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Role models provide children and young people with someone to look up to; to demonstrate good behaviours, and to showcase both short-term and long-term goals. The ten Black people we’ve chosen come from different parts of history, and all walks of life – from sport and music, to athletics and activism. You’ll discover how footballer Marcus Rashford’s own childhood inspired him to campaign for kids to receive free meals, and why superstar Beyoncé now views her earlier struggles to overcome shyness as a positive. Nelson Mandela modelled persistence and forgiveness, while Mary Seacole demonstrated independence and determination at a time when women had very few rights or opportunities. Rosa Parks’ one word – ‘No’ – changed the course of history in America, while Maya Angelou said yes to every opportunity she could throughout her stellar career.

Learning about inspiring people is vital for children. It shows them all the possibilities the world has to offer both in terms of a career, and with regard to their place in the world, social responsibility, community and values.

Marcus Rashford

As a role model for kids, they don’t come much more impressive than footballer Marcus Rashford. Winning the Premier League, scoring in his first game for England (and becoming the youngest English player to do so), being awarded an MBE and working to eradicate racism, homelessness and child poverty are just some of the Manchester United star striker’s achievements. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marcus successfully lobbied the UK government to provide free school meal vouchers for vulnerable children during school holidays. By June 2020, he raised over £20 million for charity FareShare, enough to buy almost three million meals.

He went on to lead a successful campaign to end child food poverty in England. As part of this, he asked the government to offer a guaranteed meal a day to all school children in England in financially struggling families. This is an issue very close to Marcus’s heart. Marcus grew up in a home where they relied on free school meals and food banks. 

Also in 2020, Marcus created the ‘Marcus Rashford Book Club’. When he read his first book at the age of seventeen, he said it altered the course of his life, and his Book Club has given away over 100,000 free books to young people living in the most underprivileged neighbourhoods.  

Marcus was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2021, and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester for his social activism. 

What Can Children Learn From Marcus Rashford? 

Marcus Rashford shows young people that resilience, hard work and kindness matter just as much as talent. Despite his privileged position, he remembers his past challenges and empathised with those struggling during the pandemic. He’s driven by a sense of social responsibility, not just a desire for success on the football field. 

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Maya Angelou

Poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar Maya Angelou (1928-2014) is best known as a world-famous author, particularly for her unique and pioneering autobiographical writing style. Her most famous works are her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and her poem Still I Rise. 

In 1950, African American writers in New York City formed the Harlem Writers Guild to nurture and support the publication of Black authors, which Maya joined in 1959. She also became active in the Civil Rights Movement and campaigned with Martin Luther King, Jr.  

In 1969, Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography of her early life. Her tale of personal strength amid childhood trauma and racism was nominated for the National Book Award and has sold over a million copies worldwide. Maya went on to publish six further bestselling autobiographies. 

In 2000, President Clinton awarded Maya Angelou the National Medal of Arts in 2000. A decade later, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honour.  

Maya’s works earned her more than 30 honorary degrees, as well as nominations for a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. She wrote ‘On the Pulse of Morning’ for the 1993 swearing-in of President Bill Clinton, becoming only the second poet in US history invited to compose an inaugural poem. 

Iconic tennis champion Serena Williams reads Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise

What Can Children Learn From Maya Angelou?

Embrace a diverse career – and say yes to opportunities! She told the Smithsonian magazine, ‘I think we’ve done a real disservice to young people by telling them, “Oh, you be careful. You’ll be a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.” It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I think you can be a jack-of-all-trades and a mistress-of-all-trades. If you study it, and you put reasonable intelligence and reasonable energy, reasonable electricity to it, you can do that… If I’m asked, “Can you do this?” I think, if I don’t do it, it’ll be ten years before another black woman is asked to do it. And I say, yes, yes, when do you want it?’ 

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Rosa Parks

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (1913-2005) was an American civil rights activist, sometimes known as the ‘mother of the Civil Rights movement’.

Born in Alabama in 1913, when Rosa was growing up, schools, water fountains, restaurants and even pavements were divided by strict segregation laws known as ‘Jim Crow’ laws.  

On December 1, 1955, Rosa sat in the ‘coloured’ section of the bus. The front was reserved for white passengers and the back for Black passengers. However, if the ‘white section’ filled up, Black passengers were expected to give up their seats.

However, when the bus driver told her and three others to give up their seats for a white man, Rosa quietly refused. The driver threatened her, but Rosa simply said, ‘No.’ She was risking arrest, humiliation, even violence, but she wanted to stand up for her rights. She later said, ‘I was just tired of giving in.’ 

Her arrest made headlines and inspired action: Black residents refused to ride the city buses until the system changed. For over a year, during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Black residents refused to back down, creating a massive financial blow to the bus system. Finally, the US Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. One woman’s bravery sparked a movement that changed history.

