50 Afro Latino Celebrities: Famous Male and Female People

Afro-Latinos are Latin Americans or Americans with mainly African ancestry. The term Afro–Latin American is not widely used in Latin America outside academic circles. Usually, the afro-latino are called Black and they have spoken for the rights of visibility in their working industries for a long time. They do exist and we will discuss the highlights in their careers in this post. 

1. Cardi B.

Name	Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar
Date of birth	October 11, 1992
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter, actress

Cardi B. was born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar on October 11, 1992 in Manhattan, New York City  & raised in The Bronx, New York City, New York. The rapper’s mom is Trinidadian, while her dad is Dominican. Forbes recognized her as one of the most influential female rappers in the history, Cardi’s famous for her aggressive flow of rap and candid lyrics, which have got widespread media coverage. In 2018, she was included in the annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time.

2. Tessa Thompson

Name	Tessa Lynne Thompson
Date of birth	October 3, 1983
Place of birth	Los Angeles, California, U.S
Occupation	Actress

Tessa Lynne Thompson is an American actress who was born on October 3, 1983 to Marc Anthony Thompson, a singer-songwriter and she is also the granddaughter of actor-musician Bobby Ramos. Away from the theater stage, In 2005, Tessa made her first television appearance when she participated in the CBS series Cold Case. “My mom is a woman of color even though she might not be readily identified as such and I feel like because of that, she always gave me space to explore my identity; get in touch with who I am,” she said during an Essence event.

3. Laz Alonso

Name	Lazaro Alonso
Date of birth	March 25, 1974
Place of birth	Washington, D.C., U.S
Occupation	Actor

American actor Lazaro Alonso was born on March 25, 1974. Theatrically, Laz recently played Carlos Jones in Guy Ritche’s CASH TRUCK, opposite Jason Statham, Josh Hartnett and Holt McCallany. He also starred opposite Paula Patton and Omar Epps in the independent Thriller TRAFFIK. Previously, Alonso starred opposite Patton in the hit romantic comedy JUMPING THE BROOM for Columbia Pictures, for which he received an NAACP IMAGE AWARD for Outstanding Actor In A Motion Picture.

4. Mariah Carey

Name	Mariah Carey
Date of birth	March 27, 1969
Place of birth	Huntington, New York, U.S
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress, record producer

Mariah Carey is an American Actor who was born March 27, 1969 in Huntington, New York to Patrica Hickey, an Irish-American and Alfred Roy Carey, an African-American/ Venezuelan. She attended Greenlawn’s Harborfields High School. Her 1990 self-titled debut, “Mariah Carey” album went multi-platinum and spawned an extraordinary four consecutive #1 singles: “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Someday” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” and led to Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist.

5. Francisco Lindor

Name	Francisco Lindor
Date of birth	November 14, 1993
Place of birth	Caguas, Puerto Rico
Occupation	Professional baseball shortstop

Francisco Lindor is a professional baseball shortstop who was born on November 14, 1993 in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Miguel Angel Lindor and Maria Serrano. He has two names which are “Paquito” and “Mr. Smile ”. He is currently playing for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. A right-handed thrower and switch hitter, Lindor stands 5 feet 11 inches and weighs 190 pounds. He is the third son in the family of 4 children. His career with baseball was inspired by his father, who would hit ground balls from the top of a hill while the young Lindor stood partway down the slope.

6. Jharrel Jerome

Name	Jharrel Jerome
Date of birth	October 9, 1997
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actor, musician

Jharrel Jerome is an American actor and musician, who was born on October 9, 1997. Jharrel was encouraged to pursue acting when he was in eighth grade, after which he joined the Riverdale Children’s Theatre, a local youth theater organization. He went to and graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and commuted to Manhattan each day by train. After releasing his song, he posted a message “Before my life changed, I had no idea I’d want to turn rap from a hobby to a career.

