Now

History is still being made. These are recent achievements by people of African descent around the world, newest first. Each one cites at least two independent sources.

April 1, 2026 · United States
Victor Glover becomes the first Black astronaut to fly around the Moon
Victor J. Glover
Glover piloted NASA's Artemis II, which launched on April 1, 2026. It was the first crewed flight to the Moon in more than 50 years, and it made him the first Black person to travel into deep space and around the Moon. The crew splashed down off California on April 10.
Sources: The New York Times (via GV Wire), "NASA Prepares for Artemis II Splashdown After Historic Moon Flyby", 2026-04-09; NNPA, "NASA Astronaut Victor J. Glover Makes History as First Black Man to Fly Around the Moon", 2026-04; Associated Press (via Sharon Herald), "Artemis II's record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdown", 2026-04-10
Image: Josh Valcarcel, NASA. License: Public domain.
February 20, 2026 · Côte d'Ivoire
France returns the Djidji Ayokwe talking drum to Côte d'Ivoire
Ebrié people; Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Culture
At a ceremony at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, France handed back the Djidji Ayokwe, a talking drum more than three metres long that colonial authorities seized from the Ebrié people in 1916. The drum reached Abidjan in March 2026 and is meant for permanent display in a museum being built there.
Sources: Arab News (AFP), "France returns colonial-era 'talking drum' to Ivory Coast", 2026-02-20; EWN, "Ivory Coast celebrates return of sacred talking drum looted during French colonial rule", 2026-03-18
Image: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.
July 2025 · Guinea-Bissau / Sierra Leone / Cameroon / Malawi
Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone gain their first UNESCO World Heritage sites
Guinea-Bissau; Sierra Leone (also Cameroon and Malawi)
At its 47th session in Paris in July 2025, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the Bijagós Archipelago (Guinea-Bissau) and the Gola-Tiwai Complex (Sierra Leone), the first World Heritage sites for both countries. African cultural landscapes added in the same session included Cameroon's Diy-Gid-Biy in the Mandara Mountains and Malawi's Mount Mulanje.
Sources: IUCN, "Rainforests, reefs: new World Heritage sites signal conservation breakthroughs", 2025-07; UK National Commission for UNESCO, "26 properties inscribed on to the UNESCO World Heritage list", 2025-07-14
Image: NASA/Lauren Dauphin, USGS (NASA Earth Observatory). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
June 23, 2025 · United States
Joi Harris named DTE Energy's first woman and first African American CEO
Joi Harris
DTE Energy, the Detroit-based utility, named Harris as its next president and CEO, effective September 8, 2025. She joined the company in 1991 and is its first woman and first African American chief executive.
Sources: Crain's Detroit Business, "DTE Energy names new CEO", 2025-06-23; DTE Energy, "DTE Energy Board of Directors elects Joi Harris as CEO; Jerry Norcia elected Executive Board Chairman", 2025-06-23; DBusiness, "DTE Energy Names Joi Harris Company's First Female CEO", 2025-06
Image: Ken Lund, via Flickr. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.
June 21, 2025 · Nigeria
The Netherlands returns 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
Oba Ewuare II; Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments
The Netherlands handed over 119 Benin Bronzes, looted from the Kingdom of Benin in the colonial era, at a ceremony at the National Museum in Lagos. Four stay in the national collection and 115 are to go to the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II.
From the archive: Kingdom of Benin (Edo)
Sources: Al Jazeera, "The Netherlands returns 119 stolen sculptures to Nigeria", 2025-06-21; Government of the Netherlands, "Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands returning home to Nigeria", 2025-06-18
Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Alice K. Bache, 1977. License: Public domain (Met Open Access, CC0).
May 5, 2025 · United States
Percival Everett's James wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Percival Everett
Everett won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for James, which retells Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the viewpoint of Jim, an enslaved man. The novel had already won the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction.
Sources: NPR, "Here are the winners of the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes", 2025-05-05; CBC, "Percival Everett wins 2025 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for Mark Twain-inspired novel James", 2025-05
Image: Tichnor Brothers Collection, Boston Public Library, via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.
May 5, 2025 · United States
Edda L. Fields-Black wins Pulitzer Prize in History for Combee
Edda L. Fields-Black
Fields-Black, a historian at Carnegie Mellon University, shared the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History for Combee. The book tells the story of the 1863 Combahee River Raid, which freed more than 700 enslaved people, from the perspectives of Harriet Tubman and the people who freed themselves.
From the archive: Harriet Tubman
Sources: Carnegie Mellon University, "Carnegie Mellon Professor Wins 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History", 2025-05-06; Ms. Magazine, "Documenting Harriet Tubman's Leadership: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Edda L. Fields-Black on the Combahee River Raid", 2025-06-02
Image: Harper's Weekly, 1863; scan by Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections (House Divided Project). License: Public domain (published 1863).
March 21, 2025 · Namibia
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah sworn in as Namibia's first woman president
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in at State House in Windhoek as Namibia's first female president, after winning 58 percent of the vote in the November 2024 election. The inauguration fell on the 35th anniversary of Namibia's independence.
Sources: Al Jazeera, "Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah sworn in as Namibia's first female president", 2025-03-21; Africanews, "Namibia swears in first female president", 2025-03-21