What Can Children Learn From Rosa Parks? 

When it comes to inspirational women for kids, Rosa Parks shows that one person’s voice can make a huge difference, and quiet strength can be as courageous as loud speeches or grand gestures. 

Learn more about Rosa Parks’ extraordinary life

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Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) changed the lives of millions of South African people, leading to the peaceful end to Apartheid in South Africa.  

Best known for becoming the first Black president of South Africa and a civil rights hero, Mandela won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993 – along with South Africa’s president at the time, F.W. de Klerk – for leading the transition from Apartheid to a multiracial democracy.  

Mandela envisioned a South Africa where no group dominated the other, securing basic human rights for all. He helped to create an Africa at peace, thriving through cooperation and mutual respect.  

Discover the story of the boy from a small village who became South Africa’s first Black president

What Can Children Learn From Nelson Mandela? 

‘A winner is a dreamer who never gives up’

Nelson Mandela had almost boundless resilience and determination, and his powerful quote reminds us that success isn’t always about instant victories or natural talent, but about persistence and belief, resilience and patience. Mandela began his fight for a united South Africa in 1952 and finally saw his dream of a united country with a multiethnic government realised in 1994.  

Even after spending 27 years in prison, Mandela chose to prioritise forgiveness, inviting his former prison guards and Apartheid-era leaders to his 1994 presidential inauguration. 

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Stormzy

English rapper, singer, and songwriter Stormzy was the artist behind the first grime album to reach No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart with Gang Signs & Prayer in 2017. In 2019, he became the first British rapper to headline the Glastonbury Festival with an iconic set. He was also listed as one of the most influential Black Britons for two years running, in 2020 and 2021. 

Like Marcus Rashford, Stormzy regularly uses his platform to speak out about issues that are important to him. After the George Floyd protests, Stormzy pledged to donate £1 million a year for ten years to groups fighting racial inequality. He created the Stormzy Scholarship for Black UK Students at the University of Cambridge, which has provided financial support to over 50 Black students to date.   

Partnering with Penguin Random House, Stormzy set up his own publishing imprint, #Merky Books, ‘to publish books that will own – and change – the mainstream, with inclusivity and intersectionality at the heart of what we do.’ This includes awarding an annual New Writers’ Prize, looking for stories that aren’t often heard in fiction, non-fiction or poetry.

What Can Children Learn From Stormzy? 

Stormzy has some wise, witty advice for kids from his old primary school

Stormzy has encouraged young people to read, write and share their own stories. He is also not afraid to share his feelings. Stormzy has openly discussed his experiences with depression and anxiety, stressing the importance of mental health and highlighting that it’s normal to struggle. Stormzy shows that, as with Maya Angelou, you don’t have to ‘stay in your lane’. Music made him famous first, but he’s become equally recognised for his activism, publishing and scholarships. 

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Mary Seacole

Mary Seacole (1805 – 1881) lived an extraordinary life. Born in Jamaica, her mother ran a guest house in Kingston and her father was a Scottish army officer. Mary learned traditional healing skills from her mother and on the outbreak of war in the Crimea in 1853, she travelled to London, intending to join the group of nurses under the watch of Florence Nightingale.

Turned down by the War Office, Mary instead arranged and funded her own journey to Crimea, where she established the British Hotel – a place where soldiers could buy a meal or extra provisions. As she was close to the fighting, Mary used her skills to care for wounded soldiers.

Mary’s contribution during the Crimean War was recognised by Queen Victoria, but she was largely forgotten after her death. A revival of interest in her story culminated in her being voted first in a poll of ‘100 Great Black Britons’ in 2004, and a statue of her being unveiled at St Thomas’ Hospital in London by Floella Benjamin in 2016.

What Can Children Learn From Mary Seacole?

Mary’s compassion led her to treat soldiers from all sides, while her determination saw her overcome rejection by the British army and find her own way to care for the sick and injured during the Crimean War. 

Jesse Owens

American athlete Jesse Owens (1913-1980) became one of track and field’s most legendary competitors after winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin – a blow to Adolf Hitler’s intention to use the Games to demonstrate Aryan superiority.

The youngest of ten children, Owens started competing at the age of thirteen and was a standout runner famed for his graceful style. On one day in May 1935, Jesse equalled the world record for the 100-yard dash, broke the world records for both the 220-yard dash and the 220-yard low hurdles, and the record for the long jump. That record stood for an astonishing 25 years. 

After he retired from competing, Jesse made goodwill visits to India and East Asia on behalf of the US Department of State, served as secretary of the Illinois State Athletic Commission and worked in PR. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976 and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1990.

