1970s
This bestselling book about a slave and his descendants went on to become must-see-TV in a 1970s miniseries.
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
This talk show host became incredibly popular and famous during the 1980s, and would eventually become the first female African-American billionaire.
Oprah Winfrey
This former NFL running back was put on trial for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend, with the trial quickly becoming a racial flashpoint.
OJ Simpson
Barack Obama named this older, white man as his Vice Presidential running-mate - many political analysts believe it was because most of America was not ready to vote for a young, Black male for President.
Joe Biden
Hurricane Katrina ravaged this city and especially devastated lower-class African-Americans and their community.
This musical genre was born in the Bronx, NYC, and captured the essence of Black culture in the 70s.
Hip-Hop
This President was disliked by most in the Black community based on his racially charged rhetoric and his elimination of many social programs.
The beating of this man by LAPD officers was caught on video and led to mass protests and rioting after none were found guilty.
Rodney King
President Obama was elected the first African-American President in US history in this year.
2008
President Obama took office shortly after this economic catastrophe had begun.
A college football game in 1970 between these two schools prompted segregated, Southern college teams to start recruiting more Black athletes.
Alabama and the University of Southern California
This type of music emerged in the late 80s to express the frustrations and anger of inner-city Black youth with groups like N.W.A.
Gangsta Rap
These two rappers were both shot to death after escalating threats and violence throughout the 1990s
Tupac and Notorious BIG
Obama was a massive underdog to win the Democratic nomination for President when he declared he wanted to run. The overwhelming favorite to represent the Democrats was...
Hillary Clinton
The killing of this man in summer 2020 sparked some of the largest protests in US history all across America.
George Floyd
During the 1970s, the battle over integrated schools shifted to heated debates about this - one example being the controversy in Boston.
This man ran for President in 1984 and 1988 and was a leading Black politician throughout the end of the 20th century.
Jesse Jackson
In the 1990s, this term became commonly used to described, lower-income people living in challenging urban environments.
The Underclass
President Obama's signature domestic policy achievement was this piece of legislation, which many Americans still argue about today.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
In 2011, the US War on Terror achieved a major victory with this person was captured and killed.
Osama bin Laden
In 1972, she became the first African American female to run for President in History
Shirley Chisholm
This African-American author wrote Beloved (amongst many other works) in 1987, which would catapult her to a Pulitzer Prize and eventually a Nobel Prize in Literature
Toni Morrison
The Million Woman March
Conspiracy theorists, as part of the "whisper campaign" of 2008 believe that President Obama was...
not born in the US, a Muslim, an Arab
This woman was shot in bed in her apartment when police mistook her residence for a drug bust location. The city of Louisville ultimately paid her family $12 million dollars, but no officers were ever charged.
Breonna Taylor