Black History at Home and Abroad: 13 Leaders Whose Impact Went Global

Esteemed poet, Rita Dove

Black History Month is underway in the U.S., and Canada this month, and in the U.K. in October. It’s a time to celebrate the immense contributions of African Americans to the betterment of the nation, and some have not only made an impact on our shores but far beyond them.

The following leaders took their influence from the overseas, creating far-reaching legacies that will be remembered until the end of time.

RITA DOVE

Dove was the first African American to serve as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. In her youth, the lauded poet and author studied as a Fulbright Scholarship recipient in Tubingen, Germany. She would go on receive numerous literary and academic honors including more than 20 honorary doctorates, the 1996 National Humanities Medal/Charles Frankel Prize from then-President Bill Clinton, the 2009 Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, and the 2011 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama.