Might be a bit too academic, but Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is always interesting.
GT
Walter Williams
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williams1.asp
Thomas Sowell
http://www.tsowell.com/
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell.html
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)
Major General Marcelite J. Harris is an all around good person, and quite certain to be a rare choice for grade school reports.
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.
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)
I nominate President David Palmer.
Julian Bond Who is quite the hottie, IMHO.
Condoleeza Rice
Paul Ruseabagina His story was featured in " Hotel Rwanda"
Frances ellen Watkins
Possibly the Bravest Little Girl Ever: Ruby Bridges I cry every time I read her story and the children’s book " The Story of Ruby Bridges
Osceola McCarty The washerwoman who donated her life’s savings, 150K, to start a scholarship for underpriveledged kids.
Nkosi Johnson An African boy born with HIV becomes a leader and speaker about the disease before he is 10. Simply amazing.
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!
I would love to second Desmond Tutu.