Black Firsts
Who was the first Black President of the United States?
Barack Obama
Who is often considered the greatest basketball player of all time and won 6 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls?
Michael Jordan
Who was the 44th President of the United States?
Barack Obama
Who was a NASA mathematician featured in the movie Hidden Figures?
Katherine Johnson
Who became the first Black woman billionaire entertainer?
Rihanna
Who was the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court?
Ketanji Brown Jackson
Who became the first Black female self-made billionaire through her success in beauty and music?
Rihanna
Who was the first Black woman Vice President of the United States?
Kamala Harris
Who invented the three-position traffic signal?
Garrett Morgan
Who is the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress?
Halle Berry
Who was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress?
Shirley Chisholm
Who has won the most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history?
Serena Williams
Who argued the Brown v. Board of Education case before becoming a Supreme Court Justice?
Thurgood Marshall
Who was the first Black woman to travel to space?
Mae Jemison
Who became the first Black artist to win Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards three times?
Stevie Wonder
Who became the first Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company (American Express)?
Kenneth Chenault
Who became the first Black woman to win the all-around gymnastics gold medal at the Olympics?
Gabby Douglas
Who was the first Black Secretary of State?
Colin Powell
Who developed over 300 inventions, including improvements to the light bulb?
Lewis Latimer
Who was the first Black woman to headline Coachella?
Beyonce
Who was the first Black Justice appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court?
Thurgood Marshall
Who became the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl?
Tony Dungy
Who was the first Black woman appointed as U.S. Secretary of State?
Condoleezza Rice
Who is the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States?
Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Who is the first Black woman to serve as editor-in-chief of British Vogue?
Edward Enninful