Image: Emmanuel Berrod / WIPO, via Flickr. License: CC BY 4.0.
February 2, 2025 · United States
Beyoncé wins Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
Cowboy Carter won Album of the Year and Best Country Album at the 67th Grammy Awards. Beyoncé became the first Black woman to win Album of the Year since Lauryn Hill 26 years earlier, and the first Black woman in 50 years to win a country Grammy.
Sources: Associated Press (via WLOX), "Beyoncé wins her first album of the year Grammy Award for 'Cowboy Carter'", 2025-02-02; Rolling Stone Australia, "Beyoncé Wins Album of the Year at 2025 Grammys", 2025-02-03
Image: Raph_PH, via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.
January 3, 2025 · United States
Emery N. Brown and Paula Hammond receive top U.S. science and technology medals
Emery N. Brown; Paula T. Hammond
Brown, a neuroscientist and anesthesiologist, received the National Medal of Science for research on how anesthesia affects the brain. Hammond, a chemical engineer, received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for thin-film assembly methods used in drug delivery and wound healing.
Sources: National Medals of Science and Technology Foundation, "The White House Awards National Medals of Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation", 2025-01; MIT News, "MIT affiliates awarded 2024 National Medals of Science, Technology", 2025-01-03; Mass General Brigham, "Researchers Honored with National Medals", 2025-01
Image: Chris Rycroft, via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.
November 5, 2024 · United States
Two Black women elected to the U.S. Senate in the same election
Angela Alsobrooks; Lisa Blunt Rochester
Alsobrooks won in Maryland and Blunt Rochester won in Delaware, and they became the first Black women to serve in the U.S. Senate at the same time. Each became her state's first Black U.S. senator, and Blunt Rochester was also Delaware's first woman senator.
Sources: NPR, "Two Black women will serve together in the Senate for the first time", 2024-11-06; FOX 5 DC, "2 Black women elected to Senate for the first time in U.S. history: Alsobrooks & Rochester", 2024-11-05
Image: Architect of the Capitol, via Flickr. License: Public domain (United States government work).
November 4, 2024 · Rwanda / Burundi / France
Gaël Faye wins the Prix Renaudot for "Jacaranda"
Gaël Faye
Burundi-born writer and musician Gaël Faye, whose mother is Rwandan, won France's Prix Renaudot for his second novel, "Jacaranda". The book follows several generations living with the aftermath of colonialism, war and displacement.
Sources: Brittle Paper, "Two African authors from Burundi and Algeria win France's most prestigious literary prizes", 2024-12; Livres Hebdo, "Gaël Faye remporte le prix Renaudot 2024", 2024-11-04
Image: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio (Marit Jentoft-Nilsen). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
November 2, 2024 · United Kingdom / Nigeria
Kemi Badenoch becomes first Black woman to lead a major UK party
Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch, who was born in London to Nigerian parents and grew up partly in Lagos, was elected leader of the UK Conservative Party with 57 percent of members' votes. She is the first Black woman to lead a major political party in the UK.
Sources: Al Jazeera, "Kemi Badenoch elected leader of UK's Conservative Party", 2024-11-02; City A.M., "Kemi Badenoch wins Tory leadership election", 2024-11-02
Image: UK Parliament (official portrait). License: CC BY 3.0.
October 25, 2024 · United States
Jeanette Epps sets the record for time in space by an African American astronaut
Jeanette Epps
Epps returned to Earth after about 235 days on the International Space Station with NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission, her first spaceflight. That gave her the most total time in space of any African American astronaut.
Sources: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, "Jeanette Epps: Record-Setting Astronaut", 2025-02-06; NASA, "Splashdown! NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Returns Safely to Earth", 2024-10-25
Image: NASA. License: Public domain.
August 16, 2024 · Senegal
Senegal launches its first satellite, GaindeSAT-1A
Senegalese engineers (with the University Space Centre of Montpellier)
Senegal's first satellite, the Earth-observation nanosatellite GaindeSAT-1A, was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Senegalese engineers built it with France's University Space Centre of Montpellier to support water management, weather forecasting and aviation safety.
Sources: UN-SPIDER (UN Office for Outer Space Affairs), "Senegal successfully launches first satellite: GaindeSAT-1A", 2024-08; Space in Africa, "Senegal Launches its First Satellite, Gaindesat-1A", 2024-08-17
Image: NASA image by Jesse Allen, using USGS Landsat data (NASA Earth Observatory). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
August 16, 2024 · United States
Site of 1908 Springfield Race Riot becomes a national monument
Black residents of Springfield, Illinois (commemorated)
A presidential proclamation established the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument, managed by the National Park Service. It marks the site of a two-day attack by white mobs on the city's Black community, an event that helped lead to the founding of the NAACP in 1909.
From the archive: W. E. B. Du Bois
Sources: Associated Press (via WTTW), "Biden Signs Order to Establish 1908 Springfield Race Riot Monument", 2024-08-16; Office of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, "On the 116th Anniversary, Duckworth, Durbin, Budzinski Applaud Administration on Establishing the 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Monument", 2024-08-14
Image: National Park Service. License: Public domain.
August 8, 2024 · Botswana
Letsile Tebogo wins Botswana's first Olympic gold in the 200m
Letsile Tebogo
Letsile Tebogo won the men's 200m at the Paris 2024 Olympics in 19.46 seconds, the first Olympic gold medal in Botswana's history. He became the first African to win the Olympic 200m title.
Sources: TimesLIVE, "Botswana's Tebogo becomes first African man to win men's 200m gold", 2024-08-08; Nation (Kenya), "Tebogo wins 200 metres for Botswana's first gold", 2024-08-08
