List of African-American firsts

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See also: List of first African-American mayors for most mayor listings

African Americans are a demographic minority in the United States. African-Americans' initial achievements in various fields historically establish a foothold, providing a precedent for more widespread cultural change. The shorthand phrase for this is "breaking the color barrier."^[1][2]

One commonly cited example is that of Jackie Robinson, who became the first African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era, after years of resistance to Black players by Caucasian team-owners and the existence of the segregated Negro Leagues.^[3]

Contents
18th century 19th century: 1820s • 1830s • 1840s • 1850s • 1860s • 1870s • 1880s • 1890s 20th century: 1900s • 1910s • 1920s • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s 21st century References

[edit] 18th century

• 1761

First known African-American author: Jupiter Hammon (poem "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries", published as a broadside)

• 1770s

Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, popularly known as "The Father of Chicago", was the first known settler in the area which is now Chicago, Illinois.

• 1773

First known African-American woman to publish a book: Phillis Wheatley (Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral)

• 1777

First known African-American church congregation: The First Colored Baptist Church, renamed First African Baptist Church (Savannah), Georgia. This claim is contested by a church in Virginia and the Silver Bluff Baptist Church in Aiken County, South Carolina.

• 1778

First African-American U.S. military regiment: the 1st Rhode Island Regiment

• 1783

First African American to formally practice medicine in the U.S.: James Derham, who did not hold an M.D. degree (See also: 1847)

• 1792

First major African-American Back-to-Africa movement: 1,200 slaves who escaped to settle in Settler Town, Sierra Leone.

• 1793

First African Methodist Episcopal Church established: Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church

[edit] 19th century

[edit] 1820s

• 1821

First African American to hold a patent: Thomas L. Jennings^[4]

• 1823

First African American to receive a degree from an American college: Alexander Twilight (See also: 1836)

• 1827

First African-American owned-and-operated newspaper: Freedom's Journal

[edit] 1830s

• 1836

First African American elected to public office and to serve in a state legislature: Alexander Twilight (See also: 1823)

• 1837

First African-American doctor: Dr. James McCune Smith from the University of Glasgow, Scotland) (See also: 1783, 1847)

[edit] 1840s

• 1845

First African American licensed to practice law in the United States: Macon Allen from the Boston bar ^[5]

• 1847

First African-American to graduate from a U.S. medical school: Dr. David J. Peck^[6] (Rush Medical College) (See also: 1783, 1837)

First independent African-American nation and first African-American president of any nation: Joseph Jenkins Roberts, Liberia

• 1849

First African-American university professor: Charles L. Reason

[edit] 1850s

• 1853

First novel written by an African American: Clotel; or, The President's Daughter, by William Wells Brown.^[7][8][9]

• 1854

First institute of higher learning created specifically to educate African Americans: Ashmun Institute, renamed Lincoln University in 1866.

• 1856

First university owned and operated by African Americans: Wilberforce College

• 1858

First play written by an African American is published: The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom by William Wells Brown

• 1859

First African-American female novelist, and first African American ever to publish a novel in the U.S.: Harriet E. Wilson (1825-1900)^[8]

[edit] 1860s

• 1861

The Confederate 1st Louisiana Native Guard was the first of any North American military unit to have African-American officers^[10].

• 1865

First African-American field officer in the U.S. Army: Martin Delany

First African-American attorney admitted to the bar of the US Supreme Court: John Sweat Rock

• 1866

First recorded African-American woman in the U.S. Army: Cathy Williams

• 1868

First elected African-American lieutenant governor: Oscar Dunn (Louisiana)

• 1869

First African-American United States diplomat: Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett, minister to Haiti

[edit] 1870s

• 1870

First African American to vote in an election under the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting voting rights regardless of race: Thomas Mundy Peterson

January: First African American elected to U.S. Congress: Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels (Republican, Mississippi)^[11]

December: First African American elected to U.S. House of Representatives: Joseph Rainey (Republican, South Carolina)^[12]

• 1872

First African-American governor (non-elected): P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana (See also: Douglas Wilder, 1990)

First African-American nominee for Vice President of the United States: Frederick Douglass by the Equal Rights Party.^[13]

• 1876

First African American to earn a doctorate degree: Edward Alexander Bouchet (Yale College Ph.D., physics; also first African-American to graduate from Yale, 1874)

• 1877

First African-American graduate of West Point and first African-American commissioned officer in the U.S. military: Henry Ossian Flipper.

