January 1997

Sanders's record-setting 1997 season with the Detroit Lions surpassed O.J. Simpson's single-season rushing record and earned him the NFL MVP award.

Percy Miller's New Orleans-based label released 23 gold or platinum albums in 1997 alone, demonstrating that independent Black-owned rap labels could build vertically integrated entertainment enterprises.

Johnson Entertainment's Magic Johnson Theaters chain and his partnership with Starbucks to open cafes in inner-city neighborhoods became a celebrated model of community-focused Black entrepreneurship.

Waters's leadership of the CBC amplified Black legislative priorities during the Clinton era, and her uncompromising advocacy on issues from police brutality to the crack-cocaine sentencing disparity defined progressive Black politics.

Jones rose to the top of world sprinting in 1997–1998, setting the stage for her five-medal 2000 Sydney Olympics, becoming the face of American track in the late 1990s.

De La Hoya's boxing excellence and crossover appeal as a Mexican American athlete helped diversify boxing's fanbase in the late 1990s, intersecting with the culture of Black boxing excellence.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art's retrospective of Parks's photography, film, and writing traveled the country, cementing his legacy as one of the 20th century's most versatile Black American artists.