History
When did Black History month become nationally recognized?
1976
Who was the first African American Nobel Peace Prize winner?
Ralph Bunche
Who was the first African American to publish a book of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in 1773?
Phillis Wheatley
Dubbed “Hip-Hop’s First Godmother” by Billboard, this singer and music producer produced the first-ever commercially successful rap record: “Rapper’s Delight,”
Sylvia Robinson
This person helped to found the Gay Liberation Front in 1969. She later co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.) to provide resources, support, and housing for gay, trans, and gender non-conforming people in New York.
Marsha P. Johnson
Which president officially recognized Black History Month?
President Gerald Ford
What is the 2022 Black History Month theme?
Black Health and Wellness
“Bars Fight,” was written by this poet and activist and was the first known poem written by a Black American
Lucy Terry in 1746
This renowned singer and jazz pianist was the first Black American to host a TV show: NBC’s The Nat King Cole Show.
Nat King Cole
This person is an integral organizer of the Journey of Reconciliation in 1947, the first Freedom Ride.
Bayard Rustin
When did the Rosa Parks boycott occur?
1955
Who was the first African-American to win a gold medal at the Olympics?
John Taylor (1908 Men's Medley Relay)
This woman became the first Black woman in America to earn a four-year college degree
Lucy Stanton
The first Black artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year, for 1973’s Innervisions, but the first and only musician to win Album of the Year with three consecutive studio albums.
Stevie Wonder
The first out gay Black person elected to public office after winning his race for Common Council of Albany
Keith St. John
When did Martin Luther King Jr. give his “I Have A Dream Speech”?
September 9th, 1965
When Black History Month was first introduced it was called this.
Negro History Week
Referred to as the "Father of Black History,” he was notably the second African-American to graduate from Harvard University with a doctorate degree, and is credited with being one of the first scholars to study and research the history of African Americans.
Carter G. Woodson
In 1981, this broadcast journalist became the first Black person to host a network morning show when he joined NBC’s Today show.
Bryant Gumbel
The first out gay federal judge in U.S. history when she was sworn in to serve the Southern District of New York after being appointed by President Clinton
4. Deborah Batts
In what city did the National Guard try to prevent nine black students from attending a segregated school in 1957?
Little Rock, Arkansas
The first African American lawyer was who
John Mercer Langston
The first African American to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. Officially nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967, he served as a justice until 1991.
Thurgood Marshall
In 1940, this person became the first Black person to win an Oscar, for her supporting role in Gone With the Wind
Hattie McDaniel
In 2020, voters in New York’s 17th District elected this person to the US House of Representatives, making him one of the first two openly Black LGBTQ members of Congress
Mondaire Jones