Notable & Famous Caribbean Luminaries
Caribbean-Americans have shaped every field of American life across all 44 nations, all languages and all generations.
⭐ = Next Generation (born 1997 or later)
Filter narrows the gallery by field. Group reorganizes cards into labeled sections — by decade born, heritage nation, language influence, or alphabetically. Names are sorted A–Z within each group.
Adrian Fenty
Barbados · 
PanamaMayor of Washington D.C. (2007–2011); youngest mayor of a major US city at the time of election (36 years old); first DC mayor to take direct control of the public school system;…
Politics & GovernmentBianca Jagger
NicaraguaHuman rights advocate; Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador (2003); founder of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation; Amnesty International USA Executive Director's Leadership Council member;…
Politics & GovernmentDavid Paterson
JamaicaFirst African-American Governor of New York State (2008–10); first legally blind governor in US history; father from Jamaica
Politics & GovernmentDeval Patrick
BarbadosFirst African-American Governor of Massachusetts; former U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
Politics & GovernmentEliot Jardines
Costa Rica · 
CubaFirst Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open Source (2006–10); father from Cuba, mother from Costa Rica
Politics & GovernmentEric Holder
BarbadosFirst African-American U.S. Attorney General; served under President Obama
Politics & GovernmentGuillermo Fariñas Hernández
CubaJournalist and democracy activist; Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2010; survived lengthy hunger strikes
Politics & GovernmentHedy Fry
Trinidad and TobagoCanadian politician; Secretary of State for Multiculturalism; first Black woman elected to Parliament in British Columbia; born in Trinidad
Politics & GovernmentJennifer Carroll
Trinidad and TobagoFirst female and first Black Lieutenant Governor of Florida (2011); US Navy veteran; born in Trinidad and Tobago
Politics & GovernmentKamala-Jean Gopie
JamaicaFirst Caribbean-Canadian woman appointed to the Order of Ontario (1996); community leader in Toronto; parents from Jamaica
Politics & GovernmentKamla Persad-Bissessar
Trinidad and TobagoFirst female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (2010–15); attorney and Senator
Politics & GovernmentKarine Jean-Pierre
MartiniqueFirst Black and first openly LGBTQ+ White House Press Secretary; born in Martinique
Politics & GovernmentLaura Chinchilla Miranda
Costa RicaFirst female President of Costa Rica (2010–14); former Vice President; advocate for environmental policy
Politics & GovernmentLouis Farrakhan
Jamaica · 
Saint Kitts and NevisLeader of the Nation of Islam since 1977; organized 1995 Million Man March; father from Jamaica, mother from Saint Kitts and Nevis
Politics & GovernmentMaxine Waters
BarbadosU.S. Representative for California's 43rd district (1991–present); longest-serving Black woman in Congress; Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (1997–1999);…
Politics & GovernmentPatrick Gaspard
HaitiU.S. Ambassador to South Africa (2013–2016); Executive Director of Open Society Foundations ($22B endowment); former White House Political Director (2009–2011); Democratic National Committee chair;…
Politics & GovernmentRigoberta Menchú Tum
GuatemalaNobel Peace Prize 1992; K'iche' Maya human rights activist; UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador; presidential candidate of Guatemala
Politics & GovernmentSonia Chang-Díaz
Costa RicaFirst Latina elected to the Massachusetts State Senate (2008); education and healthcare advocate; parents from Costa Rica
Politics & GovernmentWes Moore
JamaicaFirst African-American Governor of Maryland; Army veteran; Rhodes Scholar
Politics & GovernmentÓscar Elías Biscet González
CubaHuman rights physician; Presidential Medal of Freedom 2007; political prisoner in Cuba
Politics & GovernmentCarmen Beauchamp Ciparick
Puerto RicoAssociate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals (1993–2012); first Latina on New York's highest court; NAACP Civil Rights Award; born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents
Law & JudiciaryDebra Ann Livingston
CubaChief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2021–present) — the most powerful federal appellate court in the U.S.…
Law & JudiciaryDenny Chin
China · 🌎 CaribbeanChief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2021–present); issued the landmark Madoff sentencing — the longest non-capital sentence in federal history (150 years, 2009);…
Law & JudiciaryEmilio Garza
MexicoU.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit judge (1991); first Hispanic to serve as a district judge in San Antonio; U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps; parents from Mexico
Law & JudiciaryFederico Moreno
ColombiaU.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida (1997); Chief Judge 2009–2016 of one of the busiest federal courts in the U.S.;…
Law & JudiciaryGladys Kessler
BarbadosU.S. District Judge for D.C. (1994–2016); issued the landmark 2006 ruling finding the U.S.…
Law & JudiciaryGustavo Gelpí
Puerto RicoU.S. District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico (2006); Chief Judge 2012–19; First Circuit judge (2019–present); first Puerto Rican to clerk for a First Circuit judge; born in San Juan
Law & JudiciaryJosé Cabranes
Puerto RicoU.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit judge (1994); first Puerto Rican to serve as U.S. District Judge in the continental U.S. (1979); Yale Corporation member; born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Law & JudiciaryJuan Merchan
ColombiaNew York State Supreme Court Justice; presided over People of the State of New York v. Donald Trump (2024) — the first criminal trial of a former U.S.…
Law & JudiciaryMargarita Esquiroz
CubaFirst Hispanic woman to serve as a federal magistrate judge in Florida (1990); trailblazer for Latinas in the federal judiciary; born in Cuba; raised in Miami
Law & JudiciaryMarilyn Hall Patel
CubaU.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California (1980); famous 1986 ruling in Napster case; one of the first federal judges to issue rulings on internet copyright;…
Law & JudiciaryOrlando García
Puerto RicoU.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas (1994); Chief Judge 2015–2022; his 2014 ruling De León v.…
Law & JudiciarySonia Sotomayor
Puerto RicoFirst Latina and first Hispanic Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (2009); nominated by President Obama; Princeton summa cum laude; Yale Law Journal editor; both parents born in Puerto Rico
Law & JudiciarySyl Jones
Trinidad and TobagoMinnesota Supreme Court Justice (2023–present); first Black woman appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court; community advocate and attorney; Trinidadian heritage
Law & JudiciaryJ. Michelle Childs
BarbadosU.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit judge (2022); one of two finalists for the Supreme Court seat ultimately filled by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson; the first Black judge elevated to the D.C.…
Military & Public ServiceKamala Harris
Jamaica · 
IndiaFirst woman, first Black American, and first person of South Asian descent to serve as U.S. Vice President (2021–2025); former U.S.…
Military & Public ServiceLester Lyles
Trinidad and TobagoRetired four-star General; Commander of Air Force Materiel Command (2003–2005); chair of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board;…
Military & Public ServiceVincent Brooks
JamaicaFirst African American to serve as first captain (top cadet) of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (1980); retired four-star General; Commander of United Nations Command and U.S.…
Military & Public ServiceStokely Carmichael
Trinidad and TobagoCoined the phrase 'Black Power' (1966) — term that launched a global political movement; Chairman of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee); prime minister of the Black Panther Party;…
Civil RightsAlicia Garza
JamaicaCo-founder of Black Lives Matter (2013) — BLM sparked the largest protest movement in US history with an estimated 15–26M participants in Summer 2020; founder of Black Futures Lab;…
Social Justice & ActivismCarmen Yulín Cruz
Puerto RicoMayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico (2013–2020); TIME 100 Most Influential People (2018) for her advocacy following Hurricane Maria; first female mayor of San Juan; born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Social Justice & ActivismDeRay Mckesson
JamaicaCivil rights activist; co-founder of Campaign Zero — data-driven policing reform platform adopted by multiple US cities; host of Pod Save the People podcast (1M+ listeners);…
Social Justice & ActivismDolores Huerta
MexicoCo-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW, 1962) alongside César Chávez; Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012); credited with coining 'Sí, se puede' (Yes, we can); born in Dawson, New Mexico;…
Social Justice & ActivismJanet Mock
HaitiFirst openly transgender woman of color to write and direct her own TV show (Pose, FX, 2018);…
Social Justice & ActivismPatrisse Cullors
JamaicaCo-founder of Black Lives Matter (2013) — one of the most impactful social justice movements of the 21st century; MacArthur Fellow (2020); artist and author of When They Call You a Terrorist;…
Social Justice & ActivismTaj Anwar
Trinidad and TobagoFounder of MOBBB — Mothers of Black and Brown Babies (2006), evolved into Real Whole Inc.…
Social Justice & ActivismVashti Murphy McKenzie
BarbadosFirst woman elected bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (2000); National Council of Churches president; civil rights advocate; Barbadian heritage
Social Justice & ActivismArchbishop Wilton Gregory
JamaicaFirst African American Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church (2020); Archbishop of Washington (2019–present); born in Chicago; father from Jamaica
Religion & Spiritual LeadershipBishop T.D. Jakes
BarbadosFounder of The Potter's House megachurch (Dallas, 30,000+ members); named by TIME as 'America's Best Preacher';…
Religion & Spiritual LeadershipFather Michael Pfleger
JamaicaPastor of Saint Sabina Parish in Chicago since 1981; civil rights activist who led the only church to successfully negotiate a consent decree with a gun dealer (1999);…
Religion & Spiritual LeadershipJeremiah Wright
BarbadosSenior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ (1972–2008); grew the congregation from 87 to 8,000 members — one of the fastest-growing Black churches in US history; mentor to Barack Obama;…
Religion & Spiritual LeadershipRev. Al Sharpton
Saint Kitts and NevisFounder and president of National Action Network (1991); Democratic presidential candidate (2004) — won 7 primaries and 380 delegates; MSNBC host of PoliticsNation;…
Religion & Spiritual LeadershipAllan Phillips
VenezuelaEmmy Award-winning musician and composer; born in Venezuela
MusicAmaury Gutiérrez
CubaCuban-American singer-songwriter; Latin Grammy Award nominee; known for romantic ballads
MusicBad Bunny
Puerto Rico11 Guinness World Records including: most-streamed album of all time on Spotify (Un Verano Sin Ti, 15B+ streams); first Spanish-language artist to headline Coachella (2023);…
MusicBilly Ocean
Trinidad and TobagoGrammy Award winner; "Caribbean Queen" and "Get Outta My Dreams" were #1 hits; born in Fyzabad, Trinidad
MusicBusta Rhymes
JamaicaGrammy-nominated rapper and actor known for "Woo-Hah!!" and collaborations with Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey; parents from Jamaica
MusicCanibus
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoGold-selling rapper recognized as one of the 100 Greatest Rappers of All Time (Complex, 2012); debut Can-I-Bus (1998) debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200; mother from Jamaica, father from Trinidad
MusicCardi B
Trinidad and Tobago · 
Dominican RepublicGuinness World Records: first female rapper to have two songs simultaneously at No.…
MusicCarlos Vives
ColombiaLatin Grammy Award winner; pioneer of modern vallenato and Colombian pop; UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
MusicChristopher "Kid" Reid
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoMember of Kid 'n Play; gold record-selling rap duo; House Party film franchise star; father from Jamaica
MusicChubb Rock
JamaicaRapper; Treat 'Em Right (1990) peaked at #2 on the Billboard Rap charts — among the highest charting debut singles by a Jamaican-born rapper at the time; born in Kingston, Jamaica
MusicCorinne Bailey Rae
Saint Kitts and NevisGrammy Award winner; debut album Corinne Bailey Rae (2006) went to #1 in UK; father from Saint Kitts
MusicDaddy Yankee
Puerto RicoGuinness World Records: Despacito (with Luis Fonsi, 2017) — first Spanish-language song to reach No.…
MusicDavid Archuleta
HondurasAmerican Idol Season 7 runner-up (2008); Grammy-nominated singer; mother from Honduras
MusicDiana King
JamaicaGold record-selling singer known for "Shy Guy" (#1 UK); contributed to Space Jam soundtrack; born in Spanish Town, Jamaica
MusicEl Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
Puerto RicoGuinness World Records recognition: longest-running salsa orchestra in history (founded 1962, over 60 years without interruption); performed on every continent;…
MusicFoxy Brown
Trinidad and TobagoPlatinum-selling rapper; debut album Ill Na Na (1996); Grammy-nominated; parents from Trinidad and Tobago
MusicGrace Jones
JamaicaJamaican singer, actress, and model; Warm Leatherette (1980) and Nightclubbing (1981) defined new wave and post-disco; first artist to be photographed by Helmut Newton for Vogue;…
MusicHeather Headley
Trinidad and TobagoTony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (Aida, 2000); Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album (2010); born in Barataria, Trinidad and Tobago
MusicJ Balvin
ColombiaGuinness World Records: most music videos with 1 billion YouTube views by a solo artist (10 videos as of 2020); first Colombian artist to reach 50M monthly listeners on Spotify;…
MusicJennifer López
Puerto RicoGuinness World Records: first Latin recording artist to simultaneously top the US film and music charts (2001, The Wedding Planner and J.Lo album);…
MusicJoan Armatrading
Antigua and Barbuda · Saint Kitts and NevisGrammy-nominated singer-songwriter known for "Love and Affection"; three-time BRIT Award nominee; born in Saint Kitts, raised in Antigua
MusicKRS-ONE
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoPioneer of conscious hip-hop; co-founder of Boogie Down Productions; Stop the Violence Movement (1988) — first anti-violence rap collective;…
MusicLenny Kravitz
The BahamasFour-time consecutive Grammy winner, Best Male Rock Vocal Performance (1999–2002); multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter
MusicLin-Manuel Miranda
Puerto RicoTony/Grammy/Emmy/Pulitzer winner; creator of Hamilton and In the Heights; Puerto Rican heritage
MusicLizzo
Trinidad and TobagoGrammy Award-winning singer, rapper, flutist; body positivity advocate; Trinidadian heritage; born 1988
MusicLuis Fonsi
Puerto RicoGuinness World Records: Despacito (2017, feat. Daddy Yankee) — most-watched YouTube video in history at the time of its peak (8B+ views); first Spanish-language song to reach No.…
MusicMachel Montano
Trinidad and Tobago"The Xpert"; most decorated soca artist; multiple Road March wins; award-winning entertainer; born in Port of Spain
MusicManny Marroquin
GuatemalaMultiple Grammy Award-winning mixing engineer; worked with Rihanna, Eminem, Maroon 5, and Beyoncé
MusicMarc Anthony
Puerto RicoGuinness World Records: best-selling tropical salsa artist of all time (12M+ albums sold); most No. 1 albums on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart (11 No. 1 albums); most No.…
MusicMelanie Amaro
Trinidad and TobagoWinner of The X Factor USA Season 1 (2011) — youngest winner in the show's three-season US run (age 19);…
MusicMelanie Brown
Saint Kitts and Nevis'Scary Spice' of the Spice Girls — one of the best-selling female groups of all time (85M+ records); first member of the group to release a solo single (I Want You Back, 1998);…
MusicMelody Thornton
MexicoMember of the Pussycat Dolls; Grammy-nominated group; mother from Mexico
MusicNicki Minaj
Trinidad and TobagoGuinness World Records: first female rapper to have 7 songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 (2010); most cumulative weeks at No.…
MusicNona Gaye
