# Who's your favorite "person of African descent?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777 "2005-01-14T22:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/21 "2005-01-15T01:03:26Z")
harriet tubman. the delany sisters. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/22 "2005-01-15T01:06:55Z")
I came in to mention Jack Johnson too. I don’t know much about his life, other than what I’ve seen on a few old films of his turn of the century boxing matches. On Monday and Tuesday there is supposed to be a Ken Burns documentary on Jack Johnson. There are several other boxers that I think would be interesting. From looking at other suggestions, Thurgood Marshall would be a good pick. ---
**Author:** ![CosmoKLennonJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@CosmoKLennonJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CosmoKLennonJ)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/23 "2005-01-15T04:54:00Z")
I always liked to stay away from the obvious, MLK/Thurgood Marshall/Booker T Washington choices, and go with someone that I really enjoyed reading about. I can only speak for myself personally, and I’m a music and sports guy. Separated, sports and music, and in order of who I’d suggest 1st/2nd, etc. Muhammed Ali I’ll second Satchel Paige Buck O’Neil (former Negro Leaguer and the premier advocate for old Negro Leaguers to the Hall of Fame. Also a black baseball pioneer in the Majors, as a coach and scout. Very inspirational story, I found out about him from Ken Burns’ Baseball.) Jackie Robinson (sorta “obvious,” though) Michael Jordan (again…kinda “obvious”) Jerry Rice Walter Payton Hank Aaron Jimi Hendrix Ray Charles James Brown I’ll second Bob Marley Chuck Berry George Clinton Little Richard ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/24 "2005-01-15T05:01:08Z")
Duke Ellington Ella Fitzgerald Sarah Vaughn Bessie Smith Lena Horn Sidney Poitier Ooooh, how about James Earl Jones? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/25 "2005-01-15T05:12:48Z")
As an addition to my previous post about famous African American cyclists at the turn of the c20th, I would also nominate the [U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps](http://historynet.com/ah/blwheelsofwar/index.html) - an all black (except the train riding officer) group of soldiers who cycled the 1900 miles from Fort Missoula to St. Louis at an average of 52 miles per day. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/26 "2005-01-15T05:24:39Z")
Hannibal… the General, not the cannibal. Richard Pryor Chinua Achebe Ann Peebles Josephine Baker God 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/27 "2005-01-15T07:21:27Z")
Thank you guys all so much for your ideas. You’re thinking what I’m thinking…someone a little different, not the same ol’ same ol’. I really like a lot of these. If it was my project, I’d go Bob Marley all the way, but I’ll show him this list and let him make his own decision. I’ll let you know what he decides! Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/28 "2005-01-15T07:51:48Z")
I nominate Martin Lawrence and Snoop Dogg. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/29 "2005-01-15T07:53:03Z")
Robert Johnson Little Richard Fats Domino Chuck Berry Muddy Waters John Lee Hooker Ray Charles Jackie Wilson Bernard “Pretty” Purdie James Jamerson Aretha Franklin Norman Whitfield Marvin Gaye Al Green Billy Preston Jimi Hendrix Richard Pryor Bill Cosby Sly Stone Stevie Wonder Floyd Sneed …if I kept going, this would be a “who’s who” of the best American entertainers. But I couldn’t leave any of these names off of a list of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/30 "2005-01-15T07:58:31Z")
[Lucy?](http://www.asu.edu/clas/iho/lucy.html#found) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/31 "2005-01-15T08:12:09Z")
How about Barack Obama? Can’t be too many book written about him yet but there would be lots of stuff to google. And while he’s just beginning his career it might be interesting and timely. ---
**Author:** ![rorty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@rorty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rorty)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/32 "2005-01-15T10:16:45Z")
Alain Locke ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/33 "2005-01-15T11:29:03Z")
What a terrific list! I remember doing something like this as a kid and choosing Arthur Ashe. Other athletes not mentioned: Joe Louis, Althea Gibson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith-Joyner, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton (the first black NBA player), Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell… okay, I’ll quit for now. 😉 > [@ShibbOleth](#): > > any number of early jazz greats True, but not just the early ones (like Louis Armstrong). You could include Charlie Christian, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Thelonius Monk, Tony Williams, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Billie Holliday, etc. To add to the great list of musicians, there are the “Three Kings” of the blues - B.B. King, Albert King, and Freddie King. And I couldn’t leave off one of my personal favorites, Chester “Howlin’ Wolf” Burnett. I can’t argue with Bob Marley, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/34 "2005-01-15T11:34:37Z")
Jacques Derrida, for one. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/35 "2005-01-15T11:38:02Z")
So many other blues guys… Blind Willie McTell, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Mississippi John Hurt, Leadbelly… I should stop. But let’s not forget Sammy Davis, Jr. If for no other reason than giving me an excuse to use this smiley in here: ;j And to take an absolute left turn here, there’s Cornel West, or Hiram Revels, the first black Senator. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/36 "2005-01-15T12:19:55Z")
[Rube Foster](http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/foster_rube.htm) Pitcher, manager, owner, visionary. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/37 "2005-01-15T13:33:11Z")
Nothing says they have to be African AMERICAN…what about Bob Marley or Pushkin? ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/38 "2005-01-15T13:36:22Z")
My girlfriend! Course, she’s in the Charlize Theron camp (though not South Effriken). ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/39 "2005-01-15T13:36:44Z")
> [@betenoir](#): > > How about Barack Obama? Can’t be too many book written about him yet but there would be lots of stuff to google. And while he’s just beginning his career it might be interesting and timely. His autobiography is excellent. He wrote it just after college. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/40 "2005-01-15T13:51:06Z")
Oprah Winfrey is another obvious choice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777.md?page=3)