Obama trails only King in poll on influential African Americans

President Obama has come an amazingly long way in recent history, but he still trails Martin Luther King Jr., in a new survey of history's most influential African-Americans.

TheGrio.com, which describes itself as "a website devoted to the news, opinions, and contributions of black people in America and around the world," assembled a panel of experts to determine the 25 most influential African-American leaders of all time.

The nation's first African-American president rated high, but not the highest, TheGrio.com reported: "President Barack Obama is the only living leader included among the Top 10. He is ranked a very close second to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."

Of Obama, the editors said:

This result is nothing short of extraordinary given that President Obama is a relatively young leader who only became known to a national American audience in the past four years.

Many of the experts on this panel have written critically of various aspects of his presidency. All of the experts on this list are deeply knowledgeable of the long trajectory of black struggle in America and the many personalities who have been part of it.

His presence among these giants of black political history is indicative of the symbolic and substantive importance of his presidency despite his often-embattled administration.

King, however, "is clearly the consensus choice of this group," TheGrio.com reported:

King never held elected office. He was harshly criticized in his own lifetime both by the American public and by some members of his own community. Although he was still a very young man at the time of his assassination, his contributions shine forth as a signal, extraordinary legacy of leadership and achievement.

TheGrio.com Top 10 African-American leaders from history:

1. Martin Luther King Jr.
2. Barack Obama
3. W.E.B. Du Bois
4. Thurgood Marshall
5. Malcolm X
6. Frederick Douglass
7. Harriet Tubman
8. Rosa Parks
9. Ida B. Wells-Barnett
10. Ella Baker