JamaicaGrammy Award-winning singer and actress; daughter of Marvin Gaye; father of Jamaican heritage
MusicOzuna
Puerto Rico4 Guinness World Records (2020 GWR edition): most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums (46 consecutive weeks, Odisea 2017–18);…
MusicRafael Cepeda
Puerto RicoPatriarch of the Bomba and Plena; National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship (1983) — the U.S.'s highest traditional arts honor; first Puerto Rican musician to receive it;…
MusicRenee Neufville
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoGold record-selling R&B singer with Zhané; known for "Hey Mr. DJ" and "Crush"; father from Jamaica
MusicRicardo Arjona
GuatemalaGrammy Award winner; best-selling Central American artist; singer-songwriter known for social commentary
MusicRihanna
BarbadosGuinness World Records: best-selling digital singles artist of all time (250M+ singles); first Black Caribbean-born woman to become a billionaire (Forbes 2022, net worth $1.4B);…
MusicRita Marley
Cuba · JamaicaSinger and wife of Bob Marley; founder of Rita Marley Foundation; born in Cuba; gold-selling solo and group recordings
MusicRozonda "Chili" Thomas
CubaMember of TLC; five-time Grammy Award winner; TLC is the best-selling American girl group of all time
MusicRyan Leslie
JamaicaMusic producer, entrepreneur, technologist; Harvard graduate; founded SuperPhone; Jamaican heritage
MusicSandra "Pepa" Denton
JamaicaMember of Salt-N-Pepa; first female rap act to go platinum; Grammy Award winner 1995; born in Kingston, Jamaica
MusicSean Kingston
JamaicaGrammy-nominated singer known for "Beautiful Girls" (#1 US, 2007); born in Miami to Jamaican parents
MusicSean Paul
JamaicaGrammy Award winner (2004); global dancehall and reggae fusion star; "Temperature" and "Get Busy" are worldwide hits; born in Kingston, Jamaica
MusicSelena
Mexico"Queen of Tejano Music"; Grammy winner; best-selling female Latin artist; shot February 1995; father from Mexico
MusicShakira
ColombiaGuinness World Records: Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) — most-viewed FIFA World Cup song ever (3B+ YouTube views); most simultaneous songs on the Billboard Hot 100 by a Colombian artist;…
MusicSimon Webbe
Saint Kitts and NevisMember of UK pop group Blue; double-platinum selling album; parents from Saint Kitts and Nevis
MusicTatiana
MexicoGrammy-nominated children's entertainer known as "La Princesa de la Canción Infantil"; parents from Mexico
MusicTessanne Chin
JamaicaWinner of The Voice USA Season 5 (2013) — first and only foreign-born contestant to win The Voice USA; received the highest number of votes in show history at the time;…
MusicThalia
MexicoGrammy-nominated singer-songwriter; best-selling Latin artist; actress known for Mexican telenovelas; born in Mexico City
MusicTotó la Momposina
ColombiaChampion of Colombian folk music (cumbia, porro, bullerengue); Grammy Latin Heritage Award; UNESCO cultural ambassador
MusicWyclef Jean
HaitiGrammy-winning musician; co-founder of The Fugees; UN Ambassador for Haiti; born in Haiti
MusicAlfonso Ribeiro
Trinidad and TobagoActor known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Carlton Banks); Dancing with the Stars winner and host; parents from Trinidad and Tobago
Film & TVAmanda Seales
GrenadaComedian, actress, and cultural commentator; co-host of The Real (2019–2020); star of Insecure (HBO);…
Film & TVAmerica Ferrera
HondurasEmmy and Golden Globe Award winner for Ugly Betty; starred in Barbie (2023); parents from Honduras
Film & TVAnna Maria Horsford
Antigua and Barbuda · Dominican RepublicActress known for Friday franchise and Black-ish; NAACP Image Award nominee
Film & TVArlen Escarpeta
BelizeActor known for American Dreams (NBC, 2002–05), one of the first prime-time dramas to feature a Black actor as a series regular;…
Film & TVBarbara Carrera
NicaraguaActress and model; one of the first Nicaraguan actresses to achieve Hollywood stardom; known for the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983) and Dallas (1985–87);…
Film & TVBenicio del Toro
Puerto RicoAcademy Award-winning actor (Traffic); born in Santurce, Puerto Rico
Film & TVChristene Browne
Saint Kitts and NevisFirst Black woman to write, produce and direct a feature film in Canada; born in Saint Kitts
Film & TVChristina Milian
CubaActress and singer; first celebrity to sign a deal with streaming platform Amazon to produce, star in, and executive produce a music-themed film series (Falling Inn Love franchise); parents from Cuba
Film & TVCorbin Bleu
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoActor and singer known for High School Musical franchise; Tony Award nominee; father from Jamaica
Film & TVDulé Hill
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoActor known for The West Wing and Psych; Primetime Emmy Award; father from Jamaica
Film & TVFrancia Raisa
Honduras · MexicoActress (Grown-ish, How I Met Your Father); donated a kidney to Selena Gomez (2017) — a rare altruistic living organ donation that raised nationwide awareness for kidney disease;…
Film & TVGabrielle Union
Trinidad and TobagoActress and advocate; NAACP Image Award winner (Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, 2016); co-chair of the Women's March (2019);…
Film & TVGina Torres
CubaActress known for Suits, Firefly, and Hannibal; NAACP Image Award winner; ALMA Award
Film & TVGuillermo del Toro
MexicoAcademy Award winner, Best Director and Best Picture, for The Shape of Water (2017);…
Film & TVGénesis Rodríguez
Cuba · Mexico · VenezuelaActress known for Hours (2013) and Tusk (2014); daughter of José Luis Rodríguez 'El Puma'; winner of ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film (2013);…
Film & TVHarold "Hype" Williams
HondurasMusic video director who defined hip-hop's visual language in the 1990s; directed 100+ videos for Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, and Eminem — among the highest-charting videos of the era;…
Film & TVHarry Shum Jr.
Costa RicaActor and dancer; known for Glee (Fox, 2009–2015) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018) — the first Hollywood film with an all-Asian cast in 25 years; co-founder of Millennium Dance Complex Los Angeles;…
Film & TVHazelle Goodman
Trinidad and TobagoActress and ventriloquist; Cable Ace Award nominee; known for ventriloquist comedy; born in Trinidad and Tobago
Film & TVIssa Rae
Senegal · Trinidad and TobagoCreator, writer, and star of Insecure (HBO, 2016–2021) — the first Emmy-nominated show created by and starring a Black woman; founder of Hoorae Media, overseeing multiple productions;…
Film & TVJackée Harry
Trinidad and TobagoFirst African American to win Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (227, 1987); also known for Sister, Sister
Film & TVJohn Leguizamo
ColombiaEmmy Award-winning actor and playwright; Tony Award nominee; known for Carlito's Way, Romeo + Juliet, and one-man Broadway shows
Film & TVJordana Brewster
PanamaActress known for Fast & Furious franchise — one of the top-5 highest-grossing film franchises in history ($7B+ worldwide); first actress born in Panama to lead a major US film franchise;…
Film & TVKaryn Parsons
Trinidad and TobagoActress known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; Humanitas Prize nominee; founder of Sweet Blackberry Foundation; mother from Trinidad
Film & TVKeke Palmer
BarbadosEmmy Award-winning actress and television host; born 2003; Barbadian heritage
Film & TVKelsey Grammer
U.S. Virgin Islands6× Emmy Award winner — 4 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Frasier, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2004); 3 Golden Globe Awards; Screen Actors Guild Award;…
Film & TVKerry Washington
JamaicaLead actress as Olivia Pope in ABC's Scandal (2012–2018) — the first Black woman to star in a network drama lead since 1974;…
Film & TVLetitia Wright
GuyanaShuri in Marvel's Black Panther (2018) — the highest-grossing superhero film by a Black director at the time ($1.35B global);…
Film & TVLola Falana
CubaEntertainer and actress; first Black woman to headline in Las Vegas; Theater World Award 1975; multiple TV specials
Film & TVLorraine Toussaint
Trinidad and TobagoJuilliard-trained actress; SAG Award winner as part of the ensemble cast of Orange Is the New Black (2014 — first year streaming earned a Screen Actors Guild Award); NAACP Image Award winner;…
Film & TVLuis Moro
CubaIndependent filmmaker; two-time Independent Spirit Award nominee; born in Cuba
Film & TVMadeleine Stowe
Costa RicaGolden Globe-nominated actress known for The Last of the Mohicans and Revenge; mother from Costa Rica
Film & TVMajandra Delfino
VenezuelaActress and singer known for Roswell (The WB, 1999–2002); one of the first Venezuelan-American actresses to star in a prime-time US sci-fi series; released two critically acclaimed albums;…
Film & TVMalcolm-Jamal Warner
JamaicaActor known as Theo Huxtable in The Cosby Show (NBC, 1984–1992) — ranked the #1 sitcom of the 1980s; Emmy nominated (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series) for The Resident (2019);…
Film & TVMatt Cedeño
CubaActor known for Days of Our Lives; three-time ALMA Award nominee
Film & TVMaurice Benard
El Salvador · NicaraguaActor known for General Hospital (Sonny Corinthos since 1993); Daytime Emmy winner; father from El Salvador, mother from Nicaragua
Film & TVMichelle Rodríguez
Dominican Republic · Puerto RicoActress in the Fast & Furious franchise (7B+ global gross — one of the top-5 earning franchises ever), Avatar (2009 — #1 highest-grossing film of all time), and Resident Evil series;…
Film & TVNaomie Harris
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoAcademy Award-nominated actress (Moonlight, 2016); Eve Moneypenny in James Bond franchise; mother Jamaican, father from Trinidad
Film & TVNia Long
Trinidad and TobagoActress known for Boyz n the Hood, Big Momma's House, and Empire; NAACP Image Award winner; mother from Trinidad and Tobago
Film & TVOscar Isaac
GuatemalaAcademy Award-nominated actor known for Ex Machina, Star Wars sequel trilogy, and Dune
Film & TVRobinne Lee
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoActress known for Hitch (2005), Seven Pounds (2008), and Fifty Shades Freed (2018); first Black actress to co-star opposite Will Smith in a major romantic lead film (Hitch);…
Film & TVRomany Malco
Trinidad and TobagoActor known for The 40-Year-Old Virgin and A Million Little Things; NAACP Image Award nominee; born in Trinidad and Tobago
Film & TVRosario Dawson
Cuba · Puerto RicoActress known for Rent (2005), Sin City (2005), and Star Wars: Ahsoka (2023); co-founder of Voto Latino — registered 800,000+ new Latino voters; NAACP Image Award winner;…
Film & TVSalma Hayek
MexicoAcademy Award-nominated actress (Frida, 2002); producer and activist; born in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico
Film & TVShari Belafonte
JamaicaActress and model; daughter of Harry Belafonte; NAACP Image Award; parents from Jamaica
Film & TVSheryl Lee Ralph
JamaicaEmmy Award-winning actress (Abbott Elementary); DIVA Foundation founder; Jamaican heritage
Film & TVSofia Vergara
ColombiaEmmy Award-winning actress; four-time Emmy nominee for Modern Family; highest-paid actress on US TV multiple years
Film & TVStephen Hopkins
JamaicaEmmy Award-winning director known for 24, Lost, and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers; born in Jamaica
Film & TVSuzanne de Passe
HaitiPresident of Motown Productions; Emmy Award winner; first African American woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lady Sings the Blues, 1972);…
Film & TVTatyana Ali
Panama · Trinidad and TobagoActress known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996); Grammy-nominated singer; Harvard University graduate (cum laude, 2002) — one of the only child actors to earn an Ivy League degree;…
Film & TVWentworth Miller
Jamaica · 
CuraçaoMichael Scofield in Fox's Prison Break (2005–2009, 2017) — Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2005);…
Film & TVWilmer Valderrama
ColombiaActor known for That '70s Show (1998–2006) and NCIS (2016–present); ALMA Award winner
Film & TVWinston Duke
Trinidad and TobagoActor known for Black Panther (2018 — first Black superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture Oscar) and Us (2019); Yale School of Drama MFA graduate;…
Film & TVYara Shahidi ⭐
Barbados · 
IranActress and activist (Grown-ish, black-ish); first Black woman accepted to Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals (2021); UNESCO Youth Spokesperson; Teen Vogue cover subject at age 16;…
Film & TVZendaya
BarbadosEmmy Award-winning actress (Euphoria); born 1996; paternal Barbadian heritage
Film & TVZoë Saldaña
Dominican Republic · Puerto RicoActress in three of the five highest-grossing films in cinema history: Avatar (#1, $2.9B), Avengers: Infinity War (#4, $2.05B), and Avengers: Endgame (#2, $2.8B);…
Film & TVEdgardo Miranda-Rodriguez
Puerto RicoCreator of La Borinqueña — the first Puerto Rican superhero comic (2016); La Borinqueña raised over $1M in hurricane relief for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (2017);…
Animation & ComicsGilbert Hernandez
MexicoCo-creator of Love and Rockets (1982) — the longest-running alternative comic book series in US history; Palomar story cycle cited by The Guardian as 'the greatest graphic novel ever drawn';…
Animation & ComicsJaime Hernandez
MexicoCo-creator of Love and Rockets (1982) with brothers Gilbert and Mario — the longest-running alternative comic book series in US history; Eisner Award winner (multiple);…
Animation & ComicsJorge Gutierrez
MexicoCreator and director of The Book of Life (2014) — the first animated feature produced by a Mexican director in Hollywood; Emmy Award winner;…
Animation & ComicsPeter Ramsey
JamaicaFirst African American director of a major animated feature film (Rise of the Guardians, DreamWorks, 2012);…
Animation & ComicsRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Nicaragua · ColombiaCreator and showrunner of Riverdale (CW, 2017–2023); Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix, 2018–2020); Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics;…
Animation & ComicsRobyn Smith
JamaicaFirst Caribbean-born woman to write a mainstream DC Comics title (Superwoman, 2018); co-creator of Naomi (DC Comics, 2019) — which became a CW television series (2022); born in Kingston, Jamaica
Animation & ComicsColin Quinn
Ireland · JamaicaSaturday Night Live cast member and Weekend Update anchor (1996–2000); wrote and performed five one-man Broadway shows — the most by any living stand-up comedian;…
Comedy & Stand-UpCraig Robinson
BarbadosActor and comedian; Darryl in The Office (NBC, 2005–2013); Hot Tub Time Machine franchise; This Is the End; Grammy-nominated; Barbadian heritage
Comedy & Stand-UpDave Chappelle
GrenadaTwo-time Grammy Award winner for Best Comedy Album (2018, 2020); highest-paid stand-up comedian in the world (2016, Forbes);…
Comedy & Stand-UpGina Brillon
Puerto RicoFirst Latina woman to appear on Comedy Central Presents (2012); star of The World According to Jeff Goldblum; comedian and actress; born in New York to Puerto Rican parents
Comedy & Stand-UpHannibal Buress
Trinidad and TobagoStand-up comedian; co-star of Broad City (Comedy Central, 2014–2019); his 2014 set calling out Bill Cosby went viral and is credited with reigniting the national investigation that led to Cosby's 2018 conviction; first comedian to publicly force mainstream reckoning with the case; Trinidadian heritage
Comedy & Stand-UpLeslie Jones
JamaicaSNL cast member (2014–2019); Emmy nominee for SNL performance; star of Ghostbusters (2016); 24 in 24 Hours host; parents from Jamaica
Comedy & Stand-UpLoni Love
JamaicaCo-host of The Real (Daytime Emmy Award winner as part of ensemble cast, 2020); stand-up comedian; author of I Tried to Change So You Don't Have To; Jamaican heritage
Comedy & Stand-UpMike Epps
Trinidad and TobagoStand-up comedian and actor; starred in Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002); Grammy-nominated comedian; star of The Upshaws on Netflix; Trinidadian heritage
Comedy & Stand-UpWanda Sykes
BarbadosFirst Black and first openly gay person to host the White House Correspondents' Dinner (2009); Emmy Award winner; Grammy nominee; star of The Upshaws on Netflix; Barbadian heritage
Comedy & Stand-UpCarrie Mae Weems
BarbadosMacArthur Fellow (2013); first African American woman to have a retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum (2014); works in MoMA, the Whitney, and the Metropolitan Museum;…
PhotographyChester Higgins Jr.
