Wilson, August: - August Wilson (1945-2005) is the most influential and successful African American playwright. A two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author, his plays have been produced all over the world.

Morrison, Toni: - Toni Morrison (1931-2019) was a renowned American novelist and editor. Her work revolves around the varied nature of the Black American experience, past and present. Her novels include The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon (National Book Critics Circle Award), and Beloved (Pulitzer Prize). Among her accolades are the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature, selection for The National Endowment for the Humanities' Jefferson Lecture, the National Book Foundation's Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Barack Obama. Morrison was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2020.