1980
Miami Riots1980s
1980
Black Entertainment Television (BET) was founded January 25, 1980 by Robert L. Johnson1980s
1981
Dreamgirls opens on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre. 1980s
1981
Singer-songwriter-superstar Beyoncé is born.1980s
1982
Michael Jackson's album, Thriller, becomes the best selling album in music history selling over 70 million copies worldwide.1980s
1983
On September 17, 1983, Vanessa Williams becomes the first African American crowned Miss America.1980s
1983
Guy S. Bluford, Jr., The First African American to Go to Space1980s
1983
On NBC's Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, Michael Jackson first debuted his signature moonwalk while performing “Billie Jean” on May 16, 1983.1980s
1984
Rev. Jesse Jackson Makes A Bid for Democratic Nomination1980s
1985
Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first Black woman named U.S. Poet Laureate in the Library of Congress.1980s
1985
Philadelphia's African American mayor, Wilson Goode, orders the bombing of MOVE, a local black nationalist organization.1980s
1986
The first national observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday.1980s
1986
The Oprah Winfrey Show1980s
1987
Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame1980s
1988
Temple University offers the first Ph.D. in African American Studies1980s
1989
The Central Park Five now known as the Exonerated Five1980s

Advertisement