During Black History Month each year we hear about all sorts of African-American figures who otherwise might be pretty obscure. But never about Hiram Revels, who on this date in 1870 became the first black senator, and thus the first black member of Congress.
All over the country we have schools named for Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and Barbara Jordan, even schools named for pro athletes of African-American descent. But neither a Google search nor a search of the Geographic Names Information System turned up anything named for Revels except a Methodist Church in Mississippi. Was he later involved in something that tarnished his reputation, or was he seen as merely a Reconstruction token, his election a historical embarrassment?
There are probably two reasons for this. Firstly, he served his term during a time where much "larger" events were happening, in terms of the Civil War recently ending and Reconstruction beginning. During events like this, relatively minor figures, even if they were a first, tend to get forgotten by the general public.
Secondly, he wasn't particularly successful. He served only a single year before resigning and never accomplished anything particularly noteworthy during his term. He successfully advocated for black workers at the Washington Naval Yard and supported successful bills, but was too junior and served too short a term to have much effect on wider US politics. On a minor but still important point, he was too moderate during a time of political extremes to be noteworthy. He's overshadowed by both conservatives and from within his own party by the Radical Republicans. It's a bit difficult to talk about a person, especially a politician when these facts are considered. If during black history month I tell museum visitors "Hiram Revels was the first black US Senator" some are bound to ask "what did he accomplish?" The only real answer is "nothing really, and he quit after a year". To put it simply, his life and legacy are overshadowed by other black leaders and historical figures who had more of an impact on history at large.