Entrepreneur

Chase (1923-2019) was known as the "Queen of Creole Cuisine" and transformed Dooky Chase's Restaurant in New Orleans into a civil rights movement meeting place and a Black dining institution. While running one of the first upscale dining establishments for Black patrons in the segregated South, she served both civil rights leaders and local residents, making her restaurant a vital cultural and political center where leaders could meet to discuss strategy during the civil rights movement. Beyond her role in social justice, Chase was also renowned for her contributions to Creole cooking, her vast Black art collection displayed in the restaurant, and her influence on American culinary culture, inspiring the character Tiana in Disney's "The Princess and the Frog."

Johnson (1949) is a businesswoman and philanthropist who co-founded Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1980, the first cable television network focused exclusively on Black audiences. BET revolutionized media representation by showcasing Black music, culture, and entertainment at a time when mainstream television largely excluded Black talent. The network launched the careers of countless Black artists, created original programming that reflected Black experiences, and provided news coverage focused on issues important to the Black community, eventually reaching over 88 million households. In 2001, BET was sold to Viacom for $2.9 billion, making Johnson the first Black woman billionaire. Beyond BET, she serves as CEO and founder of the Salamander Collection, a luxury hotel company, and made history as the first Black woman to have ownership stakes in three professional sports franchises as a partner in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA's Washington Wizards, NHL's Washington Capitals, and WNBA's Washington Mystics.

Bass (1874-1969), is known as the first African American woman to own and operate a newspaper (The California Eagle) in the United States.

Cardwell (1894-1962) was a Musician, Educator, and founder of the extraordinary National Negro Opera Company (Pittsburg, 1941), and the Cardwell School of Music.

Owner and Publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier.

Robinson (1936-2011) was a Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, the Mother of Hip Hop, and a founder and the CEO of Sugar Hill Records.

Entrepreneur in fashion, journalism, and beauty. Founder of Ebony Fashion Fair Tour, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, and Ebony and Jet Magazine and The Negro Digest.

Hughes is the first Black woman to head a publicly traded corporation (Radio One, 1999).

Burroughs (1879-1961) was one of the most influential women of the early 20th century. She was a businesswoman, unbowed social and political activist, and a key figure in the women’s suffrage movement.

Owner of Rose Meta House of Beauty in Sugar Hill & A founder of NY's only black owned commercial bank, the Freedom National Bank.

Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith, called "Bricktop" for her fiery red hair, led an extraordinary life and was known by many names including The Queen of Paris Nightclubs.

After suing for and being granted her freedom, Biddy became one of the first black women to own land in Los Angeles and she founded the first black church in Los Angeles, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1872. "If you hold your hand closed, nothing good can come in. The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance, even as it receives."

“My cause was the cause of freedom and equality for myself and for my people and I’d rather be a corpse than a coward.”

Pioneering inventor in the haircare and beauty industry

Co-Owner of Rose Meta House of Beauty

“I’m not afraid of Dutch Schultz or any other man living. He’ll never touch me.” After Schultz was shot in the stomach while on the toilet at his favorite restaurant, St. Clair sent a telegram to his hospital bed that read “So You Sow — So Shall Ye Reap.” signed “Madam Queen of Policy.”