Our artist Rob Ball has been very busy! He was commissioned by ESPN to create portraits for 44 of the most influential black Americans in history to honor the end of Obama’s presidency. He created likenesses of famous people of color in politics, the music world, the art world, sports, and more. Rob’s graphic style perfectly captures these dynamic individuals. Here, we’ve picked some of our favorite portraits to share with you. To view them all, please visit The Undefeated.
Barack Obama
Because he was the president of the United States of America
Shirley Chisholm
Because before ‘Yes We Can’ there was ‘Unbought and Unbossed’
Frederick Douglass
Because his voice rose from the horror of slavery to challenge the denial of black humanity
Sojourner Truth
Because of a famous speech amid a lifetime of activism
Malcolm X
Because he was the spark who sought to ignite equality by any means necessary
Katherine Johnson
Because she used numbers to find her voice at NASA. (Go see Hidden Figures!)
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Because without Basquiat, there’d be no graffiti. Without Basquiat, there’d be no Banksy.
Maya Angelou
Because she rose to greatness despite facing some of life’s cruelest hardships
Jimi Hendrix
Because no one can match his genius and Purple Haze
Toni Morrison
Because she believed everyone has a story to tell
Jay Z
Because he’s saving hip-hop while handling his business
Stevie Wonder
Because nobody has uplifted more spirits than him
Serena Williams
Because she’s simply the best
Muhammad Ali
Because he was the greatest, just like he said he was
Michael Jordan
Because it’s gotta be the shoes
Jackie Robinson
Because he was the man who knocked Jim Crow clean out of the park
