks
Constance Banks NONE Constance Banks is a motivational author with over 20 years of experience in youth ministry. Her latest book, “A Conversation with My Mother about Sex, Boys, and How She Married ...
Karen Eubanks Jackson
Karen Eubanks Jackson NONE Karen Eubanks Jackson, a 27-year, four-time breast cancer survivor, is the founder and CEO of Sisters Network Inc., the only nationwide African American breast cancer survi...
Shirley Neal
Shirley Neal NONE Shirley Neal is a renowned journalist, author, and documentarian specializing in Pop Culture, Africa, and Black Identity. Noted for her Forbes Africa cover story on Oprah Winfrey, s...
Katrina Brownlee
Katrina Brownlee NONE Katrina Brownlee a retired NYPD police officer, is a sought-after speaker regarding her triumph over domestic violence; she also regularly teaches seminars to law enforcement o...
Carlos Whittaker
Carlos Whittaker NONE Carlos Whittaker is bringing hope to humans all over the world. And he’s pretty good at it: he’s an author, podcaster, and global speaker backed by the power of a massive Insta...
J.J. Smith
J.J. Smith NONE JJ Smith is a certified nutritionist and weight-management specialist, renowned author, and inspirational speaker. Featured on multiple television shows and in high-profile publicatio...
Shannon Holmes
Shannon Holmes NONE Shannon Holmes, a Bronx native, turned his life around while serving a prison sentence by penning his first novel. Achieving success with his debut, “B-more Careful,” he secured a...
Paul Beatty
Paul Beatty 0000000084014450 Paul Beatty, born 1962, the first American to win the Man Booker Prize in 2016 for his novel “The Sellout.” An LA native and graduate of Brooklyn College and Boston Unive...
Synthia SAINT JAMES
Synthia SAINT JAMES 0000000035735390 Synthia SAINT JAMES, a LA and NY-raised artist, sold her first painting at 20. She held her first solo exhibition in LA in 1977 and participated in her first inte...
Cherlyn Michaels
Cherlyn Michaels NONE Cherlyn Michaels is a self-published author and chemical engineer who began writing in grade school. She pursued her passion for writing after graduating from university, bravel...
Dinaw Mengestu
Dinaw Mengestu 0000000114920471 Born in Ethiopia, Dinaw Mengestu immigrated to the US in 1980. He's a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and the Guardian First Book Award. His first novel earned mul...
Ilhan Omar
Ilhan Omar 0000000500396743 Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American legislator in the U.S., represents Minnesota's 5th congressional district. She's one of the first Muslim women in Congress and the fi...
Krystle Parker
Krystle Parker NONE Krystle Parker, an Adult Gerontologist Nurse with 15 years of experience, is the owner of Absolute Care Services and ILashpark. She is also a community benefactor, hosting annual ...
Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Charlayne Hunter-Gault 000000006701669X Charlayne Hunter-Gault, born in 1942, is an Emmy-winning journalist and author of five books. Beginning her career at the New Yorker, she became the first Blac...
Gabrielle Douglas
Gabrielle Douglas NONE Gabrielle Douglas, born 1995, is a celebrated gymnast known for her historic achievements at the 2012 London Olympics. She's the first African-American and woman of color to wi...
Ann Petry
Ann Petry 0000000114367004 Did you know? Ann Petry’s first novel The Street was the first novel by an African American to sell more than a million copies. Ann Petry (1908–1997) was an acclaimed ...
Baba Wagué Diakité
Baba Wagué Diakité 0000000121436557 Baba Wagué Diakité, a Mali-born artist, found his roots in drawing before discovering claywork when he moved to the US. He has had numerous solo and group exhibi...
Chigozie Obioma
Chigozie Obioma 000000007886845X “the heir to Chinua Achebe” (New York Times) Chigozie Obioma, born in Nigeria, is an award-winning author and professor of English at the University of Neb...
W.E.B. Du Bois
W.E.B. Du Bois 0000000108863087 Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois was a prominent scholar and writer in American history. Born in 1868, he was the first Black person to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard. He established ...
Ibtihaj Muhammad
Ibtihaj Muhammad 0000000495666162 Ibtihaj Muhammad is a groundbreaking Olympic fencer, the first Muslim American woman in hijab to compete for the US, and to win an Olympic medal. She's also an activ...
Jacki Simmons
Jacki Simmons NONE Bronx-born, Harlem-raised author Jacki Simmons found inspiration in her surroundings from a young age. She completed her first short story at 11 and her first novel at 16. After wi...
