Shirley Chisholm

Influential African-American Women

In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th Congressional District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. She was the first major-party black candidate for President of the United States in 1972 and the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. (AP Photo)

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Influential Afri... Click through to see some of the most influential black women in American history. (AP Photos)

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Gwendolyn Brooks Gwendolyn Brooks was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968 and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985. Brooks, 83, remains one of the most influential poets to date. (AP Photo/Linda Spillers)

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Ida B. Wells-Bar... Journalist and newspaper editor Ida B. Wells-Barnett was extremely active in the women's suffrage movement, establishing several notable organizations. She served as an early civil rights leader with her husband, newspaper owner Ferdinand L. Barnett. Wells-Barnett famously wrote about the horrors of lynching in the United States. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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Mae Jemison On September 12, 1992, Mae Jemison, 55, became the first black woman to travel into space. Prior to going to space, Jemison served in the Peace Corps from 1985 to 1987. She holds nine honorary doctorates in science, engineering, letters, and the humanities. (Getty Images/Brendan Hoffman)

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Mary McLeod Beth... Educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune worked as an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She started an African-American school in Daytona Beach, Florida that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University. (Getty Images/Hulton Archive)

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Sojourner Truth Famous abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree, a slave on the Hardenbergh plantation in upstate New York. Baumfree escaped to freedom in 1826, changing her name to Sojourner Truth many years later. She is renowned for her impactful speeches, including "Ain't I a Woman" and “The Truth Calls Me.” (Getty Images/Hulton Archive)

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Toni Morrison Author Toni Morrison wrote her first novel in 1970 and critics and fans alike quickly took notice of her ability to write about Black America in a way that no one had ever done. Her most notable works include “The Bluest Eye,” “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved.” She has since been honored with many literary awards, including the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize. (Getty Images /Francois Durand)

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Oprah Winfrey Talk show host Oprah Winfrey changed the way modern television audiences view African-American women. After an abusive childhood in the deep south, Winfrey became Nashville’s first black TV correspondent in 1973. She began filming the “Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1984 and has consistently topped lists as one of the most powerful women in America ever since. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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Maya Angelou Author and poet Maya Angelou is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes which explore her experiences as a child and adult. She served as Northern Coordinator of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the Civil Rights movement. Angelou is hailed as one of the most important black writers of our time. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

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Barbara Jordan Civil Rights movement leader Barbara Jordan was the first African-American elected to the Texas Senate and the first black female elected to the United States House of Representatives. In 1994, Jordan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (AP Photo)

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Rosa Parks Rosa Parks' decision to refuse giving up her seat on a public bus to a white woman on December 1, 1955 is often credited with launching the Civil Rights movement. Parks, an unknown seamstress, was arrested for violating a city ordinance, but the impact of her choice runs much deeper. Shortly after the bus incident, Parks helped form the Montgomery Improvement Association with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The association boycotted the city bussing system, bringing their case all the way to Washington. A Supreme Court decision eventually outlawed racial segregation on public transportation. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Fannie Lou Hamer... Voting rights activist and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party after being badly beaten by local police for challenging her constitutional right to vote. She travelled the country to spread awareness about the difficulty many blacks had to vote, including police brutality. (AP Photo)

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Harriett Tubman Harriett Tubman was born Araminta Ross, a slave in Dorchester County, Maryland. At the age of 25, her masters allowed her to marry freeman John Tubman, under the condition that she would continue to work for them. John Tubman did not support Harriet’s wishes to be free, claiming that if she tried to run he would turn her in.

Harriet eventually escaped, following the north star to Pennsylvania. She vowed to help her family and friends reach the North as well, and began working as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Tubman made the trip back to the south more than 19 times, rescuing dozens of slaves, including her 70-year-old parents. (AP Photo/Library of Congress)

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Sheila Jackson L... Sheila Jackson Lee, a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, has served as the U.S. Representative for Texas' 18th congressional district since 1995. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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Patricia Roberts... Patricia Roberts Harris served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under Jimmy Carter. Harris was the first African-American woman to serve as a United States Ambassador, representing the U.S. in Luxembourg, and the first to enter the line of succession to the Presidency. (AP Photo/USPS)

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Michelle Obama Michelle Obama, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the first African-American First Lady of the United States. Obama is a major advocate for poverty awareness and healthy eating. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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Condoleezza Rice... Condoleezza Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state, serving under the administration of President George W. Bush. Prior to joining the Bush administration, Rice served as Provost of Stanford University from 1993 to 1999. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Shirley Chisholm... In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th Congressional District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. She was the first major-party black candidate for President of the United States in 1972 and the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. (AP Photo)

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Carol Moseley Br... Carol Moseley Braun was the first African-American woman elected to the United States Senate, representing Illinois from 1993 to 1999. Braun, 64, ran for Mayor of Chicago in 2010, eventually losing to Rahm Emanuel. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Great Black Acto... Click here to see some of the best African-American actors in history.