President Joe Biden said on Thursday he has chosen Karine Jean-Pierre to be White House press secretary, succeeding Jen Psaki and becoming the first Black and openly gay person to serve as the public face of a U.S. administration. Psaki, who leaves the job on May 13, had said early in the Biden administration, which […]

Nike recently announced a 1-million-square-foot building at their headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon named in honor of tennis phenom Serena Williams. The Serena Williams Building will be used to house the company’s design, insights and merchandising teams, boasting a tripartite structure inspired by Williams’ remarkable legacy. The 23-time grand slam champion took to Instagram to share […]

Meet Damola Adamolekun, the CEO of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, a popular Asian casual-dining restaurant chain based in the U.S. Since 2020, he has been leading the company to ensure its continued growth and success. Damola, who is now 33-years old, has been essential in the evolution of P.F. Chang’s, one of the largest and […]

Wesleyan Investive is honored to announce the recipients of its 2022 class of the Tom Locke Innovative Leader Award. Working in fields as diverse as racial reconciliation, domestic violence, faith-based social entrepreneurship, and community building, they are explorers and pioneers at the cutting edge of spiritual entrepreneurship. Through this award, Wesleyan Investive has recognized four […]

Nigeria-Born Tope Awotona Poured His Life Savings Into Calendly. Now He’s One Of America’s Wealthiest Immigrants Forbes has profiled Tope Awotona, the 40-year-old founder and chief executive of $3 billion worth Calendly, a meeting scheduling platform. Nine years ago, Awotona started Calendly, pouring his life savings of $200,000 into it and later quitting his job […]

Rada Griffin is out here changing the wine game! The Huntsville, Alabama-based space worker created her own wine business, Anissa Wakefield Wines, and is the first black woman in Alabama to do so. According to News One, Rada took a series of online classes through Cornell University’s Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration […]

Nigeria’s Toyin Tofade became the first black female president of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) founded in 1881. According to a press release by the college, Ms Tofade was selected to become the 10th president of the college, following a comprehensive search. “Dr Tofade is the first Black woman to serve […]

Girmay finished second in the Under-23 race at the Road World Championships in November 2021, becoming the first black African to achieve a podium at the UCI Road World Championships Biniam Girmay made history as the first African cyclist to win a one-day classic as he triumphed in the Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday. “It’s unbelievable, amazing. […]

Founded by university friends, Chris Frederick and Damola Timeyin, Spearhead is the black-owned, African spirits company that has been long missing from the drinks industry. Informed by their own experiences of London’s bars and restaurants, as well as Chris’ time as a successful publican, the founders noticed an absence of black-owned drinks brands and recognized […]

Decorated Olympian Erin Jackson is a certifiable sports star. The 29-year-old competitive athlete won a gold medal for the United States in the women’s 500-meter speed skating at the Beijing Olympics. She is the first Black woman to ever medal in the history of the sport and simultaneously became the first Black woman to win […]

Smithsonian has been commemorating Women’s History Month by honoring over a hundred women who are changing lives, and Twum is one of them. This month, the Smithsonian unveiled a historic exhibit, “#IfThenSheCan — The Exhibit,” featuring 120 life-size 3D statues of women who have excelled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The museum announced […]

A Detroit woman of Ugandan descent has broken a world record. Jessica Nabongo became the first black woman to travel to 195 countries. Nabongo got an itch to start traveling after quitting her job in the pharmaceutical industry, before deciding to teach English in Japan. She’s also lived in London where she studied at the […]

NASCAR executive Jusan Hamilton has been tapped to become the first Black race director in Daytona 500 history. According to the Associated Press, the 31-year-old will call the shots on everything from cautions to penalties to the clean-up crew during the biggest race in NASCAR. Hamilton will also just be the third different Daytona 500 […]

Meet Tatiana Julien, the first Black female pilot of the Louisiana Army National Guard. In 2005, Warrant Officer Tatiana Julien and her family had to shelter at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. A CH-47 Chinook helicopter later rescued them from the stadium after they spent a week there. And just like how […]

The US Treasury has minted coins featuring poet Maya Angelou – the first black woman ever featured on the US 25-cent coin known as a quarter. Angelou, a poet and activist, was the first black woman to write and perform a poem at a presidential inauguration. Coins are planned for other pioneering women, including an […]

The Queen has appointed the first black person to the Order of the Garter, Buckingham Palace has announced. Baroness Valerie Amos, 67, a Labour member of the House of Lords, was also the first black person to become a cabinet member. According to the Palace, she will now be the first black person appointed Lady […]