7. Rosie Perez

Name	Rosie Perez
Date of birth	September 6, 1964
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actress, choreographer, dancer, activist

Rosie Perez is an American actress, choreographer, dancer, activist who was born on September 6, 1964 in New York City. She studied in Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, Queens, New York, and enrolled at Los Angeles City College in Los Angeles after that, California. When Spike Lee proposed that she work in his film Do the Right Thing, she agreed. It would be her first major acting role.

8. Maxwell 

Name	Gerald Maxwell Rivera
Date of birth	May 23, 1973
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York, U.S
Occupation	Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer

Gerald Maxwell Rivera was born on May 23, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Along with fellow musicians Erykah Badu and D’Angelo, Maxwell has been credited with helping to shape the “neo soul” movement that went to prominence during the late 1990s. Along with Badu’s Baduizm (1997) and  D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar (1995), Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite has been recognized by people for beginning neo soul’s popularity and helping the genre obtain commercial visibility. Nevertheless, in opposition to D’Angelo, Maxwell was more conventional in his approach on his debut album.

9. Zoe Saldana

Name	Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazari
Date of birth	June 19, 1978
Place of birth	Passaic, New Jersey, U.S
Occupation	Actress

Zoë Yadira Saldaña Nazari was born on June 19, 1978 in Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. The Dominican and Puerto Rican actress has made it big in Hollywood ever since her role as Neytiri in James Cameron’s Avatar. She’s also incredibly proud of being an Afro-Latina. As a Latina, I think we should be very proud of our heritage,” she told Latina magazine. She strongly disagrees with anyone who denies their roots as she said, “We tend to look for European roots and reject the indigenous and the African, and that’s disgusting.”

10. Rosario Dawson

Name	Rosario Dawson
Date of birth	May 9, 1979
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actress

A stunning and resourceful woman Rosario Dawson, who has been primarily a film actress thus far. It was not until recently time, she started to do television. Rosario’s career actually began as a child when she made a minor appearance on the children’s show, Sesame Street. As the story goes, she was “discovered” as an adolescent on her front door by two photographers. One of them, Harmony Korine, was a screenwriter who thought the inexperienced sixteen-year-old girl was ideal for the controversial cult film Kids (1995), in which she would portray a sexually active adolescent.

11. Colman Domingo

Name	Colman Jason Domingo
Date of birth	November 28, 1969
Place of birth	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S
Occupation	Actor, writer, director

In 2022, Colman Jason Domingo got an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor Drama for his play as Ali in the HBO series Euphoria. He started to gain attention for his performance in the role as Mr. Bones in the Broadway The Scottsboro Boys (2011), for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Domingo is openly gay and his husband is Raúl Domingo, they have been married to each other since 2014.

12. Soledad O’Brien

Name	María de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien
Date of birth	September 19, 1966
Place of birth	St. James, New York, U.S
Occupation	Broadcast journalist

An American broadcast journalist and executive producer María de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien was born on September 19, 1966 in St. James, New York. She is the anchor for the morning show of CNN, Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien and special correspondent for CNN/U.S. O’Brien’s newest documentary is Black in America: The New Promised Land – Silicon Valley, a profile of an accelerator program established to diversify the technology industry by helping African-American digital entrepreneurs secure funding for their ventures.

13. Gina Torres

Name	Gina Torres
Date of birth	April 25, 1969
Place of birth	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress

Gina Torres Gina Torres was born on April 25, 1969 in New York City and is the youngest of three children in a close-knit American Cuban family. Went to New York City’s High School of Music and Art, she is a gifted mezzo soprano and was trained in jazz and opera and also sang in a gospel choir. She is an American actress who was known for the starring roles as Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series Firefly from 2002 to 2003 and its feature film sequel Serenity in 2005.

14. Elizabeth Acevedo

Name	Elizabeth Acevedo
Date of birth	February 15, 1988
Place of birth	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Poet, author

Elizabeth Acevedo is a poet and author who was born on February 15, 1988 in New York City, U.S. Following graduation from George Washington University, she went into the classroom as a Teach for America Corps participant in 2010. She kept on teaching eighth grade English in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Although the school’s population was 78 % Latino and 20 % black, she was the first Latino teacher to teach a core subject.

