- Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) was a formerly enslaved African American who became an abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was a prominent figure in the abolition of slavery in the United States and a leader in the fight for racial equality.
- Harriet Tubman (c. 1822–1913) was an African-American abolitionist and political activist. Born into slavery in Maryland, she escaped to freedom and then made 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.
- Sojourner Truth (c. 1797–1883) was an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist. She was born a slave in New York and escaped to freedom with her infant daughter in 1826. She became an itinerant preacher and an outspoken advocate for abolition, women's rights, and prison reform.
- W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) was an African-American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and Pan-Africanist. He was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and served as its director of research for 25 years.
- Rosa Parks (1913–2005) was an African-American civil rights activist. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott and becoming an international symbol of the civil rights movement.
These are just a few of the many African Americans who have fought for civil rights in the United States. Their efforts have helped make the country a more equal and just place for all.