20+ CARIBBEAN AMERICANS WHO MADE BLACK HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES
From politics, to music, sports, literature and more, Caribbean Americans have long been at the forefront of change and being pioneers in the U.S. They knocked down doors, shattered glass ceilings and were the first faces in so many industry spaces. Join us as we spotlight these 20 incredible Caribbean American figures in U.S. Black history!
1. MAYA ANGELOU | TRINIDAD
Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a long list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou, who died in 2014 at the age of 86, was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 by President Barack Obama.
“My mother’s father jumped off a ship, in Florida, at the turn of the twentieth century, then, he went back to Trinidad, got his father and then they both jumped ship in Tampa,” she recalled in a 2010 interview with the Trinidad Express. “I learned a lot about Trinidad’s culture from my mom. The food and the recipes. I learned to cook the codfish, the ochroes, and the greens. And my best friend, the famous writer Paule Marshall, is also West Indian.”
2. CICELY TYSON | NEVIS
Cecily Louise “Cicely” Tyson was an American actress known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson was born in New York City to immigrant parents were immigrants from Nevis. Her father arrived in New York City at age 21 and was processed at Ellis Island on August 4, 1919. Tyson received various awards including three Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Tony Award, an Honorary Academy Award, and a Peabody Award. She died just two days after her first memoir, “Just As I Am,” was released. She is pictured on a $3.25 postage stamp issued by her parents’ native island of Nevis on January 1, 2014.
3. STOKELY CARMICHAEL | TRINIDAD
Kwame Ture born Stokely Carmichael (June 29, 1941 – November 15, 1998) was a prominent organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the United States from the age of 11 and became an activist while attending the Bronx High School of Science. He was a key leader in the development of the Black Power movement, first while leading the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), then as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party (BPP).
4. SHIRLEY ANITA CHISHOLM | BARBADOS & GUYANA
Shirley Anita Chisholm (1924 – 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress and in 1972, became the first Black candidate for a major-party nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's nomination. She was born in Brooklyn, New York but spent ages five through nine in Barbados, and always considered herself a Caribbean American.
5. COLIN POWELL | JAMAICA
Colin Luther Powell (April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who was the 65th and first Black United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. Powell was born in New York City to parents who immigrated from Jamaica. He was educated in the New York City public schools, earning a bachelor's degree in geology from the City College of New York (CCNY).
6. CELIA CRUZ| CUBA
Celia Cruz (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003) was a Cuban singer and who rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas. In the following decades, she became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa.” She sold over 10 million copies, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists. In 1960, after the Cuban Revolution caused the nationalization of the music industry, Cruz left her native country, becoming one of the spokespersons of the Cuban community in exile.
7. HARRY BELAFONTE| JAMAICA & MARTINIQUE
Harry Belafonte (March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist. He was the son of Caribbean immigrants. His mother, Melvine Love Belafonte, was from Jamaica and his father, Harold George Belafonte, Sr., was from Martinique. From 1932 to 1940, Belafonte lived with one of his grandmothers in Jamaica. Belafonte's career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. He is best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" and "Jamaica Farewell.”
Belafonte was also a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT).
8. GRANDMASTER FLASH | BARBADOS
Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958), popularly known as Grandmaster Flash, is a Bajan-American DJ and producer. Flash was raised in the US from the age of seven but was born in Bridgetown, Barbados. He created a DJ technique called the Quick Mix Theory which gave birth to cutting and scratching. He is the founder and creator of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the first rap group to be inducted into the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2019 he became the first hip hop artist to be honored with the Polar Music Prize. On August 4, Grandmaster was issued a proclamation from the city of New York stating that August 4th is Grandmaster Flash Day.
9. MALCOLM X | GRENADA
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little | May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam (NOI) until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for Black empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the Black community. His mother, Louise Little is Grenadian. Recent literature has reframed her as a formidable and nuanced protagonist as she struggled to raise her family amid racism and harassment.
10. JOY-ANN REID | GUYANA
Joy-Ann M. Lomena-Reid (born December 8, 1968), is an American journalist and television host. She is a national correspondent for MSNBC and host of The ReidOut since July 2020. Her previous anchoring credits include The Reid Report (2014–2015) and AM Joy (2016–2020). Reid was born in Brooklyn, New York City. Her mother a college professor and nutritionist from Guyana. Her parents met at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. She was raised mostly in Denver, Colorado, until the age of 17, when her mother died of breast cancer and she moved to Flatbush, Brooklyn, to live with an aunt. Reid graduated from Harvard University in 1991 with a concentration in film studies.
11. JAMES WELDON JOHSON | THE BAHAMAS
James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871 – June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist born to a an Afro-American father and a Bahamian mother. Johnson was a leader of the NAACP, where he from 1920 - 1930, he served as executive secretary. He established himself as a writer, and was known during the Harlem Renaissance for his poems, novels and spirituals about Black culture. He wrote the lyrics for "Lift Every Voice and Sing", which later became known as the Black National Anthem, the music being written by his younger brother, J. Rosamond Johnson. In 1934, he was the first African American professor to be hired at New York University Later in life, he was a professor of creative literature and writing at Fisk University.
