HBCU alumni: Artists, entertainers and athletes

Education

HBCU alumni: Arts, entertainment and sports

Photos and bios: Graduates of historically black colleges and universities have dominated music, film, literature, visual art and professional sports.

Amy Sherald: A native of Columbus and a fine arts graduate of Clark Atlanta, Sherald was chosen as the offical portrait artist of former first lady Michelle Obama. On the same week that the portrait was unveiled at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, it was also announced that Sherald was awarded the High Museum's 2018 David C. Driskell Prize. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Ta-Nehisi Coates: A genius, by way of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's "Genius Grant," Coates is one of America's top cultural, social and political critics. Writing for the Atlantic, in 2014, he wrote the exhaustive "The Case for Reparations." In 2015, his second book, "Between the World and Me" started a national conversation and was compared to James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time." The book won the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction and was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Coates attended Howard University in the 1990s but did not graduate. (Anna Webber/Getty Images for The New Yorker)

Langston Hughes: A 1929 graduate of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Hughes was one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance as a poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He published 10 volumes of poetry and approximately 60 short stories. He also produced dramas, operas, and anthologies, in addition to his humorous books and two autobiographies. Hughes was awarded the Spingarn Medal in 1960 as 'Poet Laureate' of the Negro Race. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Toni Morrison: Author of "Beloved" and "Song of Solomon," Morrison won the Pulitzer prize in fiction and then the Nobel Prize in Literature. She graduated from Howard in 1953 with a bachelor's in English. (Sara Krulwich/New York Times Photo)

Nikki Giovanni: A 1967 graduate of Fisk University, Giovanni is one of the most renowned African-American poets and social commentators in the country. On April 17, the day after the Virginia Tech mass shooting, Giovanni, a University Distinguished Professor at the school, delivered her stunning tribute, where she said: "We know we did nothing to deserve it. But neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS. Neither do the invisible children walking the night awake to avoid being captured by a rogue army. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory. Neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water....We are Virginia Tech.... We will prevail." Giovanni's greatest work, recited at every HBCU beauty pageant, is "Ego Tripping."

Zora Neale Hurston: Best-known for her novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," Hurston also co-founded The Hilltop, the Howard University student newspaper. She graduated in 1918.

Ralph Ellison: The writer was admitted into Tuskegee Institute in 1933 after his second time applying. He never felt like he fit in at Tuskegee and Hilton Als wrote: "Standing apart from the university's air of sanctimonious Negritude enabled him to write about it (in his classic 'Invisible Man'). He looks back with scorn and despair on the snivelling ethos that ruled at Tuskegee." "Invisible Man," the only novel published in his lifetime, won Ellison the 1953 National Book Award for Fiction and is considered part of the American literary canon. (Library of Congress)

Alice Dunbar Nelson: A Dillard graduate, Nelson was a poet and one of the pioneers of the artistic boom of the Harlem Renaissance. Her first husband was the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. Her first collection of short stories and poems, 'Violets and Other Tales,' was published in 1895. (Project Getenberg)

Ernie Barnes: A native of Durham, Barnes didn't have to go far for college. He was a true Renaissance man, as a professional football player, actor and artist. It was as an artist that he touched the world. His artistic style was unique -- distinctive color palettes and black bodies, elongated, but familiar. His work reached its largest audience when Barnes served as the surrogate for the work of J.J. Evans on the television show, 'Good Times.' His classic, 'The Sugar Shack,' a sweaty, hot study of black late night celebration and rhythm, was used on 'Good Times' and on the cover of Marvin Gaye's 'I Want You.' (AP Photo/John Rooney)

John Thomas Biggers: A Hampton graduate, Biggers was a muralist who came to prominence after the Harlem Renaissanc. Several of his murals, including 'House of the Turtle' and 'Tree House'' are located in the Hampton University Museum. His papers are located at Emory University's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library in Atlanta.