• 1879

First African American to graduate from a formal nursing school: Mary Eliza Mahoney

[edit] 1880s

• 1881

First African American whose signature appeared on U.S. paper currency: Blanche K. Bruce, Registrar of the Treasury.

• 1884

First African American to play professional baseball at the major-league level: Moses Fleetwood Walker. (See also: Jackie Robinson, 1947)

• 1885

First African-American woman to hold a patent: Sarah E. Goode

• 1886

First African-American Roman Catholic priest: Augustine Tolton

[edit] 1890s

• 1891

First African-American police officer in present-day New York City: Wiley Overton, hired by the Brooklyn Police Department seven years before the 1898 incorporation of the five boroughs into the City of New York.^[14] (See also: Samuel J. Battle, 1911)

• 1892

First African-American to sing at Carnegie Hall: Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones

• 1895

First African American to earn a doctorate degree (Ph.D.) from Harvard University: W.E.B. Du Bois

• 1896

First African American appointed to serve as U.S. Army Paymaster Richard R. Wright ^[15]

[edit] 20th century

[edit] 1900s

• 1901

First African American invited to dine at the White House: Booker T. Washington

• 1902

First African-American professional basketball player: Harry Lew (New England Professional Basketball League) (See also: 1950)

• 1903

First Broadway musical written by African Americans, and the first to star African Americans: In Dahomey

• 1904

First Greek-letter fraternal organization established by African Americans: Sigma Pi Phi

• 1906

First intercollegiate Greek-letter organization established by African Americans: Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ), at Cornell University

• 1908

First African-American heavyweight boxing champion: Jack Johnson

First African-American Olympic gold medal winner: John Taylor (track and field medley relay team). (See also: William DeHart Hubbard, 1924)

First intercollegiate Greek-letter sorority established by African Americans: Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑKΑ)

• 1909

First African-American scholar to address the American Historical Association: W.E.B. Du Bois

[edit] 1910s

• 1910

First African-American millionaire: Madame C. J. Walker

• 1911

First African-American police officer in New York City: Samuel J. Battle, following the 1898 incorporation of the five boroughs into the City of New York, and the hiring of three African-American officers in the Brooklyn Police Department. Battle was also the NYPD's first African-American sergeant (1926), lieutenant (1935), and parole commissioner (1941).^[14] (See also: Wiley Overton, 1891)

• 1916

First African-American football player to play in the Rose Bowl game: Fritz Pollard for the Brown University Bruins; also first African-American football player named to a College Football All-America Team (the Walter Camp All-American football team)

• 1917

First African-American police officer killed in the line of duty: Robert H. Holmes in New York City

First African-American woman to win a major sports title: Lucy Diggs Slowe, American Tennis Association

[edit] 1920s

• 1920

First African-American NFL football players: Fritz Pollard (Akron Pros) and Bobby Marshall (Rock Island Independents)

• 1921

First African-American woman to become a pilot, first American woman to hold an international pilot license: Bessie Coleman

First African-American NFL football coach: Fritz Pollard, co-head coach, Akron Pros, while continuing to play running back

First African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in the U.S.: Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Ph.D. in Economics from University of Pennsylvania

• 1924

First African-American to win individual Olympic gold medal: William DeHart Hubbard (Long jump, 1924 Summer Olympics, Paris). (See also: John Taylor, 1908)

• 1925

First African-American Foreign Service Officer: Clifton R. Wharton, Sr.

• 1926

First African-American woman to receive a degree (Ph.D.) from Yale University: Otelia Cromwell, who had previously been the first African-American graduate of Smith College.

