February is Black History Month where we celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans who have overcome adversity and made a difference all over the world. Here are five African Americans that certainly deserve recognition.

1. Katherine Johnson. This American mathematician worked for NASA for 35 years. She was born in 1918. She assisted in the orbital mission of John Glenn, in particular, figuring out the math to program the computers for the mission. The mission would have not been complete without her. There is a lot of complex math involved in coding and programming for a mission.
2. Muhammad Ali. He was a heavyweight boxing champion and is considered the best boxer of all time. In 1957, he became an athlete. He had lots of style and power. He even said in his own words, “I am the greatest.” In addition to being a boxer, he was also a civil rights activist. He is the most celebrated sports player of the 2oth century.
3.  Michael Jordan. This 6-foot-6 famous basketball player is known by his initials MJ. He played an impressive 15 seasons in the NBA. Even though his career ended in 2003, he is still remembered as a very successful basketball player. He has many deals with companies and endorses things like Nike shoes and other products.
4. Maya Angelou.  Born in 1928 in St. Louis, Mo., she was a poet and a civil rights activist. Over the years, she published seven autobiographies and of course many poems, and movies, plays, and shows. She also was able to speak six different languages. Unfortunately, she died in  May of 2014.
5. Oprah Winfrey. This famous talk show host born in 1954 had her own talk show from 1986-2011. Besides being a talk show host, she was also very influential with books and quotes that she wrote. She has a net worth of $2.7 billion.