Emlen Tunnell

Emlen Tunnell was the 1st black player for the New York Giants and the first black to be in the NFL’s Hall of Fame, 1967

Sharon Pratt Kelly

Sharon Pratt Kelly was the 1st black woman to serve as mayor of a major American city, Washington, D.C. 1991.

Colin Powell was the nation’s 1st black secretary of state, serving from 2001 to 2004 under President George W. Bush

Amy Sherald 1st black woman artist commissioned for U.S. 1st lady portrait to be displayed in Smithsonian. 2018

Bill Russell was the 1st black coach in National Basketball Association history, for the Boston Celtics, 1966

Carol Moseley Braun was the 1st black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, Illinois, 1992

Thomas L. Jennings was the 1st black to hold a patent for a dry-cleaning process, 1821

Mary Jane Patterson (1840-1894) was the 1st black woman to earn a B.A, Oberlin College in 1862. BlackHistoryEveryday.com

Ghana was the 1st African state to achieve independence from British colonialism.

Kofi Annan was the 1st black secretary of the United Nations.