Slideshow: US presidents and the black leaders who moved them

SLIDESHOW - Throughout history, African-Americans have often provided critical insight, especially as it pertains to race relations, for presidents of both parties...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Barack Obama is the nation’s first black president, but when it comes to having a voice in the White House, African-Americans haven’t necessarily been relegated to the sidelines.

Click here to view a MSNBC Beltway slideshow of up-and-coming black political leaders

Throughout history, African-American leaders have often provided critical insight, especially as it pertains to race relations, for presidents of both parties. Below is a list of some key advisors who were able to bend the ears of our commanders in chief through the decades.

Some are well-known, while others worked in relative obscurity. Regardless of their status, these men and women offered key counsel during some of this nation’s most turbulent and historic moments.

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