15. Mj Rodriguez

Name	Michaela Jaé Rodriguez
Date of birth	January 7, 1991
Place of birth	Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer

A Dominican-American poet and author Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, who was born on February 15, 1988, in New York City. Following graduation from George Washington University, Acevedo went into the classroom as a Teach for America Corps participant in 2010. She kept on teaching eighth-grade English in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Although the school’s population was 78% Latino and 20% black, she was the first Latino teacher to teach a core subject. Although raised as Catholic, she no longer practices the religion.

16. Miguel

Name	Miguel Jontel Pimentel
Date of birth	October 23, 1985
Place of birth	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, actor

Miguel Jontel Pimentel is an American singer, songwriter, and actor who was born on October 23, 1985 in Los Angeles, California. He started pursuing a music career at age thirteen. As an actor, he is famous for Coco, Think Like a Man and Crazy Rich Asians. He and Nazanin Mandi, an actress since November 24, 2018. Transcendental Meditation, a technique promotes a state of relaxed awareness, creativity, stress-relief, and efficiency, as well as physiological benefits such as reducing the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease is the key of Miguel to balance his lifestyle.

17. Tristan Wilds

Name	Tristan Paul Mack Wilds
Date of birth	July 15, 1989
Place of birth	Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, actor, record producer

Tristan Paul Mack Wilds is a half Dominican, half black actor and singer who was born on July 15, 1989 in Staten Island, New York and has been in the industry for multiple years and is very proud of his roots. He starred in the CW revival 90210, and he opened up about being typecast based on his looks. “I get offered a lot of black roles, because apparently I don’t look Latino enough,” he told the New York Daily News.

18. Swizz Beatz

Name	Kasseem Daoud Dean
Date of birth	September 13, 1978
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter, DJ, record executive, hype man

Kasseem Daoud Dean was born on September 13, 1978. He spent much of his childhood growing up with his mother in the North East Bronx, in which he first encountered hip hop. After obtaining the necessary equipment from his uncles and stepfather, he began deejaying as a teenager and enjoyed a modicum of success. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, due to his repeated involvement in violent behavior at Harry S. Truman High School, he started to work for his uncles, Joaquin (Waah) and Darrin (Dee) Dean, who were co-CEOs of the Ruff Ryders record label.

19. Dascha Polanco

Name	Dascha Yolaine Polanco
Date of birth	December 3, 1982
Place of birth	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Occupation	Actress

Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress who was born on December 3, 1982 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During an interview with The Breakfast Club radio show, Dascha was forced to protect her roots. “I consider myself to be a black woman, and I think a lot of Dominicans should, because from what I see that’s what we are,” the actress said, to which host Charlamagne tha God asked her why she doesn’t just identify as Dominican instead “

20. Joan Smalls

Name	Joan Smalls Rodriguez
Date of birth	July 11, 1988
Place of birth	Hatillo, Puerto Rico
Occupation	Model, television personality

A Puerto Rican model, television personality Joan Smalls Rodriguez,was born on July 11, 1988 to Eric Smalls, an accountant, and is West Indian, of African and Irish heritage, from Saint Thomas and Betzaida Rodríguez, a social worker. The gorgeous Boricua model isn’t just one of the hottest and most successful Latina models in the industry right now, Elle magazine claimed she has “the planet’s most perfect face.” I don’t think anyone would argue with that!

21. Dascha Polanco

Name	Dascha Yolaine Polanco
Date of birth	December 3, 1982
Place of birth	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Occupation	Actress

Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress who was born on December 3, 1982 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During an interview with The Breakfast Club radio show, Dascha was forced to protect her roots. “I consider myself to be a black woman, and I think a lot of Dominicans should, because from what I see that’s what we are,” the actress said, to which host Charlamagne tha God asked her why she doesn’t just identify as Dominican instead. “

22. Don Omar

Name	William Omar Landrón Rivera
Date of birth	February 10, 1978
Place of birth	Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor

William Omar Landrón Rivera is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor who was born on February 10, 1978. He is the oldest child of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. He grew up in Cristo Rey, a barrio of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, specifically in the Villa Altagracia area. When he was a child, he showed his interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC, but never actually followed it. During his childhood, he was an active member of a Protestant church.