James Weldon Johnson: James Weldon Johnson, an 1894 graduate of Atlanta University, was an author, educator, lawyer, diplomat, songwriter and civil rights activist. In 1920 he became the first black executive secretary of the NAACP, serving until 1930. Johnson was also a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance, writing poems, novels, and anthologies. He wrote the lyrics to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," and the penned the classic novel, "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man." (Library of Congress)

Elizabeth Catlett: Elizabeth Catlett was an internationally acclaimed sculptor and lithographer. The Howard University graduate is noted for the vast range of works she created, including life-size sculptures. This 1948 photographic portrait of Catlett by Mariana Yampolsky is included in the Atlanta History Museum exhibit, 'Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits.' (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Leontyne Price: A lirico spinto soprano, Price was one of the first African Americans to become a leading artist at the Metropolitan Opera. Before becoming an international opera star, she sang in the choir at Wilberforce College. During her junior year, the public part of Wilberforce split to become Central State University, which is where Price earned her degree. Price is widely regarded as the first African-American singer to earn international acclaim in opera, Price is known for her roles in "Il Trovatore," "Antony and Cleopatra" and "Aida." She was awarded the United States Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon B. Johnson. (Peter Rosen)

Anika Noni Rose: Graduated from Florida A&M University – her grandmother also went to FAMU – in 1994 with a B.A. in theater. Rose won a Tony Award in 2004 for her role in "Caroline, or Change" on Broadway; she voiced the princess in Disney's movie "The Princess and the Frog"; and starred in the film adaptation of "Dream Girls," among other credits. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Oprah Winfrey: The "Queen of All Media" and one of the richest women in the world, the Tennessee State University graduate parlayed her ground-breaking "Oprah Winfrey Show," to make "Oprah" one of the world's most recognizable brands. Her recommendations can launch a book to the top of the best sellers list and a community organizer to the White House. Aside from the billions she is worth, she has also given out nearly half billion dollars to charitable causes. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Samuel L. Jackson: Prolific film actor ("Pulp Fiction," "Snakes on a Plane," "Django Unchained," "The Avengers," etc.). As a student at Morehouse College, Jackson was an usher at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. He was expelled for campus activism in 1968 but was later allowed to return. He graduated in 1972 with a drama degree. (ESPN)

Spike Lee: The celebrated director ("Do the Right Thing," "Jungle Fever," "School Daze," "Malcolm X," "She's Gotta Have It," "The 25th Hour" and others) graduated from Morehouse College with a mass communications degree in 1979. He has also acted in 10 of his films. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Phylicia Rashad: A Howard graduate, Rashad is a Tony Award-winning actress, singer and stage director, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. In 2003, she won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Lena Younger in 'A Raisin in the Sun,' becoming the first black woman to win the coveted honor for a dramatic lead role. (JEAN SHIFRIN/AJC staff)

Debbie Allen: Another Howard graduate, Allen is an actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. (NBC Photo/ Chris Haston)

Tom Joyner: A graduate of Tuskegee University, Joyner is one of America's most important syndicated radio personalities, because he has the pulse of the black community. His Tom Joyner Foundation has raised more than $60 million to help keep students enrolled at HBCUs. At Tuskegee, he was briefly in a college funk band, but quit because the band was not making any money at the time. (Michael Mulvey)

Lionel Richie: That band that Tom Joyner rejected was led by Lionel Richie and called the Commodores. Another graduate of Tuskegee, the five-time Grammy winner is one of the world's best-selling artist with such classics as, "Hello," "Brick House" "Three Times a Lady" and "Easy." He also co-wrote "We Are the World," one of the biggest singles of all time. (Ashley Landis for American-Statesman)

Jerry Rice: A Mississippi Valley State graduate, Rice is a Hall of Fame wide receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion. He is widely regarded as the best wide receiver to ever play in the National Football League, and arguably the greatest player of all time. During his 15-year career with the San Francisco 49ers, Rice won three Super Bowls (Super Bowl XXIII ('88), Super Bowl XXIV ('89) and SB XXIX ('94)) and one Super Bowl MVP. He was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame in 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Earl Lloyd: A West Virginia State graduate, Lloyd was the first black player in NBA history. Lloyd, of West Virginia, made his NBA debut in 1950 for the Washington Capitols. He spent the next to seasons serving in the Army, but returned to help the Syracuse Nationals win the 1955 title. Lloyd died in 2015 at the age of 86. (AP Photo/Ed Kitch)

