Breaking glass ceilings, organizing clubs, and making history as the first in their fields, these trailblazing Black women paved the way for new generations. From Nettie Craig Asberry, founder of the Tacoma NAACP, to Dr. Dolores Silas, now honored by a school bearing her name, these women forged a path amid adversity. Black women were crucial to the war effort, working as Rosies at Boeing during World War II, and in the post-war years, Seattle musicians like Edyth Turnham and Her Knights of Syncopation were in high demand. These teachers, scientists, and politicians served on boards, led protests, and fought for civil rights across the state. Join author and historian Marilyn Morgan as she chronicles the incredible lives and contributions of Washington's Black women.

A celebration of achievement, accomplishments, and pride! The first African American president, U.S. senator, and the first black lawyer in the Department of Education. The first black chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first African American commissioned officer in the Marine Corps. The first black professors in a variety of fields. The first African American advertising agency. The first African American Olympian. The first black pilot for a scheduled commercial airline. The first recorded slave revolt in North America. The first African American cookbook writer. Revel and rejoice in the renowned and lesser-known, barrier-breaking trailblazers in all fields—arts, entertainment, business, civil rights, education, government, invention, journalism, religion, science, sports, music, and more. Black Firsts: 500 Years of Trailblazing Achievements and Ground-Breaking Events, Fourth Edition bears witness to the long and complex history of African Americans! Expanded, updated, and revised for the first time in over eight years, Black Firsts collects more than 500 all-new achievements and previously unearthed firsts. This massive tome proves that African American accomplishments are wide-ranging and ongoing, documenting thousands of personal victories and triumphs. Who was the first black American depicted on a postage stamp? (1940 Booker Taliaferro Washington) Who was the first African American bookseller? (1834 David Ruggles, New York City) Where was the first black car dealership? (1941 Edward Davis, Detroit, Studebaker) When was the first black-owned company listed on a major stock exchange? (1971 Johnson Products) Who was the first black U.S. senator? (1870 Hiram Rhoades [Rhodes] Revels, Mississippi) Who was the African American columnist who won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary? (1989 Clarence Page) Who was the U.S. Supreme Court’s first black justice? (1967 Thurgood Marshall) Who first broke the color barrier to become a flight attendant? (1958 Ruth Carol Taylor) Who became the first black to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point? (1877 Henry Ossian Flipper) Which model was the first black to grace Sports Illustrated cover? (1997 Tyra Banks) Who became the American Medical Association’s first black president? (1995 Lonnie Bristow) What is the oldest surviving black church in America? (The African Meeting House, built in 1806 and known as the Joy Street Baptist Church, in Boston) Who became the first black pitcher to win a World Series game? (1952 Rookie of the Year, Joe Black, of the Brooklyn Dodgers) Who was the first regularly recognized black physician in the United States? (1780s James Durham [Derham]) Who was the first black actress to receive an Emmy Award? (1969 Gail Fisher) Who became the first black professional football player? (1904 Charles W. Follis) What was first short story published by a black woman in the United States? (1859 Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s “The Two Offers”) Who was the black explorer who joined the Lewis and Clark expedition? (York) Who was the first black lawyer to argue a case before the Supreme Court? (1880 Samuel R. Lowery) Which two songs by black Americans were the first to be send out of the solar system? (1977 Chuck Berry’s song “Johnny B. Goode” and Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” on Voyager I) What famous inventor and agronomist has a national monument named after him in Diamond, Missouri? (1960 George Washington Carver) What movie featured the first black female lead in a Disney animated feature? (2009 “The Princess and the Frog” starred Anika Noni Rose) Who was the first black American to win a gold medal in the women’s all-around final competition.? (2012 Gabrielle “Gabby” Christina Victoria Douglas) Who were the Tuskegee Airmen and why are they so famous? (1941 The U.S. Congress established the first combat unit for blacks in the Army Air Corps with a training facility for black airmen, known as the Tuskegee Airmen, located at Tuskegee Institute, Alabama) Who participated in the first armed encounter of the American Revolution and later became the first black to receive an honorary master's degree? (Lemuel Haynes) Who was the author of a book of poetry that won the first Pulitzer Prize awarded to a black American? (1950 Gwendolyn Brooks for “Annie Allen”) What was the first black record company? (Pace Phonograph Company established 1921 by Henry Pace) Who was the black hero who sacrificed himself at the Boston Massacre, an event that would help inspire the American Revolution? (1770 Crispus Attucks) Who was the first black entertainer to host his own talk show on national television? (1989 Arsenio Hall) Who was the first African American to lead the NASA space program? (2009 Charles Frank Bolden Jr.) Who was the first black American to win the Nobel Peace Prize? (1944 Ralph Johnson Bunche) Who was the first black American athlete to win an Olympic gold medal? (1908 John Baxter “Doc” Taylor Jr. winner of the 4 X 400-meter relay in London) Which inventor had the first patent granted an African American? (1872 Elijah McCoy) Who was the first African American to win a Grammy Award? (1959 Count [William] Basie) Who is thought to be the United States’ first black millionaire? (1890 Thomy Lafon, New Orleans real estate speculator and moneylender) Who was the first black named Association of College and Research Librarian of the Year? (1985 Jessie Carney Smith) Which black first sang a principal role with the Metropolitan Opera? (1955 Marian Anderson) When was the first black judge appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals? (1966 Spottswood Robinson) Which black artist was the first to be featured in a solo exhibit at New York’s Museum of Modern Art? (1937 William Edmondson) When was the first black mayor of Dallas elected? (1995 Ron Kirk) Who was the first elected black chairman of Republican National Convention? (1884 John Roy Lynch) Who was the first known black to graduate from an American college? (1823 Alexander Lucius Twilight received a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College in Vermont) With more than 350 photos and illustrations, this information-rich book also includes a helpful bibliography and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. This vital collection will appeal to anyone interested in America’s amazing history and resilient people.

