35 Politicians, Civil Rights Leaders, Innovators Who Attended An HBCU
By Halle Harris-Smith
November 12, 2020
History Black colleges and universities can be credited for producing civil rights icons, innovators, world leaders, and most recently a Vice President-elect.
Keep scrolling to see a few of HBCUs' brightest stars.
1. Kamala Harris
The Vice President-elected attended Howard University.
2. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The civil rights icon attended Morehouse College.
3. Thurgood Marshall
The former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States attended both Lincoln University and Howard University.
4. Spike Lee
The legendary filmmaker attended Morehouse College.
5. Julius Chambers
The lawyer and civil rights leader attended National Carolina Central University.
6. Toni Morrison
Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist attended Howard University.
7. Alice Walker
The social activist and writer attended Spelman College.
8. Pam Oliver
The national renown sportscaster attended Florida A&M University.
9. Samuel L. Jackson
The beloved actor attended Morehouse College.
10. Jesse Jackson
The legendary civil rights activist attended North Carolina A&T State University.
11. Ralph David Abernathy
The civil rights activist and Baptist minister attended Alabama State University.
12. Marian Wright Edelman
The activist and founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund attended Spelman College.
13. Lonnie Johnson
The inventor and aerospace engineer attended Tuskegee University.
14. Langston Hughes
The beloved poet and leader of the Harlem Renaissance attended Lincoln University.
15. Ralph Ellison
The novelist, literary critic, and scholar attended Tuskegee University.
16. Fred Shuttlesworth
The civil rights activist attended Alabama State University.
17. Booker T. Washington
The famed educator and author attended Hampton University
18. Leon Sullivan
The minister and civil rights leader attended West Virginia State University.
19. David Satcher
The 16th Surgeon General of the United States attended Morehouse College.
20. Katherine Johnson
The mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were "critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights" attended West Virginia State University.
21. Frederica Wilson
The U.S. Representative, who represents Florida's 24th district, attended Fisk University.
22. Nikki Giovanni
The famed poet attended Fisk University.
23. Yolanda Adams
The legendary gospel singer attended Tennesse State University.
24. Andrew Young
Young, an early leader of the civil rights movement, attended Hartford Theological Seminary.
25. Whitney Young
The civil rights leader attended Kentucky State University.
26. John Lewis
The civil rights icon, who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district, attended Fisk University.
27. William Barber II
The famed minster and political activist attended NC Central University.
28. W.E.B. DuBois
The legendary sociologist, socialist, and historian attended Fisk University.
29. Hosea Williams
The civil rights leader attended Morris Brown College and Clark Atlanta University.
30. Diane Nash
The strategist of the student wing of the Civil Rights Movement attended Howard and Fisk University.
31. Pinkney Benton Steward Pinchback
The publisher and politician attended Dillard University.
32. Ida B. Wells
The celebrated investigative journalist and one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People attended Fisk University.
33. Keisha Lance Bottoms
The 60th mayor of Atlanta attended Florida A&M University.
34. Stacey Abrams
The beloved politician, lawyer, and voting rights activist attended Spelman College.
35. Nikema Williams
The chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, who become the first woman to serve as a representative in Georgia's 5th Congressional District —a district held since 1987 by the late civil rights icon John Lewis — attended Talladega College.
Photos: Getty Images