Maia Chaka today becomes the first black female to join the officiating staff of the NFL and she has been included in the NFL's game officials list for the 2021 season on Friday.
Chaka said, “I am honoured to be selected as an NFL official." “But this moment is bigger than a personal accomplishment. It is an accomplishment for all women, my community, and my culture.”
Chaka has worked American football contests in the collegiate Pac-12 Conference and Conference USA as well as pre-season NFL contest duties.
2014, Chaka was selected for the NFL's officiating development program which exposes top collegiate game officials to some of the experiences of NFL game and challenges faced by officials which helps to determine their ability to handle NFL games.
According to NFL executive vice president of football operations, Troy Vincent, he said “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,”
“Maia is a trailblazer as the first black female official and inspires us toward normalizing women on the football field.”
Chaka was formerly a health and physical education school teacher in Virginia Beach, Virginia, before she graduated from Norfolk State in 2006 with an education degree.
However, the first NFL's woman game official was Sarah Thomas, who officiated in an NFL game in 2015.
Last month, Thomas became the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl, serving as a down judge.