Arthur Mitchell

Arthur Mitchell first black dancer with New York City Ballet, 1955.

Patricia Bath

Patricia Bath invented the first device used for laser cataract surgery, 1981.

Nadja West, first black Army Surgeon General, 2015.

Hiram Rhodes Revels was the 1st black to serve in the U.S. Congress when elected to the U.S Senate as a Republican; Mississippi, 1870-71.

Benny Goodman Trio was the 1st known interracial jazz group, 1935

Nadja West, first Army black female Lieutenant General, 2015.

Don Barksdale was the 1st black basketball player to play in the NBA All-Star Game, 1953.

Ilhan Omar born first Muslim woman to serve in Congress, 2018. 1st Somalian-American representative in 2016, from Minnesota.

Evelyn Dove was a black British singer and actress, often compared to an a contemporary of Josephine Baker.

Eric Holder is the 1st black U.S. attorney general, 2009.