As an Illinois state legislator, she was the first black woman to
become an assistant majority leader and spokesperson for the Mayor
of Chicago. (the late Harold Washington)

She was thereafter elected to the executive office in Cook County, the first black and the first woman to do so.

In an historic effort, she was elected with over 2 million votes to serve
as the only black member of the United States Senate in 1992, and the
first and only black woman to be elected to the Senate from Illinois. She
also the first black Democrat to be elected from any state to the Senate.

As Senator, she became the first woman in history to receive an appointment To the powerful Finance committee, where she introduced the first legislation to federally fund the reconstruction and repair of our nations crumbling schools. In a legislative victory of particular importance to Ohio, she won approval of the first federal support to preserve and restore the Underground Railroad nationwide.

She is the first and only United States Ambassador to be made a member Of the Te Atiawa Maori (Tay Ah Tee Ah Wa Mah Orry) tribe of New Zealand.

She is not the first, but the second African American woman to compete for the Democratic nomination for the President of the United States, following the precedent set by her mentor, Shirley Chisholm. However, even though she withdrew from the Presidential race as a candidate, she qualified for more ballot positions than any other female presidential candidate in US history.