Black "Firsts" We're Celebrating this Black History Month [Updated]

In January 2023 Wes Moore officially became the first Black governor of Maryland and the third Black person in history to be a governor. In February 2023 he appointed the first Black superintendent of the Maryland state police, Colonel Roland Butler.

Keechant Sewell was appointed by Major Eric Adams of New York City to be the 45th Police Commissioner of the city in 2021. Sewell is the first Black woman to lead the police department.

Mike Grier became the first Black general manager for a Nation Hockey League team in 2022, leading the San Jose Sharks. Grier is a former NHL player and was the first Black player to be born and train exclusively in the United States.

Erin Jackson is the first Black woman to win a gold medal for solo speed skating, winning at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. She won the race with a time of 37.04 for the 500-meter event.

Kamala Harris became the first female and first Black and Asian American Vice President of the United States in January 2021. Prior to the position, Harris was a U.S. Senator and Attorney General for California.

Beyoncé’s 2023 Grammy win for Renaissance made her the first Black woman to win the Best Dance/Electronic Album. The same night she beat the record for the most Grammy awards won in history.

Lebron James beat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the most scoring points in NBA history, with 38,390 points, being three points over Abdul-Jabbar.

Fisk University announced that it would be creating the first HBCU gymnastics team in February 2022. In January 2023, the team competed in its first meet, placing fourth. According to Deadline, a docuseries is being made about the team.

Claudine Gay, who was previously a dean of arts and sciences at Harvard University, was made the 30th president of the Ivy League institution in 2023. She is the first Black woman to be president of the school.

The NFL announced before the 2023 Super Bowl that Autumn Lockwood, a coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, would be the fourth woman and first Black woman to be coaching in a playoff game.

Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson made history by getting the most Emmy comedy nominations for a Black woman in one year. She is also the youngest Black woman to be nominated in the comedy acting category.

Karine Jean-Pierre made history in 2022 as she was named the first Black person and LGBTQ person as the White House press secretary.

Outfielder for the New York Yankees Aaron Judge made a Major League Baseball record in 2022 by having 62 home runs in a season.

Angela Bassett is the first actor to win a Golden Globe for a Marvel movie, after accepting the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) nearly 30 years after winning her first Globe in 1994.

In 2023, Missy Elliot received the huge honor of being the first female hip-hop artist nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

We witnessed the resilient Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn in as the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in early 2022. Prior to the position, Jackson was a U.S. circuit judge in the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals.

The 2023 Super Bowl has for the first time in NFL history two Black starting quarterbacks MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts.

In November 2022, Democratic Congresswoman Summer Lee became the first Black woman elected to Congress to represent Pennsylvania.

Karen Bass was elected as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles in 2022, being the first Black woman to lead the city.