Barack Obama
Obama was elected the 44th President for his first term on November 4th, 2008, after running against Senator John McCain. By taking oath of Office for the first time on January 20th, 2009, he made history by becoming our first African-American President.
In October, 2009, Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.
Jackie Robinson
Robinson etched himself into history by becoming the first African-American in the major leagues. Robinson was also named the National League’s Most Valuable Player.
His baseball career spanned 11 seasons, at the end of which other African-Americans followed in his foot steps. In 1962, Robinson was the first African-American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he then passed away a decade later.
Martin Luther King Jr.
King won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He wrote a number of books during his lifetime: “Stride Toward Freedom” in 1958, “Why We Can’t Wait” in 1964, and “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” in 1967.
On April 4, 1968 while on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, King was assassinated by James Earl Ray. This location has been a civil rights museum since 1991. Ray was convicted and plead guilty to murder, dying in prison in 1998.