From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

African Americans are a demographic minority in the United States. African-Americans' initial achievements in various fields historically establish a foothold, providing a precedent for more widespread cultural change. The shorthand phrase for this is "breaking the color barrier."^[1][2]

In addition to major, national- and international-level firsts, African-Americans have achieved firsts on a statewide basis.

19th century

• 1868

First elected African-American lieutenant governor: Oscar Dunn, Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana

• 1872

First African-American governor of Louisiana: P. B. S. Pinchback (Also first in U.S.) (Non-elected; see also Douglas Wilder, 1990)

20th century

• 1918

First African American elected to political office on the West Coast: Frederick Madison Roberts, California State Assembly

• 1966

First African American woman Texas state senator: Barbara Jordan

First African American appointed to New York State Board of Regents: Kenneth Bancroft Clark

• 1967

First African-American woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar: Marian Wright Edelman

• 1969

First African American elected mayor of a Mississippi city since Reconstruction: Charles Evers, in Fayette, Mississippi^[3]

• 1979

First African American elected to a statewide office in Illinois: Roland Burris, office of Comptroller

• 1980

First African-American Speaker of the California State Assembly: Willie Lewis Brown, Jr.

• 1990

First African-American governor of Virginia: Douglas Wilder (Also first elected governor in US; see also P. B. S. Pinchback, 1872)

21st century

• 2002

First African-American Lieutenant Governor of Maryland: Michael Steele

• 2004

First African-American Oklahoma Supreme Court justice: Tom Colbert

• 2006

First African American elected governor of Massachusetts: Deval Patrick

First African-American Lieutenant Governor of New York: David Paterson

• 2008

First African-American woman elected Speaker of the California State Assembly: Karen Bass (also first state assembly speaker in U.S.)

First African-American governor of New York State: David Paterson (elected as lieutenant governor, succeeded on resignation of previous governor)

• 2009

First bicameral state legislature to have both chambers headed simultaneously by African Americans: Peter Groff and Terrance Carroll of Colorado.

See also

African American portal

• List of first African American mayors

Footnotes