Black History Timeline

  • Dr. Mae Jemison

    Dr. Mae Jemison
    In 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison became the first Black woman to go into space. Prior to her career in space,
    she founded served as a doctor in the
    Peace Corps and after her time in
    space, she founded an organization
    that provided space camps for
    students. She has been a trailblazer
    across the STEM world.
  • Toni Morrison

    Toni Morrison
    On October 7, 1993, Toni Morrison becomes the first African American to win the Nobel Prize for literature. The citation praised her as an author "who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality."
  • The Million Man March

    The Million Man March
    The Million Man march was a large gathering of African -American men in Washington, D.C, on October 1995. The goal was unity against economic and social issues afflicting African Americans and attention from the Washington political establishment. This march was held under the leaderhsip of Minister Louis Farrakhan.
  • George Walker

    George Walker
    George Theophilus Walker was an American composer, pianist, and organist, he was also the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music on 1996.
  • Colin Powell

    Colin Powell
    Colin Luther Powell was the first African- American Secretary of State. He was an American politician statesman, diplomat, and a United States Army officer.
  • Halle Berry

    Halle Berry
    Halle Berry was the first African American to win the Academy Award for best actress in 2002 for her portrayal of Letica Musgrove in Monster's Ball.
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture Act

    National Museum of African American History and Culture Act
    On December 16, 2003, President George W. Bush signs legislation to establish the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act.
  • Condoleezza Rice

    Condoleezza Rice
    Condoleezza Rice was nominated for Secretary of State by George W. Bush on November 14, 2004, and was assumed office on January 26, 2005. She served for four years, and left the position on January 20, 2009. She was the first African-American women to serve as Secretary of State.
  • Barack Hussein Obama

    Barack Hussein Obama
    Barack Obama was the first African- American president of the United States, he served as the 44th president from 2009 to 2017.
  • African Burial Grounds

    African Burial Grounds
    A new visitor center opens in New York City, near the rediscovered 17th and 18th century burial grounds of Africans, free and enslaved, who helped create the nation's cultural and commercial capital.
  • George Floyd Protest

    George Floyd Protest
    The George Floyd protests were a series of both peaceful protests and riots against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020.
  • Kamala Harris

    Kamala Harris
    Kamala Harris was the first women and first women of color to become the 49th vice president of the United States.