Jackie Robinson

New York, NY

The great contralto Marian Anderson lived here from 1958 to 1975, by then already an American icon. In 1939, after the Daughters of the American Revolution barred her from Constitution Hall because of her race, she sang instead before 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in a landmark moment for civil rights. She was the first African American to perform at the White House in 1936 and the first to become a permanent member of the Metropolitan Opera in 1955, and she later served as an alternate delegate to the United Nations.

New York, NY

In 1916, a young Jamaican immigrant named Marcus Garvey held his first public meetings in the United States, laying the groundwork for what would become one of the largest Black mass movements in American history. From Harlem, his Universal Negro Improvement Association preached racial pride, economic self-reliance, and Pan-African unity to millions. His message electrified Black communities in the World War I era and echoed for generations afterward.

New York, NY

Jackie Robinson lived at this Brooklyn address from 1947 to 1949, the very years he broke Major League Baseball's color barrier as an infielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1947 and Most Valuable Player in 1949, won the National League batting title, and led the Dodgers to the pennant in 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953.

New York, NY

Roy Wilkins, one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the 20th century, lived in this Queens home from 1952 until his death in 1981. A journalist and longtime editor of the NAACP's "The Crisis," he served the organization for 46 years, becoming its executive director. A champion of working through constitutional and legislative means, he helped plan the 1963 March on Washington and press for landmark civil rights, voting rights, and fair housing laws.