Ed Dwight Jr., who grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and was the first African-American male to graduate from Bishop Ward High School, class of 1951, was featured on the CBS Morning News nationally on Thursday, Sept. 1.
Dwight, who was an Air Force pilot, was the first African-American in the pre-astronaut program, but was not selected to be an astronaut. He later became a nationally known sculptor.
See https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ed-dwight-art-nasa/