Slideshow: Black American women who broke the mold

Phillis Wheatley

First published African-American poet and the first black woman whose work won praise from luminaries like George Washington.

Harriet Tubman

Abolitionist, humanitarian, and union spy during the Civil War. She escaped from slavery and guided many other slaves to freedom using the Underground Railroad. She never lost a passenger.

Bessie Coleman

The first black female aviator.

Madame CJ Walker

First African-American millionaire. Built her fortune by developing and marketing a line of hair products.

Zora Neale Hurston

Folklorist, anthropologist, and author (Their Eyes Are Watching God) during the time of the Harlem Renaissance.

Mary McLeod Bethune

An educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida, that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University.

Hattie McDaniel

Actress and the first African-American to win an Academy Award in 1939 (for Gone With the Wind.)

Billie Holiday began her legacy as a Jazz legend after two dozen performances at the Apollo in 1935.

Lena Horne

Singer, actress, and activist. She won awards for both her music career and her acting career. She was also well known for her political views and her involvement in the civil rights movement.

Maya Angelou

Celebrated writer (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) and poet.

Althea Gibson

First African-American Wimbledon tennis champion; also first to win a Grand Slam event (French Open)

Shirley Chisholm

First African-American woman elected to U.S. House of Representatives; also the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. She became the first major-party black candidate for president of the United States in 1972.

Wilma Rudolph

A gold medal-winning track athlete who was considered “the fastest woman in the world.”

Oprah Winfrey

First black woman to host a syndicated TV show, found her own television network and much more.

Robin Roberts

ESPN’s first on-air black anchorwoman, the first black female host of ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and the first woman ever to host a network televised National Football League pre-game show. She is now a co-host for ABC’s Good Morning America.

Lynette Woodard

American basketball player who was the first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters and played with the Cleveland Rockers in the newly founded WNBA in 1997.

Mae Jemison

Physician and NASA astronaut. She was the first African-American woman to travel in space in 1992. She is also a teacher.

Queen Latifah

Rapper, actress and singer -- Latifah is the first female rap artist to be nominated for an Oscar (Chicago (2002)).