23. Tego Calderon 

Name	Tegui Calderón Rosario
Date of birth	February 1, 1972
Place of birth	Santurce, Puerto Rico
Occupation	rapper, singer, actor

Tegui Calderón Rosario is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper and actor. “I started to do music from a black beat, so that blacks can feel proud being black,” the Puerto Rican reggaetonero once said in an interview with NPR. “Thank God my parents are people that are pro-black and are also for the independence of Puerto Rico. I grew up in a house that is very different from others, and I don’t blame people that feel the way they do because they have been sold this. This has been passed down from generation to generation.”

24. La La Anthony

Name	Alani Nicole Vázquez
Date of birth	June 25, 1979
Place of birth	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Television personality, actress

Alani Nicole Vázquez was born on June 25, 1979. This Puerto Rican chic rose from hosting on MTV’s TRL, to getting her own reality TV show, VH1’s La La’s Full Court Life, to payling in Power and even launched her own makeup line. “In my experience, people tend to have an uninformed and rather narrow view of what it means to be Puerto Rican. For me, not looking like some people’s idea of a typical Latina has been challenging and often painful. I constantly find myself trying to justify who I am and why should I?” she wrote in a personal essay for Latina.com.

25. Victor Cruz

Name	Victor Cruz
Date of birth	November 11, 1986
Place of birth	Paterson, New Jersey, U.S
Occupation	Former American football wide receiver

Victor Cruz is an American former football wide receiver who was born on November 11, 1986. His mom is Puerto Rican and his dad was African American. The football star made a name for himself in the football world when he played for the New York Giants. He repped his Puerto Rican side during his games by dancing some salsa every time he scored a touchdown.

26. Christina Milian

Name	Christine Marie Flores
Date of birth	September 26, 1981
Place of birth	Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S
Occupation	Actress, singer, songwriter

Christine Marie Flores was born on September 26, 1981. Everyone has heard of Christina Milian, but most people don’t know that the singer and TV personality is actually 100% Cubana. The mom of an adorable daughter named Violet claims she had a hard time growing up because kids couldn’t figure out what she was. “I was like, ‘Well, Mom what am I? Everyone is asking me what I am’ … she was like ‘Well Christina, you’re Cuban and you’re brown,'” she said in a Mun 2 interview.

27. Tatyana Ali

Name	Tatyana Marisol Ali
Date of birth	January 24, 1979
Place of birth	North Bellmore, New York, U.S
Occupation	Actress, singer

An American actress, singer Tatyana Marisol Ali, was born on January 24, 1979. We all know her as little Ashley Banks from the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But did you know she’s also half-Panamanian? “I remember my mom really trying to have us be bilingual … you know my mom trying to only speak to us in Spanish,” Tatyana told Mun 2. Ali attended Harvard University, where she got a Bachelor of Arts in African-American Government and Studies in 2002. Ali told that her major was political science on the game show The Chase, which aired February 3, 2015.

28. Naya Rivera

Name	Naya Marie Rivera
Date of birth	January 12, 1987
Place of birth	Valencia, California, U.S
Occupation	Actress, singer, model

Naya Marie Rivera is an actress, singer, model who was born on January 12, 1987 in Valencia, California, U.S. Naya is recognized for her efforts on the famous musical comedy-drama series Glee. She soon realized she was, “Too white for the black kids, too black for the Latinos and just generally too all-around other for the white kids.” Rivera dated actor Tahj Mowry from 2000 to 2004, after having a chance to meet shooting a commercial when she was four and later working together on Smart Guy.

29. Yaya DaCosta

Name	Camara DaCosta Johnson
Date of birth	November 15, 1982
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actress, model

Camara DaCosta Johnson was born on November 15, 1982. The half Brazilian model got her big break on America’s Next Top Model and has posed in fashion magazines like Vogue and W. She also has strong views about the way race is perceived within the Latino community. “The world isn’t simply black or white,” she told NBC Latino. “And racism is still prevalent, both in subtle and more insidious ways. My child’s reality will be different from mine, but I think that makes knowing our history that much more important.

30. Sarunas J. Jackson

Name	Sarunas J. Jackson
Date of birth	March 12, 1990
Place of birth	California, U.S
Occupation	Actor, writer

Sarunas J. Jackson is an American actor, writer who was born on March 12, 1990. The Insecure star is half Panamanian and half black and although he’s damn proud of it, he says it hasn’t been easy. Growing up he was only accepted by the black community in his neighborhood and now it even affects his career. “Auditioning for roles isn’t always easy for me.” he told People en Español.

31. Esperanza Spalding

Name	Esperanza Emily Spalding
Date of birth	October 18, 1984
Place of birth	Portland, Oregon, U.S
Occupation	Musician, composer, educator, bandleader

Esperanza Emily Spalding is an American musician, composer, educator and bandleader who was born on October 18, 1984 in Portland, Oregon. She started playing music professionally at a very young age, performing as a violinist in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at five years old.  She later both learned and trained on other instruments, including bass and guitar by herself.

32. Fabolous

Name	Johnathan David Jackson
Date of birth	November 18, 1977
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter

Johnathan David Jackson or better called Fabolous is a rapper and songwriter who was born on November 18, 1977, in New York City, U.S. Growing up in Brooklyn, he first got recognition while being a senior in high school after live performed on American music executive DJ Clue’s radio show, then on Hot 97. Jackson subsequently agreed with DJ Clue’s Desert Storm imprint, and later secured a distribution deal with major-label, Elektra.

33. Amara La Negra

Name	Diana Danelys De Los Santos
Date of birth	October 4, 1990
Place of birth	Miami, Florida, U.S
Occupation	Singer, actress, dancer, author

Diana Danelys De Los Santos is a Spanish bilingual and New York native who began her career at the young age of three years old. After performing in SHINE’s dancing, acting, singing showcases, and modeling Alycia immediately became a successful quadruple threat. She started modeling for brands such as Belks, Neiman Marcus, JCPenney, and became the face of Hearts for Hearts Dolls. After gaining much success in the modeling industry, Alycia began commercial work for Telemundo, Univision, and later had her television debut in NBC’s “Chase” and Gregory Allen Howard’s “The Plug”.

34. Carmelo Anthony

Name	Carmelo Anthony
Date of birth	May 29, 1984
Place of birth	New York City, New York, U.SOccupationProfessional basketball player

Carmelo Anthony is a professional basketball player who was one of the most successful players when he was in his prime time. Carmelo’s dad, Carmelo Iriarte, was a member of the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican social justice group. “It’s something I didn’t know until later when I started doing research on him and what he was into. Talking to my sisters on that side, reading books, and just hearing stories from other people talking about him,” the famous NBA star said.

35. Judy Reyes

Name	Judy Reyes
Date of birth	November 5, 1967
Place of birth	The Bronx, New York, U.S
Occupation	Actress, model, producer

An American actress, model and producer, Judy Reyes was born on November 5, 1967.  When she was asked if she was bothered by her appearance and then she answered “It bothered me, of course it bothered me, because what I look like and what I am, it doesn’t change that I’m a Latina,”. Judy and her ex-husband, writer/director Edwin M. Figueroa had been married for 11 years before they divorced. She and her partner George Valencia have a daughter, Leila Rey Valencia, born on November 27, 2009.

36. Arlenis Sosa

Name	Arlenis Sosa Peña
Date of birth	May 7, 1989
Place of birth	Pepillo Salcedo, Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Occupation	Model

Arlenis Sosa Peña is a Dominican model who was born May 7, 1989, in Pepillo Salcedo, Monte Cristi.. In 2008 she walked into a modeling agency and was signed on the spot! She appeared in the 2008 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and is the current spokesmodel for Lancôme. Her wedding with professional basketball player Donnie McGrath was on a beachside in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in June 2015.

