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.

Mary Elizabeth Lange (Mother Mary)

Mary Elizabeth Lange (Mother Mary)(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 a major religious organization, the United Methodist Church in 1984.

Vashti Murphy McKenzie

Vashti Murphy McKenzie (b. May 28, 1947), was the first to be elected as bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2000.

Barbara Clementine Harris

Barbara Clementine Harris (b. June 12, 1930), a clergywoman and social activist, was the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion—a worldwide organization of churches derived from the Church of England in 1989 until 2003.