Winter storm warnings continue in northern Minnesota 

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

The NFL has named a Black woman as an official for the first time. 

Maia Chaka, a health and physical education teacher in the Virginia Beach area,  has participated in the NFL's officiating development program since 2014 while also officiating at the college level. 

Next season, she will make history when she takes the field in an NFL game.

"I am honored to be selected as an NFL official," Chaka said 

.  "But this moment is bigger than a personal accomplishment. It is an accomplishment for all women, my community, and my culture."

, 40 of the NFL's 121 game officials are Black men.

The NFL hired its first Black official, Burl Toler, in 1965 and its first 

, Sarah Thomas, in 2015. The NFL has not announced what officiating  position Chaka has been hired for.

"Maia's years of hard work, dedication and perseverance — including as part of the NFL Officiating Development Program — have earned her a position as an NFL official," Troy Vincent, Sr., NFL executive vice president of football operations, said in a statement. "As we celebrate Women's History Month, Maia is a trailblazer as the first Black female official and inspires us toward normalizing women on the football field." 

Social Issues

Conversations around race and racial justice

Sports

Catherine Whelan

Author

"I am honored to be selected as an NFL official," said Maia Chaka, a teacher in the Virginia Beach area.  "It is an accomplishment for all women, my community, and my culture."

NFL names its first Black female official

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox