Isabella Baumfree was born into slavery in the late 18th century. Despite this, she’d go on to prove that enslavement was only a state of mind. She escaped slavery and landed in New York, where she changed her name to Sojourner Truth. Truth committed to eradicating racial and gender injustice. Her commitment to ending slavery and ensuring women had equal rights is why she is a feminist icon.

Robert Smalls was born into slavery and pushed into fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War. However, at the age of 23, he took a chance to not only free him and his family, but those who vowed to step up and fight against the Confederacy alongside him. While on the ship named The Planter, Smalls and company anchored the boat, collected their families, and took a brave sail towards freedom. His innovative thinking and fearless hunger for freedom would pay off in a big way. Today, we celebrate him as one of the most heroic slaves of the Civil War.

Shirley Chisholm is a political icon who paved the way for politics as we know it today. During her seven terms as the first black woman to serve in congress, Chisholm set her sights on challenging the system. Unsurprisingly, her tenacity made her a force to be reckoned with. She sought the presidential nomination in 1972, and her mere presence on the campaign trail was a victory for minorities in politics.

Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Katherine Johnson is a powerhouse unlike any other. Johnson’s advanced mathematical skill-set forced her environment to make room for her. she broke racial and gender barriers by integrating West Virginia University’s graduate program.

Mum Bett, the slave of a Massachusetts judge, decided to take matters into her own hands after hearing the phrase “all men are born free and equal.” This phrase is in the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution and at the time Mum understood that this also applied to her even as a black person.