April 30 - BlackFacts.com Black History Minute

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BlackFacts.com presents the black fact of the day for April 30.

Michelle Howard was born.

She was the first African American woman to command a United States Navy ship. She also became the highest-ranking woman in the United States Armed Forces history.

During high school Howard applied to the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, and upon entering the academy in 1978, she became one of only seven black women in the school’s class of 1,363 students.

She became the first African American woman to lead a U.S. Navy battle group when in 2009 she took command of Expeditionary Strike Group Two.

On July 1, 2014, Howard became the first woman promoted to the rank of four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy. That day she was also appointed the 38th vice-chief of naval operations.

Among Howard’s recognitions are the NAACP Image Award (2013), Women of Color STEM Career Achievement Award (2008), and the USO Military Woman of the Year (2011).

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