Victoria Scott-Miller
Victoria Scott-Miller NONE Victoria Scott-Miller is an acclaimed entrepreneur, author, and owner of North Carolina's first black-owned children's bookstore. She's notable for creating 'The Museum Liv...
Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama 0000000114497394 Michelle Obama, first African-American First Lady, lawyer, and author, launched initiatives like Let's Move!, Joining Forces, and Reach Higher. A Harvard Law graduate,...
Morrie Turner
Morrie Turner 0000000021272073 Morris “Morrie” Turner (1923-2014) was an American cartoonist known for creating Wee Pals, the first American syndicated comic strip featuring an integrated cast. Raise...
Tiya Miles
Tiya Miles 0000000114701869 Tiya Alicia Miles is a historian and professor at the University of Michigan. Specializing in African American and Native American histories, she's the author of award-win...
Winston Chapman
Winston Chapman NONE Winston Chapman, originally from Roseville, Minnesota, is an author with diverse career experiences, including stand-up comedy and TV show production. He first published an artic...
Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith 000000012276857X Zadie Smith, born Sadie Smith in 1975, is a renowned British author of Jamaican-English heritage. Her debut novel, “White Teeth,” won numerous awards, and subsequent nove...
Brenda Jackson
Brenda Jackson 0000000117535931 Jackson is New York Times bestselling with of 150 romance novels. Brenda Jackson, a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, has written over 150 novels and nov...
Aliona L. Gibson
Aliona L. Gibson NONE Aliona L. Gibson is an author and filmmaker with a passion for creativity and service. She published her first book, Nappy, and later the self-published For Black Writers. Inspi...
Al-Saadiq Banks
Al-Saadiq Banks NONE Al-Saadiq Banks is a best-selling author of nine urban fiction and crime drama books. He entered the literary scene in 2002, co-founding True 2 Life Publications with his brother...
April Sinclair
April Sinclair NONE April Sinclair, a Chicago native, is a renowned author and community activist. Known for her dedicated activism in Oakland and her unique approach to her literary debut, Sinclair'...
Isabel Wilkerson
Isabel Wilkerson 0000000073025226 Isabel Wilkerson, first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, is a distinguished journalist and professor. Recognized for her work at The New York Times an...
Kirby Roy III
Kirby Roy III NONE Kirby Roy III, introduced to literature at a young age, left Hampton University to pursue writing. After graduating from Clark Atlanta University and while working as a financial a...
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm 0000000021812965 Shirley Anita Chisholm January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981 was the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1969 and was re-elected six times until she...
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt 0000000120374593 Usain Bolt, born August 21, 1986, is recognized as the fastest person ever timed. He holds world records in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay, won six Olympic gold medals, ...
Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany
Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany MULTIPLE Sarah Delany, the last of the Delany sisters, passed away at 109. Born to a former slave, she was the first colored woman to teach home economics in w...
Solomon Plaatje
Solomon Plaatje 000000010911853X Solomon 'Sol' Plaatje (1876-1932) was a pioneering South African intellectual, journalist, and writer, known for being the first General Secretary of the South Africa...
Danyel Smith
Danyel Smith 0000000034269092 Danyel Smith, born in 1965, is an accomplished journalist, editor, and author. A 2014 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow, Smith is known for her work with prominent outlet...
Ruth C. Taylor
Ruth C. Taylor NONE Ruth Carol Taylor, born 1931, is the first African American flight attendant in the U.S. with Mohawk Airlines. She's also a journalist and a nurse who has championed minority and ...
Derrick Bell
Derrick Bell 0000000108752280 Derrick Bell, the first tenured African-American professor at Harvard Law School and one of the first African-American law school deans, was a pioneer in critical race t...
Peter Akinti
Peter Akinti NONE Peter Akinti, a London-born author of Nigerian descent, studied Law and worked at HM Treasury Chambers. He founded Untold Magazine, the first independent British magazine for black ...
Pat Cleveland
Pat Cleveland NONE Patricia Cleveland, born on June 23, 1950, is a pioneer in the fashion industry as one of the first prominent Black runway and print models. Discovered by Vogue assistant fashion e...
N. K. Jemisin
N. K. Jemisin 0000000107503776 Jemisin, in 2018, Became the Only Writer to Win 3 Best Novel Hugo Awards in Consecutive Years (note) Nora K. Jemisin, born in 1972, is a renowned speculative fiction aut...
Lucy Terry
Lucy Terry NONE Lucy Terry Prince, born in West Africa (1730-1821), was a poet, storyteller, and activist known for being the first African American woman to compose a poem. Kidnapped and sold into s...
