50 who changed America - influential African Americans - 50th Anniversary Issue

John Lewis did it on the Selma Bridge.

Michael Jordan did it in the air, among other places, and Ann Fudge did it in the corporate suite.

What these and other pathfinders did, and the way they did it, opened a new path or a new horizon or symbolized a milestone advance for Blacks and Whites and America. In the process, they lifted themselves, or were lifted, sometimes in spite of themselves, into that select category of Americans who have in one way or another and for better or worse changed what we Blacks and Whites do and what we see, feel, think, and dream.

Let there be no misunderstanding. This is not a listing of the first Blacks or the greatest living Blacks or even the best-known Blacks. This is a tentative listing of 50 living pioneers, not counting the tie votes, who either symbolized or made breakthroughs so stunning and lasting--like Jesse Owens in 1936, like Jackie Robinson in 1945, like Martin Luther King Jr. in 1955--that they changed forever the way we think about that category or things in general. We are dealing, therefore, with originators and not the conservators or popularizers who followed, and we are dealing with persons and changes that may be objectionable to some but which changed or affected us all. We can, of course, debate the question of whether this person or that person belongs in this company. But while we are debating, here, according to a panel of knowledgeable observers, are 50 living persons--not the 50 living persons--but 50 living persons who are among the pioneers of our era and who helped make us what we are.

RELATED ARTICLE: CAROL MOSELEY-BRAUN

The first Black Democratic Party senator and the first Black woman in the U.S. Senate Carol Moseley-Braun helped redefine the role of American women in politics. Elected in 1992, she serves on the Senate Finance Committee and the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

MICHAEL JORDAN

More than a basketball player, Michael Jordan transcended sports and became a national folk hero who spoke across racial and class lines. As a player, he used his gravity-defying ability to show the world that basketball could be played in a way never before imagined. The three-time MVP, who led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive championships, has proven to be a goodwill ambassador with the ability to thrill us, excite us and make us feel good.

ROSA PARKS

Sometimes called "The Mother of the Freedom Movement," Rosa Parks set the stage for the Montgomery Bus Boycott when she refused to give a White man her seat on a bus on Dec. 1, 1955. Her protest triggered a 381-day bus boycott that catapulted Martin Luther King Jr. to national prominence and led to the ending of segregation on Montgomery buses. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was the opening act in the Freedom Movement.

ANN M. FUDGE

Ann Fudge opened a new era for Black women corporate executives when she assumed the position of president of Maxwell House Coffee, the $1.4 billion business within the Philip Morris Companies' Kraft Foods division.

The New York Times said "she's undoubtedly among the top 20 women in American industry." The Harvard MBA is also executive vice president of Kraft Foods.

THE REV. JESSE L. JACKSON

A former aide of Martin Luther King Jr. and the founder of Operation PUSH, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson was the first African-American to mount major campaigns for the U.S. presidency. In two major campaigns, 1983-84 and 1987-88, he changed the color of politics and established the right of African-Americans to run for the highest office in the land. In his second bid for the presidency, the president of the Rainbow Coalition captured 13 state primaries and more than 1,200 delegates. As the head of PUSH, he carried economic protest to new levels, pioneering in economic boycotts of major corporations and business interests.

MUHAMMAD ALI

An activist-champion who helped raise the consciousness of Blacks and Whites, Muhammad Ali made the ring a pulpit and used the acclaim he received as heavyweight champion to denounce injustice. Stripped of his title after he refused induction into the armed services as a protest against the Vietnam War, he regained the title in 1974. In 1978, he defeated Leon Spinks and became the only heavyweight to win the championship three times.

MAYA ANGELOU

The poet, author, singer, actress, activist and educator became a national cultural icon in the '90s, capping three decades of cultural leadership. the former aide to Martin Luther King Jr. and the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and other works, electrified a national audience by reading the poem she wrote for the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.

HENRY (HANK) AARON

When, on April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's unbreakable home run record, hitting his 715th home run, he redefined the possible and raised a new human standard. In the process, he, like Joe Louis, like Althea Gibson, like Colin Powell, changed the color of excellence and deepened--enriched, ennobled--us all.

DAISY BATES, AND THE LITTLE ROCK NINE