# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/61 "2005-01-17T03:14:43Z")
Might be a bit too academic, but [Henry Louis Gates, Jr.](http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/gates_h.htm) is always interesting. GT ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/62 "2005-01-17T06:48:08Z")
[Bill Pickett](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pickett) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/63 "2005-01-17T10:49:16Z")
**Walter Williams** [http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/](http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/) [http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williams1.asp](http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williams1.asp) **Thomas Sowell** [http://www.tsowell.com/](http://www.tsowell.com/) [http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell.html](http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell.html) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/64 "2005-01-17T14:33:40Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > If we’re talking about a famous person, particularly African Americans, I say kids can’t go wrong learning about Thurgood Marshall. Oh, man! beaten at the third post. But I would say Thurgood Marshall, too, I think i still have the report I did on him in school. \*\*Pravnik \*\* sucks eggs! (kidding) ---
**Author:** ![Redwing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dfb087/32.png) [@Redwing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redwing)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/65 "2005-01-17T14:50:37Z")
[Major General Marcelite J. Harris](http://www.wic.org/bio/mharris.htm) is an all around good person, and quite certain to be a rare choice for grade school reports. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/66 "2005-01-17T15:09:09Z")
Well, WhyKid read your suggestions. He wanted to do James Earl Jones, due to the Star Wars connection, but was unable to find a biography of him at the library. So he’s turned to Thurgood Marshall. Not quite as creative as I would have liked, but plently of published material. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/67 "2005-01-17T21:40:00Z")
OJ Simpson Tracy Morgan Chris Tucker Lenny Kravitz But, in a more serious manner, I’ve found that you could do African runners, who always have a story to tell. There’s also the angle of the rise of Africa as a running power, and why. Runners like: Haile Gebresailesse (I butchered the spelling of that, but he’d be a fabulous choice. Also, the movie Endurance features him and is simply amazing) Paul Tergat Khalid Khannouchi Hicham El Guerroj (I also butchered the spelling of that, and while he is African, by way of Morocco, you might be inclined to say he’s more Arabic) ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/68 "2005-01-17T22:12:56Z")
I nominate President David Palmer. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/69 "2005-01-17T22:29:07Z")
[Wilma Rudolf](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=wilmaRudolph) [Madame CJ Walker](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=cj_walker) [Julian Bond](http://www.naacp.org/about/executive_bond.html) Who is quite the hottie, IMHO. Condoleeza Rice [Bill Cosby](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=cosby_fredericksburg_04) [Marian Anderson](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=m_anderson) [Paul Ruseabagina](http://www.immortalchaplains.org/Prize/Ceremony2000/Rusesabagina/rusesabagina.htm) His story was featured in " Hotel Rwanda" ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/70 "2005-01-17T22:34:36Z")
[Frances ellen Watkins](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=franceswat) [Possibly the Bravest Little Girl Ever: Ruby Bridges](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=rubybridges) I cry every time I read her story and the children’s book " [The Story of Ruby Bridges](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590572814/qid=1106001772/sr=8-4/ref=pd_csp_4/102-1551233-6421742?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) [W.E.B. DuBois](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=web_dubois) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/71 "2005-01-17T22:46:02Z")
[Osceola McCarty](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=oseola) The washerwoman who donated her life’s savings, 150K, to start a scholarship for underpriveledged kids. [Nkosi Johnson](http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=nkosi) An African boy born with HIV becomes a leader and speaker about the disease before he is 10. Simply amazing. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/72 "2005-01-17T22:52:13Z")
Alan Page would be interesting. He played for the Minnesota Vikings in the '60s and '70s, and later went on to become a lawyer. He was elected to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1992, and is still a supreme court justice. An athlete and an academic! ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777/73 "2005-01-17T23:58:44Z")
I would love to second Desmond Tutu. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-person-of-african-descent/284777.md?page=3)