Entertainment

Present

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  Music - Prince
  Though his career began in the 1970s, the man legally known as Prince Roger Nelson is virtually the only black artist who continues to push the envelope with every music project released. Never complacent with the current state of the music industry, the Minnesota native made history by going up against the record label system and winning his freedom from iron clad contracts he likened to slavery. From changing his name to reinventing his musical stylings, the pint-sized musical genius was also one of the first major superstars to embrace the power of digital media. (Photo: Kevin Mazur, WireImage.com)

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  Film - Angela Bassett
  The Emmy and Academy Award nominated thespian is an alum from the prestigious Yale School of Drama. The former beauty salon receptionist broke into acting with regional theatre work in the mid-1980s before a thriving film career took shape. "I really believe that what I do as an actress is my God-given talent," the Olay spokeswoman has said. "This is my calling not my career." Bassett's portrayal of biographical characters, notably Tina Turner, has made her stand out amongst other actresses of her time. For her exceptional work in 'What's Love Got to Do with It,' the Harlem, New York native was the first African-American to win the Best Actress Golden Globe Awards for a Musical or Comedy in 1993.(Photo: Peter Kramer, Getty Images)

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  Film - Denzel Washington
  The debonair Mount Vernon, New York native holds the distinction of being the only living black Academy Award winner to win honors in both acting categories. With a degree in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University, Washington has portrayed a diverse array of characters on the big screen and small since his professional acting debut in 1977. The 'Training Day' and 'Glory' star has expanded his role in Hollywood with producing and directing inrecent years.(Photo: Piyal Hosain, Fotos International, Getty Images)

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  TV - Mara Brock Akil and Shonda Rhimes
  Two black sistas are creators and executive producers of two hit primetime television series and their spin-offs. With 'Girlfriends' and its spawn 'The Game,' Brock-Akil, a former journalism student, has the black sitcom industry on lock with her engaging storylines revolving around successful blacks and their sometimes awkward relationship dynamics. With the ABC ratings draw 'Grey's Anatomy' and its follow-up 'Private Practice,' audiences have proven insatiable when it comes to Rhimes' take on the medical profession. (Photos: Arnold Turner, WireImage.com, 2)

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  Film - Robi Reed, Kasi Lemmons, Tracey, Edmonds
  As one of the most prominent casting agents in the film business, Primetime Emmy Award winning Reed has put black faces in more than 50 major films. For her latest film, 'Talk to Me,' Kasi Lemmons garnered critical acclaim and major accolades. Nothing less should be expected from the prized director, who first mesmerized filmgoers with the beguiling drama 'Eve's Bayou' in 1997. The former wife of music super producer Kenneth"Babyface" Edmonds, may have become tabloid fodder with her "marriage" to Eddie Murphy but has flexed much muscle in Hollywood as a producer of movies such as 'Soul Food,' 'Light It Up,' 'Josie and the Pussycats' and 'Who's Your Caddy.' (Photos: Retna, The Bible Experience, WireImage.com)

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  Music - Russell Simmons
  The man who is credited with virtually shaping the industry of hip-hop, Russell Simmons and his sharp business acumen has transcended the music business (Def Jam Records), film ('Krush Groove'), television ('Def Poetry Jam'), the fashion industry (Phat Farm), finance (Rush Card), literature ('Do You!') and most recently political activism (Hip Hop Action Network). Beyond music, hip-hop lives through the fiber of everything the 50-year-old Queens, NY native does. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images)

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  Politics - General William E. "Kip" Ward
  As commander of the newly created U.S. Africa Command (Africom), Ward, the four-star general is charged with coordinating military support for diplomatic and development programs ina strategically important, yet often overlooked region of the world. (Photo: Caleb Jones, AP)

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  Politics - Senator Barack Obama
  The junior U.S. Senator from Illinois and a 2008 Democratic presidential candidate is the only African-American currently in the Senate and only the fifth African-American ever to be electedto the Senate. With his mixed race background and message of change he is campaigning on a platform of hope to help unite the United States. (Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)

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  Technology - Lonnie Johnson
  The rocket scientist and nuclear engineer invented the Super Soaker water gun in 1991, which became a top-selling toy with more than 40 million sold and $200 million in sales. Now, the self-described tinkerer has turned his sights on solar energy technology that would convert solar heat into power.(Photo: John Bazemore, AP)

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  Business - Bob Johnson
  Johnson launched Washington, D.C.-based Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1980 with a loan from cable executive John Malone. BET became the first African-American-owned company to be publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1991. The Hickory, Miss. native became the first Black billionaire in the United States, when he sold the company to Viacom in 2000 for $3 billion. He left the company in 2006 and created RLJ Companies Inc., a portfolio of companies in the financial services, real estate, hospitality, professional sports, film production, automotive and gaming industries, which include the NBA Charlotte Bobcats, Our Stories Films and Urban Trust Bank. (Photo: BET)