Notable UNCF Alumni

Samuel L. Jackson, actor. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader. Dr. Ruth Simmons, first black president of an Ivy League school. These are just three of the noteworthy individuals who have attended one or more of UNCF’s 37 member institutions.

To find out who else has attended an UNCF-member institution, read on.
Allen University
Mary Lee Alexander-Johnson—Educator
Honorable Joe Ellis Brown—Retired State House of Representative, South Carolina

Benedict College
Dr. Leroy T. Walker—First African-American President, U.S. Olympic Committee
Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson—International President, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Bennett College
Dr. Susie Powell—Emmy Award winning playwright
Jen-ai Pridgeon-Childress—Author of children’s books

Bethune – Cookman University
A. Philip Randolph—Civil rights activist
Larry Little—Former NFL player for San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins

Claflin University
Ernest A. Finney, Jr.—First African American to serve as chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court
Cecil Williams—Noted photographer, publisher, author and artist

Clark Atlanta University
James Weldon Johnson—Writer of the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”
Jacque Reid—Journalist

Dillard University
Dr. Ruth Simmons—Former President, Brown University and first African American to head an Ivy League university
Ellis M. Marsalis Jr.—World-renowned Jazz Musician

Edward Waters College 
Barbara Lang—Former President, Washington D.C. Chamber of Commerce
Betty Holzendorf—Former Florida, State Representative

Florida Memorial University
Norma Ely—FAA, Air Traffic Manager
Simone Fitzcharles—Lawyer, Partner in the Litigation and Insolvency and Restructuring Groups

Huston-Tillotson University
Dr. James Harris—Nuclear Chemist
Honorable Azie Taylor Morton—Treasurer of the United States

Fisk University
U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA)
Kim Whitley—Actress
Mandisa—Grammy award winning recording artist

Interdenominational Theological Center
Bishop Charles E. Blake—Presiding Bishop, Church of God in Christ
Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.—Pastor, theologian, author

Jarvis Christian College 
Woody Wilson—Distinguished celebrity clothing designer
Michelle Stimpson—Author of Boaz Brown, Divas of Damascus Road, The Good Stuff, Trouble in My Way and Breaking Bondage to Biscuits.

Johnson C. Smith University
Pettis Norman—Former NFL player
Dr. Bertha Maxwell Roddey—Former educator and former president, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

Lane College
Jacoby Jones—NFL player WR Baltimore Ravens
Jesse Tyson—President and CEO,  National Black MBA Association

LeMoyne-Owen College
Marion Barry—Former Mayor of Washington, DC
W.W. Herenton—First elected African American Mayor, City of Memphis, TN

Livingstone College
George E. Battle, Jr.—Sr. Bishop AME Zion Church
Elizabeth Duncan Koontz—First Black President, National Educator Association

Miles College
Richard Arrington—First African American mayor of Birmingham
U. W. Clemons—Federal Judge

Morehouse College
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—Civil rights leader
David Satcher, MD—Former U.S. Surgeon General
Samuel L. Jackson—Actor