• 1928

First post-Reconstruction African-American elected to U.S. House of Representatives: Oscar Stanton De Priest (Republican; Illinois)

[edit] 1930s

• 1932

First African-American on a presidential ticket in the 20th century: James W. Ford (Communist Party USA, vice-presidential candidate running with William Z. Foster)

• 1934

First African-American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat: Arthur W. Mitchell (Illinois)

• 1935

First known interracial jazz group: Benny Goodman Trio (Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa)^[16]

• 1936

First African-American to conduct a major U.S. orchestra: William Grant Still (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

• 1937

First African-American federal magistrate: William Henry Hastie (later the first African-American governor of the United States Virgin Islands)

[edit] 1940s

• 1940

First African American to win an Academy Award: Hattie McDaniel (Best Supporting Actress, Gone with the Wind, 1939)

First African American to be portrayed on a US. postage stamp: Booker T. Washington

First African-American U.S. Army general: Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.

• 1941

First African American to give a White House Command Performance: Josh White

First African American to achieve the rank of U.S. Army brigadier general: Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.

• 1942

First African American to be awarded the Navy Cross: Dorie Miller

• 1944

First African-American commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy: The "Golden Thirteen"

First African-American commissioned as a U.S. Navy officer from the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps: Samuel Gravely. Gravely was also the first African American to command a U.S. Navy warship (1962), and the first promoted to the rank of admiral (1971).

• 1945

First African-American member of the New York City Opera: Todd Duncan

First African-American U.S. Marine Corps officer: Frederick C. Branch

• 1947

First African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era: Jackie Robinson (Brooklyn Dodgers). (See also: Moses Fleetwood Walker, 1884)

• 1948

First African-American man to receive an Academy Award: James Baskett (Honorary Academy Award for his portrayal of "Uncle Remus" in Song of the South, 1946) (See also: Sidney Poitier, 1964)

First African-American U.S. Navy aviator: Jesse L. Brown

First African-American composer to have an opera performed by a major U.S. company: William Grant Still (Troubled Island, New York City Opera)

First African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal: Alice Coachman

• 1949

First African-American graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy: Wesley Brown

First African American to hold rank of Ambassador of the United States: Edward R. Dudley, ambassador, and previously minister, to Liberia (See also: 1869)

[edit] 1950s

• 1950

First African American to win Pulitzer Prize: Gwendolyn Brooks (Book of poetry, Annie Allen, 1949)

First African American to win Nobel Peace Prize: Ralph Bunche

First African-American NBA basketball players: Earl Lloyd (Washington Capitols), Chuck Cooper (Boston Celtics), and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton (New York Knicks)^[17] (See also: 1902)

First African-American star of a network television show: Ethel Waters, Beulah

First African-American woman to compete on the world tennis tour: Althea Gibson

• 1952

First African-American woman elected to a United States state senate: Cora Brown (Michigan)

• 1953

First African-American basketball player to play in the NBA All-Star Game: Don Barksdale

• 1954

First African-American US Navy Master Diver: Carl Brashear

First African-American woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress: Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones, 1954). (At that time, nominations were announced in November of the year of release, instead of early the following year.)

First individual African American subject on the cover of Life magazine: Dorothy Dandridge

• 1955

First African-American member of the Metropolitan Opera: Marian Anderson

First African-American male dancer in a major ballet company: Arthur Mitchell (New York City Ballet; also first African-American principal dancer of a major ballet company (NYCB), 1956.^[18] (See also: 1969)

• 1956

First African-American male star of a network television show: Nat King Cole, The Nat King Cole Show

First African-American Wimbledon tennis champion: Althea Gibson (doubles, with Englishwoman Angela Buxton); also first African-American to win a Grand Slam event (French Open).

