Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) King was the dominant force in the American civil rights movement (1957-1968). The son of a pastor and a schoolteacher, he was the nonviolent leader behind the Montgomery bus boycott, and always will be revered for—among many other achievements—his “I have a dream” speech at the March on Washington in 1963. He remains the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He was felled by an assassin’s bullet, but his legacy—the guarantee that “all men are created equal”—endures. 

 

 

Toni Morrison (1931- ) Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford in Ohio, and has had an illustrious career as a writer, editor, and teacher. She has won numerous awards for her writing, among them the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her novel Beloved, and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994. Her novels give voice to richly expressive depictions of black America, and she has actively used her influence to encourage the publication of other black writers. 

 

 

Roberto Clemente (1934-1972) Fans throughout the Americas affectionately remember Puerto Rican-born Clemente for his baseball feats and his humanitarian work. His greatest feat was leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a seven-game World Series victory over the Baltimore Orioles in 1971, when he was selected the series’ “Most Valuable Player.” After his tragic death in a plane crash while flying relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims, Clemente became the first Hispanic American elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.