Michelle Obama became the first Black first lady of the United States in 2009 with the election of President Barack Obama.

Parks remains a notable activist during the Civil Rights movement, particularly after refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger on a public bus.

Harris became the first woman, the first Black American, and the first Asian American to become Vice President of the United States.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to serve as a judge on the United States Supreme Court.

Jackson is the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal for an individual sport during the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Among numerous accolades, Leslie is also the first woman to make a dunk during the WNBA regular season.

Rice became the first Black woman to be confirmed as the United States Secretary of State.

With 23 Grand Slam titles, she has the most ever recorded titles in the Open Era (since 1968). 

Williams became the first female singles winner to receive equal pay as male winners in the 2007 Wimbledon tournament.

An activist and member of the Black Panther Party, Davis has fought oppression and injustice against marginalized communities.

As of the 2024 Olympics, Simone Biles is the most awarded gymnast of all time.

Copeland was the American Ballet Theatre's first Black principal dancer.

Felix has the most Gold medals for women's track and field in Olympic history.

Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1964 and served in the House of Representatives.

In addition to notable work during the Civil Rights movement, King was a founding member of The King Center and remained committed to her work with nonviolent social justice.

Edelman became the first Black woman to be admitted to the Mississippi state bar.

Bessie A. Buchanan was the first Black woman elected to the New York State legislature in 1954.

Bolin was the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, and later the first Black female judge in the United States.

DuVernay became the first Black female director whose film, Selma, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

Baker was a prominent activist during the Civil Rights era, working with organizations such as the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Patricia was the first Black woman to work as an Ambassador for the United States. Under President Jimmy Carter, she became the first Black woman to serve in a Presidential cabinet.

In 1966, Jordan became the first Black person to hold a seat in the Texas Senate since 1883. 

Braun was the first Black woman elected to the United States Senate in 1993.

To date, Rice is the only person to have worked in the White House as both a National Security Advisor (for President Obama) and Domestic Policy Advisor (for President Joe Biden).

Hamer's career leaves a legacy championing voting registration rights and desegregation.

Not only did she occasionally shy away from gender norms in terms of attire, but her original song "Hound Dog" became instrumental in the foundation of rock and roll music.

DeLarverie was the only female performer in the Jewel Box Revue, a racially integrated drag show. It’s widely believed that she threw the first punch at the Stonewall Uprising.

A member of the NAACP, Clark advocated for literacy and political education during the Civil Rights Movement.

An activist and feminist throughout the 1960s and 1970s, she notably coordinated the Harvard Pee-In in 1973 to protest the lack of women's restrooms at Harvard once women were permitted to take admittance exams.

Bowser was the first Black woman to create her own primetime television series with the sitcom Living Single.

With a career spanning decades, Goldberg is one of the very few artists to have earned EGOT status (winning an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Academy Award, and a Tony Award).

Amelia Boynton Robinson was the first Black woman from Alabama to run for United States Congress. She was an activist who helped fight for equal voting rights for Black people. 

Elliott is the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Richardson was a legendary activist and the first woman to lead the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee, a Civil Rights group.

A pioneer of desegregation, Motley wrote the initial complaint in Brown v. Board of Education.

Queen Latifah is the first hip-hop artist to have a star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Height worked her way to becoming president of the National Council of Negro Women, dedicating her life's work to the Civil Rights Movement.

Ash is a professional ballerina, with credits including soloist and principal roles in the New York City Ballet.

Colvin was one of the first Black women (a teen at the time) to refuse to give up her seat for a white passenger, months before Rosa Parks.

Ruby Bridges Hall was the first Black student to desegregate a New Orleans elementary school in 1960. 

In 1939, Anderson became the first Black singer to perform with the Metropolitan Opera.

A renowned sculptor and artist, Savage became the first African American member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors in 1934.

At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Curtis became the first Black athlete ever to represent the United States as a skeleton athlete.

McDaniel was the first Black actor to win an Academy Award at the 1940 ceremony.

Dunham was a dancer and choreographer who specialized in fusion dance techniques that blended Afro-Caribbean styles, while also advocating against racial injustices. 

A mezzo-soprano opera singer, Conrad was one of the first Black students admitted to the University of Texas.

A stunning ballerina, Johnson was one of the founding members of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Rainey's experiences singing helped craft Blues music and popularize it among audiences.

In 2002, Berry became the first Black actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Nicknamed the "Queen of Soul," Franklin was an accomplished soul singer whose work led to numerous Grammy Awards and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In 1969, Carroll became the first Black actor to earn an Emmy nomination.

Kitt was an actress and singer who achieved several acting nominations throughout her career and won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work on The Emperor's New School.

Smith was a popular blues and jazz singer who, at one point, became the highest-earning Black performer during her time.