Caleb Smith, a Black teenager from Prince George’s County, Maryland, has become the youngest glider pilot in the United States. His record triumph comes after 23-year-old Malik Sinegal made history as the youngest African American to be certified as a Boeing 777 pilot last year. Smith is currently a 10th grader at Charles H. Flowers […]

Four Africans have been appointed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey to serve as board members of his Bitcoin Trust (BTrust) fund that will supervise and support the development of Bitcoin in Africa. They are Carla Kirk-Cohen from South Africa, Abubakar Nur Khalil from Nigeria, Obi Nwosu from Nigeria, and Ojoma Ochai also from Nigeria. The […]

Adeoye Fawaz, the 18-year-old boy who works as a bus conductor, has emerged as the overall champion in a chest contest organised by Chess in slums Africa. Chess in slums Africa is a non-profit organisation known for using the game as a framework to promote education and raise champions from low communities. The group recently […]

A Kenyan-born academic has become the youngest black professor at the UK’s prestigious Oxford University, the educational institution says. Patricia Kingori is also one of the youngest women to ever be awarded a full professorship in Oxford’s 925-year history. Professor Kingori, a sociologist who specializes in the experiences of frontline health workers, expressed gratitude about […]

Kristen Hayden is the first Black woman to win a national diving title. Indiana University’s Kristen Hayden wrote her name in the history books when she became the first Black woman to win a U.S. national senior title. According to the Associated Press, Hayden and her partner, Quinn Henninger, came up tops in the mixed […]

New York will appoint Keechant Sewell as its first-ever woman police chief to head the largest force in the country, US media reported Tuesday, at a time when the city’s trust in law enforcement has been shattered. Sewell will also be only the third Black person in the post and will have to restore faith […]

Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, has finished second runner-up in the Miss Universe contest held in Israel. The annual pageant was won by Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu, with Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira finishing as first runner-up. South Africa’s government withdrew support for Ms. Mswane in the contest, to protest against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, although organisers […]

The smartest family in Britain today, is a Nigerian family, for the following reasons 1. At 11 years old, Christina Imafidon (now 22) was the youngest student in history to attend a British university 2. Twelve-year-old twins, Peter and Paula Imafidon became the youngest to ever pass the University of Cambridge’s advanced mathematics. Setting a […]

President Biden just made a major nomination within his administration that is set to make history. It was recently announced that President Biden has nominated Shalanda Young to be the new Head of Office Management and Budget—and if the nomination is formally approved, she will be the first Black woman to ever hold the position. […]

CEO, Rehoboth Property International (RPI), Sanmi Adegoke has become the first black recipient of the Property Awards Entrepreneur of the Year award which he received at this year’s ceremony held at the Intercontinental at the O2, London. Property Week is one of the biggest property publications in the UK and this award category is the […]

Astronaut Jessica Watkins is on her way to becoming the first Black woman to join NASA’s International Space Station crew. According to NASA, Watkins, 33, will serve as a mission specialist on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-4 assignment, known as the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Watkins was selected as an astronaut in […]

Two Kenyan inventors have created what is said to be the world’s first bio-robotic arm operated by brain signals. The invention, which is controlled by brain signals, has been billed as a game-changer in the lives of disabled people in Kenya. David Gathu and Moses Kinyua’s invention differs from most prosthetic technology which is powered […]

Diana Wilson, CEO of Yielding Accomplished African Women (YaaW), has won the award for Female Innovator of the year at the Africa Tech Festival Awards 2021. The festival is the biggest and most influential tech event on the continent. For 24 years, the festival has informed and connected business leaders, tech experts, policymakers, and investors, […]

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been named as one of this year’s “Library Lions” by the New York Public Library, describing the honour as “utterly spirit-lifting” in an Instagram post. The annual ceremony in the US city is organized to honour people who have distinguished themselves in arts, culture, letters, and scholarship. Other honourees […]

Rice University’s board of trustees has selected Reginald DesRoches, who is now serving as school provost, to be the university’s next president. DesRoches, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is the first immigrant, first Black man, and the first engineer to lead the private research university. An internationally recognized structural engineer and earthquake resilience expert, DesRoches will […]

A Maryland high school English teacher Keishia Thorpe who has worked to open up college education for her students has won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize, the Varkey Foundation announced. According to The Washington Post, this prize is “the biggest such award for educators in the world.” Keishia was selected as the winner from […]

