January 1987

Toni Morrison publishes 'Beloved,' a novel based on the true story of enslaved woman Margaret Garner. It wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988 and is later cited by the New York Times as the best American novel of the previous 25 years.

Reginald Lewis's company TLC Group completes the leveraged buyout of Beatrice International Holdings for $985 million, creating the largest Black-owned business in US history. Lewis becomes the first Black American to lead a billion-dollar multinational enterprise.

Reginald Lewis completes the leveraged buyout of Beatrice Companies' international food operations for $985 million through his firm TLC Group, creating TLC Beatrice International — the first Black-owned company to surpass $1 billion in annual revenues.

August Wilson wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for 'Fences,' starring James Earl Jones as Troy Maxson — a Pittsburgh sanitation worker and former Negro League baseball player. Wilson becomes the first Black playwright to win the Pulitzer twice.

Johnetta B. Cole becomes the first Black woman to serve as president of Spelman College — the nation's premier HBCU for women — bringing national attention and unprecedented philanthropic investment to HBCUs during her eleven-year presidency.

Wilson's Fences, set in 1950s Pittsburgh, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, bringing the Black working-class experience to the center of American theater. Wilson would go on to win a second Pulitzer, making him one of only seven playwrights to achieve that distinction.

Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)' reaches number one in the United States and seventeen other countries, becoming one of the best-selling singles of 1987 and earning Houston a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Boogie Down Productions release 'Criminal Minded,' a debut album from the South Bronx that introduces KRS-One's hard-edged storytelling and lays foundational elements of what becomes gangsta rap, influencing the entire East Coast hardcore hip-hop tradition.

Eric B. & Rakim release 'Paid in Full,' an album widely regarded as one of the greatest in hip-hop history. Rakim's complex internal rhymes and philosophical lyrical approach establish a new standard for MCing that influences virtually every subsequent rapper.

Baltimore-born attorney and financier Reginald Lewis completed the leveraged buyout of Beatrice Companies' international operations for $985 million in 1987, creating TLC Beatrice International and becoming the first Black American to build a billion-dollar business. The deal was the largest offshore leveraged buyout in history at the time, shattering barriers on Wall Street.

Mae Jemison, a physician and engineer, is selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate, one of only 15 chosen from nearly 2,000 applicants. She will go on in 1992 to become the first Black woman in space.

Walter Payton retires from the Chicago Bears having rushed for 16,726 yards, setting the NFL all-time career rushing record. He is also renowned for his blocking, toughness, and community engagement, and is widely considered the greatest all-around running back in NFL history.

Michael Jordan wins the NBA Slam Dunk Contest for the second consecutive year at the 1987 All-Star Weekend in Seattle, cementing his reputation for otherworldly athleticism and inaugurating a cultural moment that transforms the NBA's marketing appeal.

Bo Jackson, the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner, becomes the first modern athlete to play professionally in both the NFL and MLB, joining the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Royals simultaneously. His extraordinary athleticism makes him a cultural phenomenon.

Jerry Rice, in just his third season with the San Francisco 49ers, sets the NFL record with 22 receiving touchdowns in a single season, a record that still stands. He wins the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award and begins his ascent toward being the greatest receiver in NFL history.

John Lewis, veteran of the Freedom Rides and Bloody Sunday, was sworn in as US Representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district. He served until his death in 2020, becoming known as 'the conscience of Congress' and a living bridge between the civil rights movement and contemporary American democracy.

Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time under coach Chuck Daly, with Thomas averaging 29 points in the series — a sign of the 'Bad Boys' dynasty that wins back-to-back NBA titles in 1989-90.

Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets establishes himself as the most complete center in the NBA, leading the league in blocked shots and pioneering the 'Dream Shake' post move, introducing a technically sophisticated African-influenced style of play to American basketball.

Terry McMillan publishes her debut novel 'Mama,' personally organizing a guerrilla marketing campaign and mailing thousands of letters to bookstores after her publisher offered minimal support. The novel sells strongly and begins McMillan's emergence as a leading voice in popular Black fiction.

Brooklyn MC Lyte releases her debut single I Cram to Understand U (Sam), becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full-length hip-hop single. Her lyrical skill and willingness to address drug addiction as a theme set her apart from contemporaries.

Magic Johnson wins his third league MVP award and leads the Los Angeles Lakers to their fifth championship of the decade in 1988. Johnson's rivalry with Larry Bird and his charismatic showtime basketball style make him one of the most influential athletes of the era.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art presents a major retrospective of Gordon Parks's photography and film work, recognizing his career as the most celebrated Black visual artist of the 20th century — a photographer, filmmaker, novelist, and composer who documented Black American life across five decades.

Black athletes including Cheryl Miller, who led USC to back-to-back national championships, and Teresa Edwards, who wins Olympic gold in 1984, drive sustained growth in women's basketball visibility during the decade, laying groundwork for the professional leagues of the 1990s.

Enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities surges in the mid-to-late 1980s, partly attributed to the positive portrayal of HBCU life in The Cosby Show and A Different World. Schools including Spelman, Morehouse, Howard, and Hampton see increased applications and funding.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded by Richard Allen in 1787, celebrates its bicentennial with major events across the country, reflecting on two centuries as the nation's oldest Black Protestant denomination and its ongoing role in Black civic and political life.

Heavy D & the Boyz release 'Living Large,' establishing Heavy D as a uniquely charismatic voice in hip-hop who combined humor, style, and lyrical skill to pioneer a more playful, lover-man persona in a genre often defined by harder aesthetics.

Jamaican-American rapper Heavy D and the Boyz release their debut album Living Large, introducing a upbeat, dance-oriented hip-hop style and helping to establish Uptown Records as a major Black-owned music label.

The extended rivalry between Kool Moe Dee and LL Cool J, conducted through recorded dis tracks, helps establish hip-hop battle culture as a distinct artistic tradition with formal conventions and audience rituals, distinguishing rap from other music genres.

Becomes the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.