Hilton Als

Hilton Als is a writer for The New Yorker and won a Pulitzer Prize in 2016.

Virginia State University

Virginia State University was the 1st fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for blacks, 1882

Charles L. Reason was the 1st black college professor at a predominantly white institution: New York Central College, 1849

Mary Fields was the 1st black woman to work for the United States Postal Service in 1895.

Ebenezer Bassett was the 1st black person to serve as a U.S. diplomat anywhere in the world, 1869.

Robert Johnson is the 1st black male billionaire and founded the Black Entertainment Television (BET).

Nelson Mandela was a black nationalist and the 1st black president of South Africa (1994–99)

Marie M. Daly was the 1st black woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry in the United States.

Jason Collins, 1st male pro athlete to come out in U.S.

Harriet Tubman was the 1st Black Heritage Stamp issued, 1978.