How Well Do You Know These Black Business Leaders?

After the American Revolution, James Forten took charge of the sailing loft where he worked and decided to make it bigger. At its largest, the loft employed almost 40 workers and made Forten the richest African American in Philadelphia at the time. He used his wealth to promote anti-slavery activism and literature, including William Lloyd Garrison's abolitionist newspaper, "The Liberator."

In January 1884, Judy W. Reed applied for a patent for her "Dough Kneader and Roller." The device improved upon existing dough kneaders by allowing the dough to mix more evenly and be protected from dust. In September of that year, she received Patent No. 305,474 for her invention and quietly entered the annals of history.

In the early 1900s, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city rich with oil money, the district of Greenwood became a Black business hub. The community’s 10,000 residents helped businesses thrive, and in the 1920s, the area earned the name “Black Wall Street.” In 1921, the area was devastated by the Tulsa Race Massacre, a racially fueled attack that killed hundreds of residents and destroyed more than a thousand homes and businesses. Yet the district bounced back, creating more than 200 Black-owned businesses.

Granville T. Woods created numerous inventions throughout his life — many of which we still use today — but his most famous was the multiplex telegraph. The 1887 innovation allowed people to communicate by voice over telegraph wires. Thomas Edison filed a lawsuit challenging Woods' patent, but Woods won in court and turned down Edison's offer to partner. From then on, Woods became known as the "Black Edison."

Booker T. Washington founded the National Negro Business League in 1900 in an effort to "promote the commercial and financial development of the Negro." Within 15 years, the organization had more than 600 chapters in 34 states helping thousands of Black American businesses grow. In 1966, the league, which is still around today, rebranded as the National Business League. Today, it has more than 120,000 members.

After suffering from a painful scalp condition and not being able to find any remedies, Madam C.J. Walker began creating her own hair-care products. In 1905, with just $1.05 in her pocket, she moved to Denver, Colorado, and started selling her "Walker system" of hair care. Her products gained a loyal following among the Black community and Walker became the first Black female millionaire in America.

Frederick Douglass was a former enslaved person and one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement. To promote his positions, Douglass founded four newspapers throughout his life: "The North Star" (1847-51), "Frederick Douglass' Paper" (1851-60), "Douglass' Monthly" (1859-63), and "New National Era" (1870-74).

In 1980, Sheila and Robert Johnson decided to start their own cable network marketed toward African Americans, and BET was born. The two are now among the richest Black people in the United States, and also own or co-own Salamander Hotels & Resorts, the Washington Mystics, the Washington Wizards, and Allblk.

Dr. Dre cofounded a headphone company called Beats Electronics. The sound was good and the sales were even better, so Apple took notice. In 2014, the tech giant purchased Beats for $3 billion. However, this wasn't the rapper's first major business venture. Dr. Dre (whose real name is Andre Young) is also the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and cofounded Death Row Records.

In 1986, after "The Oprah Winfrey Show” first appeared nationally, Oprah Winfrey founded her own production company, Harpo Productions, Inc. ("Harpo" is "Oprah" backward.) Since then, Harpo has expanded its production beyond television to film, radio, publishing, and more. A billionaire, Winfrey was the richest African American of the 20th century.