JamaicaStaff photographer for The New York Times for four decades (1975–2014) — one of the longest tenures of any Black photographer at a major US paper;…
PhotographyDawoud Bey
JamaicaMacArthur Fellow (2017); Guggenheim Fellow; recipient of the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize (2022); known for large-format portraits of Black youth and the landmark Harlem USA series;…
PhotographyEli Reed
Trinidad and TobagoMagnum Photos member (1988); author of Black in America (1997) — one of the seminal documentary photography books on African American life; Leica Hall of Fame Award winner;…
PhotographyJeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe
Dominican RepublicPhotographer and author; Viewfinders: Black Women Photographers (1986) — the first comprehensive survey of Black women in photography; former NBC-TV photojournalist;…
PhotographyLorna Simpson
HaitiMacArthur Fellow (2009); first African American woman to show at the Venice Biennale (1990); works in the permanent collections of MoMA, the Whitney, and the Tate Modern;…
PhotographyAmalia Mesa-Bains
MexicoMacArthur Fellow (1992); founder of Chicana feminist art movement; creator of altar-based installations exploring Latina identity; professor emerita at CSU Monterey Bay; parents from Mexico
Visual ArtsFirelei Báez
Dominican Republic · HaitiMacArthur Fellow (2023); prominent painter known for large-scale paintings exploring Caribbean and diasporic identity; works in the Whitney, MoMA, and Metropolitan Museum;…
Visual ArtsHank Willis Thomas
JamaicaMacArthur Fellow (2022); co-founder of For Freedoms (largest artist-run platform in US); work in the MoMA, Brooklyn Museum, and National Museum of African American History and Culture;…
Visual ArtsJean-Michel Basquiat
Haiti · Puerto RicoNeo-expressionist painter; first Black artist to break through the predominantly white contemporary art world to global acclaim;…
Visual ArtsKara Walker
BarbadosMacArthur Fellow (1997); Whitney Biennial Prize; Guggenheim Fellow; creator of A Subtlety (massive sugar sphinx installation, Brooklyn, 2014); silhouette artist exploring race and American history;…
Visual ArtsKehinde Wiley
Sierra Leone · HaitiOfficial White House portrait painter for President Obama (2018) — first Black artist to paint a presidential portrait for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery; MacArthur Fellow;…
Visual ArtsMiguel Luciano
Puerto RicoVisual artist; creator of Bling of the Oppressed — displayed in the New York Times and sparked national debate on Puerto Rican cultural symbolism;…
Visual ArtsNina Chanel Abney
JamaicaPainter; works acquired by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Harvard Art Museums within five years of her first solo show;…
Visual ArtsPogus Caesar
Saint Kitts and NevisFirst chairman of Birmingham International Film & Television Festival; filmmaker and photographer; born in Saint Kitts
Visual ArtsRadcliffe Bailey
JamaicaMixed-media artist; works in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, Crystal Bridges, and the High Museum; MacArthur Fellow nominee;…
Visual ArtsÓscar Murillo
ColombiaContemporary artist whose work sold for $4.5 million at 25, youngest artist ever at that price; born in La Paila, Colombia
Visual ArtsAdriana Fernández
MexicoFirst Mexican woman to win the New York City Marathon (1999); multiple marathon champion
SportsAl Horford
Dominican RepublicFive-time NBA All-Star; first Dominican player drafted in the NBA lottery (2007); key player for Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks
SportsAlbert Pujols
Dominican RepublicOne of the greatest hitters in MLB history — 703 career home runs (4th all-time); 3,384 hits; 2,218 RBI (2nd all-time); 3× NL MVP (2005, 2008, 2009); 11× All-Star; 2× World Series champion with St.…
SportsAlex González
Venezuela2003 World Series champion with Florida Marlins; shortstop known for defense; born in Caracas, Venezuela
SportsAlexander Rodríguez
Dominican Republic"A-Rod"; 2009 World Series champion; 14-time MLB All-Star; 696 career home runs (4th all-time at retirement); parents from Dominican Republic
SportsAlexei Ramírez
CubaOlympic gold medalist in baseball at 2004 Athens Olympics; nine-time MLB season with Chicago White Sox; five-time All-Star
SportsAlonzo Mourning
JamaicaNBA champion; two-time Defensive Player of the Year; Hall of Famer; Jamaican heritage
SportsAna Fidelia Quirot Moré
CubaTwo-time Olympic silver medalist (800m, 1992 and 1996); two-time World Champion; comeback after near-fatal 1993 fire
SportsAna Guevara
Mexico2003 World Champion in 400m; 2004 Olympic silver medalist; Director General of CONADE (Mexican sports authority)
SportsAna Torres
MexicoWorld women's boxing champion; multiple world title holder in multiple weight classes; born in Guanajuato, Mexico
SportsAnderson Peters ⭐
Grenada2019 and 2022 World Athletics Championship gold medalist, men's javelin throw — only the second man in history to win back-to-back world javelin titles; 2025 World Championship silver (Tokyo);…
SportsAnthony Nesty
SurinameFirst and only Olympic medalist from Suriname — 1988 Seoul Olympic gold, men's 100m butterfly (53.00s),…
SportsArian Foster
MexicoFour-time Pro Bowl running back (2010–2013); 2010 NFL rushing leader (1,616 yards) and touchdowns leader (18 TD)…
SportsAtanasio "Tony" Pérez Rigal
CubaCuban-American first baseman; Hall of Famer (2000); seven-time All-Star; cornerstone of Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" dynasty (four NL pennants, two World Series titles 1975–76);…
SportsAto Boldon
Trinidad and TobagoFour-time Olympic medalist (1996–2000); 1997 World Champion in 200m; Trinidad and Tobago's most decorated sprinter
SportsBernie Williams
Puerto RicoFour-time World Series champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000); five-time All-Star; center fielder for New York Yankees dynasty; born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
SportsBrian Lara
Trinidad and TobagoHolder of highest individual scores in both Test cricket (400*) and first-class cricket (501*); ICC Hall of Famer; born in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago
SportsCanelo Álvarez
MexicoUndisputed super-middleweight champion (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO) — first boxer ever to achieve undisputed status at super middleweight (2021);…
SportsCarlos Loaiza
ColombiaWBA super featherweight champion (2002–04); born in Medellín, Colombia
SportsCarlos Morales Manosalva
ColombiaWorld weightlifting champion (1997); Colombia national team captain; Pan American Games gold medalist
SportsCarlos Quentin
MexicoMLB All-Star (2008) with Chicago White Sox; heritage from Mexico
SportsCarlos Sanchez
ColombiaOlympic silver medalist in judo (2004 Athens, -66kg); Colombian judo pioneer
SportsCarlos Valderrama
ColombiaMLS Most Valuable Player (1996 and 1998) — only player to win the award twice in the league's first three seasons; Colombian football captain for three World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998);…
SportsCaterine Ibargüen
ColombiaOlympic gold medalist in triple jump (2016 Rio); 2013 and 2014 World Champion; IAAF World Athlete of the Year 2018
SportsChili Davis
JamaicaThree-time World Series champion (1992, 1993, 1999); switch-hitting MLB outfielder for 19 seasons; born in Kingston, Jamaica
SportsChristine Amertil
The BahamasFour-time Olympian (2000–2012); 2003 World Indoor Championships silver medalist and 2009 World Championships relay silver medalist
SportsClarence Hill
BermudaBermuda's first Olympic medalist — bronze, men's super-heavyweight boxing (+81kg), 1976 Montreal Olympics;…
SportsClaudia Mora
ColombiaOlympic silver medalist in shooting (2004 Athens, 10m air rifle); born in Cali, Colombia
SportsClaudia Poll Ahrens
Costa Rica · NicaraguaOlympic gold medalist in swimming (200m freestyle, 1996 Atlanta); first Central American to win Olympic swimming gold; born in Nicaragua
SportsConstantino "Tino" Martinez
CubaFour-time World Series champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000) with New York Yankees; father Rene Martinez from Cuba
SportsDavid Green
Nicaragua1982 World Series champion with St. Louis Cardinals; first Nicaraguan player in MLB; outfielder 1981–85
SportsDebbie Ferguson-McKenzie
The BahamasThree-time Olympic medalist (relay gold 2000, individual bronze 2004); 2001 World Champion 200m; five-time Olympian (1996–2012)
SportsDeon Hemmings
JamaicaFirst Jamaican woman to win individual Olympic gold (400m hurdles, 1996 Atlanta); World Championships bronze medalist
SportsDevern Hansack
Nicaragua2007 World Series champion with Boston Red Sox; only Nicaraguan-born pitcher in MLB
SportsDevon White
JamaicaThree-time World Series champion (1992, 1993, 2001); Gold Glove center fielder; born in Kingston, Jamaica
SportsDonovan Bailey
Jamaica · Trinidad and Tobago1996 Olympic 100m gold medalist and world record setter (9.84s); 1995 and 1997 World Champion; competed for Canada
SportsEdgar Rentería
Colombia2010 World Series Champion and MVP with San Francisco Giants; three-time World Series champion total; five-time All-Star
SportsElaine Thompson-Herah
JamaicaFive-time Olympic champion; first woman to win back-to-back Olympic 100m and 200m doubles (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020); second-fastest woman in history (10.61s, Tokyo 2021);…
SportsElkin Serna
ColombiaOlympic bronze medalist in shooting (2000 Sydney); first Colombian Olympic shooting medalist
SportsEnith Brigitha
CuraçaoFirst Black athlete in history to win an Olympic swimming medal (two bronze medals, 100m and 200m freestyle, 1976 Montreal); twice named Dutch Sportswoman of the Year (1973, 1974);…
SportsEvan Longoria
MexicoThree-time MLB All-Star; 2010 World Series champion with San Francisco Giants; Mexican heritage
SportsFernando Mendoza ⭐
Cuba2025 Heisman Trophy winner — only third player of Latino/Hispanic descent to win the award (after Jim Plunkett 1970, Bryce Young 2021);…
SportsFlora Duffy
BermudaBermuda's first and only Olympic gold medalist and first female Olympic medalist…
SportsFrancisco "K-Rod" Rodríguez
Venezuela2002 World Series champion with Anaheim Angels; set MLB record with 62 saves in 2008; born in Caracas, Venezuela
SportsFreddy Sanchez
Mexico2010 World Series champion with San Francisco Giants; 2006 NL batting champion (.344); Mexican heritage
SportsFuad Reveiz
ColombiaNFL placekicker; 1994 Pro Bowl selection; set the Minnesota Vikings franchise record for career field goals made at retirement;…
SportsGabrielle Reece
Trinidad and TobagoBeach volleyball world champion (1995); model and actress; father from Trinidad and Tobago
SportsGerald Young
HondurasFirst Honduran-born player in Major League Baseball; outfielder for Houston Astros 1987–93; born in Tela, Honduras
SportsHanna Gabriel Valle
Costa RicaWBC super lightweight boxing world champion 2009; first Costa Rican woman boxing world champion
SportsHasely Crawford
Trinidad and TobagoFirst Olympic gold medalist from Trinidad & Tobago; 1976 Montreal Olympic 100m champion; awarded Trinity Cross; Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain named in his honour
SportsIridia Salazar
MexicoOlympic bronze medalist in taekwondo (2004 Athens); born in Sinaloa, Mexico
SportsJasmine Camacho-Quinn
Puerto Rico2021 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, women's 100m hurdles (12.37s) — Puerto Rico's first Olympic gold in track and field and second in its history; set Olympic record of 12.26s in the semi-finals;…
SportsJavier Sotomayor Sanabria
CubaOlympic silver medalist (1992); world record holder in high jump (2.45m, 1993) — still the world record; two-time World Champion
SportsJeff Garcia
MexicoFour-time Pro Bowl NFL quarterback (2000–2002, 2006) with the San Francisco 49ers; first undrafted quarterback to throw for 30+ touchdowns in a season; paternal grandfather from Mexico
SportsJereem Richards
Trinidad and Tobago2025 World Championship silver, men's 400m (Tokyo, 43.72s — T&T national record); 2022 World Indoor Championship gold, men's 400m (Belgrade, 45.00s — T&T national record);…
SportsJesse Orosco
MexicoTwice World Series champion (1986, 1990); most games pitched in MLB history (1,252); Mexican heritage
SportsJim Plunkett
MexicoTwo-time Super Bowl champion (1980, 1983) with Oakland Raiders; 1970 Heisman Trophy winner; parents from Mexico
SportsJoel "El Cepillo" Casamayor Johnson
CubaOlympic gold medalist in boxing (bantamweight, 1992 Barcelona); WBA super featherweight champion
SportsJonquel Jones
The Bahamas2024 WNBA Champion and Finals MVP (New York Liberty — franchise's first title); 2021 WNBA MVP; first player in WNBA history to win MVP, Sixth Woman of the Year, and Most Improved Player Award;…
SportsJorge Orta
Mexico1985 World Series champion with Kansas City Royals; 16-year MLB career; born in Mazatlán, Mexico
SportsJorge Posada
Puerto RicoFour-time World Series champion (1998–2000, 2009); five-time All-Star catcher; New York Yankees career; born in Santurce, Puerto Rico
SportsJosé Ariel Contreras Camejo
Cuba2005 World Series champion with Chicago White Sox; 13-year MLB career
SportsJuan Pablo Montoya
ColombiaIndianapolis 500 winner (2000, 2015); Formula One Grand Prix winner; NASCAR champion; first Colombian to win Indy 500
SportsJulien Alfred ⭐
St. Lucia2024 Olympic 100m gold medalist; St. Lucia's first-ever Olympic gold; born 2001 in Castries, St. Lucia
SportsKelly-Ann Baptiste
Trinidad and Tobago2011 World Championships bronze medalist (100m); relay silver medalist; born in Tobago
SportsKerron Clement
Trinidad and Tobago2× World Championship gold, 400m hurdles (2005 Helsinki, 2007 Osaka) — first man to win back-to-back world 400m hurdles titles; Olympic gold 4×400m relay (2008 Beijing, 2016 Rio);…
SportsKeshorn Walcott
Trinidad and Tobago2012 London Olympic gold medalist, men's javelin throw (84.58m) — youngest Olympic javelin champion ever (age 19); first Caribbean man to win Olympic gold in a throwing event;…
SportsKhadija Shaw ⭐
Jamaica"Bunny" Shaw; three consecutive WSL Golden Boots (2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26) — first player in WSL history to score 20+ goals in three separate seasons;…
SportsKim Collins
