These are the first black Americans to realize pioneering

achievements in their fields. With talent and determination, each one

has reinvented not only what it means to be an African American, but
also what it means to ba an america. our list celebrates the first
African Americans to overcome the obstacles of discrimination and
achieve top honors in their fields of endeavor.

1. Marian Anderson
First black member of the Metropolitan Opera Company, in 1955.
2. Halle Berry
First African-American to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, in 2001 for Monster's Ball.
Gwendolyn Brooks
First black to receive a Pulitzer Prize, in 1950.
James Hubert (Eubie) Blake
Composed first Broadway musical written and directed by African-Americans.
Guion Bluford
First African-American astronaut to launch into space, in 1983.

Beyoncé
In October 2003, black artists held all "Billboard" Top Ten chart positions for the first time in pop history. Beyoncé was No. 1.
Benjamin Oliver Davis
First black appointed to the rank of general, in 1940. His son, Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr., was the first black general in the Air
Force.
Ralph Bunche
First African-American to win a Nobel Peace Prize, in 1950.
Shirley Chisholm
First black woman elected to Congress, in 1968 (from Brooklyn to 91st Congress).
Nat King Cole
First back entertainer to host his own show on national television, in 1956.
Elbert Frank Cox
First African-American to earn a PhD in Mathematics, in 1925 (Cornell University).
Frederick Douglass
First black to receive a major US government appointment, in 1877.

Keith Ellison
First Black Muslim elected to U.S Congress, in 2006 from Minnesota.

Althea Gibson
First African-American to play in the US Open, winning the tournament twice, in 1957 and 1958.
Whitney Houston
First artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit number one.
Rita Dove
First black female US Poet Laureate, 1993-1995.
http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/history/african-american-achievements.jsp