NORFOLK, Va. — It was humble beginnings for the man who spent more than 30 years in uniform.
Raised in South Bronx, New York by parents who emigrated from Jamaica, General Colin Powell became one of the most respected military generals across the political spectrum.
It was in 1989 that he made history, becoming the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - the highest position in the Department of Defense.
He would go on to make history again as the first Black Secretary of State under President George W. Bush.
Years earlier, in 1996, Powell famously challenged fellow Republicans, speaking in favor of affirmative action at the Republican National Convention.
“Where the scars of past discrimination still contaminate and disfigure the present, we must not close our eyes to it, declare there is a level playing field, and hope that it will go away by itself. It did not in the past, it will not in the future,” said Powell in 1996.
President Joe Biden described Powell as a warrior who put country before self.
In 2021, Powell died of complications from COVID-19 while battling cancer and Parkinson’s disease. He was 84 years old.