South African playwright and novelist Damon Galgut on Wednesday won the 2021 Booker Prize for “The Promise”, his third shortlisted novel which chronicles a family in his homeland from the late apartheid era through to Jacob Zuma’s presidency. Spanning several decades, the book shows the family’s growing disintegration as the country emerges into democracy. “I […]

Eric Adams is the winner of the mayoral election in New York City making him the 110th mayor and second black mayor in the city’s history. Eric Adams has been elected as the 110th mayor of New York City. His victory also makes him the second black mayor elected in the city’s history. According to […]

Dr. Uchechi Iweala, son of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has broken a medical record in Maryland, United States. Earlier this week, the WTO boss announced that her son was one of the first spinal surgeons in Maryland to perform a successfully navigated lumbar spinal fusion using a robot. The proud […]

Zimbabwean author and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga was honored with the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. Dangarembga is “a widely audible voice of Africa in contemporary literature,” the jury said in its statement. The 62-year-old was honored for her artistic work, but also her political commitment. She has been fighting for freedom and against […]

Kenyan marathon icon Eliud Kipchoge has won the Best Male Athlete of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Kipchoge was feted with the prestigious prize following his heroics during the postponed Summer Games staged in Japan between June and July. At the time, the legendary marathoner withstood the harsh weather conditions in Sapporo to storm to victory […]

The founder of a New York City preschool that teaches children about their African heritage is one of five winners of the 2021 David Prize, an annual $1 million award for select New York City residents. Fela Barclift started ‘Little Sun People’ 41-years ago after searching for a racially balanced preschool for her one-year daughter. […]

US President Joe Biden has appointed Nigerian-born Enoh Titilayo Ebong to the post of Director, United States Trade and Development Agency. This was contained in a brief with names of nominees for different positions in the president’s cabinet sent to the US Congress. Ebong had served in different roles in the USTDA between 2004 and […]

Former African Footballer of the Year and Chelsea’s Legend, Didier Drogba, has been appointed Ambassador for Sports and Health by the World Health Organization (WHO). The news was confirmed on the official website of WHO on Monday, October 18th, 2021. Drogba, who spoke after his appointment at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, said he […]

A Kenyan peace ambassador is the winner of the prestigious US Institute of Peace (USIP) Women Building Peace Award. Josephine Ekiru, a Peace Coordinator for the Northern Rangelands Trust in Kenya, a group that brings together more than 320,000 indigenous people in Northern and Eastern Kenya to stop conflict, conserve land, protect wildlife, and halt […]

A Nigerian Medical doctor, Dr Richard Okoye, breaks records by developing the first medical app that speaks all languages. Dr Richard Okoye develops a medical app that speaks all languages. The app which was launched on Monday the 18th of October has since gone on and amassed a huge number of downloads with rave reviews […]

The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth has honoured Fareedah Oyolola, a secondary school student at Greensprings School, Lagos, as one of the brightest students in the world. This recognition is a result of her exceptional performance in the advanced School and College Ability Test (SCAT), which every student must undergo in order for the […]

The wireless earbud is the latest trend in the communication world. And virtually all mobile phone brands are coming out with their version of earbuds. One tech entrepreneur has added innovation to the earbuds economy with his own invention. Danny Manu, a Ghanaian-British man, developed earbuds that auto-translate other languages. According to Keepthefaith, the earbuds […]

The Nobel Prize is an international prize awarded annually since 1901 for achievements in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. The prize has been awarded 597 times to 950 people and organizations. Africa is home to 27 recipients of this prestigious award. Legit.ng presents 10 out of the 27 Africans that have received […]

Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah has been awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature. Announcing him as the winner on Thursday, the Academy praised Gurnah for his “uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism”. The prize is awarded by the Swedish Academy and is worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.14m / £840,000). Gurnah, 73, […]

A Nigerian Teacher, Dr Peter Ogudoro, has been honored by the social media giant, Facebook. He won an award, as one of the world’s amazing virtual community managers for developing a “most helpful and engaged educators’ platform called Nigerian Teachers.’’ This was revealed in a statement released on Wednesday by the platform, Nigerian Teachers to […]

Nigerian gospel artist, Osinachi Egbu, popularly known as Sinach, says she has received a certificate of recognition from the 18th Congressional District of Texas. In a report shared on her verified Instagram handle, the gospel singer stated that she received the recognition letter from a US honorable member representing Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee. Jackson Lee […]