Amelia Platts Boynton Robinson (born August 18, 1911) is an American woman who was a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama^[1] and a key figure in the 1965 march that became known as Bloody Sunday. In 1984 she became founding vice-president of the Schiller Institute affiliated with Lyndon LaRouche. She was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Medal in 1990.^[2]  

Lowery was born in Memphis, Tennessee on February 16, 1925, and was the daughter of activists Rev. Dr. Harry and Evelyn Gibson. They provided her with the inspiration that became the foundation for a lifetime of involvement in human rights at both the national and international levels. Her father served as president of the Memphis chapter of theNAACP and her mother was involved in community organizations. She attended Clark College and Youngstown University. She married Rev. Joseph Lowery in 1950. He is President Emeritus of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the American Civil Rights Movement. She also marched in the historic Selma to Montgomery March in 1965, and re-enacted the trip several times.^[1]

In 1979, seeing a special need for women and families, Lowery founded SCLC/Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now, Inc. (W.O.M.E.N.), the sister organization of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.^[2] It was organized to champion the rights of women, children, families, and responding to the problems of the disenfranchised regardless of ethnicity, gender, age, or religion. Through that organization she spearheaded education and mentoring programs, HIV/Aids awareness initiatives and raised over $350,000 for scholarships for high school seniors. Over the years, Lowery also took the lead in recognizing the contributions of fellow activists. She moved to develop coalitions and alliances with a variety of women's groups throughout the nation and other parts of the world.^[3]

In 1980, Lowery created the Drum Major For Justice Award, held annually near the April 4th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the founding president of SCLC, who wanted to be remembered as "a Drum Major For Justice."^[4] The awardees are recognized by their contributions to the cause of freedom, equality, and achievement in their professional fields. A partial list of awardees includes Rosa Parks, The Original Tuskegee Airmen, Rev. Hosea Williams, Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Mae Jamison, Andrew Young, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., and James Meredith.^[5] She was also responsible for the erection of the Civil Rights Freedom Wall in Perry County, Alabama,^[6] and monuments honoring movement icons such as Viola Liuzzo, John Lewis and Hosea Williams.

In 2004 Lowery was herself honored at the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, located in Atlanta, Georgia.^[7]

Cicely L. Tyson^[1] is an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and the Golden Globe Award for her performance as Rebecca Morgan inSounder (1972). For this role she also won the NSFC Best Actress and NBR Best Actress Awards. She starred in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), for which she won two Emmy Awards and was nominated for a BAFTA Award.

During her career she has been nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, winning three. In 2011, she appeared in the film The Help, for which she received awards for her ensemble work as Constantine from the BFCA and SAG Awards and she has an additional three SAG Award nominations. She starred on Broadway in The Trip to Bountiful as Carrie Watts, for which she won the Tony Award, Outer Critics Award, and Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Play. She previously received a Drama Desk Award in 1962 for her Off-Broadway performance in Moon on a Rainbow Shawl. 

Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE^[1] (/ˈpwɑːtjeɪ/ or /ˈpwɑːti.eɪ/; born February 20, 1927), is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, author and diplomat.

In 1964,^[2] Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor,^[3] for his role in Lilies of the Field.^[4] The significance of this achievement was later bolstered in 1967 when he starred in three successful films, all of which dealt with issues involving race: To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, making him the top box-office star of that year.^[5] In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking 22nd on the list of 25.

Poitier has directed a number of popular movies, such as A Piece of the Action, Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again, (with friend Bill Cosby), Stir Crazy (starring Richard Pryorand Gene Wilder) and Ghost Dad (also with Cosby). In 2002, thirty-eight years after receiving the Best Actor Award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Honorary Award, designated "To Sidney Poitier in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being."^[6] Since 1997, he has been the Bahamian ambassador to Japan. On August 12, 2009, Sidney Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.^[7]

Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards (born May 24, 1944),^[1] better known under the stage name Patti LaBelle, is an American singer, author, and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry. LaBelle spent 16 years as lead singer of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, who changed their name to Labelle in the early 1970s and released the iconic discosong "Lady Marmalade". Labelle are also noted for being the first African American group to play at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera House and the first African American vocal group to land the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.^[2]

Her solo career began shortly after the group disbanded in 1977 with the release of her self-titled and critically acclaimed debut album.^[2] In 1984 she achieved her first #1 R&B hit with If Only You Knew, while later in the year, she crossed over to pop music with singles such as "New Attitude" and "Stir It Up", both becoming pop radio staples.^[2] Her success with the number single "On My Own", a duet with Michael Mcdonald which was taken from her platinum selling album Winner in You as well as 1989's "If You Asked Me To". With the release of her 10th album Burnin' in 1991 Patti Labelle earned her first Grammy. She maintained commercial appeal and gained a younger audience with albums such as 1994'sGems and 1997's Flame. In 1998 Patti Labelle earned her second Grammy award for her Live! One Night Only C.D. Her 2004 release Timeless Journey earned her another top 5 RnB album, while in 2008 Labelle reunited as a group after over 32 years releasing the acclaimed Back to Now which was followed by a successful reunion tour.^[2]

The singer has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Apollo Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. In 2005, the World Music Awards presented her with the coveted Legend Award. Labelle has sold over 50 million records worldwide and Rolling Stones Magazine includes lists her its 100 Greatest Singers List.^[3][4] She possesses the vocal range of a soprano.^[5] Patti LaBelle is also commonly identified as the "Godmother of Soul",^[6] the "High Priestess of Good Vibrations",^[7] and the "Queen of Rock 'n' Soul".^[8]

LaBelle is also a noted actress having a supporting role in the Oscar nominated drama A Soldier's Story as well as being a recurring character in the acclaimed sitcom A Different World. She currently has a guest-staring role in the fourth season of the Emmy Award winning American Horror Story, subtitled "Freak Show". 

Willard Carroll "Will" Smith, Jr.^[1][2][3] (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film, and music. In April 2007,Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood.^[4] Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards.

In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for nearly six years (1990–96) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office, and 11 consecutive films gross over $150 million internationally and the only one to have eight consecutive films in which he starred open at the number one spot in the domestic box office tally.^[5]

Will Smith is ranked as the most bankable star worldwide by Forbes^[6] despite the box-office and critical disappointment of his 2013 film, After Earth,^[7] co-starring his son Jaden Smith. 16 of the 20 fiction films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million each, and five took in over $500 million each in global box office receipts. As of 2014, his films have grossed $6.6 billion in global box office.^[8] He has received Best Actor Oscar nominations for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. 

John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He has won nine Grammy Awards. In 2007, Legend received the special Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[1]

Prior to the release of Legend's debut album, his career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with multiple established artists. Legend added his voice to those of other artists, assisting in them reaching chart-topper hits. He lent his voice to Magnetic Man's "Getting Nowhere," Kanye West's "All of the Lights", on Slum Village's "Selfish" and Dilated Peoples' "This Way". Other artists included Jay-Z's "Encore", and he sang backing vocals on Alicia Keys' 2003 song "You Don't Know My Name", the Kanye West remix of Britney Spears' "Me Against the Music", and Fort Minor's "High Road". Legend played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything". He has also gained chart topping hits from his solo work as well, including the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, "All of Me". 

Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA) is an American record executive. He graduated from Woodlawn High School.

Liles was president of Def Jam Recordings and executive vice president of The Island Def Jam Music Group from 1999 to 2004. He served as executive vice president for Warner Music Group, working under his former Island Def Jam associate Lyor Cohen ^[1] before stepping down as executive vice president of Warner Music Group to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors in September 2009.^[2]

He is married to Erika. Kevin has one daughter; Khristian Liles, from a previous relationship. He also has 2 children; Kevin Liles and Kayla Liles, from a previous marriage. Kevin and Erika have a daughter; Genevieve. Kevin is also the grandfather to a girl (name/age unknown). 

Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and activist. She is perhaps best known for co-starring in the filmsA Raisin in the Sun (1961), Do the Right Thing (1989), and American Gangster (2007) for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was the recipient of Grammy, Emmy, Obie, Drama Desk, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Awards as well as the National Medal of Arts and theKennedy Center Honors. She was married to actor Ossie Davis until his death in 2005. 

Johnny Gill (born Johnny Gill Jr. May 22, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/pop group New Edition, and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. He is currently in the new group Heads of State with New Edition members Bobby Brown and Ralph Tresvant touring. 

Andrew Jackson Young (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as a Congressman from Georgia's 5th congressional district, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and Mayor of Atlanta. He served as President of the National Council of Churches USA, was a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and was a supporter and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since leaving political office in 1989, Young has founded or served in a large number of organizations founded on public policy, political lobbying and international relations, with a special focus on Africa. 

Eddie Lee Long (born May 12, 1953) is the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a megachurch in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, nearLithonia. When Long started as pastor for New Birth Church in 1987, there were 300 church members, which grew to 25,000.^{[citation needed]}

During this time, Long was found innocent in Senate investigations concerning whether he has personally profited from his church's tax-exempt status. Also, civil lawsuits were filed against him alleging sexual relations with underage male members of his parish. Long has denied wrongdoing through his attorneys and has settled the lawsuits out of court. 

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (/ˈhɪləri daɪˈæn ˈrɒdəm ˈklɪntən/; born October 26, 1947) is a former United States Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and First Lady of the United States. From 2009 to 2013, she was the 67th Secretary of State, serving under President Barack Obama. She previously represented New York in the U.S. Senate (2001 to 2009). Before that, as the wife of President Bill Clinton, she was First Lady from 1993 to 2001. In the 2008 election, Clinton was a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

A native of Illinois, Hillary Rodham was the first student commencement speaker at Wellesley College in 1969 and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1973. After a brief stint as aCongressional legal counsel, she moved to Arkansas and married Bill Clinton in 1975. Rodham cofounded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families in 1977. In 1978, she became the first female chair of the Legal Services Corporation, and in 1979 the first female partner at Rose Law Firm. The National Law Journal twice listed her as one of the hundred most influential lawyers in America. As First Lady of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to 1992 with husband Bill as Governor, she led a task force that reformed Arkansas's education system. During that time, she was on the board of Wal-Mart and several other corporations.

In 1994, as First Lady of the United States, her major initiative, the Clinton health care plan, failed to gain approval from the U.S. Congress. However, in 1997 and 1999, Clinton played a leading role in advocating the creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Foster Care Independence Act. Her years as First Lady drew a polarized response from the American public. The only First Lady to have been subpoenaed, she testified before a federal grand jury in 1996 regarding the Whitewater controversy, but was never charged with wrongdoing in this or several other investigations during the Clinton presidency. Her marriage also endured the Lewinsky scandal in 1998.

After moving to the state, Clinton was elected the first female Senator from New York; she is the only First Lady ever to have run for public office. Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, she supported military action in Afghanistan and the Iraq War Resolution, but subsequently objected to the George W. Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq and continued to oppose most of its domestic policies. Clinton was reelected to the Senate in 2006. Running in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, Hillary Clinton won far more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate in American history, but narrowly lost the nomination to U.S. Senator Barack Obama, who went on to win thenational election.

Obama nominated Clinton to be Secretary of State, and she was confirmed by the Senate in January 2009. She was at the forefront of the U.S. response to the Arab Spring, including advocating for the U.S. military intervention in Libya. As Secretary of State, she took responsibility for security lapses related to the 2012 Benghazi attack, which resulted in the deaths of American consulate personnel, but defended her personal actions in regard to the matter. Clinton visited more countries than any other Secretary of State. She viewed "smart power" as the strategy for asserting U.S. leadership and values, by combining military power with diplomacy and American capabilities in economics, technology, and other areas. She encouraged empowerment of women everywhere, and used social media to communicate the U.S. message abroad.