General Benjamin O. Davis Sr.

Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. became the first Black general in the United States Army on October 25, 1940 — a milestone achieved after 42 years of service in a military that systematically humiliated him at every rank. He endured being assigned to posts where he would supervise no white soldiers, being excluded from officers' clubs, and being passed over for promotion repeatedly — yet he persisted with a quiet dignity that eventually made history impossible to deny.

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1877, Davis enlisted in the Army during the Spanish-American War in 1898. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1901 and spent the next four decades serving in assignments across the United States, Philippines, and Liberia. He taught military science at Tuskegee Institute and Wilberforce University — assignments that kept him away from white troops who might object to serving under a Black officer.

Davis's promotion to brigadier general came during World War II, when the need for Black military leadership could no longer be ignored. He served as an advisor on race relations within the military, working to address the discrimination that Black soldiers faced. His son, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., followed in his footsteps and became the first Black general in the U.S. Air Force and the commander of the Tuskegee Airmen. Together, the Davis father and son represent an unbroken line of service in the face of injustice.