Saint Kitts and Nevis2003 World Champion 100m; first and only individual World Championship gold medalist from Saint Kitts and Nevis; only man over 40 to break the 10-second barrier
SportsKirani James
GrenadaGrenada's first and only Olympic gold medalist; 2012 London Olympic champion, men's 400m (43.94s, national record) — Grenada's first-ever Olympic medal in any sport; 2016 Rio Olympic silver;…
SportsKishane Thompson ⭐
Jamaica2024 Paris Olympic silver, men's 100m (9.79s — tied with gold medalist Noah Lyles, separated by five-thousandths of a second in one of the closest Olympic 100m finishes ever);…
SportsLaura Flessel
Guadeloupe"La Guêpe" (The Wasp); 5-time Olympic medalist (individual épée gold and team épée gold, 1996 Atlanta; individual bronze 2000;…
SportsLauryn Williams
Trinidad and TobagoOlympic silver medalist in 100m (2004); Olympic gold medalist in bobsled relay (2014 Winter Olympics); first American woman to medal at both Summer and Winter Olympics; mother from Trinidad and Tobago
SportsLewis Hamilton
GrenadaSeven-time Formula One World Champion; Grenadian heritage through father Anthony Hamilton
SportsLeyanis Pérez Hernández ⭐
CubaReigning world champion in triple jump, both indoors and outdoors; 2025 World Championship gold (Tokyo, 14.94m — world lead); 2025 World Indoor Championship gold (Nanjing, 14.93m);…
SportsLindon Victor
Grenada2024 Paris Olympic bronze medalist, men's decathlon (8,711 pts) — second Grenadian to win an Olympic medal, after Kirani James; 2023 World Athletics Championship bronze;…
SportsLiván Hernández
Cuba1997 World Series champion and MVP (NLCS and World Series) with Florida Marlins; 17-year MLB career
SportsLuis Aparicio
VenezuelaBaseball Hall of Famer (1984); first Venezuelan inducted; 9× Gold Glove Award; AL Rookie of the Year 1956; led AL in stolen bases 9 consecutive seasons; born in Maracaibo, Venezuela
SportsLuis Estaba
VenezuelaWBC light flyweight world champion; pioneering Venezuelan boxer; born in Venezuela
SportsManny Ramírez
Dominican RepublicOne of the greatest right-handed hitters in MLB history; 12-time All-Star; two-time World Series champion
SportsMarco Scutaro
Venezuela2012 World Series champion and NLCS MVP with San Francisco Giants; born in San Felipe, Venezuela
SportsMaria Torres
Puerto RicoFirst Puerto Rican woman to earn full LPGA Tour membership (2017); SEC Golfer of the Year (2016) at University of Florida; two-time LPGA Tour top-10 finisher; T11 at 2020 ANA Inspiration (major);…
SportsMariana Pajón
ColombiaTwo-time Olympic gold medalist in BMX (2012, 2016); five-time UCI BMX World Champion; most decorated Colombian Olympic athlete
SportsMarileidy Paulino
Dominican Republic2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist and Olympic record setter, women's 400m (48.17s — broke Marie-José Pérec's 1996 record); first Dominican woman to win Olympic gold in any sport;…
SportsMarion Jones
BelizeFive-time 2000 Sydney Olympics medalist (three gold, two bronze); medals later stripped after doping admission (2007); two-time WNBA player; Belizean heritage through mother
SportsMaritza Correia
Puerto RicoOlympic silver medalist in swimming (4×100m freestyle relay, 2004 Athens); first African-American woman on US Olympic swim team
SportsMaría Espinoza
MexicoOlympic gold medalist in taekwondo (2008 Beijing); bronze medalist 2012 and 2016; three-time World Champion; most decorated Mexican Olympic athlete
SportsMaría Theresa Ramírez
MexicoOlympic bronze medalist in swimming (1968 Mexico City, 400m freestyle); first Mexican woman to win an Olympic swimming medal
SportsMaría Urrutia
ColombiaOlympic gold medalist in weightlifting at 2000 Sydney Olympics; first Colombian to win Olympic gold
SportsMelanie Walker
Jamaica2008 Olympic champion in 400m hurdles; 2007 World champion; born in Jamaica
SportsMerlene Ottey
JamaicaMost decorated female sprinter in history; 9 Olympic medals; 14 World Championship medals; first English-speaking Caribbean woman to win an Olympic medal (1980 Moscow);…
SportsMiguel Cabrera
Venezuela2003 World Series champion; 2012 Triple Crown winner (first since 1967); two-time AL MVP; born in Maracay, Venezuela
SportsMonica Puig
Puerto RicoFirst Puerto Rican Olympic gold medalist in any sport (2016 Rio Games, tennis); born in San Juan, PR
SportsNaomi Osaka ⭐
Haiti4× Grand Slam champion — US Open 2018 and 2020; Australian Open 2019 and 2021; first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title (2018 US Open); first Asian player to hold WTA world No.…
SportsNatasha Hastings
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoOlympic gold medalist in 4×400m relay (2008 Beijing); 2015 World champion; father from Jamaica, mother from Trinidad and Tobago
SportsNery Brenes
Costa Rica2012 World Indoor 400m Champion; multiple Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalist
SportsNomar Garciaparra
MexicoSix-time MLB All-Star; two-time AL batting champion; key Red Sox shortstop; Mexican heritage through grandparents
SportsObadele Thompson
BarbadosFirst and only Barbadian to win an Olympic medal — bronze, men's 100m, 2000 Sydney Olympics (10.04s); three-time Olympian and finalist at each Games (1996, 2000, 2004);…
SportsOrlando "El Duque" Hernández
CubaFour-time World Series champion (1998, 1999, 2000, 2005); key pitcher for New York Yankees dynasty
SportsOrlando Cabrera
ColombiaWorld Series champion (2004 with Boston Red Sox); 15-year MLB career; five-time All-Star consideration shortstop
SportsOrlando Cepeda
Puerto Rico1967 World Series champion with St. Louis Cardinals; 1967 NL MVP; Baseball Hall of Fame 1999; "Baby Bull"; born in Ponce, Puerto Rico
SportsOscar Figueroa
ColombiaOlympic gold medalist in weightlifting at 2016 Rio Olympics; silver medalist at 2012 London Olympics
SportsPablo Sandoval
Venezuela"Kung Fu Panda"; three-time World Series champion (2010, 2012, 2014) with San Francisco Giants; 2012 World Series MVP; born in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela
SportsPatrick Ewing
JamaicaNBA Hall of Famer; 11-time All-Star; 2-time Olympic gold medalist (1984, 1992); born in Kingston, Jamaica; immigrated to the US at age 12
SportsPedro Martínez
Dominican RepublicThree-time Cy Young Award winner; Baseball Hall of Famer; born in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic
SportsPilar Roldán
MexicoOlympic silver medalist in individual foil fencing (1968 Mexico City); born in Mexico City
SportsRajindra Campbell
Jamaica2024 Paris Olympic bronze medalist, men's shot put (22.15m) — first Jamaican to win an Olympic medal in the shot put and first Jamaican man to medal in any throwing event at the Olympics;…
SportsRasheed Broadbell ⭐
Jamaica2024 Paris Olympic bronze, men's 110m hurdles (13.09s); 2022 Commonwealth Games gold, men's 110m hurdles (Birmingham, 13.08s — games record); personal best 12.94s (2023, sub-13 barrier);…
SportsRicardo Clark
Trinidad and TobagoCONCACAF Gold Cup champion (2007) with US national team; MLS midfielder; born in Trinidad and Tobago
SportsRick Fox
The BahamasThree-time NBA champion (Lakers 2000–2002); Bahamian-Canadian actor and entrepreneur; grew up in Nassau, Bahamas; father is Afro-Bahamian
SportsRobbie Findley
Trinidad and TobagoMLS Cup champion (2009) with Real Salt Lake; US national team forward; born in Trinidad and Tobago
SportsRobinson Canó
Dominican Republic2009 World Series champion with New York Yankees; eight-time MLB All-Star; Gold Glove second baseman
SportsRojé Stona ⭐
Jamaica2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist and Olympic record setter, men's discus throw (70.00m) — first Jamaican to win Olympic gold in any throwing event;…
SportsRosemary Casals
El SalvadorTennis champion; won 10 Grand Slam doubles titles; pioneered women's professional tennis alongside Billie Jean King; parents from El Salvador
SportsRoy Hibbert
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoNBA All-Star 2012 and 2013; Georgetown University standout; 10-year NBA career; father from Jamaica, mother from Trinidad
SportsRyan Brathwaite
Barbados2009 World Championship gold, men's 110m hurdles (Berlin, 13.14s national record) — first Barbadian to win a medal of any color at the World Athletics Championships;…
SportsSamantha Salas
Mexico2012 World Racquetball Champion; multiple world titles; born in Hermosillo, Mexico
SportsSancho Lyttle
St. Vincent and the GrenadinesWNBA All-Star (2009, 2010); 6-time WNBA All-Defensive Team; 3-time WNBA steals leader — the only power forward in WNBA history to lead the league in steals multiple times; 4× EuroLeague champion;…
SportsSanya Richards-Ross
Jamaica4× Olympic gold medalist (2004 Athens relay, 2008 Beijing relay, 2012 London 400m individual, 2012 London relay) and 1× Olympic bronze (2008 Beijing 400m individual);…
SportsShanieka Ricketts
Jamaica2024 Paris Olympic silver medalist, women's triple jump (14.87m season best); two-time World Championship silver medalist (2019 Doha, 2022 Eugene); 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist;…
SportsShelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Jamaica"Pocket Rocket"; two-time Olympic 100m champion (2008 Beijing, 2012 London); only sprinter — male or female — to win five 100m World Championship titles (2009, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2022);…
SportsShericka Jackson
Jamaica2022 World Championship gold, women's 200m (Eugene); 2023 World Championship gold, women's 200m (Budapest, 21.41s — second-fastest 200m ever run by a woman); 2021 Tokyo Olympic gold, 4×100m relay;…
SportsSilvia Poll Ahrens
Costa Rica · NicaraguaOlympic silver medalist in swimming (200m freestyle, 1988 Seoul); first Central American Olympic swim medalist
SportsStafanie Taylor
JamaicaFirst person in cricket history — male or female — to hold ICC #1 ODI ranking in both batting and bowling simultaneously (2013);…
SportsSteven Gardiner
The BahamasOlympic 400m gold champion (Tokyo 2021); born 1995 in the Bahamas
SportsThea LaFond
Dominica2024 Olympic gold medalist, women's triple jump (Paris, 15.02m national record) — Dominica's first-ever Olympic medal in any sport;…
SportsTim Duncan
U.S. Virgin IslandsFive-time NBA champion; two-time MVP; born in St. Croix, USVI; greatest power forward in NBA history
SportsTonique Williams-Darling
The BahamasFirst individual Olympic gold medalist for The Bahamas; 2004 Athens 400m champion; 2005 IAAF World Champion; first Caribbean woman to win an Olympic individual track gold
SportsTony Gonzalez
Jamaica · MexicoNFL Hall of Fame tight end; 14-time Pro Bowl; 1,325 career receptions (2nd all-time at retirement); father from Jamaica, mother from Mexico
SportsTony Pérez
CubaBaseball Hall of Fame inductee (2000, first ballot); first Cuban-born player in the Baseball Hall of Fame; seven-time MLB All-Star;…
SportsTony Romo
MexicoFour-time Pro Bowl NFL quarterback with Dallas Cowboys; the second-highest single-season passer rating in NFL history (113.2, 2014);…
SportsUsain Bolt
JamaicaGuinness World Records ICON (2025) — designated for his record-setting 100m (9.58 sec, 2009) and 200m (19.19 sec, 2009), both still standing; fastest 100m, 200m, and 4×100m relay in history;…
SportsVerno Phillips
BelizeThree-time world boxing champion: WBO junior middleweight (1993–95), IBF twice (2004, 2008); 20-year professional career
SportsVeronica Campbell-Brown
JamaicaTwo-time Olympic gold medalist (200m 2004, 100m 2012); three-time World Champion; most decorated Jamaican female sprinter
SportsViv Richards
Antigua and BarbudaMaster Blaster; ICC Hall of Famer (2009); led West Indies to two Cricket World Cup titles (1975, 1979) as a player; highest Test batting average of his era (50.23 over 121 Tests);…
SportsWayne Pinnock ⭐
Jamaica2024 Paris Olympic silver, men's long jump (8.36m); 2023 World Championship silver, men's long jump (Budapest, 8.50m — world lead that year);…
SportsWilfred "El Radar" Benítez
Puerto RicoYoungest world boxing champion ever (at 17, 1976 WBA light welterweight); three-weight world champion; born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents
SportsYipsi Moreno
CubaThree-time World Championship gold medalist in women's hammer throw (2001, 2003, 2005);…
SportsYolanda "Yola" Ramírez
MexicoFrench Open champion 1958 and 1960; first Mexican woman to win a Grand Slam tennis title
SportsYulimar Rojas
Venezuela"Queen of the Triple Jump"; holder of women's triple jump world records both outdoors (15.67m, Tokyo 2021) and indoors (15.74m, Belgrade 2022); 2021 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist;…
SportsÓscar Torres
VenezuelaFirst Venezuelan to play in the NBA; born in Venezuela
SportsAarón Sánchez
MexicoCelebrity chef; MasterChef judge on Fox; owner of Johnny Sánchez restaurant in New Orleans; James Beard nominated; author of La Comida del Barrio; parents from Mexico
Food & CulinaryAdrianne Calvo
CubaCelebrity chef; cookbook author; owner of Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar in Miami; Food Network personality; YouTube cooking channel with millions of views;…
Food & CulinaryAlexander Smalls
BarbadosJames Beard Award-winning chef; co-owner of The Cecil and Minton's in Harlem; opera baritone turned restaurateur; author of Meals, Music and Muses; Barbadian heritage
Food & CulinaryAndre Fowles
JamaicaThree-time Food Network Chopped champion — first Jamaican-born and youngest chef ever to compete in the Chopped Champions tournament (age 27, 2016); finalist in Chopped Grand Champions Season 5;…
Food & CulinaryAngella Reid
JamaicaFirst female and first Black chief usher of the White House (2012–17); born in Jamaica
Food & CulinaryAnthony Lamas
Puerto RicoJames Beard Award nominee; executive chef and owner of Seviche in Louisville; pioneer of Latin-Southern fusion cuisine; born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Food & CulinaryCheryl Smith
Trinidad and TobagoChef; Iron Chef America competitor (winner, Braised Beef Battle, 2005) — first Black woman to defeat Mario Batali on Iron Chef; co-owner of multiple Caribbean-Southern fusion restaurants in New York;…
Food & CulinaryDanaisa 'Chef Leen' Orchestre
HaitiGuinness World Records pending: longest cooking marathon (individual) — 187 hours of non-stop cooking (April 2025, Saint-Denis, France),…
Food & CulinaryDavid Kinch
Puerto RicoThree Michelin-star chef at Manresa in Los Gatos, CA (2016–present); James Beard Award winner (Best Chef: West, 2010);…
