First Man to Reach the North Pole was an African American Desk Clerk named Matthew Henson

"In 1908, the unsung African American explorer was the first of a six-man team to reach the North Pole. He studied and spoke Inuktitut better than any other Westerner on the expedition, leading to successful trade and navigation relations with the local Inuit. He built Igloos, trained the dog sled crews, studied indigenous survival techniques, and mastered a lot of the painstaking, behind-the-scenes work that came with being the personal valet of a wealthy white explorer who had something to prove to the boys back home at the National Geographic Society."
Source: https://www.messynessychic.com/2020/02/28/the-first-man-to-reach-the-north-pole-was-an-african-american-desk-clerk-the-world-forgot/

Henson (front, centre) with Peary (far right) and the team