You don't get to be called "Mahatma," which means "great soul," for nothing: Gandhi (1869–1948) is among the most revered figures of the 20th century. Even Albert Einstein—yep, electric-haired,...

Now, maybe you know who Bayard Rustin (1910–1987) is, and if so, good for you, because Bayard Rustin isn't exactly on the tip of everyone's tongue. That's probably because he was kind of on the m...

Also known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, Malcolm X (1925–1965) was a prominent member of the Nation of Islam, a Black religious and political organization devoted to improving the lives of African...

What, you ask, brings this guy Cesar Chavez (1927–1993) to the party? Simply check out this telegram from MLK to CC:You stand today as a living example of the Ghandian [sic] tradition […] My co...

Boy, are we stoked to talk about Stokely Carmichael (1941–1998). We're also carmichaeled, whatever that means. Stokely Carmichael, who later took the name Kwame Ture (that's toor-AY), was a leade...

We're throwing Ta-Nehisi Coates into the mix because he's one of today's most prominent African American public intellectuals—writes for The Atlantic, won a National Book Award and MacArthur "Gen...