Clint Hale

Although historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Rosa Parks laid the groundwork for bridging the gap between races, other modern-day pop-culture figures have helped to further that movement. Here are five present-day celebrities who I  think are helping change the face of America.
 

WILL SMITH
PROFESSION: Actor/hip-hop star
ACCOLADES: Two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role ..... In 1988, won the first Grammy in the rap category ..... has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide ..... has had seven consecutive films open at No. 1 at the American box office.
THE 210 TAKE: Smith's movies don't simply appeal to black moviegoers. They appeal to all moviegoers, as evidenced by him carrying a film like “I Am Legend” to a $77.2 million opening weekend — the largest December opening ever.

OPRAH WINFREY
PROFESSION: Talk show host/actress/book critic/magazine publisher/philanthropist
ACCOLADES: Has been labeled by CNN and Time as “arguably the world's most powerful woman” ..... Her show is the highest-rated talk show in television history ..... Nominated for an Academy Award in 1986 for her performance in “The Color Purple.”
THE 210 TAKE: No one has more pull with suburban housewives than Oprah (see sales of any book featured in her book club). She's even taken to political advocacy with her endorsement of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, which brings to mind one question. Why doesn't Oprah just run for president?

TIGER WOODS
PROFESSION: Professional golfer
ACCOLADES: Winner of 13 professional major golf tournaments ..... currently No. 1 in the world golf rankings ..... Has finished first on the PGA Tour earnings list for the past three years ..... Four-time Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.
THE 210 TAKE: When you can earn the title of “world's best athlete” as a golfer, where obesity and chain-smoking aren't exactly deterrents to success, you know you've accomplished something. Plus, Tiger — as a young black male — is excelling in a sport where old white men are as common as unplanned Spears pregnancies.

EMINEM
PROFESSION: Rapper/producer/ part-time actor
ACCOLADES: Oscar winner in 2003 for Best Original Song (“Lose Yourself”) ..... Nine-time Grammy Award winner ..... Nine-time MTV Video Music Award winner ..... more than 70 million rap albums sold worldwide.
THE 210 TAKE: The first white rapper since Vanilla Ice to be taken seriously in hip-hop. OK, scratch that. Rather, Marshall Mathers is the first white rapper ever to be taken seriously among those in the predominantly black hip-hop community.