Food & CulinaryEric Adjepong
Guyana · 
GhanaTop Chef finalist; James Beard Award semifinalist; Guyanese and Ghanaian heritage
Food & CulinaryGregory Gourdet
HaitiJames Beard Best New Restaurant winner (Kann, Portland); Haitian-American chef
Food & CulinaryIngrid Hoffmann
ColombiaHost of Simply Delicioso (Food Network, 2007–2011) and Delicioso (Univision); named one of Forbes' 25 Most Influential Hispanics (2008); UNICEF ambassador for child nutrition in Colombia;…
Food & CulinaryJJ Johnson
Trinidad and TobagoJames Beard Award nominee; owner of FIELD TRIP restaurants in New York; chef known for global rice-centric cuisine; Food & Wine Best New Chefs honoree; Trinidadian heritage
Food & CulinaryJames Kent
JamaicaExecutive chef of Crown Shy and Saga in New York City; James Beard Award semifinalist (Best Chef: New York, 2020); StarChefs Rising Star Award; Jamaican heritage
Food & CulinaryJerrelle Guy
JamaicaRecipe developer, food photographer, and author; winner of the 2018 IACP Cookbook Award for Photography for Black Girl Baking — first Black woman to win that award;…
Food & CulinaryJohn DeLucie
CubaExecutive chef; Food & Wine Best New Chef nominee (2009); chef at The Crown Bar (New York City) where he cooked for President Obama and multiple heads of state; father from Cuba
Food & CulinaryJosé Andrés
Puerto RicoJames Beard Award-winning chef; founder of World Central Kitchen; Nobel Peace Prize nominee
Food & CulinaryKwame Onwuachi
Trinidad and TobagoJames Beard Award-winning chef; author of Notes From a Young Black Chef; Trinidadian heritage
Food & CulinaryLazarus Lynch
GuyanaFood Network host of Son of a Southern Chef; author of Son of a Southern Chef cookbook; James Beard Award semifinalist; food activist; Guyanese heritage
Food & CulinaryLorena Garcia
VenezuelaCelebrity chef; Top Chef Masters competitor; founder of Big Chef Little Chef youth nutrition program serving 10,000+ Miami schoolchildren; UNICEF ambassador;…
Food & CulinaryLourdes Castro
CubaAuthor of Simply Mexican — the first English-language cookbook devoted entirely to Mexican cuisine written by a Cuban author; professor at the Institute of Culinary Education;…
Food & CulinaryManeet Chauhan
India · Trinidad and TobagoChopped judge on Food Network; owner of Chauhan Ale & Masala House in Nashville; James Beard nominated; cookbook author; born in India, raised in Trinidad and Tobago
Food & CulinaryMarcus Samuelsson
Ethiopia · JamaicaJames Beard Award winner (Best Chef: New York, 2003); first chef to cook a White House state dinner for a sitting president (President Obama, 2009); founder of Red Rooster Harlem; Jamaican heritage
Food & CulinaryMaricel Presilla
CubaJames Beard Award winner (Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, 2013); owner of Zafra and Cucharamama restaurants in Hoboken; culinary historian and author of Gran Cocina Latina; born in Camagüey, Cuba
Food & CulinaryMichelle Bernstein
CubaJames Beard Award winner (Best Chef: South, 2008); owner of Café La Trova in Miami; Bravo Top Chef judge; acclaimed Miami restaurateur; father from Cuba
Food & CulinaryMillie Peartree
JamaicaChef and restaurateur; winner of FOOD NETWORK's Chopped (2018); owner of Millie Peartree Restaurant and Pie Shack in New York City…
Food & CulinaryNicola Blaque
JamaicaChef and owner of The Jerk Shack in San Antonio — only Black-woman-owned jerk restaurant in Texas; James Beard Award semifinalist (Best Chef: Texas, 2022);…
Food & CulinaryNina Compton
St. LuciaJames Beard Award-winning chef; owner of Compère Lapin, New Orleans; born in St. Lucia
Food & CulinaryOmar Tate
JamaicaJames Beard Award nominee; founder of Honeysuckle Projects; food activist focusing on Black food heritage and community nourishment; Jamaican heritage
Food & CulinaryPaul Yellin
BarbadosChef and author of Infusion — Spirited Cooking; career built across Michelin-starred kitchens and the Sandy Lane Hotel (Barbados — ranked among the world's Top 10 luxury resorts);…
Food & CulinaryRawlston Williams
St. Vincent and the GrenadinesFounder of The Food Sermon and Caribbean Culinary Alliance; recognized by the James Beard Foundation as a leading voice in Caribbean culinary heritage; host and ambassador for Barbancourt rum;…
Food & CulinaryTanya Holland
BarbadosCelebrity chef; owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland; James Beard Award nominee; Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen competitor; Food Network guest; Barbadian heritage
Food & CulinaryVon Diaz
Puerto RicoChef, author, and food journalist; author of Coconuts & Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South (2018) — listed among Bon Appétit's Best Cookbooks of the Year;…
Food & CulinaryWilo Benet
Puerto RicoCelebrity chef; owner of Pikayo restaurant in San Juan — awarded a Michelin Guide recommendation; Top Chef Masters Season 2 competitor;…
Food & CulinaryYvette van Boven
CuraçaoAward-winning Dutch cookbook author and food illustrator; Homemade series sold over 500,000 copies; restaurateur; born in Ireland, raised in Curaçao;…
Food & CulinaryCaryl Phillips
Saint Kitts and NevisAward-winning British author known for The Final Passage and A Distant Shore; born in Saint Kitts, raised in UK
LiteratureClaudia Rankine
JamaicaPoet and professor; Citizen: An American Lyric; MacArthur Fellow; born in Kingston, Jamaica
LiteratureEdwidge Danticat
HaitiNational Book Award finalist; MacArthur Fellow; PEN/Faulkner Award winner; born in Port-au-Prince
LiteratureElizabeth Nunez
Trinidad and TobagoAward-winning novelist and academic; books include Bruised Hibiscus and Boundaries; born in Trinidad
LiteratureJamaica Kincaid
Antigua and BarbudaEssayist and novelist; first Caribbean writer to become a staff writer at The New Yorker; Annie John (1985) named one of the 100 Best Novels in English since 1923 by TIME;…
LiteratureMalcolm Gladwell
JamaicaBestselling nonfiction author (The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers); Jamaican heritage through his mother
LiteratureNaomi Novik
Haiti · 
PolandBestselling fantasy author (Temeraire series, Uprooted); Nebula Award winner; born 1973; Haitian heritage
LiteraturePatrick Chamoiseau
MartiniquePrix Goncourt winner (1992) for Texaco — described by critics as 'a masterpiece, the work of a genius' and chosen as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year;…
LiteratureRoxane Gay
HaitiAuthor of Bad Feminist (2014) and Hunger (2017) — both New York Times bestsellers; Bad Feminist changed the mainstream conversation on feminist theory;…
LiteratureAdriana Ocampo
ColombiaNASA planetary geologist; co-discoverer of the Chicxulub asteroid impact crater — one of the most important geological discoveries of the 20th century;…
Science & MedicineAlfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa
MexicoNeurosurgeon; Chair of Neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville — one of only 3 people to hold an endowed chair there; author of Becoming Dr.…
Science & MedicineArlie Petters
BelizeMathematical physicist; founder of mathematical astronomy; Benjamin Powell Professor at Duke University; MBE; first Belizean to receive Caribbean American Heritage Award for Science (2011)
Science & MedicineArturo Casadevall
CubaChair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; one of the world's most-cited infectious disease scientists (30,000+ citations);…
Science & MedicineAugustus Thorpe
BarbadosPioneer in cardiothoracic surgery; one of the first Black surgeons to perform open-heart surgery at a major U.S. hospital; professor at Howard University College of Medicine; born in Barbados
Science & MedicineAvery August
BelizeImmunologist; Professor and Deputy Provost at Cornell University; HHMI Professor; Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award (2016)
Science & MedicineBarrington Irving
JamaicaFirst Black person and youngest aviator to fly solo around the world (2007); founder of Experience Aviation STEM programs; built his plane himself; born in Kingston, Jamaica; raised in Miami
Science & MedicineCamille Wardrop Alleyne
Trinidad and TobagoNASA aerospace engineer who worked on ISS payload integration and Space Shuttle mission planning; author of Reach for the Stars (2021) — the first children's book by a Caribbean-born NASA engineer;…
Science & MedicineEllen Ochoa
MexicoFirst Latina to go to space — STS-56 mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery (April 1993); logged nearly 1,000 hours in space across 4 missions (STS-56, STS-66, STS-96, STS-110);…
Science & MedicineFeniosky Peña-Mora
Dominican RepublicCivil engineering professor; Dean of Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science (2009–2012);…
Science & MedicineFranklin Chang-Díaz
Costa RicaNASA astronaut; tied record for most space shuttle flights (7); director of Ad Astra Rocket Company; born in Costa Rica
Science & MedicineGeorge Alleyne
BarbadosDirector of the Pan American Health Organization (1995–2003); Chancellor of the University of the West Indies; knight bachelor; global public health champion; born in Cleland, Barbados
Science & MedicineHadiyah-Nicole Green
Trinidad and TobagoCancer researcher and physicist; inventor of laser-activated nanoparticle cancer treatment; first African American woman to earn a Ph.D.…
Science & MedicineIvan Walks
BarbadosPhysician; author of Your Child's Best Shot (2001) — the definitive vaccine guide for Black and Brown families; former Chief Health Officer of Washington, D.C.…
Science & MedicineKeith Black
JamaicaChair of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; pioneered awake brain tumor surgery techniques; author of Brain Surgeon; father from Jamaica
Science & MedicineKizzmekia Corbett
JamaicaLead scientist for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at NIH — the first COVID-19 vaccine to enter Phase 3 clinical trials; Science journal's Breakthrough of the Year team (2020);…
Science & MedicineLydia Villa-Komaroff
MexicoOne of first scientists to produce insulin from bacteria (1978) — breakthrough that led to modern recombinant insulin;…
Science & MedicineMae Jemison
JamaicaFirst African-American woman in space (1992); physician and astronaut; Jamaican heritage
Science & MedicineManuel Blum
VenezuelaTuring Award winner (1995); pioneer of computational complexity theory and cryptography; born in Caracas, Venezuela
Science & MedicineMarc Lipsitch
JamaicaEpidemiologist; director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard T.H.…
Science & MedicineNeil deGrasse Tyson
Trinidad and TobagoDirector of the Hayden Planetarium (1996–present); host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014) — the most-watched documentary series in National Geographic history;…
Science & MedicineOtis Brawley
BarbadosOncologist; Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins; former Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society (2007–2018); health equity champion; Barbadian heritage
Science & MedicinePatricia Bath
Trinidad and TobagoInventor of the Laserphaco Probe; first African-American woman to receive a medical patent; Trinidadian heritage
Science & MedicinePedro Cuatrecasas
CubaBiochemist; developed the technique of affinity chromatography (1968) enabling drug discovery; first to isolate the insulin receptor; Senior VP of Research at Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis;…
Science & MedicineRafael Cuero
ColombiaMicrobiologist and inventor; holds 50+ patents in biotechnology, environmental science, and biomaterials — the most patents held by any Afro-Latin American scientist;…
Science & MedicineRalph Gilles
HaitiChief Design Officer at Stellantis — overseeing 14 brands including Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep; designer of the Chrysler 300 which sold 250,000+ units in year one and rescued Chrysler from bankruptcy;…
Science & MedicineRaúl Ruiz
MexicoPhysician and U.S. Congressman; first Latino physician elected to Congress (2013); Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health graduate; physician-legislator; parents from Mexico
Science & MedicineAntonia Novello
Puerto RicoFirst woman and first Hispanic U.S. Surgeon General (1990–1993); pediatrician; UNICEF Special Representative for Health and Nutrition; born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico
EducationArturo Madrid
MexicoFounding president of the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute; MacArthur Fellow; professor at Trinity University; pioneer for Latino representation in higher education; parents from Mexico
EducationCamille Zubrinsky Charles
BarbadosProfessor at the University of Pennsylvania; director of Africana Studies; Pulitzer Prize–nominated author of Won't You Be My Neighbor?; expert on residential segregation; Barbadian heritage
EducationClaude Steele
JamaicaSocial psychologist; originator of stereotype threat theory (1995) — one of the most cited concepts in educational psychology, with 4,000+ academic citations; former Provost of Columbia University;…
EducationCondoleezza Rice
JamaicaFirst female U.S. National Security Advisor (2001–2005); first Black woman U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2009); Denning Professor at Stanford University;…
EducationDavid Satcher
Jamaica16th U.S. Surgeon General (1998–2002); first person to serve simultaneously as Surgeon General and DHHS Assistant Secretary for Health; founder of Satcher Health Leadership Institute;…
EducationDiana Natalicio
MexicoPresident of UTEP (1988–2019) — longest-serving president of a major research university in the US Southwest;…
EducationEva Longoria
MexicoFounder of the Eva Longoria Foundation (2012) — has disbursed $15M+ in scholarships to Latina women; Emmy-nominated actress and producer; co-chair of Time's Up (2018);…
EducationFreeman Hrabowski III
JamaicaPresident Emeritus of UMBC (1992–2022); champion of STEM diversity; MacArthur Fellow; Time 100 Most Influential; architect of Meyerhoff Scholars Program; mother from Jamaica
EducationGloria Bonilla-Santiago
Puerto RicoRutgers University professor; founder of LEAP Academy University Charter School in Camden, NJ; MacArthur Fellow; pioneered community-based K-12 education reform; born in Puerto Rico
EducationHenry Louis Gates Jr.
The BahamasAlphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard — the university's highest faculty title; winner of the National Humanities Medal (1998);…
EducationJames Comer
JamaicaChild psychiatrist; Yale School of Medicine professor; developer of the Comer School Development Program (adopted in 1,000+ schools); author; MacArthur Fellow; father from Jamaica
EducationJohnetta Cole
CubaFirst Black woman president of Spelman College (1987–1997); president of Bennett College (2002–2007); anthropologist; author; National Humanities Medal; mother from Cuba
EducationJulianne Malveaux
BarbadosEconomist; 15th President of Bennett College (2007–2012); first woman and first Black woman to syndicate a political column to 100+ newspapers simultaneously;…
EducationKimberlé Crenshaw
BarbadosLaw professor at UCLA and Columbia Law School; originator of intersectionality theory (1989) — one of the most cited legal frameworks in academia; co-founder of the African American Policy Forum;…
EducationMary Schmidt Campbell
JamaicaDean of the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU (1991–2014); President of Spelman College (2015–2022); MacArthur Fellow; art historian; Jamaican heritage
EducationMildred García
CubaPresident of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU, 2020–present); first Latina president of California State University Fullerton;…
EducationShirley Ann Jackson
Trinidad and TobagoPresident of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1999–2022); first African American woman to receive a Ph.D. from MIT (1973, physics); first Black woman to lead a major U.S.…
EducationSylvia Mendez
Mexico · Puerto RicoCivil rights activist; central figure in Mendez v. Westminster (1947) school desegregation case; Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011); her case predated Brown v.…
EducationWilliam Julius Wilson
BarbadosHarvard Kennedy School professor; author of The Truly Disadvantaged (1987); MacArthur Fellow; National Medal of Science; Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012); father from Barbados
EducationAnder Gutiérrez ⭐
CubaThree-time champion of the Cuban Mathematical Olympiad (2015, 2016, 2017); represented Cuba at the International Mathematical Olympiad;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionHaitian Robotics Team (Acacia) ⭐
HaitiHaiti's national FIRST Robotics team; qualified for the FIRST World Championship (Houston, 2017) on their first attempt — the first Caribbean nation to do so;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionHenry Sampson
BarbadosCo-inventor of the gamma electric cell (US Patent 3,591,860, 1971) — an early cellular device converting gamma rays to electricity, cited by some as a precursor to cellular phone technology;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionJerry Lawson
Barbados · Trinidad and TobagoInventor of the first home video game cartridge system (Fairchild Channel F, 1976) — the technology that created the modern video game industry;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionJody-Anne Maxwell
JamaicaFirst non-American champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee (1998) — the only person born outside the United States to win in the competition's 100-year history;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionLonnie Johnson
JamaicaInventor of the Super Soaker (1989) — the best-selling toy of 1991 and 1992; grossed over $1B in retail sales; holds 80+ patents; NASA engineer on Galileo spacecraft and Cassini Saturn mission;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionMark Dean
JamaicaIBM engineer and inventor; co-creator of the ISA bus — the architecture that made the IBM PC compatible with peripheral devices; holds 3 of IBM's original 9 PC patents;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionMaryse Louis
HaitiFirst Haitian to win a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO, 2016) — the most prestigious mathematics competition for high school students worldwide;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionMikayla Ulmer ⭐
JamaicaFounder of Me & the Bees Lemonade; at age 11 secured $60,000 from Shark Tank investors (ABC, 2015) — youngest Shark Tank contestant to close a deal;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionSukanya Roy ⭐
India · Trinidad and TobagoScripps National Spelling Bee champion (2011); won with the word 'cymotrichous'; National Merit Scholar; first student from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania to win Scripps;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionZaila Avant-garde ⭐
JamaicaWinner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee (2021) — first African American champion in the competition's 96-year history;…
Intelligence Contests & InventionArlan Hamilton
BarbadosFounder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital; first Black queer woman to raise $1M+ in venture capital while homeless; invested in 200+ companies led by underrepresented founders;…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipBozoma Saint John
GhanaChief Marketing Officer of Netflix (2020–2021); CMO of Endeavor; CMO of Uber; first Black woman CMO at major Silicon Valley companies; born in Ghana, raised in Colorado;…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipChamath Palihapitiya
Sri LankaCo-founder and CEO of Social Capital; former VP Growth at Facebook (built from 50M to 750M users); SPAC pioneer raising billions for tech companies; born in Sri Lanka, raised in Canada;…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipEverette Taylor
JamaicaCEO of Kickstarter (2021–2023); first Black CEO of a major crowdfunding platform; raised $50M+ in venture funding for previous startups; marketing innovator; Jamaican heritage
Technology & EntrepreneurshipJohanan Dujon
St. LuciaForbes 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry (2020) — founder and CEO of Algas Organics (est. 2014, Castries, St.…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipLisa Price
BarbadosFounder of Carol's Daughter (1993) — started on a $100 investment from her kitchen; first Black beauty brand acquired by a Fortune 500 company (L'Oréal USA, 2014);…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipLuis von Ahn
GuatemalaComputer scientist; co-inventor of CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA; founder and CEO of Duolingo; MacArthur Fellow
Technology & EntrepreneurshipManny Medina
CubaCo-founder and CEO of Outreach (Seattle sales platform unicorn); first Cuban-American to build a B2B SaaS unicorn company; born in Havana, Cuba; Outreach valued at $4.4B (2021)
Technology & EntrepreneurshipMarc Lore
Trinidad and TobagoCo-founder and CEO of Jet.com — sold to Walmart for $3.3B in 2016, the largest US e-commerce acquisition at that time; previously sold Diapers.com to Amazon for $545M (2011);…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipMellody Hobson
JamaicaPresident and co-CEO of Ariel Investments (AUM ~$17B) — one of the largest Black-owned investment firms in the U.S.; chair of Starbucks board (2021–present);…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipReggie Fils-Aimé
HaitiPresident and COO of Nintendo of America (2006–2019); built the Wii (101M units sold — best-selling console of its era) and launched the Nintendo Switch (2017);…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipStacy Brown-Philpot
Trinidad and TobagoCEO of TaskRabbit (2016–2020); first Black woman CEO of a major tech platform; Google executive 2006–2013; board director of HP Inc.; parents from Trinidad and Tobago
Technology & EntrepreneurshipStwart Peña Feliz
Dominican RepublicForbes 30 Under 30 (2025, Energy category) — co-founder and CEO of MacroCycle Technologies, a Cambridge,…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipTristan Walker
JamaicaFounder of Walker & Company Brands (Bevel razor), the first consumer health company designed specifically for people of color;…
Technology & EntrepreneurshipXavier Niel
France · GuadeloupeFounder of Free (Iliad) telecommunications empire; founded Station F — world's largest startup campus; net worth ~$10B; Caribbean family heritage through Guadeloupe
Technology & EntrepreneurshipBeatriz Dávila de Santo Domingo
ColombiaFirst Colombian woman to become a billionaire (Forbes list); widow of Julio Mario Santo Domingo (Colombian beer baron);…
Business & EnterpriseCarlos Slim Helú
MexicoFirst billionaire from Mexico (Forbes 1991); first person from a developing nation to become the world's richest person (Forbes No.…
Business & EnterpriseChris Blackwell
JamaicaFounder of Island Records (1959) — launched Bob Marley, U2, Cat Stevens, and Grace Jones globally;…
Business & EnterpriseClive Calder
South Africa · 
Cayman IslandsCo-founder of Zomba Group (now Jive Records); sold to Bertelsmann (BMG) for $2.74B in 2002 — the largest sale of an independent music company in history at that time;…
Business & EnterpriseDavid Vélez
ColombiaCo-founder and CEO of Nubank — the world's largest digital bank by customer count (100M+ users);…
Business & EnterpriseJade Jagger
NicaraguaJewelry designer; creative director at Garrard (British crown jewelers), H.Stern, and Asprey — among the most prestigious jewelry houses in the world; opened Ibiza boutique;…
Business & EnterpriseJaime Gilinski
ColombiaColombian billionaire banker; controlling shareholder of Banco GNB Sudameris; in 2021 orchestrated 'the business move of the century in Colombia' by acquiring major stakes in Sura Group and Nutresa conglomerate; net worth ~$3.5B (Forbes 2022); one of Colombia's most powerful financial figures; born in Cali, Colombia
Business & EnterpriseJorge Pérez
CubaFounder and CEO of The Related Group — Florida's largest condo developer with 100,000+ residential units built; net worth ~$1.8B (Forbes);…
Business & EnterpriseJoseph M. Matalon
JamaicaChairman of ICD Group Holdings — Jamaica's largest publicly listed investment holding company; net worth ~$3.6B — richest person in Jamaica; Chairman of RJR Gleaner Communications Group;…
Business & EnterpriseKaren Civil
HaitiDigital marketing pioneer who built the online presence of 100+ artists including Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill; CMO of Marathon Agency (Nipsey Hussle's label);…
Business & EnterpriseKarl Kani
Costa Rica · PanamaFounder and CEO of Karl Kani clothing brand; pioneered urban streetwear; mother from Costa Rica, father from Panama
Business & EnterpriseKristofer Madu ⭐
Jamaica · 
NigeriaForbes 30 Under 30 Finance (2026 list) — one of the youngest Black investors in global private equity; investor at TPG Inc.…
Business & EnterpriseLuis Carlos Sarmiento
ColombiaColombia's wealthiest person for decades; net worth ~$9.8B (Forbes 2025); founder and majority shareholder of Grupo Aval…
Business & EnterpriseMaría Asunción Aramburuzabala
MexicoBillionaire businesswoman; one of Mexico's wealthiest people; major shareholder of Grupo Modelo (Corona beer); born in Mexico City
Business & EnterpriseMichael Lee-Chin
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoOne of the first two Black billionaires in the world (Forbes 2001, alongside Robert L.…
Business & EnterpriseMike Fernandez
CubaCuban-born billionaire; founder of MBF Healthcare Partners; fled Cuba as a child refugee; built a healthcare business empire worth $1.5B+; largest Republican donor of Cuban heritage in the U.S.;…
Business & EnterpriseTrisha Bailey
JamaicaJamaica's wealthiest woman; first Black person to have a building named in their honor at the University of Connecticut; founder of a billion-dollar US healthcare services empire; emigrated from St.…
Business & EnterpriseUrsula M. Burns
PanamaFirst Black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company (Xerox, 2009); first Black woman chair of a Fortune 500 company; born in Manhattan to Panamanian mother
Business & EnterpriseAllison Williams
BarbadosFirst Black woman principal at Gensler (the world's largest architecture firm); led design of Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport (2022); award-winning architect; Barbadian heritage
Architecture & DesignCarlos Zapata
Colombia · VenezuelaFounder of Carlos Zapata Studio; designed the Bicentennial Tower in Quito and Hard Rock Stadium renovations; AIA award winner; born in Colombia, raised in Venezuela
Architecture & DesignDiébédo Francis Kéré
Burkina Faso2022 Pritzker Prize winner (the highest honor in architecture) — first African to win; Aga Khan Award winner; designs for his home village and schools in Burkina Faso;…
Architecture & DesignJohn C. Williams
BarbadosFounded John C. Williams Architects (New York); specialist in historic preservation; restored Carnegie Hall and Grand Central Terminal; AIA Fellow; Barbadian heritage
Architecture & DesignAaron Rose Philip ⭐
Antigua and BarbudaFirst Black, transgender, and physically disabled model to be signed by a major modeling agency (Elite Model Management, 2018);…
Beauty & FashionAlicia Machado
VenezuelaMiss Universe 1996; first Miss Universe to be publicly body-shamed by a pageant owner, sparking a global debate on body image and women's rights; actress; born in Maracay, Venezuela
Beauty & FashionAmelia Vega
Dominican RepublicMiss Universe 2003; first Dominican woman to win Miss Universe
Beauty & FashionAndrea Meza
MexicoMiss Universe 2021 — Mexico's third Miss Universe title, following Lupita Jones (1991) and the upcoming addition; software engineer and model; first Miss Universe to hold an engineering degree;…
Beauty & FashionArlenis Sosa
Dominican RepublicFirst Dominican model signed by Lancôme; represented in top international fashion shows
Beauty & FashionBarbara Palacios Teyde
VenezuelaMiss Universe 1986; born in Caracas, Venezuela; first Venezuelan to win Miss Universe
Beauty & FashionBeverly Johnson
BarbadosFirst Black model on the cover of American Vogue (August 1974) — breaking a 80-year-old color barrier; appeared on 500+ magazine covers; author of True Beauty (1994); actress; Barbadian heritage
Beauty & FashionCarolina Herrera
VenezuelaWorld-leading fashion designer; founded Carolina Herrera brand in 1981; Presidential Medal of Freedom 2019; born in Caracas, Venezuela
Beauty & FashionCarolina Rodríguez
VenezuelaMiss Venezuela 2007; Miss Universe 2007 4th Runner-Up — Venezuela's highest Miss Universe placement that year; television host and actress;…
Beauty & FashionChanel Iman
JamaicaVictoria's Secret Angel (2010–2015); ranked one of the most successful models of her generation by Forbes; face of Maybelline, H&M, and Ralph Lauren; Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model;…
Beauty & FashionChristy Turlington
El SalvadorSupermodel who appeared on more Vogue covers than any other model in the 1990s; face of Calvin Klein for over 25 years; founder of Every Mother Counts — has raised $40M+ for maternal health globally;…
Beauty & FashionCindy Breakspeare
JamaicaMiss World 1976; first Jamaican to win the Miss World title; musician and partner of Bob Marley; mother of Grammy-nominated musician Damian Marley; parents from Jamaica
Beauty & FashionDayana Mendoza
VenezuelaMiss Universe 2008 — Venezuela's fifth Miss Universe title, the most of any country in history; UN Goodwill Ambassador for UNODC (2009); born in Caracas, Venezuela
Beauty & FashionDayanara Torres
Puerto RicoMiss Universe 1993 — Puerto Rico's third Miss Universe title; actress in major telenovelas and US television; Grammy-nominated salsa musician; born in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico
Beauty & FashionDenise Quiñones
Puerto RicoMiss Universe 2001 — Puerto Rico's fourth Miss Universe title; the only Puerto Rican winner to be crowned at a ceremony held in Puerto Rico (2001); actress and activist; born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Beauty & FashionDexter Jackson
BarbadosMr. Olympia 2008; 'The Blade' — the athlete with the most Mr. Olympia top-5 finishes in history (17 podium appearances spanning 2001–2019); IFBB Pro League Hall of Fame; Barbadian heritage
Beauty & FashionGiselle LaRonde
Trinidad and TobagoMiss World 1986; first Trinidadian to win Miss World
Beauty & FashionGladys Zender
Peru · CubaMiss Universe 1957 — the first Latin American woman to win Miss Universe; born in Lima, Peru to Cuban parents;…
Beauty & FashionIrene Sáez
VenezuelaMiss Universe 1981; Mayor of Chacao, Caracas (1992–1998) — ranked the best-governed municipality in Venezuela; ran for President of Venezuela in 1998 election;…
Beauty & FashionJanelle Commissiong
Trinidad and TobagoMiss Universe 1977; first Caribbean and first Black woman from outside the Americas to win Miss Universe
Beauty & FashionJaslene Gonzalez
Puerto RicoWinner of America's Next Top Model Cycle 8 (2007) — first Puerto Rican and first Latina to win ANTM;…
Beauty & FashionJoan Smalls
Puerto RicoFirst Afro-Latina model to rank #1 on models.com (2011); first Puerto Rican model to be the face of Estée Lauder (2011); Victoria's Secret Angel; walks for every major luxury house;…
Beauty & FashionJohanna Mouton
GuadeloupeMiss France 2000 — first woman from Guadeloupe to win Miss France; represented France at Miss Universe 2000; born in Guadeloupe
Beauty & FashionJourdan Dunn
BarbadosFirst Black model to walk the Prada runway in over a decade (2008); first Black British woman on the cover of British Vogue in 12 years (2015); UNICEF UK Ambassador; Victoria's Secret Angel;…
Beauty & FashionJustine Pasek
PanamaMiss Universe 2002; born in Panama City; first Panamanian to win Miss Universe
Beauty & FashionKaren Alexander
JamaicaOne of the first Black supermodels; appeared in 11 consecutive editions of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (1986–1996); face of Calvin Klein and Donna Karan;…
Beauty & FashionKimora Lee Simmons
Jamaica · 
JapanYoungest model ever signed by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel (at age 13, 1989); CEO and creative director of Baby Phat (1999–2010)…
Beauty & FashionLenda Murray
JamaicaEight-time Ms. Olympia (1990–1995, 2002–2003) — the most in Ms. Olympia history; former Pontiac Michigan Silverdome cheerleader; IFBB Hall of Fame inductee; Jamaican heritage
Beauty & FashionLisa Hanna
JamaicaMiss World 1993; first Caribbean woman to win Miss World in over a decade; Jamaican Member of Parliament for St.…
Beauty & FashionLupita Jones
MexicoMiss Universe 1991; first Mexican woman to win Miss Universe; director of Miss Mexico Organization
Beauty & FashionLuz Marina Zuluaga
ColombiaMiss Universe 1958; first Colombian to win Miss Universe
Beauty & FashionMariasela Álvarez
Dominican RepublicFirst Dominican woman to win an international beauty title (Miss World 1982)
Beauty & FashionMarisol Malaret
Puerto RicoMiss Universe 1970 — the first Puerto Rican woman to win Miss Universe; Puerto Rico has won the title 5 times — the second-most of any country;…
Beauty & FashionMaritza Sayalero
VenezuelaMiss Universe 1979 — Venezuela's first Miss Universe; holder of the title that launched Venezuela's dominance of the pageant (six wins, the most of any country); born in Caracas, Venezuela
Beauty & FashionNaomi Campbell
JamaicaOne of six models declared supermodels by the global fashion industry (alongside Turlington, Evangelista, Crawford, Schiffer, and Moss);…
Beauty & FashionPhil Heath
JamaicaSeven-time Mr. Olympia (2011–2017) — joint-third most consecutive wins in Olympia history; nicknamed 'The Gift' for extraordinary symmetry; defeated Ronnie Coleman's record attempt;…
Beauty & FashionScharllette Allen Moses
NicaraguaFirst Black woman to win Miss Nicaragua (2010); Miss Universe 2010 contestant
Beauty & FashionSelita Ebanks
Cayman Islands · JamaicaVictoria's Secret Angel (2005–2009); one of Sports Illustrated's highest-earning Swimsuit Issue models; first model of Caymanian heritage to reach international supermodel status;…
Beauty & FashionSergio Oliva Jr.
