BIOGRAPHY

Best known as the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur, Afeni Shakur was a member of the Black Panthers and later a philanthropist.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was a Neo-Expressionist painter in the 1980s. He is best known for his primitive style and his collaboration with pop artist Andy Warhol.

Chris Kelly is best known for making up one half of the rap duo Kris Kross, who had a No. 1 hit with their 1992 song “Jump.”

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was an Afro-Puerto Rican historian who moved to the United States and spent his life collecting materials demonstrating the accomplishments of the African diaspora and the scope of Black history.

Actor Jennifer Lawrence is known for her movie roles in Winter’s Bone, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Joy. She won an Oscar for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook.

Alexandre Dumas is a celebrated French author best known for his historical adventure novels, including ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’

Jeff Buckley was an American singer-songwriter who became widely known for his stirring cover of the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah.”

Nelly is an American rapper and singer known for such hits as ‘Country Grammar’ and ‘Dilemma.’

Fred Astaire was an American dancer of stage and film who is best known for a number of successful musical comedy films in which he starred with Ginger Rogers.

American educator Helen Keller overcame the adversity of being blind and deaf to become one of the 20th century’s leading humanitarians as well as co-founder of the ACLU.