African American Firsts
Activism
Sports

Olympians

Jazz
100

The first African American elected president of the United States.

Who is Barack Obama?

100

He gave the "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C, in 1963.

Who is Martin Luther King?

100

In 1947 he integrated Major League Baseball.

Who is Jackie Robinson?

100

She set a new American record for most gold medals in gymnastics at a single Olympics Games.

Who is Simone Biles?

100

This American trumpeter and vocalist is among the most influential figures in jazz.

Who is Louis Armstrong?

200

The first African American Supreme Court justice.

Who is Thurgood Marshall?

200

After the murder of George Floyd, this group led a worldwide protest of police brutality toward Black people.

Who is Black Lives Matter?

200

He is the greatest scorer in NBA history, with 30.1 points per game.  

Who is Michael Jordan?

200

In the 1968 Olympics Tommie Smith and John Carlos they did this while the American national anthem played.

What is raised their fists?

200

She is considered to be one of the greatest "scat" singers in jazz history.

Who is Ella Fitzgerald?

300

The first African American woman to run for president in 1972.

Who is Shirley Chisolm?

300

This group started the free lunch program that is now used in U.S. public schools.

Who were The Black Panthers?

300

She has won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other woman or man in "open" history.

Who is Serena Williams?

300

Usain Bolt, one of the most decorated sprinters of all time with six gold medals and Bob Marley are from this country.

What is Jamaica?

300

Nicknamed "Lady Day," by a close friend, she was targeted by the FBI for performing the song "Strange Fruit."

Who is Billie Holiday?

400

The first self-made, female African American millionare entrepreneur in the U.S.

Who is Madame C. J. Walker?

400

He led a slave rebellion that resulted in the killing of approximately 55 white people in 1831.

Who is Nat Turner?

400

She was the first Black tennis player to win three major titles: French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open.

Who is Althea Gibson?

400

She set an all-time record as the fastest woman in the world at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Who is Florence Griffith-Joyner or FloJo?

400

He began playing the piano at age 7 and went on to be one of the founding fathers of jazz music.

Who is Duke Ellington?

500

A native Richmond, Virginian who built her wealth here, she was the first woman to own a bank in the United States.

Who is Maggie Lena Walker?

500

She gave her famous "Ain't I a Woman" speech at the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention.

Who is Sojourner Truth?

500

In 1990, he became the first NFL player to also become a Major League Baseball player.

Who is Bo Jackson?

500

In 2012, she was the first woman of color to win gold in the all-around competition at 16 years old.

Who is Gabby Douglas?
500

Etta James' version of this song is a well-known, first dance song at weddings for the celebrated couple. 

"What is At Last?"

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