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We're about halfway through Black History Month, so I'd like to celebrate by sharing 10 individuals you might not know about - but who achieved great things.
Here we go
Here we go
Selma Burke:
A celebrated artist whose sculpture provided the basis for the image of President FDR on the dime.
A celebrated artist whose sculpture provided the basis for the image of President FDR on the dime.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala:
The first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization (as of today!)
The first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization (as of today!)
Phillis Wheatley:
The first American slave, the first person of African descent, and only the third colonial American woman to publish a book (Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, 1773).
The first American slave, the first person of African descent, and only the third colonial American woman to publish a book (Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, 1773).
Francisco Menéndez:
Leader of Fort Mose, Florida -- the first legally sanctioned and free African settlement.
He escaped slavery to Spanish Florida. His status as a leader solidified w/ Spanish colonials when he defended St. Augustine from a British attack in 1728.
Leader of Fort Mose, Florida -- the first legally sanctioned and free African settlement.
He escaped slavery to Spanish Florida. His status as a leader solidified w/ Spanish colonials when he defended St. Augustine from a British attack in 1728.
James Derham:
The first African American to formally practice medicine in the US, though he never received an M.D.
While enslaved, he assisted Dr. Robert Dove, who granted his freedom. Derham then opened his own medical practice in New Orleans.
The first African American to formally practice medicine in the US, though he never received an M.D.
While enslaved, he assisted Dr. Robert Dove, who granted his freedom. Derham then opened his own medical practice in New Orleans.
Cathay Williams:
First African-American woman enlistee in the U.S. Army (1866). She enlisted under the name William Cathay and served for 2 years before she was detected because of an illness.
In 2018, a monument bench was unveiled in her honor at the National Infantry Museum.
First African-American woman enlistee in the U.S. Army (1866). She enlisted under the name William Cathay and served for 2 years before she was detected because of an illness.
In 2018, a monument bench was unveiled in her honor at the National Infantry Museum.
Orrin Cromwell Evans:
The first black writer to cover general assignments for a mainstream white newspaper in the US and publisher of All-Negro Comics, the first known comics magazine written and drawn solely by African-American writers and artists.
The first black writer to cover general assignments for a mainstream white newspaper in the US and publisher of All-Negro Comics, the first known comics magazine written and drawn solely by African-American writers and artists.
Maurice Ashley:
In 1999, he became the first black person to attain the title of chess grandmaster. He was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in 2016.
In 1999, he became the first black person to attain the title of chess grandmaster. He was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in 2016.
Deborah Archer:
The first Black person in the 101-year history of the American Civil Liberties Union to be elected its president.
A graduate of Yale, she is a professor at NYU Law School and director of its Civil Rights Clinic.
The first Black person in the 101-year history of the American Civil Liberties Union to be elected its president.
A graduate of Yale, she is a professor at NYU Law School and director of its Civil Rights Clinic.