Beyoncé, one of the most influential entertainers of our time, currently holds the record for the most Grammy Award wins, with 35. She is a cultural and revolutionary phenomenon. 

Jackson's upbringing in the church influenced her gospel career, bringing it to mainstream audiences after appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956.

Holiday was one of the leading jazz singers of the 1930s and 1940s, and in 1937 became one of the first Black singers to tour with the Count Basie Orchestra.

A legendary jazz singer, Fitzgerald was the first-ever vocalist recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship.

In 1954, Dandridge became the first Black woman to receive an Academy Award nomination.

In 1948, Coachman became the first Black woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

Gibson became the first Black woman to play in the U.S. Women's Open in 1963.

Rudolph made history at the 1960 Olympic Games, winning gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter races, and breaking the 100-meter world record.

After being rejected by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because of her race, Johnson went on to become the only woman to pitch in the Negro Leagues.

Durham became the first Black woman to win the U.S. Senior All-Around National Championship title in gymnastics in 1983.

In 2025, Love helped the United States win its first World Cup gold of the season in Women's Monobob. She set a start record and track record in the process!

In 2026, Edwards became the first Black woman to play for the U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey team.

Winfrey is the first Black woman to become a billionaire. Her media empire is one of the most recognizable brands in the whole world.

One of the wealthiest Black women, Johnson co-founded BET in 1979, which was later sold to Viacom.

Porter's career helped revamp the Dewey Decimal Classification system away from simply categorizing books by Black authors or on Black topics as solely based on slavery or colonization.

After being promoted to CEO of Xerox in 2009, she made history as the first Black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company. 

Not long after co-founding the country's oldest Black collegiate newspaper, Hurston became a well-known writer and anthropologist during the Harlem Renaissance.

A journalist and activist, Dunnigan was the first Black woman correspondent to cover the White House and other government establishments.

Brooks was the first Black poet to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Angelou made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller written by a Black woman. Her work is legendary, and she helped shape popular Black culture in America. 

The Supremes included Diana Ross, Florence Balllard, Mary Wilson, and Betty McGlown (later replaced by Barbara Martin). Their album Supremes A’ Go-Go made Number 1 on Billboard’s 200 list, a first-time achievement for a female group.

Hansberry is noted as having written the first play by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway.

A legend, Morrison is the first Black woman writer to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. Her works are among the most revered writings in the U.S.

A prominent science-fiction writer focusing on futuristic societies, Butler became the first sci-fi writer to be awarded a MacArthur Foundation fellowship in 1995.

Naylor was prominent writer with numerous publications and works throughout literature, film and stage. 

Rollins was the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in dental surgery and to practice dentistry in the United States.

Although she grew up in New York, Brown became the first Black female surgeon in the South.

Daughter of the enslaved Martha Webb, Elizabeth Carter Brooks became the first Black student to graduate from New Bedford’s Harrington Normal School for Teachers, and the first Black public school teacher in the town. 

Williams was the first-ever Black woman to be crowned Miss America. 

Bethune paved the way for women fighting for civil rights by founding the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. She was appointed by FDR as the Director of the National Youth Administration's Office of Minority Affairs in 1935, becoming the first Black woman to lead a federal agency.

Dr. Alexander was a trailblazer who became the first Black person to earn a Ph.D. in economics. 

Lena Horne was both an actress and a Civil Rights activist. She was one of the first few Black women to sign a long-term contract with MGM studios in Hollywood.

A highly esteemed mathematician, West is credited with paving the way for the creation of GPS. 

One of the most recognizable models of a generation, Iman made history as the first Black model to sign under contract with Revlon’s makeup brand Polished Ambers. 

Among many teaching achievements, Simmons is the first Black person to become President of an Ivy League university. 

As a supermodel, Banks became the first Black woman to grace several magazine covers and also became the first Black Victoria’s Secret Angel. 

A stellar legend, Jemison became the first Black woman to travel to space. 

This iconic rap group became the first female rappers to earn both gold and platinum certification for their 1986 album Hot, Cool, & Vicious. 

With her work on the 2018 film Black Panther, she became the first Black costume designer to win an Academy Award.

Considered one of the greatest female boxers of all time, Ali maintained an undefeated 24-0 record by the time she retired in 2007. 

The 1988 Winter Olympics saw history being made. Thomas was the first Black person to win a medal for the United States at the Winter Olympic Games.

Campbell was the first Black woman to grace the covers of TIME and French Vogue.

Waithe became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for co-writing an episode of the series Master of None.

One of the greatest voices of all time, Whitney Houston's debut album was the first by a female artist to chart three No. 1 Billboard hits.

In 2016, Manuel became the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle swim. 

Turner was one of only three women who've been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice during their career.

This track star has a still-standing record for the fastest women's 200-meter run from the 1988 Summer Olympics.