Harris, Marcelite Jordan

1943-2018 · Contribution: 1965-1997

Military & Safety

Became, in 1990, the first African American woman to be promoted to general officer in the U.S. Air Force, and in 1995 the first to reach the two-star rank of major general, retiring as the highest-ranking woman in the Air Force and highest-ranking Black woman in the Department of Defense

Military & Safety — collage image
Military & Safety

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.

Quick facts

Born
1943-2018
Category
Military & Safety

Impact on the world

Harris shattered a series of barriers in Air Force maintenance and command, rising to become the highest-ranking Black woman in the entire Defense Department.

Sources

  1. Texas State Historical Association (Handbook of Texas)

1 more sources and references are available to members.