Impressive! Innovative! Influential! Discover and celebrate the amazing stories and achievements of 120 of America’s most inspiring women! Women have accomplished incredible things throughout American history. They’ve made and changed history. They've contributed revolutionary new ideas and moved science forward. Their inventions, businesses, literature, art, and activism helped build the nation. They've succeeded in a whole host of professions, including media, medicine, politics, government, education, sports, and the military. Trailblazing Women! Amazing Americans Who Made History shines a welcome light on some of America's most remarkable women and their enduring stories and amazing accomplishments. This fun and fascinating read covers the long history of America's heroic women. It brings you the biographies of some of America's boldest and bravest. Read about obstacles they overcame and how they flourished. It covers the lasting legacies of well-known and lesser-known stars, including ... As a young child, she sang solos and duets with her Aunt Mary at the Union Baptist Church and by the age of 6 was earning money singing at local functions throughout her hometown of Philadelphia. (Marian Anderson (1897–1993), Singer) She made headlines when she became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in the science of geology from the elite Baltimore research university, Johns Hopkins. (Florence Bascom (1862–1945), Geologist) She said about the “me too” movement she founded: “When one person says, ‘Yeah, me, too,’ it gives permission for others to open up.” (Tarana Burke (1973–), Civil Rights Activist) The nation’s first four-star woman general has a long family history of U.S. military service—going back five generations. (Ann E. Dunwoody (1953–), Army Officer) When this celebrated U.S. Supreme Court justice served on the high court with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as one of only two women justices, she and O’Connor decided to wear special collars on decision days to carve out their visual space in a sea of black robes and ties. (Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020), Attorney, U.S. Supreme Court Justice) She made many discoveries in physics, but the most important was identifying the “magic numbers” that make protons or neutrons stable within an atomic nucleus. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for her work. (Maria Goeppert-Mayer (1906–1972), Physicist) A soccer icon who was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame, she started playing the sport at the age of two, while her family was living in Italy. (Mia Hamm (1972–), Soccer Player) Her first name means “lotus” in the Sanskrit language, and her name, Devi, means “goddess.” (Kamala Harris (1964–), Vice President of the United States of America) She coined the term “bug” to describe computer errors after she found a moth inside one of her team’s computers. (Grace Hopper (1906–1992), Computer Scientist, Navy Rear Admiral) An acclaimed architect and artist best known for designing Washington, D.C.’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lin once said, “I try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That’s art to me.” (Maya Lin (1959–), Architect) When this former first lady was growing up, she was a great athlete, but she didn’t like playing competitive sports. The reason, her big brother said, was that “she hated losing.” (Michelle Obama (1964–), Attorney, First Lady) A Cuban American and the first Latinx elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, she delivered a Spanish version of the Republican rebuttal to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address in 2014. (Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (1952–), Congresswoman) This acclaimed prima ballerina was the daughter of an Osage Indian father and a white mother. The Osage people gave her the name Wa-Xthe-Thomba, meaning “Woman of Two Worlds.” (Maria Tallchief (1925–2013), Ballet Dancer) A labor leader and educator, she is the current president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the former president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), and she became the first openly gay individual to be elected president of a national American labor union. (Randi Weingarten (1957–), Educator, Labor Leader) This mathematician is the hidden hero behind the development of GPS apps on cell phones. (Gladys West (1930–), Mathematician) And many more. America has had more than its share of amazing women. The influence, inspiration, and impact of women on U.S. society and culture cannot be ignored. Explore the vital roles and vibrant experiences of some of the most impressive women in American history with Trailblazing Women! Amazing Americans Who Made History. It brings to light all there is to admire and discover about these extraordinary women.

In this "stunning collection of documents" (Washington Post Book World), African-American women speak of themselves, their lives, ambitions, and struggles from the colonial period to the present day. Theirs are stories of oppression and survival, of family and community self-help, of inspiring heroism and grass-roots organizational continuity in the face of racism, economic hardship, and, far too often, violence. Their vivid accounts, their strong and insistent voices, make for inspiring reading, enriching our understanding of the American past.