What Made Black History in 2021? – Billie's Back Porch

After the tumult and triumphs of 2020, here are the achievements that shaped the first year following the country’s racial reckoning.

By Dodai Stewart

Kamala Harris became the first Black woman — and the first woman of color — sworn into the office of Vice President of the United States.
Amanda Gorman, a Black writer and, at 22, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, recited “The Hill We Climb.”
The election of Raphael Warnock as the first Black senator to represent Georgia.
Tishaura Jones became the first Black woman to be elected mayor of St. Louis.
Josephine Baker became the first Black woman to have the honor of being interred at the Panthéon in Paris.
Terence Blanchard, 59, is the first Black composer to have his work performed at the Metropolitan Opera.
And Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from Louisiana, became the first Black American contestant to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Two champion Black athletes chose to step back from the spotlight, challenging the way fans think about the demands of public scrutiny, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka.
Darnella Frazier, 18, was awarded a special citation by the Pulitzer Board, which praised her for “courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality around the world.”