This Day in History: 2017-05-22
May 26, 2009 – “Sonia Sotomayor Nominated for U.S. Supreme Court” President Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American President, nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. Once her nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she became the first Latinx to be appointed to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the third woman to serve on the high court. She graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude and went to Yale Law School. At Yale, she served as an editor at the Yale Law Journal.
May 12, 1902 - "Joe Gans Becomes World's First African-American Boxing Champion" Joe Gans defeated Frank Erne to become the world's first African-American to win World Championship in any weight class. He became a world champion a full six years before famed boxer Jack Johnson. This is because Johnson's attempts at challenging for the heavyweight title were thwarted as James J. Jeffries refused to face him. Gans and Johnson were two early champions in a sport dominated by African-Americans throughout the 20th century.