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Game Changers - This Black History Month, BET.com celebrates the contributions of notable Black people from all over the world who have done their part to change the course of history. —Naeesa Aziz 

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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Johnson Sirleaf is the 24th president of Liberia and the first woman to lead the highest political office of any African nation. She is known for her advocacy on behalf of women and her commitment to building peace in her previously war-torn nation. In 2011, Johnson Sirleaf won a joint Nobel Peace Prize for her work supporting the non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.(Photo: REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly)

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Josephine Baker - The fabulous Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer and actress who found fame and fortune in France after being stifled by the racial discrimination of the United States. Baker eventually used her fame as a platform to bring world awareness to the evils of racism and discrimination.(Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)

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W.E.B. DuBois - DuBois was a scholar, author, civil rights activist and Pan-Africanist whose writings and philosophies about race relations have influenced people around the world.He was the first African-American to earn a doctorate in the U.S., attending Harvard University, and was one of the co-founders of the NAACP.(Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)

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Barack Obama - Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States and the first African-American to ever hold the office.(Photo: Pete Souza/White House)

Photo By Photo: Pete Souza/White House

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Oprah Winfrey - Oprah Winfrey is an internationally recognized media mogul and philanthropist. In 2007, Winfrey opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa.(Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

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Kwame Nkrumah - Kwame Nkrumah served as the first president of the West African nation of Ghana and was one of the founding members of the Organization of African Unity (predecessor of the African Union) Nkrumah was an outspoken proponent of Pan-Africanism and welcomed many African-American expatriates such as Dr. Maya Angelou and W.E.B. DuBois.(Photo: Evening Standard/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Evening Standard/Getty Images

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Nelson Mandela - Nelson Mandela served as South Africa’s first president and is an internationally known peace activist. Mandela is credited with being a pivotal figure in South Africa’s fight for independence from the apartheid regime.(Photo: PIERRE VERDY/AFP/Getty Images)

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Julius Malema - Malema is a South African politician and the former president of the African National Congress Youth League. His spirited politics have made him an outcast in many established circles, but have also helped him garner support from more radical youth. He has been an outspoken proponent for nationalization of the country’s mainly white-owned mines.(Photo: Reuters)

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Martin Luther King Jr. - Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most prominent civil rights leaders of all time. His belief in using non-violent methods of resistance has inspired freedom movements all over the world. In 2011, King was honored by the U.S. when he became the first African–American to receive a memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  (Photo: Newsmakers/Getty Images)

Photo By Landov

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Wangari Maathai - Wangari Maathai was a renowned Kenyan environmentalist, human-rights activist, feminist and Nobel Peace Laureate. She founded the Green Belt Movement, an organization that uses tree planting to spark community involvement in environmental conservation, raising awareness of the link between environmental degradation and poverty.(Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

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Malcolm X - Malcolm X was a minister, human rights activist and a prolific public speaker. After many years in the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X urged African-Americans to change the focus of Black militancy to human rights for all. Malcolm X founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity and was invited to represent African-Americans at the convening of the Organization of African Unity(Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)

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Marcus Garvey - Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican journalist, entrepreneur and Pan–Africanist. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League and was a champion of the Back to Africa Movement.(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

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John Archer - Archer was the first Black mayor of London. He fought for Black rights, attended the Pan-African Congress organized by W.E.B. DuBois in 1919 and continued to play a critical role in future meetings.(Photo: Public Domain)

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Shirley Chisholm - Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black female presidential candidate from a major U.S. political party. She used her office to improve the educational and professional opportunities available to minorities. (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images