Timeline of African-American firsts

African Americans are an ethnic group in the United States. The first achievements by African Americans in diverse fields have historically marked footholds, often leading to more widespread cultural change. The shorthand phrase for this is "breaking the color barrier".

One commonly cited example is that of Jackie Robinson, who became the first African American of the modern era to become a Major League Baseball player in 1947, ending 60 years of segregated Negro leagues.

Contents

17th century: 1670s
18th century: 1730s–1770s1780s–1790s
19th century: 1800s1810s1820s1830s1840s1850s1860s1870s1880s1890s
20th century: 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s
21st century: 2000s2010s2020s
See alsoNotesReferencesExternal links

17th century

1670s

1670

18th century

1730s–1770s

1738

1746

  • First known African American (and slave) to compose a work of literature: Lucy Terry with her poem "Bars Fight", composed in 1746 and first published in 1855 in Josiah Holland's "History of Western Massachusetts

1760

  • First known African-American published author: Jupiter Hammon (poem "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries", published as a broadside)

1767

1768

1773

1775

  • First African American to join the Freemasons: Prince Hall

1778

1780s–1790s

Phillis Wheatley
Lemuel Haynes

1783

  • First African American to formally practice medicine: James Derham, who did not hold an M.D. degree. (See also: 1847)

1785

  • First African American ordained as a Christian minister in the United States: Rev. Lemuel Haynes. He was ordained in the Congregational Church, which became the United Church of Christ

1792

1793

1794

19th century

1800s

Absalom Jones
John Gloucester
Absalom Boston
Alexander Twilight
James McCune Smith

1804

1807

1810s

1816

1817

  • The First African Baptist Church was the first African-American church west of the Mississippi River. It had its beginnings in 1817 when John Mason Peck and the former enslaved John Berry Meachum began holding church services for African Americans in St. Louis. Meachum founded the First African Baptist Church in 1827. Although there were ordinances preventing blacks from assembling, the congregation grew from 14 people at its founding to 220 people by 1829. Two hundred of the parishioners were slaves, who could only travel to the church and attend services with the permission of their owners.

1820s

1821

1822

  • First African-American captain to sail a whaleship with an all-black crew: Absalom Boston There were 6 black owners of 7 whaling trips before Absalom Boston's in 1822.

1823

1827

1830s

1832

1836

1837

1840s

1845

  • First African-American licensed to practice law: Macon Allen from the Boston bar

1847

1849

1850s

Joseph Jenkins Roberts
Charles L. Reason
Patrick Francis Healy
William Wells Brown
Daniel Alexander Payne
Martin R. Delany
Hiram Revels
Joseph Rainey
John Stewart Rock
Cathay Williams
Ebenezer Bassett
Fanny Jackson Coppin
Mary Eliza Mahoney
Michael A. Healy
Blanche K. Bruce
Moses Fleetwood Walker
Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones
William H. Lewis
W. E. B. Du Bois
Mary Fields
Augustine Tolton
Madam C. J. Walker
Butler R. Wilson

1851

1853

1854

1858

1860s

1861

1862

1863

  • First college owned and operated by African-Americans: Wilberforce University in Ohio (See also: 1854)
  • First African-American president of a college: Bishop Daniel Payne (Wilberforce University)

1864

1865

1866

1868

1869

1870s

1870

1871

1872

1873

1874

1875

  • First African-American Roman Catholic bishop: Bishop James Augustine Healy, of Portland, Maine. (See also: 1854)

1876

1877

1878

1879

1880s

1880

1881

1882

1883

1884

1886

1890s

1890

1891

  • First African-American police officer in present-day New York City: Wiley Overton, hired by the Brooklyn Police Department prior to 1898 incorporation of the five boroughs into the City of New York. (See also: Samuel J. Battle, 1911)

1892

1895

1898

1899

20th century

1900s

1901

1902

1903

  • First Broadway musical written by African-Americans, and the first to star African-Americans: In Dahomey
  • First African-American woman to found and become president of a bank: Maggie L. Walker, St. Luke Penny Savings Bank (since 1930 the Consolidated Bank & Trust Company), Richmond, Virginia

1904

  • First Greek-letter fraternal organization founded by African-Americans: Sigma Pi Phi
  • First African American to participate in the Olympic Games, and first to win a medal: George Poage (two bronze medals)

1906

1907

1908

1910s

1910

1911

1914

1915

1916

1917

1919

1920s

1920

1921

1923

1924

1925

1927

1928

1929

1930s

1930

  • First African American to win a state high school basketball championship: David "Big Dave" DeJernett, star center on an integrated Washington, Indiana team.

1931

  • First African-American composer to have their symphony performed by a leading orchestra: William Grant Still, Symphony No. 1, by Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
  • First African-American woman to graduate from Yale Law School: Jane Matilda Bolin

1932

1933

  • First African-American woman to earn a doctorate in psychology: Inez Prosser

1934

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940s

1940

Hattie McDaniel

1941

  • First African American to give a White House Command Performance: Josh White

1942

Marian Anderson christens the SS Booker T. Washington, the first large oceangoing ship named for an African American.

1943

1944

1945

1946

  • First African American to sign a contract with an NFL team in the modern (post-World War II) era: Kenny Washington

1947

1948

1949

1950s

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960s

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970s

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

  • First African-American broadcast network news anchor: Max Robinson
  • First African-American woman pilot for a major commercial airline: Jill E. Brown, Texas International Airlines
  • First African-American woman to advance to the rank of captain in the Navy: Joan C. Bynum

1979

1980s

1980

1981

1982

1983

  • First African-American astronaut: Guion Bluford (Challenger mission STS-8).
  • First African-American mayor of Chicago: Harold Washington
  • First African-American Miss America: Vanessa L. Williams (A few weeks before the end of her reign as Miss America, Williams learned that Penthouse magazine would be publishing unauthorized nude photographs of her in an upcoming issue. Amid growing media controversy and scrutiny, Williams resigned as Miss America in July 1984 (under pressure from the Miss America Organization) and was replaced by first runner-up Miss New Jersey Suzette Charles, who was also African-American.)
  • First African-American owners of a major metropolitan newspaper: Robert C. and Nancy Hicks Maynard (Oakland Tribune)
  • First African-American artist to have a music video shown in heavy rotation on MTV: Michael Jackson

1984

1985

1986

  • First African-American Formula One racecar driver: Willy T. Ribbs (See also: Ribbs, 1991)
  • First African-American musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in the inaugural class: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, and Little Richard
  • First African-American woman (Shirley A. Ajayi) was given a part for 6 months on a TV show as a psychic in 1986 in Chicago, Illinois. Shirley had to audition with other psychics to get the part. She then was taught marketing at the John Hancock center by her boss who ran the TV show. For safety reasons she was renamed as "Aura!". Bio available-book: "Aura The Ebony Princess."

1987

1988

1989

1990s

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

21st century

2000s

2000

2001

Official portrait of Colin Powell, 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Official portrait of Barack Obama, 2009

2010s

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

  • First African-American CEO of a Major League Baseball team: Derek Jeter

2018

2019

2020s

2020

Official portrait of Kamala Harris, 2021

2021

2022

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-01-23 23:28 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari