Howard University Notable Alumni
Discover the notable alumni of Howard University. The list includes people like Taraji P. Henson, Sean Combs, Chadwick Boseman, Thurgood Marshall & Phylicia Rashad. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as writers, singers, musicians, intellectuals & academics and film & theater personalities etc.
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1
Thurgood Marshall(Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1967 - 1991))
Birthdate: July 2, 1908
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Died: January 24, 1993
Birthdate: November 29, 1976
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Anderson, South Carolina, United States
Died: August 28, 2020
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
3
Kamala Harris(The First Female Vice President of the United States)
Birthdate: October 20, 1964
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
4
Sean Combs(Rapper and Record Producer Known for His Albums: ‘No Way Out’ , ‘Forever’ and ‘Press Play’)
Birthdate: November 4, 1969
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Harlem, New York, United States
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
Birthdate: June 30, 1930
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Gastonia, North Carolina
Birthdate: February 18, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Lorain, Ohio
Died: August 5, 2019
Birthdate: September 11, 1970
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
Birthdate: October 8, 1980
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: San Diego, California, United States
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
Birthdate: January 7, 1891
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Notasulga
Died: January 28, 1960
10
Phylicia Rashad(Actress, Singer and Director Known for Her Role as ‘Clair Huxtable’ in the TV Sitcom ‘The Cosby Show’)
Birthdate: June 19, 1948
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
11
Ta-Nehisi Coates(Author and Journalist Known for His Non-Fiction Books: ‘The Beautiful Struggle’ and ‘Between the World and Me’)
Birthdate: September 30, 1975
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
12
Donny Hathaway
(Singer, Singer-songwriter, Conductor, Musician, Pianist, Record producer)
Birthdate: October 1, 1945
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago
Died: January 13, 1979
13
Debbie Allen
(Actress Best Known for Her Work in the Musical-Drama Television Series 'Fame')
Birthdate: January 16, 1950
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
14
Isaiah Washington(Actor & TV Personality Known for His Role as ‘Dr. Preston Burke’ in the TV Series ‘Grey's Anatomy’)
Birthdate: August 3, 1963
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, United States
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
15
Roxie Roker(Best Known for Her Role as ‘Helen Willis’ in the TV Series ‘The Jeffersons’)
Birthdate: August 28, 1929
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Miami, Florida, United States
Died: December 2, 1995
Birthdate: February 10, 1939
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Black Mountain, North Carolina, United States
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
Birthdate: January 29, 1941
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Died: November 15, 1998
18
La La Anthony
(Television personality)
Birthdate: June 25, 1979
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
19
Laz Alonso(Best Known for His Role as ‘Tsu'tey’ in the Film ‘Avatar’)
Birthdate: March 25, 1974
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
Birthdate: August 15, 1935
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
21
Jessye Norman
(Legendary American Opera Singer and 5-Time Grammy Winner)
Birthdate: September 15, 1945
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Augusta, Georgia, United States
Died: September 30, 2019
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
Birthdate: May 6, 1953
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
23
Susan Kelechi Watson
(Actress)
Birthdate: November 11, 1981
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York (state) New York, United States U.S.
Birthdate: August 19, 1975
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
Birthdate: April 17, 1970
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Mount Vernon, New York
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
26
Elijah Cummings(Member of the U.S. House of Representatives From Maryland's 7th District)
Birthdate: January 18, 1951
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Died: October 17, 2017
27
Omarosa Manigault
(Writers)
Birthdate: February 15, 1974
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
28
Carla Hall
(Chef who appeared in the fifth and eighth seasons of Top Chef, Bravo's cooking competition show)
Birthdate: May 12, 1964
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
29
Rachel Dolezal
(Controversial Activist Known for Presenting Herself as a Black Woman Despite Having Been Born to White Parents)
Birthdate: November 12, 1977
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lincoln County, Montana, United States
Birthdate: November 16, 1904
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Zungeru, Nigeria
Died: May 11, 1996
Birthdate: October 7, 1934
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Newark
Died: January 9, 2014
32
Isabel Wilkerson
(Journalist)
Birthdate: 1961 AD
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
33
Paula Jai Parker
(Actress)
Birthdate: August 19, 1969
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
34
Wendy Raquel Robinson
(Actress)
Birthdate: July 25, 1967
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
35
Karen Malina White
(Actress)
Birthdate: July 7, 1965
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
36
Andrew Young Jr.
(55th Mayor of Atlanta (1982 - 1990))
Birthdate: March 12, 1932
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
37
Meshell Ndegeocello
(German-born American Rapper, Singer-Songwriter, and Bassist)
Birthdate: August 29, 1968
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
38
George Washington Williams
(Soldier, Historian, Diplomat, Writer, Minister, Politician, Journalist)
Birthdate: October 16, 1849
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bedford
Died: August 2, 1891
Birthdate: October 10, 1964
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Camden, New Jersey Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
40
Fredricka Whitfield
(Journalist)
Birthdate: May 31, 1965
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Nairobi, Kenya
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
41
Makur Maker
(South Sudanese-Australian Basketball Player Who Plays in the Center)
Birthdate: November 4, 2000
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Nairobi, Kenya
Height: 6'11" (211 cm)
Birthdate: August 7, 1904
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died: December 9, 1971
43
Edward Brooke
(Politician)
Birthdate: October 26, 1919
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States U.S.
Died: January 3, 2015
44
Pep Hamilton
(Coach, American football player)
Birthdate: September 19, 1974
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
45
Michael Hyatt
(She has played Brianna Barksdale on The Wire, Dr. Noelle Akopian on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
Birthdate: February 17, 1970
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Birmingham, England
46
Kasim Reed
(59th Mayor of Atlanta)
Birthdate: June 10, 1969
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Plainfield, New Jersey, United States
Birthdate: July 8, 1914
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: March 8, 1993
Birthdate: June 20, 1986
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Durham, North Carolina
49
Jeremiah Wright
(Theologian)
Birthdate: September 22, 1941
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Philadelphia
50
Rhadi Ferguson
(American Mixed Martial Artist)
Birthdate: April 3, 1975
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Portland, Oregon, United States
Popularly known as HU or Howard, Howard University is essentially classified as a federally chartered, private research university and is home to various historical landmarks in Washington, D.C. With over 70 diverse undergraduate programs, Howard is ranked as a Tier 1 University. As per the 2015 Bloomberg Businessweek college rankings, HU is the only HBCU ranked in the top 75. With an enrollment of over 10,000 students, Howard covers over 120 fields of education that enrich the learning experience of every student. The University has academic programs in various verticals of education such as Engineering, Architecture, Health Sciences, Communication and Law, to name a few. What makes the university stand apart is its diversity in students, due to its nonsectarian approach to education. Howard University has produced four Rhodes Scholars, one Marshall Scholar, two Truman Scholars and twenty-two Fulbright scholars between 1986 and 2017. It has also been ranked as the top producer of African-American undergraduates (who later earn science and engineering doctoral degrees) by the National Science Foundation. Debbie Allen and Nnamdi Azikiwe are some of the notable alumni’s of HU, who have soared to great heights from different walks of life. The university is currently on the road to position itself as one of the top research universities in the United States of America. Here is a list of some of the distinguished achievers born out of Howard University.