Althea Gibson: Tennis great Althea Gibson was the first black woman to win a Grand Slam title, earning the 1956 French Open. In 1957 and 1958, she won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The 1953 graduate of Florida A&M would go on to win 11 Grand Slams, before returning to the school to coach tennis. (AP file)

Wilma Rudolph: Rudolph was the most famed of Tennessee State University's illustrious Tigerbelles Track team. In 1956, while still in high school, she and three Tigerbelles -- Isabelle Daniels, Mae Faggs, and Margaret Matthews -- won a bronze medal in the 4x100 meter relay in the Melbourne Olympics. In 1960, the Tigerbelles won gold in the same event. But Rudolph also won gold in the 100 meters and the 200 meters, becoming the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games. (HULTON DEUTSCH/ALLSPORT)

Doug Williams: An All-American quarterback at Grambling State University, Williams finished fourth for the 1977 Heisman Trophy and was drafted in the 1978 NFL draft by the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After signing as a backup for the Washington Redskins, he became the first black quarterback to start a Super Bowl. In one of the most dominant performances ever, he threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns in the 42-10 rout. (Taimy Alvarez/AJC staff)

Walter Payton: Before becoming a Chicago Bear, 'Sweetness' Payton starred for Jackson State University. The 1975 gradate rushed for more than 3,500 yards and had 65 touchdowns. He was named Black College Player of the Year in 1973 and 1974. When he retired the NFL Hall of Famer held the record for most career rushing yards and touchdowns. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

Sam Jones: Jones starred for NC Central University's basketball team in the early 1950s earning all-CIAA honors three times. Jones was drafted in 1957 by the Boston Celtics, athough Red Auerbach had never seen him play, although he heard he was the best player in North Carolina. Jones proved him right. He was a five-time all-star for the Celtics during his 12-year career. Jones also has 10 NBA championship rings, second only to Bill Russell's 11. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984 and his college jersey, no. 41, is retired and hangs in the Eagles' arena. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

Michael Strahan: Young people might know Strahan for his friendly omnipresence as a television personality, but Strahan was also vicious NFL Hall of Famer who specialized in sacking quarterbacks (141.5 for his career, including a record 22.5 in 2001). He learned that at Texas Southern University. (Richard Perry/The New York Times)

Edwin Moses: The greatest 400-meter hurdler of all time. Moses won gold medals at the 1976 Olympics and again at the 1984 Olympics; during a 10-year stretch, he won 122 consecutive races in his event. Moses passed up athletic scholarships so he could focus on academics at Morehouse. He graduated with a physics degree in 1978 and later earned an MBA in California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

1/30

Amy Sherald: A native of Columbus and a fine arts graduate of Clark Atlanta, Sherald was chosen as the offical portrait artist of former first lady Michelle Obama. On the same week that the portrait was unveiled at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, it was also announced that Sherald was awarded the High Museum's 2018 David C. Driskell Prize. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Today's Gallery Headlines

Jimmy Carter ‘forever’ stamp

PHOTOS: 2025 AJC Photos of the Year

Coca-Cola first ad

PHOTOS: Coca-Cola ads over time

Alonzo Herndon

PHOTOS: Philanthropists leave mark on Atlanta

gainesville, thomas county central

PHOTOS: Thomas County Central pummels Gainesville for 5A state title

More Galleries

First day of school standalone photo assignment

PHOTOS: School starts for Decatur students

Back to School Presser

PHOTOS: New Fulton school prepares for school year

Berry College sunset

PHOTOS: Georgia campuses among Travel & Leisure's most beautiful

Graduates of Goodwill of North Georgia job training program and career development programs line up for a graduation ceremony at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta on Monday, June 9, 2025. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

PHOTOS: Graduates of Goodwill of North Georgia’s job training programs