No one can understand the value of freedom as the African Americans do. They were led into slavery by whites and kept as petty slaves by land owners deprived of any rights. It took some time for the black to fathom their true potential as human beings deserving of equal respect, rights and social standing in the society. Gradually the idea grew stronger in their minds giving them a new purpose in life that propelled them in the direction of success. Some African Americans became great discoverers and scientists others found ways to expand their financial resources throughout the world and eventually gained success. It might have been surprising to find billionaire African Americans in the last century. However, the twenty-first century is teeming with the richest African Americans.

Topping the list of richest black in the world is a woman, Oprah Winfrey. She is one of the seven African American billionaires, known for her extensive work in electronic media. Being a television host, producer and actress, Winfrey receives a great praise for her work on television. She came to success with her hit talk show People are Talking, which ran for almost a decade in 1970s. After that she produced her own famous talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which turned out to be a global phenomenon. Furthermore, she uses her celebrity for philanthropic work around the world. Forbes magazine, the trademark magazine that exclusively features rich public figures includes Winfrey among the world’s most powerful women quite often. Her net worth stands at 2.9 billion dollars.

Next in line of the richest African American is the America’s beloved basketball player Michael Jordan. He is considered the greatest basketball player of all time, winning a number of titles representing Chicago Bulls in National Basketball Association (NBA). His popularity graph spiked with his outstanding performance which in turn rendered NBA’s popularity to grow throughout the globe. Most of what he makes came from multifarious endorsements such as brands and