Alan Bell

Alan Bell was the first black publisher of a mainstream gay publication; Gaysweek, 1977.

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson co-founded Gay Liberation Front in 1969.

Joe Azbell was the black founder and editor of the Air University Dispatch, the official newspaper for the Maxwell Air force base; 1947.

Lisa Perez Jackson is a chemical engineer who in 2008 became the 1st black person of any gender to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest black person to win a Nobel Peace Prize, age 35; 1964.

Jane Bolin 1st black woman to graduate Yale Law School, 1928.

Willie Thrower was the 1st black quarterback to play in the National Football League during the modern (Post- World War II) era; Chicago Bears, 1953.

Pierre Caliste Landry was the 1st black city mayor, Donaldsonville, South Louisiana; 1868.

Alice Coachman first black woman to be selected for an Olympic team and first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, 1948, as a high jumper.

Alice Coachman, high jumper, in 1952 became the first black woman to endorse an international product as a spokesperson for Coca-Cola.