NPR: New on the BPP: Never as Good as the First Time

New on the BPP: Never as Good as the First Time

I've always loved the idea of celebrating the people who break through all kinds of barriers to become the first to achieve something -- men and women who have crashed the gates of all-boys clubs, all-white clubs, or all-of-one-kind-or-another clubs. Today, we're kicking off a new series on the BPP to profile trailblazers like these.

Of course the biggest news in possibly impending firsts is the country's first female or African-American president. Exciting, but I think it's amazing that in 2008, there are still so many firsts yet to be achieved. No Oscar-winning female directors, no Asian-American Supreme Court justices, no Latino governors of California.

Is there a first you're just itchin' to finally see happen? Or know of someone about to break a barrier of their own for the very first time? Give us a shout.

Angela Ellis

6:53 AM ET | 03-20-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

I would love to see a serious presidential candidate to is an avowed agnostic or atheist.

Sent by Dave Wiley | 9:48 AM ET | 03-20-2008

After the historic Louisiana vote that ushered in that deep-south state's first Indian-American governor, Bobby Jindal, I got to thinking...what about a wholely under-represented population: Native Americans. It would be a real step forward if a full-blooded Native American candidate could aspire to some state's governor's mansion!

Sent by Greg Branch | 2:07 PM ET | 03-20-2008

the advocate had an interesting "first-person" storylast week about the first pregnant man (or "transman") thomas beatie, that raised issues about the expansion of human and gender possibilities:
http://advocate.com/issue_story.asp?id=52664&page=1

Sent by josh machleder | 7:44 AM ET | 03-24-2008

How about the first black woman rabbinical student at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati? She's due to graduate next year.

Sent by Shelly Guggenheim | 3:19 PM ET | 05-14-2008

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