CubaIFBB Pro bodybuilder; son of three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva; EVLS Prague Pro champion; physique described as 'carbon copy' of his father's;…
Beauty & FashionStacey McKenzie
JamaicaJamaican-Canadian supermodel; winner of The Face Canada (2013); motivational speaker; judge on Canada's Next Top Model;…
Beauty & FashionStefanía Fernández
VenezuelaMiss Universe 2009; Venezuela's sixth Miss Universe — the only country with six winners; first consecutive Miss Universe pair (won year after Venezuela's 2008 winner); born in Caracas, Venezuela
Beauty & FashionSuzette Charles
Trinidad and TobagoMiss America 1984 — assumed the crown when Vanessa Williams resigned; first Trinidad-heritage Miss America; singer and actress; born in Mays Landing, New Jersey to Trinidadian parents
Beauty & FashionToni-Ann Singh
JamaicaMiss World 2019 — Jamaica's third Miss World title (after Cindy Breakspeare 1976 and Lisa Hanna 1993); medical student at the time of her win; first Miss World winner studying medicine;…
Beauty & FashionTyson Beckford
Jamaica · PanamaSupermodel; first Black male model to sign with Ralph Lauren Polo; People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" 1995; father from Jamaica and Panama, mother from Jamaica
Beauty & FashionValene Maharaj
Trinidad and TobagoMiss World 2007 3rd Runner-Up — the highest placement in Miss World by a Trinidad and Tobago contestant at that time; national HIV/AIDS ambassador; born in Trinidad and Tobago
Beauty & FashionVanessa Mendoza
ColombiaFirst Black woman to win Miss Colombia (2001); advocate for Afro-Colombian rights
Beauty & FashionVeronica Webb
JamaicaFirst Black model to sign a major cosmetics contract (with Revlon, 1992) — the largest contract in Black modeling history at the time; former columnist for Mademoiselle;…
Beauty & FashionWendy Fitzwilliam
Trinidad and TobagoMiss Universe 1998; Trinidad and Tobago's first and only Miss Universe winner; UNICEF ambassador; HIV/AIDS activist who used her platform to destigmatize the disease in the Caribbean;…
Beauty & FashionWinnie Harlow
JamaicaBorn Chantelle Brown-Young; contestant on America's Next Top Model Cycle 21 (2014) — the most commercially successful ANTM contestant in the show's history despite not winning;…
Beauty & FashionYendi Phillips
JamaicaFirst Runner-Up at Miss Universe 2010; Miss Jamaica Universe 2010; born in Jamaica
Beauty & FashionZuleyka Rivera
Puerto RicoMiss Universe 2006 — Puerto Rico's fifth and most recent Miss Universe title; famous for fainting immediately after being crowned — became one of the most-watched Miss Universe clips ever;…
Beauty & FashionAnya Ayoung-Chee
Trinidad and TobagoWinner of Project Runway Season 9 (2011); fashion designer representing Trinidad and Tobago
Fashion DesignB Michael
JamaicaCouture designer; dressed Michelle Obama, Aretha Franklin, and Diahann Carroll; first Black designer to dress a sitting First Lady for a major state event (2010);…
Fashion DesignKerby Jean-Raymond
HaitiFounder of Pyer Moss (2013) — the first Black designer to show at Paris Couture Week (2021); CFDA Award winner (American Emerging Designer of the Year, 2016);…
Fashion DesignLaQuan Smith
HaitiFashion designer; celebrity-favourite known for body-conscious evening wear; dressed Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, and Jennifer Lopez;…
Fashion DesignMonique Péan
HaitiFine jewelry designer sold at Bergdorf Goodman; worn by First Ladies; Haitian heritage
Fashion DesignNorma Kamali
CubaPioneer of American sportswear; inventor of the sleeping bag coat (1973); first designer to use recycled materials in a fashion collection; CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award (2018);…
Fashion DesignStella Jean
Haiti · 
ItalyFirst Haitian-Italian designer to show at Milan Fashion Week (2013); founder of the It's My Dress! campaign — credited with convincing major Italian fashion houses to hire more Black models (2021);…
Fashion DesignVirginie Viard
Haiti · FranceCreative director of Chanel (2019–2024) — the first woman to hold the creative director title at Chanel; collaborated closely with Karl Lagerfeld for 36 years;…
Fashion DesignAdrienne Bankert
BarbadosABC News correspondent and author; Good Morning America journalist; author of Your Hidden Superpower (2020) — a book on kindness that became a bestseller;…
Journalism & BroadcastingAna Navarro
NicaraguaCNN and ABC News political commentator; co-host of The View (2022–present); named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People (2023); one of the most-quoted Republican strategists on US cable news;…
Journalism & BroadcastingAngela Rye
JamaicaCNN and NPR political commentator; former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus; founder of IMPACT Strategies political consulting;…
Journalism & BroadcastingCarlos Watson
CubaCo-founder and CEO of OZY Media (2013); CNN political commentator; Stanford University Board of Trustees member; named Fortune's 40 Under 40 (2013);…
Journalism & BroadcastingCecilia Vega
MexicoABC News chief Washington correspondent (2017–2023); first Latina and woman to ask a question as ABC's chief White House correspondent; Emmy Award winner; parents from Mexico
Journalism & BroadcastingEnrique Acevedo
MexicoCBS News correspondent (2015–present); anchor of CBS Evening News; first journalist born in Mexico to anchor a major U.S. English-language network newscast; born in Mexico City
Journalism & BroadcastingGeraldo Rivera
Puerto RicoEmmy Award–winning journalist and author; Fox News correspondent (1987–2023); Peabody Award winner; first Spanish-speaking anchor to host a nationally syndicated daily talk show;…
Journalism & BroadcastingGio Benitez
CubaABC News transportation correspondent; Good Morning America anchor; Emmy Award–nominated journalist; born in Miami to Cuban parents
Journalism & BroadcastingIan Hanomansing
Trinidad and TobagoGemini Award-winning journalist; CBC TV anchor and correspondent; born in Trinidad and Tobago
Journalism & BroadcastingJorge Ramos
MexicoUnivision anchor for 35+ years; most influential Spanish-language journalist in the U.S.; Emmy Award winner; author of 11 books; host of Noticiero Univision; born in Mexico City
Journalism & BroadcastingJoy Reid
GuyanaHost of The ReidOut on MSNBC (2020–2024); MSNBC's first Black woman solo primetime anchor; AM Joy host (2016–20); political journalist and author; mother a college professor from Guyana
Journalism & BroadcastingLester Holt
JamaicaNBC Nightly News anchor (2015–2025); first African American solo anchor of a weekday network nightly newscast; Edward R. Murrow Award winner; maternal grandparents born and raised in Jamaica
Journalism & BroadcastingMaria Hinojosa
MexicoFounder and CEO of Futuro Media Group; host of Latino USA on NPR (1993–present); first Latina to anchor a U.S. prime-time news magazine; Peabody Award winner; born in Mexico City
Journalism & BroadcastingMichelle Caruso-Cabrera
CubaCNBC anchor and correspondent (2002–2015); first to broadcast live from the NYSE floor; candidate for U.S. Congress from New York's 14th district (2020); born in Miami to Cuban parents
Journalism & BroadcastingNatalie Morales
PanamaNBC News anchor; co-host of Access Hollywood; former Today anchor; first Latina anchor on NBC's Today show; Emmy Award winner; mother from Panama
Journalism & BroadcastingSoledad O'Brien
CubaCNN anchor and documentary filmmaker (2003–2013); creator of Black in America and Latino in America series; Peabody Award winner; founder of Starfish Media Group; mother Afro-Cuban from Havana
Journalism & BroadcastingSunny Hostin
Puerto RicoCo-host of The View (ABC, 2016–present); Emmy Award–winning journalist; former federal prosecutor; named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Television (TV Guide);…
Journalism & BroadcastingSusan Taylor
Saint Kitts and Nevis · Trinidad and TobagoEditor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine (1981–2000); NAACP President's Award (2006); mother from Saint Kitts, father from Trinidad and Tobago
Journalism & BroadcastingWendy Williams
Trinidad and TobagoHost of The Wendy Williams Show (2008–2022) — the longest-running syndicated Black-hosted daytime talk show in television history;…
Journalism & BroadcastingYamiche Alcindor
HaitiWhite House correspondent for PBS NewsHour (2018–2021); Washington Post White House bureau chief (2022–present); Emmy Award winner; NAACP Image Award winner; parents from Haiti
Journalism & BroadcastingHikaru Nakamura
Jamaica · JapanFirst American to win the World Blitz Chess Championship (2014); 5-time U.S. Chess Champion; world's highest-rated active blitz player (multiple times);…
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicJaden Shaw ⭐
Jamaica2023 Jamaican Chess Champion; first Jamaican-born player to earn FIDE Master title before age 18; represented Jamaica at the 44th Chess Olympiad (2022);…
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicJoshua Johnson ⭐
Trinidad and TobagoFIDE Master and International Master norm holder (2023); highest-rated chess player in Trinidad and Tobago history; national U12 champion; winner of CAC Youth Chess U16 category (2014);…
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicJoshua Regrello ⭐
Trinidad and TobagoGuinness World Records holder for longest steelpan marathon (30 hours, December 2024) — the first person ever to hold a GWR title for steelpan performance;…
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicKimani Snow
JamaicaFirst Jamaican International Chess Master; multiple Caribbean Chess Championship winner; pioneer of chess development in Jamaica; highest-rated Jamaican player in FIDE history
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicMarlon Hill
JamaicaJamaica's first International Master of Checkers (2008); Caribbean Checkers Champion multiple times; represented Jamaica at the World Checkers/Draughts Championship;…
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicMaurice Ashley
JamaicaFirst Black chess Grandmaster in history. Born in St. Andrew, Jamaica; moved to Brooklyn at 12. Earned the FIDE Grandmaster title in 1999 — the first person of African heritage to reach that rank.…
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicSaul "MenaRD" Mena II ⭐
Dominican RepublicGreatest Street Fighter player of his generation. Two-time Capcom Cup champion (2017, 2023) and three-time EVO champion (EVO Japan 2024, EVO Japan 2025, EVO Las Vegas 2025).…
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicSherron Bent
JamaicaJamaica's top-ranked female chess player; Caribbean Chess Champion (Women's); FIDE Woman Candidate Master; led growth of women's chess in Jamaica; multiple Olympiad representative
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicÓscar Quiñones
Dominican RepublicThree-time World Domino Champion; most decorated dominoes player from the Dominican Republic; World Domino Championship (ESPN2-televised) gold medalist;…
Games — Board, Card & ElectronicGarth Fagan
JamaicaTony Award winner, Best Choreography, for The Lion King (1998) — his signature fusion of Afro-Caribbean movement, modern dance, and ballet defined the show's visual language;…
Dance & TheatrePatricia Delgado
CubaTony Award winner, Best Choreography, Buena Vista Social Club (2025, Broadway) — co-choreographed with husband Justin Peck, infusing Cuban Afro-Caribbean rhythms, son,…
Dance & TheatreRennie Harris
JamaicaFounder of Rennie Harris Puremovement (1992) — the first hip-hop dance company to perform at Covent Garden, the Kennedy Center, and the Edinburgh Festival; NEA National Heritage Fellow (2012);…
Dance & TheatreSergio Trujillo
ColombiaTony Award winner, Best Choreography, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations (2019) — first Hispanic/Latino in Broadway history to win the Tony Award for Best Choreography;…
Dance & TheatreSteve Carter
Trinidad and TobagoPlaywright; AUDELCO Living Legend Award; Black Theater Alliance Award; born in Trinidad and Tobago
Dance & TheatreVirginie Coumans
GuadeloupeContemporary dancer and choreographer; winner of the SACD Choreography Prize (2022); youngest choreographer to premiere a solo work at the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris;…
Dance & TheatreAlexander Hamilton ✝
St. Kitts & NevisFirst U.S. Secretary of the Treasury; Founding Father; born in Nevis, British West Indies
Politics & GovernmentBertha Boschulte ✝
U.S. Virgin IslandsFirst woman elected to the Virgin Islands Legislature; civil rights pioneer and educator who fought for greater political representation; born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; died 2009.
Politics & GovernmentCheddi Jagan ✝
GuyanaFirst democratically elected Premier of British Guiana (1961–64) and President of Guyana (1992–97); founding father of Guyanese democracy; born in Port Mourant, British Guiana; died March 6, 1997.
Politics & GovernmentColin Powell ✝
JamaicaFirst African-American U.S. Secretary of State; four-star General; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
Politics & GovernmentEric Williams ✝
Trinidad and TobagoFirst Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (1962–81); historian and author of Capitalism and Slavery; Father of the Nation; died March 29, 1981
Politics & GovernmentGeorge Cadle Price ✝
BelizeFirst Prime Minister of Belize; architect of Belizean independence (1981); Order of the National Hero; served 1961–84 and 1989–93; died September 19, 2011
Politics & GovernmentLynden Pindling ✝
BahamasFirst Prime Minister of The Bahamas following independence (1973); led the country for 25 years; known as the Black Moses of the Bahamas; born in Nassau; died August 26, 2000.
Politics & GovernmentMaurice Bishop ✝
GrenadaPrime Minister of Grenada (1979–83); led the People's Revolutionary Government; championed literacy campaigns and free healthcare; born in Aruba of Grenadian parents; executed October 19, 1983.
