Lama Rangdrol is one of the first African American Buddhist teachers in the world He is the first Buddhist teacher to author a book on black Buddhism in America and it's connection  to the Dalit people of India He was the only African American lama invited to attend the First Conference of Tibetan Buddhist centers in North and South America. sponsored by the office of Tibet (New York) First Buddhist teacher to teach in the housing authority, parks, storefronts, community centers, private homes in high crime areas of urban America First American Filmmaker to create an award winning documentary on Afro Asian history and American Buddhism First African American to create a website dedicated to inclusion of people of color in the American Buddhist community First Buddhist teacher to point out the failure of American Buddhist Diversity programs attempts to address the needs of Black families First teacher to be recognized by Harvard University's Pluralism Project as a developer of inclusion First 30 year career Psychiatric Technician, mental health practitioner, and director of dual diagnosis supportive living services to become a teacher of Tibetan Buddhism First Buddhist teacher to work on staff at UCAL Neuropsychiatric Institute and USC University Hospital's Department of Psychiatry First Buddhist teacher to enter the jungles of Cambodia in search of Afro-Asiatic Buddhist roots First African American to receive certificates of study from both the National Shakespeare Company (New York) and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (London) [studied with Philip Meister - Master Acting Teacher; Mario Siletti - head faculty of Stella Adler Studio; Peter Lobdell, physical coach for the original Broadway productions of The Elephant Man and Equus; Robert Perillo – Voice (NYU); Eve Shapiro – acting (RADA, Julliard)] First Buddhist teacher invited to use a public cable television series for outreach to urban communities  The only African American specially invited guest to the Dalai Lama’s teaching on the Garland of Views in Miami, Florida (10,000 attendance) One of a few Buddhist teachers invited to Stanford University to speak on African American Buddhist culture First Buddhist teacher to establish nine online blogs dedicated to diversity, Buddhist psychology and mental health First straight African American Buddhist teacher to publish a call for the end of homophobia in the black community First male Buddhist teacher to be endorse by a pioneer of Third Wave Feminism. The only African American author to write a book featured as a Dharma classic in Buddhadharma magazine. First African American teacher to travel abroad speaking to international audiences on the issues of Buddhism in American  communities of color The only Buddhist teacher to receive the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Community Service from a from a joint committee of Buddhist organizations and African American Churches in Oakland, California. First African American to teach Dharma in Zen (Green Gulch), Vipassana (Spirit Rock), Thich Nhat Han (Northern California Retreat), and FWBO Buddhist Centers (London Buddhist Center). First Buddhist teacher to research and publish a book on the relationship between Asian American Buddhists and African American Christians in America's Frontier West (c.1850-1920) Rainbowdharma is the first organization to fund 100% of materials, on-line presence, media, film, and books addressing the needs of Buddhist peace in the  African American community First filmmaker to world premiere a Buddhist film at a Historically Black University (HBCU) First Buddhist teacher to have a paper on Asian and African American cultural mutuality accepted for presentation at the Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences First Black filmmaker to receive the Accolade Award for Excellence in Filmmaking First Buddhist filmmaker to create a film selected for screening at major African American film festivals  First Buddhist teacher to produce, direct, and musically score a film on American Buddhism  First Buddhist teacher to do a day-long personal retreat on the grassy knoll of the JFK Memorial in Dallas, Texas First American to grow up in a Crip gang who later became a Tibetan Buddhist teacher The only American Buddhist teacher who is a grandfather of a multi-racial family First American Buddhist teacher to attend a Scandinavian conference on masculinity (Estonia) First American Buddhist teacher who began his Buddhist life camping at the base of Mt. Fuji, Japan First American Buddhist teacher to keynote a conference on the dialogue between the African American Community and Dalit Untouchables of india. First American Buddhist teacher to write and article on the art of listening for a major Swedish Women's Magazine, Stockholm. First male Buddhist teacher to contribute to an article on stress relief in America's Leading Magazine for Black Women. Only Buddhist teacher invited to speak about the Golden Tara of Agusan at the First International Babaylan Conference 2010. First teacher of Tibetan Buddhism to do a community talk on the Golden Tara of Agusan in Historic Filipino Town, Los Angeles, California. First Buddhist teacher to teach the history and tradition of the Golden Tara of Agusan to Filipino languages courses at UCLA. First African American Buddhist teacher to piligrmage to the French Alps home of explorer, author, teacher Alexandra David Neel. First Buddhist teacher radio interviewed about African Americans and Buddhism by the Buddhist Broadcast Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands First African American Lama to pilgrimage to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai, Thailand.