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris 0000000065826859 Harris Made History as the First Female Vice President Kamala Harris, born in 1964, is a U.S. Senator from California, known for her work in civil rights and public safe...
Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o 0000000065421480 Lupita Nyong'o, born March 1, 1983, is a Kenyan-Mexican actress. Raised in Kenya and educated in the U.S., she began her career in Hollywood, made her acting debut in ...
Candice Carty-Williams
Candice Carty-Williams 0000000501732761 Candice Carty-Williams, born in 1989, is a successful senior marketing executive at Vintage and creator of the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize. ...
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson 000000011742385X Cicely Tyson was a respected actress, lecturer, and activist with over sixty years in American theater and film. She was the first African-American woman to win an Emmy ...
Joye M. Carter
Joye M. Carter NONE Dr. Joye Carter, M.D., first female and African American Chief Medical Examiner in the U.S, served in Washington, DC and Houston, Texas. Now a forensic pathology consultant and au...
Jimmie Allen
Jimmie Allen 0000000465260495 Jimmie Allen is a multi-platinum American recording artist and the first Black artist to achieve two consecutive #1 hits on country radio and win the ACM New Male Artist...
Jupiter Hammon
Jupiter Hammon 000000038947276X Jupiter Hammon (1711-1806), a born slave, became the first African-American writer to be published in the US in 1761. Encouraged to learn reading and writing, he serve...
Karen E. Quinones Miller
Karen E. Quinones Miller 0000000050390888 Karen E. Quinones Miller, born in Harlem, experienced street life as a teen, joined the Navy at 22, and later became a journalist. She worked for The Philade...
Kayla Perrin
Kayla Perrin NONE Kayla Perrin, a USA TODAY and Essence bestselling author, is known for her mainstream and romance novels. Her first novel, Again, My Love, made it on Ingram's Top 50 Most Requested ...
Orrin C. Evans
Orrin C. Evans NONE Orrin Cromwell Evans (1902-1971) was a trailblazing African-American journalist and comic book publisher. He's recognized as the first black general assignment reporter for a main...
Kehinde Andrews
Kehinde Andrews 0000000459713136 Kehinde Nkosi Andrews is a Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, founder and director of the Centre for Critical Social Research, and co-founder o...
Pelé
Pelé 0000000120266189 Pelé, born 1940, was a legendary soccer player, becoming Brazil's top scorer and the first to win three World Cup medals. He popularized soccer in America while playing for the...
Louise Meriwether
Louise Meriwether 0000000110768302 Louise Meriwether was a renowned novelist, essayist, journalist, and activist, best known for her children's biographies of significant African Americans. Born in N...
Lowell D. Thompson
Lowell D. Thompson NONE Lowell Thompson is an accomplished artist and writer with a rich history in advertising. A pioneer as one of the first African-Americans in advertising, he now channels his cr...
Steven L. Reed
Steven L. Reed NONE Steven L. Reed, the first Black Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, was also the youngest and first Black probate judge. He holds a BA from Morehouse College and an MBA from Vanderbilt ...
Sophia Ezomoghene
Sophia Ezomoghene NONE Sophia Ezomoghene, a first-generation Nigerian American author and ex-teacher, creates enchanting tales about first day anxieties, adventures, and magical realms. In her free t...
Terry Wells-Jones
Terry Wells-Jones NONE Terry Wells-Jones, a graduate from the University of Wisconsin, is a retired businesswoman and one of the first Black models of the 1960s. She broke barriers as the first woman...
Maya Wiley
Maya Wiley NONE Maya D. Wiley, a life-long civil rights advocate and attorney, is the current president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. An influential figure in activi...
Mellody Hobson
Mellody Hobson NONE Mellody Hobson is co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments, the first African American-owned mutual fund company in the United States. Priceless Facts about Money was her first c...
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer 000000010799937X Keke Palmer is an Emmy award-winning actress, singer/songwriter, producer, author, television host, and passionate voice of the millennial generation. Lauren Keyana “Keke...
Chris Webber
Chris Webber 0000000031515227 Chris Webber was a five-time All-Star and a five-time All-NBA selection. In a career that spanned fifteen seasons, Webber is one of five NBA players to average at least ...
Sandra L. Manigault
Sandra L. Manigault NONE Sandra L. Manigault, formerly a high school math teacher and college professor, she fell in love with books by African American women and other 20th and 21st century writers,...
Reginald F. Lewis
Reginald F. Lewis 0000000082053675 Reginald F. Lewis (1942-1993) was an influential American businessman, known as the richest African-American in the 1980s with an estimated net worth of $400 millio...
