Famous Blacks (African-Americans) From Virginia

This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

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1 Allen Iverson

329

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball Player

Birthdate: June 7, 1975

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States

Former professional basketball player, Allen Iverson, is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential basketball players of all time. He retired after playing 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for various teams. At the time of his retirement, he was an 11-time NBA All-Star. A popular star, he has made a few cameo appearances in films.

2 Pharrell Williams

255

Listed In: Singers

Famous As: Singer

Birthdate: April 5, 1973

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States

Rapper-singer Pharrell Williams began his career with The Neptunes, the record-production duo he had formed with Chad Hugo. He was also part of the band N.E.R.D., as its lead vocalist. He is known for his Academy Award-nominated song Happy from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack and his 13 Grammy wins.

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3 Missy Elliott

196

Listed In: Singers

Famous As: Rapper

Birthdate: July 1, 1971

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Portsmouth

Four-time Grammy-winning rapper Missy Elliott, known for her chartbusting tracks such as Get Ur Freak On, was ranked fifth on Billboard’s 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time list. She was initially part of the R&B group Sista and then collaborated with Timbaland in the collective Swing Mob.

4 Arthur Ashe

251

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Tennis Player

Birthdate: July 10, 1943

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Richmond

Died: February 6, 1993

Tennis player Arthur Ashe is best remembered for his three Grand Slam singles wins. He became the first Black player to be named to the U.S. Davis Cup team. He contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion during a bypass surgery and devoted his final years to AIDS awareness campaigns.

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5 Michael Vick

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American football player

Birthdate: June 26, 1980

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia, United States

Michael Vick is a former American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons during which he represented successful teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets. Michael Vick is also known for his philanthropic efforts; he has established a couple of nonprofit organizations namely The Vick Foundation and Michael Vick Foundation.

6 James Avery

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Film actor

Birthdate: November 27, 1945

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Suffolk, Virginia, U.S.

Died: December 31, 2013

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7 Wanda Sykes

186

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actress

Birthdate: March 7, 1964

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, United States

Wanda Sykes is an American actress, writer, and comedian. In 2004, Sykes was named in Entertainment Weekly magazine's list of 25 funniest people in America. Also known for her role as an activist, Sykes has been emceeing fundraisers and hosting events to tackle issues concerning same-sex marriages. She is also an ardent supporter of the Ruth Ellis Center.

8 Ella Fitzgerald

513

Listed In: Singers

Famous As: Jazz Singer

Birthdate: April 25, 1917

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia, United States

Died: June 15, 1996

Ella Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer. Referred to as the Queen of Jazz, First Lady of Song, and Lady Ella, Fitzgerald was renowned for her impeccable diction, purity of tone, timing, and intonation. The winner of Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts, Fitzgerald's legacy lives on several years after her death.

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9 Henrietta Lacks

131

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Famous As: Source of HeLa Cell Line

Birthdate: August 1, 1920

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Roanoke

Died: October 4, 1951

Henrietta Lacks was a woman whose cancer cells were preserved and led to the first immortalized cell line, or the HeLa cell line, that was later used for medical research. Neither Lacks or her family members were compensated, and no consent was sought. Her story later inspired an HBO movie.

10 Keldon Johnson

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball player

Birthdate: October 11, 1999

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chesterfield, Virginia, United States

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11 Booker T. Washington

221

Listed In: Leaders

Birthdate: April 5, 1856

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Westlake Corner, Virginia, United States

Died: November 14, 1915

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery but rose to be an advisor to many U.S. presidents and also became the director of the Tuskegee Institute. His Atlanta Compromise, initially accepted and later rejected by black leaders, urged the blacks to work for their freedom through education and not revolt.

12 Mike Tomlin

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Football Coach

Birthdate: March 15, 1972

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States

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13 Moses Malone

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball player

Birthdate: March 23, 1955

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Petersburg, Virginia, United States

Died: September 13, 2015

14 Jay Pharoah

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: October 14, 1987

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia, United States

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15 Frankie Faison

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: June 10, 1949

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia, USA

16 D'Angelo

Listed In: Singers

Famous As: Singer-songwriter

Birthdate: February 11, 1974

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

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17 Belle da Costa Greene

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Famous As: Librarian

Birthdate: December 13, 1883

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Alexandria, Virginia, United States

Died: May 10, 1950

18 Alonzo Mourning

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball player

Birthdate: February 8, 1970

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia, USA

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19 Chad Coleman

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: September 6, 1974

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

20 Ralph Sampson

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball Player

Birthdate: July 7, 1960

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States

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21 Dred Scott

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Famous As: American slave

Birthdate: 1799 AD

Birthplace: Southampton County, Virginia

Died: September 17, 1858

22 Plaxico Burress

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Player

Birthdate: August 12, 1977

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States

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23 Julius Jones

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football player

Birthdate: August 14, 1981

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Big Stone Gap, Virginia, United States

24 Shalita Grant

124

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actress

Birthdate: August 28, 1988

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States

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25 Nate Parker

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: November 18, 1979

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, USA

26 Bill Robinson

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Dancer

Birthdate: May 25, 1878

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

Died: November 25, 1949

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27 Pernell Whitaker

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Boxer

Birthdate: January 2, 1964

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Norfolk

28 Darren Sharper

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: November 3, 1975

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

29 Kam Chancellor

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Player

Birthdate: April 3, 1988

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, USA

30 Justin Upton

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Baseball player

Birthdate: August 25, 1987

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States

31 Tony Atlas

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Bodybuilder

Birthdate: April 23, 1954

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Roanoke, Virginia, United States

32 Mary Jackson

Listed In: Scientists

Famous As: Mathematician

Birthdate: April 9, 1921

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States

Died: February 11, 2005

American mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson went down in history as the first African-American woman to work as a NASA engineer. Initially a math teacher, she later joined NACA under Dorothy Vaughan and contributed to countless American space programs at a time when racial segregation was the norm.

33 Leland D. Melvin

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Astronaut

Birthdate: February 15, 1964

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

34 Charles Haley

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Player

Birthdate: January 6, 1964

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Gladys, Virginia, USA

35 Percy Harvin

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American football player

Birthdate: May 28, 1988

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia, United States

36 Ronde Barber

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American football player

Birthdate: April 7, 1975

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

37 Jason George

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: February 9, 1972

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

38 EJ Manuel

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football player

Birthdate: March 19, 1990

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States

39 DeAngelo Hall

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Player

Birthdate: November 19, 1983

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia, United States

40 Romeo Crennel

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Coach

Birthdate: June 18, 1947

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

Football coach Romeo Crennel is currently serving as the interim head coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Even though he played football in college, he has never played in the NFL. As a coach, he has over 40 years of experience and has led his teams to five Super Bowl wins as an assistant coach.