Colin Powell
On this date in 2000, Colin Powell was appointed United States Secretary of State. Accepting President-elect George W. Bush's nomination to be America's 65th Secretary of State, Powell became the first Black to hold that position.
Powell, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had presided over Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. He said, "If you want to be successful in the 21st century, you must find your path to democracy, market economics, and a system that frees the talents of men and women to pursue their individual destinies."
