African Americans In The 1980s

There has been a lot of improvement within the African American community, when it comes to music, entertainment, and politics. During the ‘80s in the music industry the following things occurred: In 1980, Blondie released Rapture, which introduced rap to a whole new audience. In 1981, The arrival of MTV music video station put new emphasis on the visual presentation of music. In 1982, Michael Jackson’s album, Thriller, was released and sold 45 million copies worldwide, becoming the best selling album in music history. In 1984, Russell Simmons formed Def Jam Records in Harlem. In 1986, Run DMC’s “Walk This Way” became the first rap song to enter the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The first African Americans to be inducted into the Rock

Johnson began the operation of Black Entertainment Television (BET) out of Washington, D.C. In 1982, Bryant Gumbel was named anchor of The Today Show, becoming the first African American to hold the post on a major network. Louis Gossett Jr. became the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film “An Officer and a Gentleman”. In 1983, Robert C. Maynard became the first African American to own the major daily newspaper in a large city when he became the majority stockholder of the Oakland Tribune. Vanessa Williams became the first African American crowned Miss America on September 18 in Atlantic City. Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In September of 1984, The Cosby Show makes its television debut, running for eight seasons and became the most successful series in television history featuring a mostly African American cast. In 1986, Oprah Winfrey launched her own talk show. Spike Lee released his first feature film “She’s Gotta Have It” initiating a new wave of interest in black films and African American filmmakers In 1987, Fences, a play by August Wilson won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony

became the first African American Speaker in a state legislature, when he is selected for the post in the California Assembly and held the Speakership until 1995 when he was elected Mayor of San Fran. In 1983, On April 12th, Harold Washington is elected the first black mayor of Chicago. On November 2nd, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill establishing January 20th as a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Harvey Bernard Gantt became the first African American mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1984, Jesse Jackson was a leading voice for blacks in America, urging them to be more politically active and heading up a voter registration drive that led to the election of Harold Washington as the first black mayor of Chicago in 1983. On January 2nd, W. Wilson Goode became the first African American mayor of Philadelphia. In 1986, MLK Day was first celebrated. In 1987, On December 8th, Kurt Lidell Schmoke became the first African American elected mayor of Baltimore by popular vote. In 1989, On February 7th, Ronald H. Brown was elected chair of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the African American to head one of the two major political