37. Lázaro Ramos

Name	Luís Lázaro Sacramento Ramos
Date of birth	November 1, 1978
Place of birth	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Occupation	Actor, presenter, director, writer, voice actor

Luís Lázaro Sacramento Ramos is a Brazilian actor, presenter, director, writer and voice actor who was born on November 1, 1978, in Salvador, Bahia to Mercedes Araújo and Ademir Araújo. She starred in “Executive Order” and has also dominated Brazilian television since the early 2000s, which is still an extremely rare feat. In Brazil, white-passing actors still dominate the big and small screens.

38. Emayatzy Corinealdi

Name	Emayatzy Evett Corinealdi
Date of birth	January 17, 1995
Place of birth	Fort Knox, Kentucky, U.S
Occupation	Actress

Emayatzy Evett Corinealdi is an American actress who was born on January 17, 1995 in Fort Knox, Kentucky to Rosemarie Hilton, a African-American and Edward Corinealdi, a Panamanian. As a member of a military family, she grew up between Germany and the U.S. states in Kansas, Ohio, and New Jersey. In 2013, Corinealdi appeared in the short film The Door, part of Miu Miu’s fashion series Women’s Tales, which reunited her with her Middle of Nowhere director Ava DuVernay.

39. Taís Araújo

Name	Taís Bianca Gama de Araújo
Date of birth	25 November 1978
Place of birth	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Occupation	Actress, model, television host

Taís Bianca Gama de Araújo is a Brazilian actress, model and television host who was born on 25 November 1978, in Rio de Janeiro to Mercedes Araújo and Ademir Araújo. She starred in “Executive Order” and has also dominated Brazilian television since the early 2000s, which is still an extremely rare feat. In Brazil, white-passing actors still dominate the big and small screens.

40. Indya Moore

Name	Indya Adrianna Moore
Date of birth	January 17, 1995
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actor, model

An American actor and model, Indya Adrianna Moore is of Haitian, Puerto Rican, and Dominican ancestry, also deserve top billing not simply for Afro-Latinx representation but also transgender/LGBTQ representation. She was born on January 17, 1995 in New York City. She is famous for featuring the role of Angle Evangelista in the FX tv series Pose. In 2019, Moore was chosen as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time.

41. Y’lan Noel

Name	Y’lan Noel
Date of birth	August 19, 1988
Place of birth	New York, New York, U.S
Occupation	Actor

Y’lan Noel is an American actor who was born on August 19, 1988. In 2015, Noel landed the role as Daniel King on Insecure. Daniel was described by Noel as being the opposite of him, “I was nervous about playing Daniel. I love being around women…but I’ve always felt a bit awkward, well, insecure, around women I’ve had crushes on. Daniel doesn’t seem to have any of that awkwardness… Daniel’s extremely confident and goes after what he wants.”

42. Celia Cruz

Name	Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso
Date of birth	21 October 1925
Place of birth	Havana, Cuba
Occupation	Singer, actress

Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso was a Cuban singer and actress who was born on 21 October 1925 and died on 16 July 2003. It’s no surprise that fans refer to her as the “Queen of Salsa Music.” The three-time Grammy Award winner shocked the audiences with her electrifying style and soulful songs. Cruz painted herself with colorful wigs, high heels, and bright sequined dresses. Her flamboyant style is so famous that the Smithsonian Institution acquired a pair of her shoes!

43. Jhené Aiko 

Name	Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo
Date of birth	March 16, 1988
Place of birth	Los Angeles, California, U.S
Occupation	Singer, songwriter

Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo was born on March 16, 1988, in Los Angeles, California. Her family used to live in South Los Angeles, but their house burned down when she was seven so they came to near Slauson Avenue around View Park–Windsor Hills, and Ladera Heights where she was homeschooled until high school. Aiko calls her home neighborhood “Slauson Hills”. She is the daughter of Christina Yamamoto and pediatrician Karamo Chilombo (born Gregory Wycliff Barnes). Her parents are divorced. Aiko has seven siblings, three half siblings from her father’s side and four from both her mother and father’s side. Her sister is R&B singer Mila J.

