1972

On January 25, 1972, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black American and the first woman to seek the presidential nomination of a major political party, competing in twelve state primaries and winning 152 delegate votes. Her campaign shattered two barriers simultaneously and proved that Black women could contest the highest office in the land, inspiring Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's later campaigns.

Over 8,000 Black delegates converge in Gary, Indiana for the National Black Political Convention, the largest gathering of Black political activists in U.S. history to that point, seeking an independent Black political agenda.

Over 8,000 Black delegates converge in Gary, Indiana for the National Black Political Convention, the largest gathering of Black political activists in U.S. history to that point, seeking an independent Black political agenda.

Angela Davis is acquitted on all charges including murder and conspiracy after a nationwide Free Angela Davis movement. The trial became a global symbol of Black political persecution and feminist solidarity.

Betye Saar creates The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, a landmark assemblage that reclaims and subverts the racist Mammy stereotype, becoming one of the most discussed works of Black feminist visual art.

Ishmael Reed publishes Mumbo Jumbo, a postmodern novel blending detective fiction, African spirituality, and satirical cultural history. It is nominated for the National Book Award and becomes a landmark of Black postmodern literature.

Betye Saar creates The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, a landmark assemblage that reclaims and subverts the racist Mammy stereotype, becoming one of the most discussed works of Black feminist visual art.

Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" reached number one on both the pop and R&B charts and became one of the best-selling singles of 1972. Produced with Hi Records founder Willie Mitchell in Memphis, the song is considered one of the finest recordings in soul music history.

Sanford and Son, starring Redd Foxx, premieres on NBC and quickly becomes one of the highest-rated shows on American television, marking a major commercial breakthrough for Black-led sitcoms.

Sanford and Son, starring Redd Foxx, premieres on NBC and quickly becomes one of the highest-rated shows on American television, marking a major commercial breakthrough for Black-led sitcoms.

Isaac Hayes became the first Black composer to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the "Theme from Shaft." The win was a historic breakthrough in Hollywood recognition of Black artistic achievement and cemented Hayes as a defining figure of both funk and film music.

Isaac Hayes becomes the first Black American to win an Academy Award in a non-acting category, winning Best Original Song for the Theme from Shaft at the 44th Academy Awards.

Curtis Mayfield's soundtrack to the film "Super Fly" transcended the blaxploitation genre it accompanied, offering a politically conscious critique of drug culture and systemic poverty. The album reached number one and is regarded as one of the most socially engaged works in soul and funk history.

Diana Ross stars as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in her film debut and demonstrating the commercial and artistic potential of Black biographical films.

Diana Ross stars as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in her film debut and demonstrating the commercial and artistic potential of Black biographical films.

Andrew Young wins election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia, becoming the first Black congressman from Georgia since 1871, marking a major breakthrough in Southern Black political power.

Andrew Young wins election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia, becoming the first Black congressman from Georgia since Jefferson Long left Congress in 1871, marking a major breakthrough in Southern Black political power.

Stevie Wonder releases Talking Book, his first album with full creative control at Motown. It includes the hits Superstition and You Are the Sunshine of My Life, launching his classic period.

Faith Ringgold develops her story quilts, an innovative form combining painted narrative panels with quilted fabric borders rooted in African American quilting traditions, challenging boundaries between fine art and craft.

Leontyne Price continues her reign as the reigning diva of the Metropolitan Opera throughout the early 1970s, establishing a model of Black excellence in classical music and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 followed by continued honors.

McCoy Tyner releases Sahara on Milestone Records, widely considered one of the finest jazz piano albums ever recorded and a landmark of post-Coltrane jazz that won the Downbeat Critics Poll.

Theologian James Cone publishes The Spirituals and the Blues, deepening the intellectual foundation of Black Liberation Theology by connecting African American music to theological meaning.

Theologian James Cone publishes The Spirituals and the Blues, deepening the intellectual foundation of Black Liberation Theology by connecting African American music to theological meaning.

Following the Gary convention, the National Black Political Assembly is formed to sustain an independent Black political infrastructure, representing the most serious post-Civil Rights attempt to build a permanent Black political organization.

Ornette Coleman records Science Fiction for Columbia Records, a landmark avant-garde jazz album that continued to push harmolodic theory and featured contributions from Don Cherry and other free jazz pioneers.

Black World (formerly Negro Digest), edited by Hoyt Fuller, reaches its peak circulation and influence as the leading literary and cultural journal of the Black Arts Movement before its controversial cancellation by Johnson Publishing in 1976.

Faith Ringgold begins developing her story quilts in the early 1970s, an innovative form combining painted narrative panels with quilted fabric borders rooted in African American quilting traditions, challenging boundaries between fine art and craft.

The O'Jays release Back Stabbers, the title track from their breakthrough album, which reaches number three on the pop charts and establishes Philadelphia International Records as a major force in Black music.

The O'Jays release Back Stabbers, the title track from their breakthrough album, which reaches number three on the pop charts and establishes Philadelphia International Records as a major force in Black music.

Blacula, starring William Marshall, is released and becomes an unexpected critical and commercial success, spawning a sequel and establishing the presence of Black characters and themes in the horror genre.

The Ohio Players sign with Mercury Records and begin their commercial breakthrough, eventually releasing a string of classic funk albums including Pain, Pleasure, and Skin Tight that define mid-70s funk.

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard wins the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance for First Light, a fusion album that brought his bebop mastery to a broader audience.

Blacula, starring William Marshall, is released by AIP and becomes an unexpected critical and commercial success, spawning a sequel and establishing the presence of Black characters and themes in the horror genre.

Motown Records, founded by Berry Gordy in Detroit, having already moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, continues its operations through the 1980s as a Black-owned major label. The decade sees Gordy selling Motown to MCA in 1988 in a landmark Black business transaction.

Chisholm becomes the first Black candidate to seek a major party's nomination.