Neil Degrasse Tyson, the well-known American astrophysicist, is one of several African Americans who has made incredible contributions to modern scientist. Biography.com highlights other Black scientific heroes including, mathematician, Katherine G. Johnson, whose work was recognized in the film, Hidden Figures, a film about the unsung African American females who contributed to the early days of US space exploration. Johnson was a gifted child who went on to attend college at West Virginia State University. There, she was inspired to pursue math and science from her professor, Dr. William W. Schieffelin Claytor, who himself was only the third African American to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. Johnson graduated at age 18 with degrees in both mathematics and French, and after college, began working in the field of aeronautics. After NASA began, it was her calculations that would help send astronauts to the moon.1
For more info of other great Black scientists head to: https://www.biography.com/people/groups/famous-black-scientists