Sheila E. Anderson
Sheila E. Anderson NONE Sheila Anderson, raised in a music-loving family in Buffalo, New York, shifted from music to civil rights at 16, becoming the New York State Youth President of the NAACP. Desp...
Storm
Storm NONE Storm, a freelance writer and editor based in Philadelphia, combines sophistication and street-wise sensibilities in her urban fiction. A child prodigy with a Bachelor's of Arts, she has a...
Terry DeRon
Terry DeRon NONE Terry DeRon, a dynamic writer with a unique writing style, served in the US Army before obtaining a Television/Film production degree from Southern University. He used his military b...
Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai 0000000121279889 “You cannot enslave a mind that knows itself, that values itself, that understands itself.” Dr. Wangari Maathai was a renowned Kenyan environmental, politi...
David Lee
David Lee 0000000110370724 David Lee is an esteemed leader with nearly 30 years of ministry experience. Serving under T.D. Jakes Ministries, he led the Sunday school department and taught the first m...
Damilare Kuku
Damilare Kuku NONE Damilare Kuku is a multi-talented Nigerian author, known for her bestseller story collection, Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad. She has experience in radio, scripts, film, and a...
D.T. Pollard
D.T. Pollard NONE D.T. Pollard, an Essence Bestselling author from Texas, discovered his passion for writing at a young age but paused during college. After a 25-year career in technology sales, he r...
Cole Brown
Cole Brown NONE Cole Brown is an author, producer, and political commentator. His first book, Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World, was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award and selected for St...
Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash 0000000368452815 Every DJ set you have ever heard—every seamless beat transition, every manually looped breakbeat, every scratch—runs on an operating system that one person built i...
Hannah Crafts
Hannah Crafts 0000000057115061 Hannah Bond, known as Hannah Crafts, was an African-American writer and ex-slave who escaped to the North and wrote The Bondwoman’s Narrative. Settling in New Jersey, B...
Angle S. Bush
Angle S. Bush NONE Angle S. Bush, an author, poet, and motivational speaker from Michigan, is known for her books “When I Cease to Exist” and “Soul of a Woman” aimed at fostering self-embrace and inn...
Barbara Brandon
Barbara Brandon 0000000031564723 Barbara Brandon is the first nationally syndicated African-American female cartoonist. Barbara Brandon-Croft, creator of the comic strip 'Where I’m Coming From', is ce...
Brian W. Smith
Brian W. Smith NONE Brian W. Smith, an award-winning author of 15 novels and former U.S. Army member, turned full-time author after being laid off. His personal trauma inspired his first novel, leadi...
B. Smith
B. Smith 0000000045066151 Barbara Elaine Smith (1949-2020) was a former fashion model and the first African-American woman on Mademoiselle’s cover. She also starred in TV commercials and served as a ...
Ayi Kwei Armah
Ayi Kwei Armah 0000000123197844 Ghanaian novelist Ayi Kwei Armah attained international renown for his fiction in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Despite his fame Armah maintained an intensely priva...
Sarah Gordon Weathersby
Sarah Gordon Weathersby NONE Born in a Virginia rectory, Sarah Weathersby attended segregated schools before moving to DC, graduating from Drew University, and raising two sons in North Carolina. Aft...
Petina Gappah
Petina Gappah 0000000076949184 Petina Gappah is a Zimbabwean writer and international trade lawyer based in Geneva. Known for her debut book, 'An Elegy for Easterly', which won the 2009 Guardian Firs...
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe 0000000087759773 Arthur Ashe, born in 1943, was the first and only African-American male tennis player to win the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open, with three Grand Slam titl...
E. Franklin Frazier
E. Franklin Frazier 0000000110444690 Edward F. Frazier (1894-1962) was a renowned American sociologist and author. His influential work, “The Negro Family in the United States,” won the 1940 Anisfiel...
Mervyn Morris
Mervyn Morris 0000000122796976 Born in 1937, Mervyn E. Morris is a renowned Jamaican poet and scholar. A Rhodes Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing & West Indian Literature, he was the...
Cheryl Cloyd Robbins
Cheryl Cloyd Robbins NONE Cheryl Cloyd Robbins is a passionate writer who began her journey in high school. She self-published her first novel in 2006 and its acclaimed sequel in 2008. Despite being ...
Toni Blackman
Toni Blackman 0000000036920264 Toni Blackman, an international champion of hip-hop culture, is known for her captivating performances and powerful presence. She's the first hip-hop artist to work as ...