Image: NASA (ISS crew photo iss069e014332). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
August 3, 2024 · Saint Lucia
Julien Alfred wins Saint Lucia's first Olympic medal, a 100m gold
Julien Alfred
Julien Alfred won the women's 100m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics in 10.72 seconds. It was Saint Lucia's first Olympic medal of any colour.
Sources: NPR, "Julien Alfred stuns Sha'Carri Richardson in 100m to win St. Lucia's 1st Olympic gold", 2024-08-03; NBC Olympics, "Julien Alfred topples Sha'Carri Richardson, wins 100m gold for St. Lucia's first Olympic medal", 2024-08-03
Image: cjuneau, via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.
May 19, 2024 · United States
Ed Dwight reaches space 60 years after his astronaut candidacy
Ed Dwight
Ed Dwight flew on Blue Origin's suborbital NS-25 mission at age 90. He was the first Black astronaut candidate in the U.S. in the early 1960s but was never admitted to NASA's astronaut corps. The flight made him the oldest person to travel to space.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, "Ed Dwight, the First Black Astronaut Candidate in the U.S., Finally Travels to Space at 90 Years Old", 2024-05; Space.com (via Scientific American), "Ed Dwight, America's First Black Astronaut Candidate, Flies to Space on Blue Origin Rocket", 2024-05-19
Image: Ken Lund, via Flickr. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.
April 2, 2024 · Senegal
Bassirou Diomaye Faye sworn in as Senegal's youngest president
Bassirou Diomaye Faye
Bassirou Diomaye Faye, aged 44, was sworn in as president of Senegal at Diamniadio near Dakar, becoming the youngest person to hold the office. He had not previously held elected office.
Sources: The Citizen (Tanzania), "Senegal's youngest president Faye is sworn in", 2024-04-02; The Peninsula (Qatar), "Senegal's youngest president Faye is sworn in", 2024-04-02
Image: Chuck Kennedy, U.S. Department of State, via Flickr. License: Public domain.
April 2024 · Ghana
Looted Asante gold regalia return to Kumasi on loan from UK museums
Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; Manhyia Palace Museum
Thirty-two gold and silver objects taken from the Asante royal court in the 19th century went back to Kumasi on loan from the British Museum (15) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (17). They went on show at the Manhyia Palace Museum during the Asantehene's silver jubilee, under three-year agreements that can be renewed.
From the archive: Asante Empire
Sources: Al Jazeera, "UK returns looted Ghana artefacts on loan after 150 years", 2024-04-20; Graphic Online (Ghana), "Looted Asante artefacts on their way back to Kumasi from UK, USA", 2024-04
Image: Alfred Weidinger, via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.
February 24, 2024 · Senegal / France
Mati Diop's restitution documentary "Dahomey" wins Berlin's Golden Bear
Mati Diop
French-Senegalese director Mati Diop won the Golden Bear, the top prize of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, for "Dahomey". The documentary follows royal treasures looted by French colonial troops in 1892 as they are returned from Paris to the Republic of Benin.
From the archive: Kingdom of Dahomey
Sources: Al Jazeera, "Dahomey doc on Europe's looted African art wins Berlin film festival", 2024-02-24; Africanews, "'Dahomey' by French-Senegalese Diop wins top prize at Berlin Film Festival", 2024-02-25
Image: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.
February 4, 2024 · South Africa
Tyla wins the first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance
Tyla
South African singer Tyla won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance for her song "Water". The song had earlier reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sources: Recording Academy (GRAMMY.com), "2024 GRAMMYs: Tyla Wins First-Ever GRAMMY Award For Best African Music Performance", 2024-02-04; CBS News, "Tyla wins first Best African Music Performance award for 'Water' at 2024 Grammys", 2024-02-04
Image: Ken Lund, via Flickr. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.
January 12, 2024 · Cabo Verde
WHO certifies Cabo Verde malaria-free
Cabo Verde Ministry of Health
The World Health Organization certified Cabo Verde as malaria-free, after the islands had gone at least three years in a row without local transmission. It was the third country in the WHO African Region to be certified, after Mauritius and Algeria.
Sources: WHO Regional Office for Africa, "WHO certifies Cabo Verde malaria-free, marking a historic milestone in the fight against malaria", 2024-01-12; Down To Earth, "WHO certifies Cabo Verde malaria-free; third African country to do so", 2024-01
Image: Gagum, via Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.
October 6, 2023 · United States
Simone Biles becomes the most decorated gymnast in history
Simone Biles
At the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Biles won a record sixth world all-around title. With that medal she passed Vitaly Scherbo's total and became the most decorated gymnast, male or female, across the Olympics and world championships.
Sources: Al Jazeera, "Record-breaker US gymnast Simone Biles claims 21st world title", 2023-10-07; ABC News, "Simone Biles wins 6th world title, becomes most decorated gymnast in history", 2023-10-09
Image: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 2.0.
October 2023 · United States
Magic Johnson becomes a billionaire through business investments
Earvin "Magic" Johnson
In late October 2023 Forbes estimated Johnson's net worth at about $1.2 billion. Most of that wealth came from businesses he built after his NBA career, including EquiTrust Life Insurance and stakes in several sports teams, and he became the fourth athlete billionaire. The exact day of the Forbes report is not confirmed; CBS Sports dates it October 28.
Sources: CBS Sports, "Magic Johnson becomes fourth athlete billionaire: Lakers icon joins Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tiger Woods", 2023-10-30; Fortune, "Magic Johnson is the fourth athlete billionaire, but his wealth didn't come from sports", 2023-10-30
Image: Ken Lund, via Flickr. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Now

