The National Black Network became the first coast-to-coast radio network fully owned by Black Americans on July 2, 1973. The NBN was the brainchild of white media executive Robert Pauley, who eventually handed over the idea to a trio of Black executives. Pauley, a president of both ABC Radio and Mutual Broadcasting System, looked for […]
Samuel J. Battle became the NYPD’s first Black police officer on June 28, 1911 in a swearing-in ceremony, going on to break other barriers as well. After nearly derailing his life as a teenager, Battle was determined to prove his doubters wrong. Battle was born January 16, 1833 in New Bern, N.C. As a teenager, […]
Vernon D. Jarrett was a pioneering Chicago journalist and education advocate who for over five decades stood as a pillar for excellence in Black journalism. Jarrett was born on June 19, 1918 in Salisbury, Tenn. Jarrett attended Knoxville College on a football scholarship, graduating in 1941. In 1946, he began his journalism career in Chicago […]
It has only been a mere 15 years since Phylicia Rashad made Tony Awards history. On June 6, 2004, she became the first Black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her role in A Raisin In The Sun. Rashad, a native of Houston, Texas and a graduate […]
The late Will Robinson was a pioneering basketball head coach who achieved a pair of significant firsts. He was the first Black head coach for a Division I NCAA basketball program, and the first Black basketball high school head coach in the state of Michigan. Robinson was born June 3, 1911 in Wadesboro, N.C., and […]
Loretta Lynch made history in April 2015 when she was sworn in as the United States Attorney General, becoming the first Black woman to do so. The North Carolina native was born May 21, 1959. Lynch was born in the city of Greensboro, entering Harvard University after high school and earning a bachelor’s degree in […]
Harold Ford Sr. owns the distinction of being the first Black politician to represent the state of Tennessee for the U.S. Congress. The Memphis native was born May 20th, 1945. Ford was raised in the West Junction neighborhood in South Memphis. He followed in the footsteps of his undertaker father by joining the family business […]
Some serious Black girl magic at West Point.
Although there are varying accounts, James Derham is recognized as American’s first Black physician. His exact birthday isn’t known but some historians list May 2, 1762 as the date. Derham was born into slavery in Philadelphia, Penn., and was owned by several doctors across the region. One doctor taught Derham to read, write, and how […]
Mary Mahoney made history by becoming the first Black woman to complete nursing training in America in 1879. The Boston, Mass. native was born May 7, 1845, although some sources state April 16 as her birthday. Mary Eliza Mahoney worked as a private-duty nurse at Boston’s New England Hospital for Women and Children for many […]
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A banking executive and former highway commissioner won Tuesday’s runoff for Little Rock mayor, becoming the first African-American elected to lead Arkansas’ capital six decades after it was the center of a school desegregation crisis. Frank Scott, 35, defeated Baker Kurrus in the runoff election for the nonpartisan, open seat. […]
Andre Ware made college football history on December 2, 1989 when he won the coveted Heisman Trophy. The University of Houston Cougars star was the first Black quarterback to ever win the award. Born July 31, 1968 in Galveston, Texas, Andre Ware was a quarterback for Dickinson High School. Only a handful of schools were […]