• 1957

First African-American assistant coach in the NFL: Lowell W. Perry (See also: 1966)

• 1958

First African-American flight attendant: Ruth Carol Taylor (Mohawk Airlines)

• 1959

First African-American Grammy Award winners: Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie (two awards each)^[19]

[edit] 1960s

• 1960

First African-American child to attend a white school in Louisiana: Ruby Bridges Hall (born Ruby Nell Bridges)^[20]

First African-American Presidential candidate: Rev. Clennon King, on the Independent Afro-American party

• 1961

First African American to win the Heisman Trophy: Ernie Davis

• 1962

First African-American coach in Major League Baseball: John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil (Chicago Cubs)

First African-American male professional wrestler to win a world heavyweight championship: Bobo Brazil (NWA)

• 1963

First African-American bank examiner for the United States Department of the Treasury: Roland Burris

First African American in a televised commercial: Wisk Detergent.^{[citation needed]}

First African American named as Time magazine's Man of the Year: Martin Luther King, Jr. ^[21]

First African American police officer of the NYPD to be named a precinct commander: Lloyd Sealy, commander of the NYPD's 28th precinct in Harlem.^[22]

• 1964

First movie with African-American interracial marriage: One Potato, Two Potato,^[23] actors Bernie Hamilton and Barbara Barrie, written by Orville H. Hampton, Raphael Hayes, directed by Larry Peerce

First African-American man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor: Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field, 1963) (See also: James Baskett 1948)

• 1965

First African-American title character of a comic book series: Lobo (Dell Comics).^[24] (See also: The Falcon, 1969, and Luke Cage, 1972)

First African-American star of a network television drama: Bill Cosby, I Spy (co-star with Robert Culp)

First African-American Playboy Playmate centerfold: Jennifer Jackson (March issue)

First African-American U.S. Air Force general: Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. (three-star lieutenant general)

First African-American female Ambassador of the United States: Patricia Roberts Harris, ambassador to Luxembourg

First African-American NFL official: Burl Toler, field judge/head linesman

• 1966

First African-American mayor of a U.S. city: Robert C. Henry, (Springfield, Ohio, appointed by city commission)

First African-American model on the cover of a Vogue (British Vogue) magazine: Donyale Luna

First post-Reconstruction African-American elected to the U.S. Senate (and first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote): Edward Brooke (Republican; Massachusetts)

First African-American Cabinet secretary: Robert C. Weaver (Department of Housing and Urban Development)

First African-American major league umpire: Emmett Ashford

First African-American NFL broadcaster: Lowell W. Perry (CBS, on Pittsburgh Steelers games) (See also: 1957)

First African-American Fire Commissioner of a major U.S. City: Robert O. Lowery of the New York City Fire Department.

• 1967

First African American elected mayor of a large U.S. city: Carl B. Stokes (Cleveland, Ohio)

First African American appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States: Thurgood Marshall

First African American selected for astronaut training: Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr.

First African American to win a PGA Tour event: Charlie Sifford (1967 Greater Hartford Open Invitational)

• 1968

First African-American woman elected to U.S. House of Representatives: Shirley Chisholm (Democrat; New York)

First African-American man to win a Grand Slam tennis event: Arthur Ashe (US Open)

First African American to start at quarterback in the modern era of professional football: Marlin Briscoe (Denver Broncos, AFL).

First African-American interracial kiss on network television: actors Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner ^[25]

First African-American commissioned officer awarded the Medal of Honor: Riley L. Pitts

First fine-arts museum devoted to African-American work: Studio Museum in Harlem

First African American woman as Presidential candidate: Charlene Mitchell (See also: Shirley Chisholm, 1972)

• 1969

First African-American superhero: The Falcon, Marvel Comics' Captain America #117 (Sept. 1969).^[24] (See also: Lobo, 1965 and Luke Cage, 1972)

First African-American graduate of Harvard Business School: Lillian Lincoln

First African-American director of a major Hollywood motion picture: Gordon Parks (The Learning Tree)

First African-American founder of a classical training school and company of ballet: Arthur Mitchell, Dance Theatre of Harlem (See also: 1955)

[edit] 1970s

• 1972

First African American to campaign for the U.S. presidency in a major political party: Shirley Chisholm (Democratic Party) (See also: 1968)

