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Over the previous 25 years, also called the brand new millennium, black people have been trailblazing!
From politics to leisure, enterprise to sports activities, these historical past makers have shattered boundaries and set model new precedents for what’s achievable by turning into “firsts.” Their accomplishments are extra than simply private milestones—they characterize progress, perseverance, and the facility of illustration.
As we glance again on the twenty first century up to now, let’s rejoice those that have paved new paths, proving that excellence is aware of no bounds.
Listed below are the groundbreaking Black “firsts” from 2000 to 2025
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Barack Obama — First Black President of the USA (2009)
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Robert L. Johnson — First Black billionaire after promoting BET to Viacom for $3 billion (2001)
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Gabby Douglas — First Black gymnast to win the person all-around Olympic gold medal (2012)
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Billy Porter — First overtly homosexual Black man to win an Emmy for Excellent Lead Actor in a Drama Sequence (2019)
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Dr. Lisa DeNell Cook dinner — First Black lady appointed to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (2024)
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Virgil Abloh — First Black creative director for Louis Vuitton’s menswear line (2021)
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Ketanji Brown Jackson — First Black feminine Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court docket (2022)
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Ursula Burns — First Black lady to steer a Fortune 500 firm, Xerox (2009)
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Ruth Simmons — First Black president of an Ivy League college, Brown College (2001)
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Edward Enninful — First Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue (2017)
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Carla Hayden — First Black Librarian of Congress (2016)
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Laphonza Butler —First overtly lesbian Black lady to serve within the U.S. Senate (2023)
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Kendrick Lamar — First non-jazz, non-classical artist to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music (2018)
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Victor Glover — First Black astronaut as Artemis II Pilot (on monitor to fly to the moon as a part of NASA’s Artemis II mission) (2023)
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Amanda Gorman — First Nationwide Youth Poet Laureate to recite a poem at a U.S. presidential Inauguration (2021)
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Kamala Harris — First Black and South Asian lady elected as Vice President of the U.S (2020)
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Simone Biles — First Black lady to win 4 Olympic gold medals in gymnastics in a single Video games (2016)
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Ibram X. Kendi — Creator of First main heart for antiracist analysis (2020)
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