All of the Groundbreaking and Important Black ‘Firsts’ You Should Know

Black folks have been shattering glass ceilings and raising the bar for the rest of us over the last few years. Here’s a nod to some recent Black “firsts” worth remembering.

Crystal James

Crystal James was named as the first Black woman police chief at the University of Michigan.

Dalila Scruggs

Dalila Scruggs joined the Smithsonian American Art Museum as the first African American Art Curator. Her role named after famed-artist and curator Augusta Savage, marks a brand new frontier for the museum.

Jessica Nabongo

Jessica Nabongo is a woman on a mission! At 39 years-old she became the first Black woman to visit every UN-recognized country in the world!

Victor Glover

Victor Glover is set be the first Black man to ravel around the moon!

Shariah Harris

Shariah Harris, a Philadelphia nurse, is the first Black woman to compete in the U.S. Women’s Polo Championship.

Tassie York

Tassie York, 63, made history as the first Black woman mayor of Neptune Township in New Jersey.

Amanda Ward

Amanda Ward ward sworn-in as the first African-American to serve in the Sullivan County, New York, legislature.

Giselle Byrd

Giselle Byrd, 31, was named the executive director of the Theater Offensive, a highly-respected theater company in Boston dedicated to queer art. Byrd is the first Black trans woman to lead a major theater company in the United States.

Kwamé Ryan

Kwamé Ryan was just named as the first Black music director of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.

Yasmine-Imani McMorrin

Yasmine-Imani McMorrin made history as the first Black woman mayor of Culver City, Calif. on Dec. 11.

Hakeem Jeffries

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) made history as the first Black person to lead a political party in Congress.

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris became the first female and first Black and Asian American Vice President of the United States in January 2021. Prior to the position, Harris was a U.S. Senator and Attorney General for California.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé’s 2023 Grammy win for “Renaissance” made her the first Black woman to win the Best Dance/Electronic Album. The same night, she beat the record for the most Grammy awards won in history.

Lebron James

Lebron James beat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the most scoring points in NBA history, with 38,390 — three points over Abdul-Jabbar.

Fisk Gymnastics

Fisk University announced that it would create the first HBCU gymnastics team in February 2022. In January 2023, the team competed in its first meet, placing fourth. According to Deadline, a docuseries is being made about the team.

Claudine Gay

Claudine Gay, who was previously a dean of arts and sciences at Harvard University, became the 30th president of the Ivy League institution in 2023. She is the first Black woman to be president of the school.

Autumn Lockwood

The NFL announced before the 2023 Super Bowl that Autumn Lockwood, a coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, would be the fourth woman and first Black woman to coach in a playoff game.

Quinta Brunson

“Abbott Elementary’s” Quinta Brunson made history by nabbing the most Emmy comedy nominations for a Black woman in one year. She is also the youngest Black woman to be nominated in the comedy acting category.

Karine Jean-Pierre

Karine Jean-Pierre made history in 2022 when she became the first Black and LGBTQ White House press secretary.

Aaron Judge

Outfielder for the New York Yankees Aaron Judge broke a Major League Baseball record in 2022 by having 62 home runs in a season.

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett became the first actor to win a Golden Globe for a Marvel movie when she accepted the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in 2022, nearly 30 years after winning her first Globe in 1994.

Missy Elliott

In 2023, Missy Elliot received the huge honor of being the first female Hip-Hop artist nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Ketanji Brown Jackson

We witnessed the resilient Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn in as the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in early 2022. Prior to the position, Jackson was a U.S. circuit judge in the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals.

Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts

Super Bowl LVII marked the first time in NFL history we saw two Black starting quarterbacks in the Super Bowl: MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.

Summer Lee

In November 2022, Democratic Congresswoman Summer Lee became the first Black woman elected to Congress to represent Pennsylvania.

Karen Bass

Karen Bass was elected as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles in 2022, becoming the first Black woman to lead the city.

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