12. MARCUS MOSIAH GARVEY | JAMAICA
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 1887 – 10 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist and black nationalist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. Garvey was born into a well-to-do Afro-Jamaican family in Saint Ann's Bay. In Kingston, he became involved in trade unionism before living briefly in Costa Rica, Panama, and England. On returning to Jamaica, he founded the UNIA in 1914. In 1916, he moved to the United States and established a UNIA branch in New York City.He advocated for unity between Africans and the African diaspora.
13. HAZEL SCOTT | TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Hazel Dorothy Scott (June 11, 1920 – October 2, 1981) was a Trinidad-born American jazz and classical pianist, singer, and actor. She was an outspoken critic of racial discrimination and segregation. Scott became the first Black American to host her own nationally syndicated television show, “The Hazel Scott Show.” Despite the prejudices of the time, Scott racked up accomplishments fighting for equality at every step. She performed in Hollywood, on Broadway and with symphony orchestras worldwide.
14. PATRICK EWING | JAMAICA
Patrick Ewing (born August 5, 1962) was born in Kingston, Jamaica. As a youth, he played soccer and cricket there until he was 12, when his family moved to Cambridge, Mass., near Boston. He played most of his career as the starting center for the New York Knicks of the NBA before ending his playing career with brief stints with the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic. Ewing is regarded as one of the greatest centers of all time, playing a dominant role in the New York Knicks 1990s success. He was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as a member of the "Dream Team" in 2009. His number 33 was retired by the Knicks in 2003. After retiring, Ewing began his career as a basketball coach.
15. TIM DUNCAN| U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
Tim Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, and was a central contributor to the team’s success during the 2000s and 2010s. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Born and raised on Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Duncan initially aspired to be a competitive swimmer, but took up basketball at 14 after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island's only Olympic-sized pool.
16. HEATHER HEADLEY| TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She was born in Trinidad, the daughter of Hannah and Eric Headley (Barbadian). In 1989, she moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the United States at the age of fifteen. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the title role of Aida. She also won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for her album Audience of One. In 2018, she recurred as Gwen Garrett on the NBC medical drama television series Chicago Med.
17. NIGEL SYLVESTER | GRENADA
Nigel Sylvester (born August 23, 1987) is an American professional BMX athlete. He was raised in a strict Grenadian household in the Southside area of Jamaica Queens, NYC. He is best known for his digital content featuring his unique BMX stunts and adventures around the globe. Unlike traditional BMX athletes, he does not compete. He built his career through cinematic content and by leveraging his creative expression through the use of social media. In 2017, Forbes Magazine included Sylvester in the "30 Under 30” list. In 2014, he became the first BMX athlete to be featured in the ESPN Body Issue. Sylvester is sponsored by multiple global brands including Nike, Inc., Mercedes-Benz, Ethika, Moncler, Smart Water.
18. JEAN MICHEL BASQUAIT | HAITI & PUERTO RICO
Jean-Michel Basquiat (Dec 22, 1960 – Aug 12, 1988) was born in Brooklyn to Haitian and Puerto Rican parents. He was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s. Basquiat was and is still considered a ground-breaking artist in the neo-expressionism art movement. A young black artist, his artwork dealt with themes of racism, classism, colonialism, and other power structures and their effects on U.S. society. In 2017, “Untitled,” a Basquiat painting from 1982, sold for $110.5 million at Sotheby’s auction in May.
19. LOWELL HAWTHORNE | JAMAICA
Lowell Hawthorne (May 1, 1960 - December 2, 2017) is the former president and CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, the U.S. largest manufacturer, distributor, and franchiser of Caribbean baked products. The company made history becoming the first Caribbean-owned business in the U.S to be granted a franchise license. Hawthorne was sadly found dead of suicide at aged 57 inside a Golden Krust factory in the Bronx. He was in debt, faced tax liens and a class-action lawsuit. Today the company encompasses over 125 stores across the U.S. and also distributes food products to retailers, schools and prisons. It is considered the foremost Jamaican business in America.
20. TIM DUNCAN | USVI
Tim Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, and was a central contributor to the team’s success during the 2000s and 2010s. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Born and raised on Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Duncan initially aspired to be a competitive swimmer, but took up basketball at 14 after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island's only Olympic-sized pool.
21. NAOMI OSAKA | HAITI
Naomi Osaka (born October 16, 1997) was born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother. She has lived and trained in the United States since age three. She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, with two Australian Open and two US Open titles. She made her breakthrough into the upper echelon of women's tennis in 2018 when she defeated 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams in the final of the US Open. At the 2018 US Open and the 2019 Australian Open, she won her first two major titles in back-to-back tournaments. She was the first woman to win successive major singles titles since Serena Williams in 2015, and the first to win her first two in successive majors since Jennifer Capriati in 2001.She was ranked eighth among all athletes in endorsement income in 2020. She was also the highest-earning female athlete of all time by annual income that year.
22. EDWIDGE DANDICAT | HAITI
Edwidge Danticat (born January 19, 1969) was born in Haiti and migrated to the United States when she was 12 years old. She graduated from Barnard College and received an M.F.A. from Brown University. She made an auspicious debut with her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory. She is the author of 17 books and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. She is a 2009 MacArthur fellow, a 2018 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” fellow, a United States Artists Fellow, a two-time winner of The Story Prize, the winner of the 2018 Neustadt International Prize, the 2019 St. Louis Literary Award, and the 2020 Vilcek Prize for Literature. As of 2023, she is currently the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University.