AFRICAN AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENTHistory for every day—and beyond.
January 13, 1990 · Government & Democracy

The People Chose a New First

L. Douglas Wilder took the oath as governor of Virginia—the first African American in United States history elected by voters to lead a state.

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Then

Virginia’s long machinery of disfranchisement had systematically restricted Black political power.

Now

Wilder’s election remains a landmark in the widening reach of American representative government.

Next

A breakthrough matters most when access to the ballot and pathways to leadership continue expanding.

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