What Can Children Learn From Jesse Owens? 

Jesse’s granddaughter Gina Hemphill-Strachan said that, ‘Throughout his life, his mission and purpose was to advocate for young people to really persevere and have strength and belief in who they are, no matter where they come from or what their background.’  

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Beyoncé 

Beyoncé Knowles is a globally acclaimed American singer, songwriter, dancer and businesswoman, best known as one of the greatest and most awarded entertainers in music history. She rose to fame as the lead vocalist of girl group Destiny’s Child in the late 1990s, before embarking on an astonishingly successful solo career, and she now holds the record for the most Grammy Awards won by any artist in history, with 35 wins.  

Beyoncé became the first Black woman to headline the Coachella music festival in 2018 and has built her career on continuing Black musical traditions, and elevating Black women’s stories. She has headlined the Superbowl Halftime Show twice, sung at the 2013 Presidential inauguration and has released eight solo studio albums to date, moving from R&B to chart-dominating pop through visual storytelling, house music, country and folk to blues. 

Beyoncé’s business empire includes Parkwood Entertainment, a haircare brand (Cecred), a whisky label and, previously, clothing line Ivy Park – all of which made her the fifth music artist to hit billionaire status, according to Forbes. 

What Can Children Learn From Beyoncé

In short, that one must overcome difficulties and challenges to become successful. The I Am… Sasha Fierce album introduced fans to Beyoncé’s alter ego. She used this to help mask her shyness and introversion when taking to the stage in the early years of her career. In a Harpers Bazaar interview, she highlighted the positives of shyness: ‘Being shy taught me empathy and gave me the ability to connect and relate to people. I’m no longer shy, but I’m not sure I would dream as big as I dream today if it were not for those awkward years in my head.’ 

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Martin Luther King Jr.

A revolutionary leader, a preacher, a powerful speaker, and a tireless advocate for justice and equality, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) led a movement that changed America and inspired the world.  

The leader of the American Civil Rights Movement was assassinated at the age of just 39, but the ideas he preached of justice, non-violence and love as a force for change remain equally as vivid today. And the mastery and impact of his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech earned it the top honours in a list of the 100 best political speeches of the 20^th Century. 

Studying systematic theology at Boston University in 1955, King was struck by Mahatma Gandhi’s campaigns of non-violent resistance against British colonial rule, and how those principles could become the method for mass political action. King would later say, ‘Christ showed us the spirit, and Gandhi showed us the method,’ believing that love and understanding could overcome hatred and injustice.

Fighting segregation whilst enduring arrests and threats following the Montgomery Bus Boycott, King became the symbol of a rising movement. His inspiring speeches stressed that non-violence was not a passive form of resistance: ‘Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.’

Martin Luther King Jr’s rousing ‘I Have a Dream’ speech from 1963

The resulting Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in public places. The following year, after the brutal repression of marchers in Selma, Alabama, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, ensuring the right to vote could no longer be denied. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, becoming the youngest recipient in history at the time. 

King also condemned the Vietnam war and fought for economic justice and the abolition of poverty.

His death was devastating, but his legacy lives on in the streets, schools and memorials that bear his name, and his birthday is honoured as a national holiday in the US.

What Can Children Learn From Martin Luther King Jr. 

Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism and beliefs offer valuable lessons in justice, courage, service, and the value and effectiveness of advocating for peaceful change. 

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Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) was born into slavery. After escaping and gaining her own freedom, she made thirteen trips back to rescue other enslaved people, including her family and friends. She used a network called the Underground Railroad, a secret system of paths and safe places set up in the United States in the early to mid-1800s.

In 1859, Republican US Senator William H. Seward sold Harriet a small piece of land in Auburn, New York, which not only became a safe place for her family and friends, but also served as a safe home for Black Americans looking for a better life in the North.

During the Civil War, Harriet became the first woman to lead an armed attack during the Civil War. She guided three steamboats around Confederate mines in the water; more than 750 enslaved people were rescued in the Combahee River Raid. In her later years, Harriet travelled to cities to speak out for women’s voting rights, using the sacrifices of women throughout history as proof that the sexes are equal. 

What Can Children Learn From Harriet Tubman 

Harriet exemplified courage by risking her life repeatedly to help others achieve freedom. Her bravery is a powerful reminder that even in the face of danger, standing up for justice is vital. Her commitment to helping others find freedom serves as an inspiring example of selflessness and compassion. 

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Find out more about the lives of these and other inspirational Black people with our Little People BIG DREAMS books, revealing the childhoods which formed them, and giving an overview of their struggles, achievements and legacy. Discover iconic musicians such as Rihanna, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Bob Marley; sports stars such as Simone Biles, Usain Bolt and Lewis Hamilton, and political figures including Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris.