As a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature. Hurston was closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance and has influenced such writers as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Gayle Jones, Alice Walker, and Toni Cade Bambara. For more about this legend click here.
Olympic track and field champion Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field events at the Olympics. Her performance was all the more remarkable in light of the fact that she had double pneumonia and scarlet fever as a young child and could not walk without braces until age 11. She is remembered as one of the fastest women in track and as a source of great inspiration for generations of African-American athletes. To learn more about this great Olympian click here or here.
Actress and singer Lena Horne became one of the most popular singers of her time, known for such films as The Wiz and her trademark song, "Stormy Weather." Though primarily known as an entertainer, Horne also was noted for her work with civil rights and political organizations; as an actress, she refused to play roles that stereotyped African American women. Horne received a Kennedy Center honour for lifetime contribution to the arts, and in 1989 she was given a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. To learn more about this accomplished performer click here.