Victor Glover becomes the first Black astronaut to fly around the Moon

France returns the Djidji Ayokwe talking drum to Côte d'Ivoire

Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone gain their first UNESCO World Heritage sites

Joi Harris named DTE Energy's first woman and first African American CEO

The Netherlands returns 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

Percival Everett's James wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Edda L. Fields-Black wins Pulitzer Prize in History for Combee

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah sworn in as Namibia's first woman president

Beyoncé wins Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter

Emery N. Brown and Paula Hammond receive top U.S. science and technology medals

Two Black women elected to the U.S. Senate in the same election

Gaël Faye wins the Prix Renaudot for "Jacaranda"

Kemi Badenoch becomes first Black woman to lead a major UK party

Jeanette Epps sets the record for time in space by an African American astronaut

Senegal launches its first satellite, GaindeSAT-1A

Site of 1908 Springfield Race Riot becomes a national monument

Letsile Tebogo wins Botswana's first Olympic gold in the 200m

Julien Alfred wins Saint Lucia's first Olympic medal, a 100m gold

Ed Dwight reaches space 60 years after his astronaut candidacy

Bassirou Diomaye Faye sworn in as Senegal's youngest president

Looted Asante gold regalia return to Kumasi on loan from UK museums

Mati Diop's restitution documentary "Dahomey" wins Berlin's Golden Bear

Tyla wins the first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance

WHO certifies Cabo Verde malaria-free

Simone Biles becomes the most decorated gymnast in history

Magic Johnson becomes a billionaire through business investments