The First Black Editor-in-Chief of the Emory Law Journal
Janiel Myers is a native of Jamaica but has become a U.S. citizen. She is scheduled to earn her law degree in 2018 and is the chair of academic and professionalism success for the Emory Black Law Student Association.
The First African American Editor-in-Chief of the South Carolina Law Review
Chelsea Evans, a second-year student at the University of South Carolina School of Law, is the first African American to be elected editor-in-chief in the 69-year history of the legal publication.
The First Black Woman to Lead the Harvard Law Review
The first edition of the Harvard Law Review was published in 1887. It has the largest circulation of any law journal in the world. Now, for the first time in 131 years, a Black woman will serve as president of the law review.
The Higher Education of the First Black Woman Diocesan Bishop of the Episcopal Church
On September 11, 2001, Rev. Baskerville-Burrows was in Trinity Church in lower Manhattan just blocks away from the World Trade Center. Next April she will become the leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis.
LaVerne Harmon Named the Next President of Wilmington University in Delaware
LaVerne Harmon is currently executive vice president at Wilmington University. When she takes office on July 1, she will become the first African American women to serve as president of a university in the state of Delaware.
The Youngest Woman Recipient of a Ph.D. in Africa
Muswenkosi Donia Saurombe is on track to receive Ph.D. in industrial psychology from the North West University in Mafikeng, South Africa, this October. At the age of 23, she will be the youngest women in African history to earn a Ph.D.
An Educational Milestone for April Gillens at Clemson University
Earlier this month, April Gillens became the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in environmental engineering and earth sciences at Clemson University in South Carolina.
The First Black Leader of the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Billy C. Hawkins, president of Talladega College in Alabama, has been chosen to chair the board of directors of the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He is the first African American to chair the association's board.
A Black Woman’s Half-Century Journey to a Bachelor’s Degree
Delores Ojunga-Andrew is a Black woman who is a member of the Class of 2018 at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. At age 72, she is the oldest student enrolled at the women's college.
The First Black Woman Chair of the American Medical Association Board of Trustees
Dr. Harris is the former director of health services for Fulton County, Georgia, and the former medical director for the Fulton County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
Hampton University Professor Competed for Miss USA Title, Another HBCU Alumna Wins It
Desiree Williams, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Hampton University finished in the top 10 at the Miss USA pageant. The winner is an Army commander and an alumna of historically Black Virginia State University.
Black Identical Twins Each Had the Highest GPA at FIU’s College of Engineering and...
Shalisha and Shonda Witherspoon are identical twins. They recently graduated from the College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University in Miami with identical 3.95 grade point averages, the best in the college.
The First African American to Earn a Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of...
Adrienne Washington of Morgantown, West Virginia, is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia. She received a master's degree in linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh.
Paula Johnson Will Be the First African American President of Wellesley College
Dr. Johnson is a professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. She is the founder and executive director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The Youngest Ph.D. Recipient in the History of Delaware State University
Jalaal A. Hayes recently was awarded a Ph.D. in applied chemistry at Delaware State University at the age of 22. Dr. Hayes graduated from high school at the age of 15 and earned a bachelor's degree at the age of 18.
The First Black Student to Earn a Ph.D. in History at the University of...
A half century after the racial integration of the University of Southern Mississippi, Tonya De'Nee Blair is the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in history at the university.
Black Teenager in Indiana Aces the SAT, the ACT and All Her AP Tests
Love Osunnuga is a 15-year-old girl who is a senior at St. Joseph High School in South Bend, Indiana. She skipped both the first and fifth grades so will graduate from high school this coming spring at the age of 16.
The First Black Professor at an Israeli University
Anbessa Teferra was appointed to the position of senior lecturer of Semitic languages at Tel Aviv University in Israel. He is the first immigrant from Ethiopia to be granted status as a tenured senior lecturer at an Israeli University.
The First African American President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Evelyn F. Crayton, professor emerita at Auburn University in Alabama, is the new president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The academy, with over 76,000 members, is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.
Deborah Johnson Is the First African American to Win the Harper Lee Prize for...
The Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction is administered by the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal. Johnson is the first woman and the first African American to win the prize.
Florida A&M University Confers Ph.D.s in Physics to Two Black Women
According to the National Science Foundation, 1,902 people earned Ph.D.s in physics at American universities in 2013. Only 18.8 percent were women and only 19 were Black. Now two Black women have earned Ph.D.s in physics at the same university in the same year.
The First Black Faculty Member in the 650-Year History of the University of Vienna
Adams Bodomo, from Ghana, was appointed professor and chair of the department of African languages and literatures at the University of Vienna in Austria. He is the former director of the African studies program at the University of Hong Kong and earlier taught at Stanford University.
Four Black Men Earn Doctoral Degrees From One Department at Ohio State
Four Black men earned doctorates this spring in the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State under the mentorship of Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, the youngest full professor in the university's history.
The First African American Dean at North Greenville University
H. Paul Thompson was named dean of the College of Humanities at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina. He is the first African American dean in the university's history.
Rubin Jordan Is the First Recipient of a Fire Services Degree From Albany State...
Rubin Jordan, who has served as a firefighter for 23 years with the fire department in Albany, Georgia, is the first person to earn a bachelor of applied science in fire services administration degree from Albany State University.
Talmadge King Jr. to Lead the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
For the past nine years, Dr. King has been chair of the department of medicine at the university. He joined the faculty at the medical school in 1997 after teaching at the University of Colorado.
The Nation’s Top-Ranked University Debater Is an African American
Aaron Murphy, a senior at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, was named Speaker of the Year by the American Parliamentary Debate Association.
The New Dean of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at the University...
Aaron Dworkin is an internationally acclaimed violinist and serves as founder and president of the Sphinx Organization, a nonprofit organization based in Detroit that aims to increase diversity in the performing arts.
The First Black Woman Graduate of LSU’s School of Architecture to Become a Licensed...
Only 315 African American women have become licensed architects in the United States. Nicole Hilton is the first Black woman graduate of the School of Architecture at Louisiana State University to pass the Architect Registration Examination.
Emory University’s Natasha Trethewey Is Now a Columnist for The New York Times Magazine
Professor Trethewey, who served two terms as Poet Laureate of the United States, will select a poem for publication each week and write a short introduction to the work.
Alcorn State University Alumna Becomes the First Black Woman Orthodontist in Mississippi
Chandra Minor recently opened Smile Design Orthodontics with offices in three cities. The Alcorn State University graduate is the first African American woman to practice orthodontics in the state of Mississippi.
Pomona College’s Claudia Rankine Makes Literary History
Professor Claudia Rankine of Pomona College in Claremont, California, is the first author to have a work nominated as a finalist in two categories in the 39-year history the National Book Critics Circle Awards.
Yale Scholar Named to University’s First Endowed Chair in Poetry
Elizabeth Alexander, who was selected to write a poem and read it at President Obama's inauguration in 2009, has been a member of the faculty at Yale since 2000.
The First African American Endowed Professor in the LSU School of Education
Roland Mitchell was named the Jo Ellen Levy Yates Endowed Professor at Louisiana State University. He was also named interim associate dean of engagement research and graduate studies in the College of Human Sciences and Education.
The First African American to Win a Major Award in Aviation Education
I. Richmond Nettey is the associate dean of the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability, and Technology at Kent State University in Ohio. He is being honored by the University Aviaton Association.
African American Debate Team Makes History
Chris Randall and Elijah Smith, both rising seniors at Rutgers University-Newark, were ranked fifth in the nation for the 2013-14 debate season. This is the highest-ranked position ever obtained by a team of African American debaters.