First African-American superhero to star in own comic-book series: Luke Cage, Marvel Comics' Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972).^[24] (See also: Lobo, 1965, and The Falcon, 1969)

First African-American interracial kiss in a mainstream comics magazine: "The Men Who Called Him Monster", by writer Don McGregor (See also: 1975) and artist Luis Garcia, in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics magazine Creepy #43 (Jan. 1972)

First African-American interracial male kiss: Sammy Davis Jr. and Carroll O'Connor in All in the Family^[26]

• 1973

First African American to hold the plant manager position at a U.S. automobile company: Lowell W. Perry.

First African American elected Mayor of Los Angeles, California: Tom Bradley

First African-American Bond Girl in a James Bond movie: Gloria Hendry (as Rosie Carver), Live and Let Die.

First African-American Bond villain: Yaphet Kotto, playing Mr. Big/Dr. Kananga, Live and Let Die.

First African-American comic-book creator to receive a "created by" cover-credit (Midnight Tales #1): Wayne Howard

First African-American woman mayor of a U.S. metropolitan city: Doris A. Davis, Compton, California

First African-American artistic director of a professional regional theater: Harold Scott (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park)

• 1974

First African-American model on the cover of American Vogue magazine: Beverly Johnson

• 1975

First African American elected mayor, and first mayor, of Washington, D.C.: Walter Washington

First African-American manager in Major League Baseball: Frank Robinson (Cleveland Indians)

First African-American four-star general: Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr.

First African-American women named as Time magazine's, Person of the Year: Barbara Jordan and Addie L. Wyatt ^[27]

First TV-series cast with African-American interracial couple: The Jeffersons, actors Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker as Tom & Helen Willis; series creator: Norman Lear

First African-American model on the cover of ELLE magazine: Beverly Johnson

First African American to win Super Bowl MVP in NFL: Franco Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers). Of mixed heritage, Harris was also first Italian American to win the award.

First African-American game show host: Adam Wade (CBS' Musical Chairs)

First African-American interracial kiss in a color comic book: Amazing Adventures #31 (July 1975), feature "Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds", characters M'Shulla Scott and Carmilla Frost, by writer Don McGregor (See also: 1972) and artist P. Craig Russell

• 1976

First African-American woman Broadway director: Vinnette Justine Carroll (Your Arms Too Short to Box with God)

First African-American woman elected officer of international labor union: Addie L. Wyatt

• 1977

First African American, and first woman, appointed director of the Peace Corps: Carolyn R. Payton.

First African-American woman in the U.S. Cabinet: Patricia Roberts Harris, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

First African-American woman whose signature appeared on U.S. currency: Azie Taylor Morton, the 36th Treasurer of the United States

• 1978

First African-American broadcast network news anchor: Max Robinson (ABC World News Tonight)

• 1979

First African American and first person ever to win the Emmy Award Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries: Esther Rolle

[edit] 1980s

• 1983

First African-American astronaut: Guion Stewart "Guy" Bluford, Jr. (Challenger mission STS-8).^[28]

First African-American mayor of Chicago: Harold Washington

First African-American Miss America : Vanessa L. Williams

First African-American WWE Tag Team Champions : Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas

• 1984

First African-American to win a U.S. presidential primary/caucus: Jesse Jackson (Louisiana, the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Virginia and one of two separate Mississippi contests).

First African-American New York City Police Commissioner: Benjamin Ward

• 1985

First African American to become a member of the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels precision flying team: Donnie Cochran. Cochran was also the first African American to command the team (1994).

• 1986

First African-American Formula One racecar driver: Willy T. Ribbs^[29] (See also: Ribbs, 1991)

• 1987

First African-American woman, and first woman, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Aretha Franklin

• 1988

First African-American woman elected to a U.S. judgeship, and first appointed to a state supreme court: Juanita Kidd Stout

First African American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics (a bronze in figure skating): Debi Thomas

First African-American quarterback to start in the Super Bowl: Doug Williams

First African-American NFL referee: Johnny Grier

• 1989

First African-American mayor of New York City: David Dinkins

First African-American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Colin Powell

[edit] 1990s

• 1990

First elected African-American governor: Douglas Wilder (Democrat; Virginia) (See also: P.B.S. Pinchback, 1872)

First African-American Miss USA: Carole Gist

First African-American Playboy Playmate of the Year: Renee Tenison

• 1991

First Afican-American nominated for a Best Director Academy Award. John Singleton for Boyz N The Hood

First African-American woman mayor of a major U.S. city: Sharon Pratt Kelly (Washington, D.C.)

First African-American to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 auto race: Willy T. Ribbs (See also: Ribbs, 1986)

• 1992

First African-American World Heavyweight Champion of wrestling for a major promotion (World Championship Wrestling): Ron Simmons

First African-American woman astronaut: Dr. Mae Jemison M.D. (Space Shuttle Endeavour)

First African-American woman elected to U.S. Senate: Carol Moseley Braun (Democrat; Illinois)

First African American to manage a Major League Baseball team to a World Series Championship: Cito Gaston (Toronto Blue Jays)

• 1993

First African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature: Toni Morrison

First African-American woman named Poet Laureate of the United States: Rita Dove, also the youngest person named to that position

First African American appointed Surgeon General of the United States: Jocelyn Elders

• 1994

First African-American woman director of a major-studio movie: Darnell Martin (Columbia Pictures' I Like It Like That)

• 1996

First African-American U.S. Navy four-star admiral: J. Paul Reason^[30]

• 1997

First African American to win a Grand Slam event in golf: Tiger Woods (The Masters)^[31]

First African-American model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition: Tyra Banks

• 1998

First African American appointed U.S. Secretary of Labor: Alexis M. Herman

First African-American WWE Champion: The Rock

First African-American woman to hold the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy: Lillian Fishburne

• 1999

First African American to be awarded the International Grandmaster title in chess: Maurice Ashley

[edit] 21st century

• 2001

First African-American Secretary of State: Colin Powell

First African-American president of the Unitarian Universalist Association: Rev. William G. Sinkford

First African-American president of an Ivy League university: Ruth J. Simmons at Brown University, also the first permanent female president of Brown.

First African-American woman to win the ASCAP Pop Music Songwriter of the Year award: Beyoncé Knowles

First African-American woman to be appointed National Security Advisor: Condoleezza Rice (See also: 2005)

First African-American billionaire: Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television

• 2002

First African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress: Halle Berry (Monster's Ball, 2001)^[32]

First African-American Winter Olympic gold medal winner: Vonetta Flowers (two-woman bobsleigh). (See also: Shani Davis, 2006)

• 2004

First African American to win Broadway theater's Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play: Phylicia Rashad

• 2005

First African-American woman appointed Secretary of State: Condoleezza Rice (See also: 2001)

• 2006

First African-American individual Winter Olympic gold medal winner: Shani Davis (men's 1,000 meter speed skating) (See also: Vonetta Flowers, 2002)

First African-American interracial gay kiss on network television: Taye Diggs and Eric McCormack in Will & Grace.^[33]

First African-American Extreme Championship Wrestling champion: Franklin Lashley a.k.a. Bobby Lashley

First African American elected governor of Massachusetts: Deval Patrick

First African American to command a United States Marine Corps division: Walter Gaskin

• 2007

First African-American NFL head coaches in Super Bowl: Tony Dungy (Indianapolis Colts) and Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears), Super Bowl XLI. Dungy's Colts won.

First known African-American woman to reach the North Pole: Barbara Hillary^[34]

• 2008

First African-American to receive enough delegates to be the presumptive Presidential nominee of a major party: Barack Obama^[32]

First African American to referee a Super Bowl game: Mike Carey (Super Bowl XLII)

First African-American woman elected Speaker of a state House of Representatives: California Rep. Karen Bass

First African-American governor of New York State: David Paterson

[edit] References