<Li> First African - American woman Secretary of State: Condoleezza Rice (See also: 2001) </Li> <Li> First African - American woman U.S. Coast Guard aviator: Jeanine Menze </Li> <Ul> <Li> First African American to command a United States Marine Corps division: Major General Walter E. Gaskin </Li> <Li> First African American to reach the peak of Mount Everest: Sophia Danenberg </Li> <Li> First African - American woman to receive Dharma transmission in Zen Buddhism: Merle Kodo Boyd </Li> </Ul> <Li> First African American to command a United States Marine Corps division: Major General Walter E. Gaskin </Li>

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