Across
- 2. After years of remarkable work as an attorney, this person became the first African American to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. Officially nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967, he served as a justice until 1991.
- 5. In 1960, this person became the first Black student to go to an otherwise all-white elementary school in the South. She made history that day, and she’s still alive today, at 67 years old.
- 9. this person was the first African American to publish a book of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, in 1773. Born in the Gambia and sold to a family in Boston when she was 7 years old, she was emancipated shortly after her book was released.
- 13. In 2003, after decades of hard work in the entertainment industry, this person was crowned the first Black woman to become a self-made billionaire.
- 17. Known as the first African American professional photographer, this person was hired by Life magazine as their first Black staff photographer in 1948 after publishing a photo essay on the life of a Harlem gang leader. He remained at the magazine for two decades, where he took photos of everyone from Muhammad Ali to Malcolm X.
- 18. As a child, this person was refused an autograph by his boxing idol, Sugar Ray Robinson. When he became a prizefighter, he vowed to never to deny an autograph request, which he honored throughout his career.
- 20. this person was sworn in as the first Black U.S. senator in 1870.
- 21. In 1909, several dozen activists of various races came together in New York City to form this organization in response to violence against Black people across the U.S. Some of the African American founding members were W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary Church Terrell, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
- 23. In 1958, this singer took home two Grammys, making her the first Black musical artist to win the coveted prize. She won one for Best Jazz Performance, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
- 24. This civil rights champion, prolific writer, and leader the black American Civil Rights movement of the early 20th century in the United States was the first Black American to earn a PhD from Harvard.
- 26. this person became the first Black person in space in 1983, and would spend 688 hours there over the course of his career as an astronaut.
- 27. this person was a scholar whose dedication to celebrating the historic contributions of Black people led to the establishment of Black History Month, marked every February since 1976.
- 28. At the 2021 Grammy Awards, this artist won her 28th Grammy, meaning she has won the most Grammys of any singer in history, and of any woman in history. She is currently tied with Quincy Jones for most total Grammys of all time.
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- 1. was the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black major-party presidential candidate. She survived three assassination attempts during her 1972 campaign.
- 3. this person revolutionized the hair care industry with the plethora of products she created for Black hair, including products and tools to straighten kinky hair, as per PBS. Thanks to her creations, she became the first African-American woman to become a self-made millionaire.
- 4. In 1986, this civil rights activist and Greenville native founded the National Rainbow Coalition – which is a national social justice organization.
- 6. It’s believed that the fictional character of The Lone Ranger was based on this person who was born into slavery but fled westward during the Civil War. In time, he became a Deputy U.S. Marshal.
- 7. After decades of segregation between Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues, this player made history when the he was chosen as the Brooklyn Dodgers’ first Black baseball player in 1947, therefore integrating the MLB.
- 8. this poem written by poet and activist Lucy Terry in 1746, was the first known poem written by a Black American. Terry was enslaved in Rhode Island as a toddler but became free at age 26 after marrying a free Black man.
- 10. For her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, this person won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1940, becoming the first African American to win an Oscar.
- 11. In July 1777, this US colony became the first to ban slavery.
- 12. this poet stopped celebrating her birthday for many years following the assassination of her friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the same day. She annually sent flowers to Mrs. King to commemorate that day.
- 14. After becoming the very first African American and the first woman to graduate with a master's degree from the University of Hawaii, this person went on to invent the first successful treatment for Hansen’s disease (otherwise known as leprosy) in 1916. It wasn't until years after her tragic death at the young age of 24 that she even got proper credit for her work.
- 15. After this African American performer expatriated to France, she famously smuggled military intelligence to French allies during World War II. She did this by pinning secrets inside her dress, as well as hiding them in her sheet music.
- 16. In the 1920s, this poet led the way with his revolutionary poems, essays, books, and other works, many of which focused on “honestly” depicting life for Black people in the U.S. at the time, as per the Poetry Foundation. Some of his most iconic poems include “Harlem” and “I, Too.”
- 19. This famous civil rights activist started as a freshman at Morehouse College at the young age of 15.
- 22. This legendary singer performed in front of a televised audience in Boston the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. He is often given credit for preventing further riots with the performance.
- 25. According to the NPCA, this legendary abolitionist was the most photographed American in the 1800s — and that was no accident. The organization explains that he purposely sat for photos often, as he wanted to spread a more accurate image of African Americans at the time; he also intentionally kept a straight face in photos, to challenge the idea that Black people were ever happy to be enslaved.