Jarena Lee

Jarena Lee (1783 - unknown), a preacher from the 1800s, was the first to petition the African Methodist Episcopal Church (under the founder, Richard Allen) for authorization to preach in 1820.

Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange

Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange (1784 – 1882), an organizational founder, the Oblate Sisters of Providence, was the foundress of the first Black Religious Order in the United States in 1829.

Anna Pauline (Pauli) Murray

Anna Pauline (Pauli) Murray (1910 – 1985), a civil rights activist, women’s rights activist, lawyer and author, was the first to be ordained an Episcopal priest in 1977.

Leontine Kelly

Leontine Kelly (1920–2012), a clergywoman, was elected the first female bishop of the United Methodist Church in 1984 and became a powerful national leader for racial and gender equality.

Vashti Murphy McKenzie

Vashti Murphy McKenzie (b. 1947) became the first elected bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2000 and later served as the 117th President of the National Council of Churches.

Barbara Clementine Harris

Barbara Clementine Harris (b. June 12, 1930), a clergywoman and social activist, became the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion, serving from 1989 to 2003.