Politics & GovernmentMichael Manley ✝
JamaicaPrime Minister of Jamaica (1972–80, 1989–92); champion of social democracy and developing-world interests; led Jamaica's international advocacy at the United Nations; born in Kingston;…
Politics & GovernmentPhilip Goldson ✝
BelizeJournalist and politician; founding editor of the Belize Billboard; leader of the opposition National Independence Party; national hero who championed Belizean independence; born in Belize City;…
Politics & GovernmentRudranath Capildeo ✝
Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago's first Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (1960); Chair of Mathematics at University of London; founder of the Democratic Labour Party;…
Politics & GovernmentShirley Chisholm ✝
BarbadosFirst African-American Congresswoman; first Black woman to seek a major presidential nomination
Politics & GovernmentAntonia Pantoja ✝
Puerto RicoFounder of ASPIRA; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; born in Puerto Rico
Civil RightsClaudia Jones ✝
Trinidad & TobagoFirst Black woman imprisoned under the Smith Act (1953); co-founder of the Notting Hill Carnival (1959) — now Europe's largest street festival attracting 1M+ annually;…
Civil RightsConstance Baker Motley ✝
BarbadosFirst Black woman appointed to the federal bench; argued 9 cases before the Supreme Court
Civil RightsFrantz Fanon ✝
MartiniquePsychiatrist and philosopher; The Wretched of the Earth (1961) cited by Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and Che Guevara as foundational to anti-colonial movements;…
Civil RightsJames Weldon Johnson ✝
BahamasPoet; first Black NAACP executive secretary; author of Lift Every Voice and Sing
Civil RightsJosé Martí ✝
CubaCuban national hero; founded the Cuban Revolutionary Party (1892); organized the Cuban War of Independence (1895); poet and essayist whose works are required reading across Latin America;…
Civil RightsMarcus Garvey ✝
JamaicaFounder of UNIA — peak membership 11M globally (1921); creator of the Black Star Line shipping company; originator of the Pan-African Back-to-Africa movement; Jamaica's first National Hero;…
Civil RightsQueen Nanny of the Maroons ✝
JamaicaCommander of the Windward Maroons; negotiated one of the first freedom treaties with the British Empire (1739); Jamaica's only female National Hero;…
Civil RightsRothschild Francis ✝
U.S. Virgin IslandsVirgin Islands labor leader and journalist; led the landmark 1916 labor strikes that drew international attention and contributed to the US purchase of the Virgin Islands;…
Civil RightsSimón Bolívar ✝
VenezuelaEl Libertador; liberated six South American nations from Spanish rule; first president of Gran Colombia; one of the most significant political leaders in world history; born in Caracas;…
Civil RightsStokely Carmichael ✝
Trinidad & TobagoCoined the phrase 'Black Power' (1966) — term that launched a global political movement; Chairman of SNCC; prime minister of the Black Panther Party;…
Civil RightsSylvia del Villard ✝
Puerto RicoAfro-Puerto Rican actress, singer, and activist; first and only director of the Office of Afro-Puerto Rican Affairs of the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture; born in Santurce, Puerto Rico;…
Civil RightsW.E.B. Du Bois ✝
HaitiCo-founder of the NAACP (1909); first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard (1895);…
Civil RightsWalter Rodney ✝
GuyanaHistorian and Pan-Africanist; How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (1972) — required reading at universities across Africa, the Caribbean, and the US;…
Civil RightsÓscar Romero ✝
El SalvadorArchbishop of San Salvador; outspoken advocate for the poor and critic of state violence; assassinated March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass — his murder galvanized the global human rights movement;…
Civil RightsAfrika Bambaataa ✝
Jamaica · BarbadosHip-hop pioneer; one of hip-hop's three founding fathers alongside DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash; founder of the Universal Zulu Nation (1973) — the global hip-hop peace organization;…
MusicAndy Palacio ✝
BelizeGarifuna musician, activist, and UNESCO Artist for Peace; album Wátina (2007) named #1 Greatest World Music Album by Amazon; died January 19, 2008
MusicBiggie Smalls ✝
JamaicaRapper widely considered among the greatest of all time; Ready to Die (1994) is a landmark album;…
MusicBob Marley ✝
JamaicaMost influential reggae artist in history; Legend (1984) is the best-selling reggae album of all time (15M+ copies); Exodus (1977) named Album of the Century by TIME; 75M+ records sold;…
MusicCelia Cruz ✝
CubaQueen of Salsa; Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; born in Havana, Cuba
MusicDámaso Pérez Prado ✝
Cuba"King of Mambo"; pioneered the mambo craze internationally in the 1950s; died September 14, 1989
MusicGuru ✝
Trinidad and TobagoMember of Gang Starr; pioneer of jazz rap; Step in the Arena (1990) and Moment of Truth (1998) ranked among Rolling Stone's 100 Best Hip-Hop Albums;…
MusicHarry Belafonte ✝
JamaicaKing of Calypso; civil rights champion; UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; born in New York of Jamaican parents
MusicHazel Scott ✝
Trinidad and TobagoFirst Black woman to host her own national TV show (The Hazel Scott Show, 1950); jazz and classical pianist; born in Port of Spain; died October 2, 1981
MusicHeavy D ✝
JamaicaPlatinum-selling rapper and actor; lead MC of Heavy D & the Boyz; known for "Now That We Found Love"; born in Mandeville, Jamaica; died November 8, 2011
MusicIbrahim Ferrer ✝
CubaGrammy Award-winning vocalist; featured on the Buena Vista Social Club album (1997); one of the finest exponents of Cuban son and bolero; born in San Luis, Cuba; died August 6, 2005.
MusicJosé "Joe" Arroyo ✝
ColombiaLatin Grammy Award-winning Colombian singer known as El Joe; pioneered the fusion of Afro-Caribbean rhythms with salsa; born in Cartagena, Colombia; died July 26, 2011.
MusicPhife Dawg ✝
Trinidad and TobagoMember of A Tribe Called Quest; pioneered alternative hip-hop and jazz rap; died March 22, 2016; parents from Trinidad and Tobago
MusicPérez Prado ✝
CubaKing of Mambo; popularized mambo worldwide in the 1950s; born in Matanzas, Cuba; Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White reached #1 on Billboard in 1955
MusicRita Marley ✝
CubaSinger and wife of Bob Marley; founder of Rita Marley Foundation; born in Cuba; gold-selling solo and group recordings
MusicSelena ✝
MexicoQueen of Tejano Music; Grammy Award winner; best-selling female Latin artist of her era with over 60 million albums sold;…
MusicSoraya ✝
ColombiaLatin Grammy Award-winning Colombian-American singer-songwriter; known for her acoustic pop style and bravery in publicly fighting breast cancer; born in Harrison, NJ to Colombian parents;…
MusicWinifred Atwell ✝
Trinidad & TobagoPianist; first Black recording artist to reach No. 1 on the UK charts (1954); sold over 20 million records in Britain; born in Tunapuna, Trinidad; died February 28, 1983.
MusicEsther Rolle ✝
The BahamasEmmy Award-winning actress; known for Florida Evans on Maude and Good Times; born in Florida to Bahamian immigrant parents
Film & TVMadge Sinclair ✝
JamaicaEmmy Award winner for Gabriel's Fire (1991); known for Roots, Coming to America, and The Lion King (voice); born in Kingston, Jamaica; died December 20, 1995
Film & TVRoxie Roker ✝
The BahamasActress on The Jeffersons (1975–85); first interracial couple on US prime-time TV; Tony Award nominee; Obie Award winner 1974; died December 2, 1995
Film & TVRupert Crosse ✝
Saint Kitts and NevisAcademy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor (The Reivers, 1969); first Black actor nominated in that category; grandparents from Saint Kitts and Nevis; died 1973
Film & TVSidney Poitier ✝
BahamasFirst Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor; Bahamian-American diplomat
Film & TVAl Williamson ✝
ColombiaEisner Award Hall of Fame comic book artist renowned for Flash Gordon and Star Wars adaptations; born in New York City to Colombian parents; died June 12, 2010.
Animation & ComicsFrida Kahlo ✝
MexicoIconic painter whose self-portraits exploring identity, the body, and Mexican culture have made her one of the most recognized artists in history;…
Visual ArtsJean-Michel Basquiat ✝
Haiti · Puerto RicoNeo-expressionist painter; Defacement (1983) sold for $67.1M (2022) — the highest auction price for a work by a Black American artist;…
Visual ArtsAlexis Argüello ✝
NicaraguaThree-division world boxing champion; one of the greatest boxers in history; International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee; born in Managua, Nicaragua; died July 1, 2009.
SportsAtanasio "Tony" Pérez Rigal ✝
CubaThree-time World Series champion; Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" star; National Baseball Hall of Fame 2000; died May 22, 2024
SportsEligio "Kid Chocolate" Sardiñas ✝
CubaCuba's first world boxing champion (1931 WBC super featherweight); inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame; died August 8, 1988
SportsEsteban de Jesús ✝
Puerto RicoWBC lightweight world champion (1976); defeated Roberto Durán; died June 11, 1989
SportsJosé "Mantequilla" Nápoles ✝
CubaTwo-time world welterweight champion; one of the greatest Cuban boxers; died July 19, 2019
SportsMartín Dihigo Llanos ✝
CubaInducted into Baseball Halls of Fame in Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and USA; only player in four countries' halls; died May 20, 1971
SportsRoberto Clemente ✝
Puerto RicoTwo-time World Series champion (1960, 1971); 1971 World Series MVP; 3,000 career hits; Baseball Hall of Fame; killed in humanitarian mission December 31, 1972
SportsSergio "The Myth" Oliva ✝
CubaThree-time Mr. Olympia (1967, 1968, 1969); only man to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Olympia; died November 12, 2012
SportsShawn Rhoden ✝
JamaicaFirst Jamaican to win Mr. Olympia (2018); defeated seven-time champion Phil Heath to claim the title at age 43 — the oldest Mr.…
SportsSoraya Jiménez ✝
MexicoMexican weightlifter; Olympic gold medalist in the 58 kg class at the 2000 Sydney Olympics — Mexico's first female Olympic gold medalist; born in Mexico City; died November 13, 2013.
SportsSoraya Jiménez Mendivil ✝
MéxicoOlympic gold medalist in weightlifting (2000 Sydney, 58kg); first Mexican woman to win Olympic gold; died January 4, 2013
SportsSteve Van Buren ✝
HondurasNFL Hall of Famer; two-time NFL champion (1948, 1949) with the Philadelphia Eagles; four-time NFL rushing leader; born in La Ceiba, Honduras; died August 23, 2012.
SportsTed Williams ✝
MexicoGreatest hitter in baseball history (.406 in 1941 — last player to bat over .400); Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (1966, 93.4% first ballot); Triple Crown winner twice (1942, 1947);…
SportsC.L.R. James ✝
Trinidad & TobagoHistorian, novelist, and political philosopher; The Black Jacobins (1938) — the definitive history of the Haitian Revolution, still required reading at Oxford and Harvard;…
LiteratureClaude McKay ✝
JamaicaHarlem Renaissance poet; If We Must Die (1919) quoted by Winston Churchill in Parliament during World War II; first Caribbean writer published by a major US publisher;…
LiteratureDerek Walcott ✝
St. LuciaNobel Prize in Literature 1992; poet and playwright; born in Castries, St. Lucia
LiteratureFrank Collymore ✝
BarbadosBarbadian writer, editor, and actor; founder and editor of Bim literary magazine (1942–1974) — the most influential literary journal in the Caribbean for three decades, publishing V.S.…
LiteratureLouise Bennett-Coverley ✝
JamaicaPoet, folklorist, and actress; pioneered Jamaican patois as a literary language; national hero of Jamaica; known as Miss Lou; born in Kingston; died July 26, 2006.
LiteratureMaryse Condé ✝
GuadeloupeAlternative Nobel Prize in Literature (2018); author of Ségou; born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe
LiteratureOctavio Paz ✝
MexicoNobel Prize in Literature (1990); poet, essayist, and diplomat; author of The Labyrinth of Solitude; one of the most significant Latin American writers of the 20th century; born in Mexico City;…
LiteratureRubén Darío ✝
NicaraguaNicaragua's national poet; founder of the Modernismo literary movement — the first distinctly Latin American literary movement;…
LiteratureSimone Schwarz-Bart ✝
GuadeloupeGuadeloupean novelist; author of The Bridge of Beyond (1972), considered one of the greatest Caribbean novels; Grand Prix Littéraire de la Femme winner; born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
LiteratureArthur Lewis ✝
St. LuciaNobel Prize in Economics (1979); pioneered development economics; first Black scholar appointed full professor at a British university; born in Castries, St. Lucia; died June 15, 1991.
Science & MedicineLancelot Hogben ✝
JamaicaStatistician and zoologist; spent formative years in Jamaica; author of Mathematics for the Million
Science & MedicineMario Molina ✝
MexicoNobel Prize in Chemistry (1995) for work on atmospheric chemistry and the discovery of the mechanism for ozone depletion; first Mexican scientist to receive the Nobel Prize; born in Mexico City;…
Science & MedicineMaxime Faget ✝
BelizeNASA engineer who designed the Mercury spacecraft — the vehicle that carried the first Americans to space; contributed to Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs; 35 US patents;…
Science & MedicinePatricia Bath ✝
TrinidadInventor of the Laserphaco Probe; first African-American woman to receive a medical patent; Trinidadian heritage
Science & MedicineJosé Ferrer Canales ✝
Puerto RicoEducator, essayist and literary critic; major figure in Puerto Rican intellectual life; died 2007
EducationEugenio Mendoza ✝
VenezuelaVenezuelan industrialist; founder of Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas (1953); built the largest private business empire in 20th-century Venezuela;…
Business & EnterpriseGustavo Cisneros ✝
VenezuelaMedia mogul; chairman of Cisneros Group — peak net worth ~$5B; first Venezuelan-born billionaire to appear on the Forbes World Billionaires list;…
Business & EnterpriseMariasela Álvarez ✝
Dominican RepublicFirst Dominican woman to win an international beauty title; crowned Miss World 1982; actress and television presenter; born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.
Business & MediaOscar de la Renta ✝
Dominican RepublicWorld-leading fashion designer; first American designer at a French couture house (Balmain, 1993); dressed multiple US First Ladies; CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award; born in Santo Domingo
Fashion DesignGil Noble ✝
Jamaica · Trinidad and TobagoEmmy Award-winning journalist and broadcaster; host of Like It Is on ABC-WABC-TV (1968–2012); died April 5, 2012
Journalism & BroadcastingGwen Ifill ✝
Barbados · PanamaAward-winning journalist; PBS NewsHour co-anchor; first Black woman to moderate a vice presidential debate; mother from Barbados, father from Barbados and Panama; died November 14, 2016
Journalism & BroadcastingAimé Césaire ✝
MartiniquePoet, playwright, and politician; co-founder of the Négritude literary movement; Mayor of Fort-de-France for 56 years (1945–2001) — the longest unbroken mayoral tenure in French political history;…
Dance & TheatreAlvin Ailey ✝
TrinidadFounder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (1958) — now the most-traveled dance company in the world, performing for 23M+ people in 71 countries;…
Dance & TheatreArthur Mitchell ✝
GrenadaFirst African-American principal dancer at New York City Ballet; founder of Dance Theatre of Harlem
Dance & TheatreBoscoe Holder ✝
Barbados · Trinidad and TobagoDancer, painter, and choreographer; Hummingbird Medal (Trinidad); brought Caribbean dance to international stages; father from Barbados; died 2007
Dance & TheatreErrol John ✝
Trinidad and TobagoPlaywright and actor; Trinidad and Tobago Chaconia Medal for Drama; wrote Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (1958 London stage); died 1988
Dance & TheatreGeoffrey Holder ✝
Barbados · Trinidad and TobagoTony Award winner (1975, The Wiz — direction and costume design); actor in Live and Let Die; father from Barbados; died October 5, 2014
Dance & TheatreNorma Miller ✝
AntiguaQueen of Swing; NEA National Heritage Fellowship (2010) — the US's highest honor in folk and traditional arts; first woman to win the Frankie Manning Foundation Award;…
Dance & TheatrePearl Primus ✝
TrinidadPioneer of African and Caribbean dance in American concert dance; recipient of the National Medal of Arts (1998); first American to study tribal dance in Africa with a Rosenwald Fund grant;…
Dance & TheatreRex Nettleford ✝
JamaicaCo-founder and artistic director of the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (1962); Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (1998–2010);…
Dance & TheatreThis gallery features more than 500 Caribbean-American contributors across 27 fields. Know someone who should be featured? Contact us →