44. Aloe Blacc

Name	Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III
Date of birth	January 7, 1979
Place of birth	Laguna Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, rapper

Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, or better known as Aloe Blacc, is a musician, songwriter, and philanthropist who was born on January 7, 1979 in Laguna Hills, California, U.S. This African-Panamanian performer does more than sing! He received his degree in linguistics and psychology from the University of Southern California. Undoubtedly, these cultural and behaviorism studies are what inspired him to use his dynamic platform to push for positive social and legislative change.

45. Rafael Bou Lemus

Name	Rafael Bou Lemus
Date of birth	1986
Place of birth	Cuba
Occupation	Rapper

Rapper Rafael Bou Lemus usually goes by his stage name: El Individuo. This Afro-Cuban artist uses his mixed heritage for artistic inspiration. His Cuban side encourages him to explore styles like reggae and dancehall while his African ancestry sparks topics of race and self-love.

The lyrics of “Mi Raza” explore El Individual’s personal ethnic history. Listen to this potent song along with his other AfroRazones hip-hop and R&B tracks to discover the flow of underground Latin American rhythm mixed with the beats of Havana. 

46. Skai Jackson

Name	Skai Jackson
Date of birth	April 8, 2002
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actress, youtuber, author

Disney actress Skai Jackson started her acting career at just five years old! She was born on April 8, 2002 in New York City, U.S. She is most famous for her role as Zuri Ross on Disney Channel’s TV series “Jessie.” Nevertheless, you can also find this multi talented teen on YouTube, Liberty Kid, Bunk’d, and Dancing with the Stars! This Afro-Honduran’s debut novel, Reach for the Skai, inspires its readers to follow their dreams. Besides acting, Skai is also a youtuber and author.

47. Jean-Michel Basquiat

Name	Jean-Michel Basquiat
Date of birth	December 22, 1960
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Painter

Jean-Michel Basquiat grew up playing music and painting art while living in Brooklyn with his Puerto Rican and Haitian parents. Throughout his short life, Basquiat managed to make approximately more than 2,000 drawings and 1,000 paintings. He was also a linguist who spoke French, Spanish, and English! This artistic advocate portrayed Black experiences and history through his art. While many of his paintings carry heavy topics and sad stories, they also celebrate Black art, poetry, tradition, and music.

48. Josefina Báez

Name	Josefina Báez
Date of birth	January 1960
Place of birth	La Romana, Dominican Republic
Occupation	Actress

Dominican artist Josefina Báez is an writer, actress, educator, and director. Báez left the Dominican Republic at age 12 to move to New York with her parents. Her bicultural and multilingual experiences greatly influence her artistic work and festival performances. 

For example, she describes home to SX Salon 29 as, “that is that is always present. I prefer to dwell in not what I have lost but what I have gained what it has given me. Migration is not a burden, I am a builder.”

49. Amirah Vann

Name	Amirah Charline Vann
Date of birth	1980
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actress, singer

“How To Get Away with Murder” album Amirah Charline Vann, who identifies as Afro-Puerto Rican, has dominated the small-screen since her breakout role on the highly-praised antebellum set thriller “Underground.” Next, she will be seen in Tyler Perry’s passion project “A Jazz Man’s Blues,” which is set to debut on Netflix in 2022. Hopefully, this catalyzes seeing Vann more regularly on screen.

50. Leslie Grace

Name	Leslie Grace Martínez
Date of birth	January 7, 1995
Place of birth	New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actress, singer, songwriter

Leslie Grace Martínez is an American singer, actress and songwriter who was born on January 7, 1995. She was born to Dominican parents in The Bronx, a borough of New York City. Her mother has a hair salon in South Florida. She was raised in Davie, Florida and attended Indian Ridge Middle School and Western High School, where she participated in musicals, talent shows, and choral performances.