The 2012 Summer Olympics in London are set to begin this week and many talented African Americans will be representing the United States during the games. Just being chosen to be an Olympian is an honor in and of itself, but it’s especially a moment of honor to have so many blacks carry on the legacy of legendary Olympians like Florence Griffith-Joyner, gymnast Dominique Dawes and the 1992 basketball team, aka, the Dream Team, which consisted of Hall-of-Famers like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and more. Here are some of the athletes who will be carrying the torch in London and hopefully bringing home the gold.

Gabrielle Douglas
The 16-year-old gymnastic powerhouse earned first place at the Olympic trials and is the 2012 U.S. uneven bars champion, the all-around silver medalist and a bronze medalist in floor exercise. Affectionately known as Gabby, she just told E! News that she wanted Gabrielle Union to play her in the movie of her life. Douglas is the one of the main stars of the summer games, and that was made clear by the fact that she just graced one of the covers of TIME magazine (for the week of July 30) and on Sports Illustrated for a preview of the games.

In everyone’s list of  black women that helped define fashion throughout history, there are the persistent regulars. Let’s see: Grace Jones, Dorothy Dandridge, Halle Berry, Lena Horne, Diana Ross and on and on. They’re known best because they were bombshells or they were fashion freaks–I mean that in a good way, Grace Jones. But behind all these big names and the people that count them as their fashion icons, there have been women like you and me, who aren’t all about the over-the-top glitz but about wearing what works for them and them only. They make their own trends. They are the unsung icons of fashion. So here’s a toast to the women who changed your wardrobe, your hair, your makeup and overall style, even though you didn’t realize it.