Black Obsession

Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. (born Nov 22, 1942) is an American aerospace engineer, retired USAF officer and fighter pilot, and former NASA astronaut, in which capacity he became the first African American to go to space.

While assigned to NASA, he remained a USAF officer rising to the rank of colonel.

Mary McLeod Bethune (July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitarian, womanist, and civil rights activist.

Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, and proceeded to establish the Aframerican Women's Journal, which was the flagship journal of the organization.

Amiri Baraka (Oct 7, 1934 – Jan 9, 2014) was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays, and music criticism.

He was the author of numerous books of poetry and taught at several universities, including the University at Buffalo and Stony Brook University.

Benjamin Banneker (Nov 9, 1731 – Oct 19, 1806) was an American naturalist, mathematician, astronomer and almanac author.

James Arthur Baldwin (Aug 2, 1924 – Dec 1, 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems.